Do It For The Kiddies

There is a new badge posted on the very top of my sidebar. It's at the top because I hope everyone will notice it. It is for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Petition.

Yes, this is related to his new TV show. I watched the preview Sunday, it wasn't bad. But whether you will watch the show or not, you should sign the petition.

Today's kids are eating too much crap. Too many of them are overweight. Too many of them will have health problems. And America's School Lunch Program is not helping, because too much cheap crappy food gets funneled into this guaranteed buyer.

Many of America's poorest children depend on the program for 10 meals a week. Instead of dumping our excess cheap food into them, we should be taking the opportunity to teach them to eat better. The show demonstrated that many of these kids are eating processed foods, like chicken nuggets, several times a week but won't eat a marinated and baked piece of chicken. Many won't even try it.

Taste is (mostly) cultivated. Kids who grow up eating junk will continue to eat junk in adulthood, and suffer the consequences. We cannot determine what children eat at home, but by serving high quality healthy meals at school we can make sure these a taste for healthy choices is cultivated which will lead to a lifetime of better eating and better health.

So click on the badge, it will take you right to the website where you can sign the petition to show your support for improving America's school food.

I ♥ Macaroni and Cheese

Who doesn't really? Actually, I have met a person or two who doesn't appreciate the stuff and I cannot comprehend it.

I love pasta. I love cheese. I love all kinds of mac and cheese, from the kraft box to the fancy schmancy stuff. Creamy varieties and baked varieties. With vegetables or rpoteind mixed in, or just pasta and cheese. Each version holds a place in my heart (and stomach).

If you agree with me on this topic then you MUST go check this out. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board is assembling a Macaroni & Cheese Blog - 30 days 30 ways with macaroni & cheese.

These 30 recipes have been posted by an awesome assortment of food bloggers, and then span anything your heart could desire. The range of ingredients is really impressive. And I just needed to spread the word.

300 Pies!

I got a new cookbook. Pie by Ken Haedrich.

It is all pies. (And some pie crust too).

I haven't made anything yet. I have been in a bit of a pie slump. I just haven't been feeling the magic lately. Hopefully I will pull out of it soon.

But the recipes look great! Aside from the fact that Mr. Haedrich and I clearly have different ideas about the suitability of vegetable shortening in pie crust; he favors a crust with some shortening while I refuse to use it. EVER.

Why? Cuz it has NO FLAVOR.

But shortening crust aside, this book is full of great recipes. He includes a lot of recipes that combine fruits, which is great, and it has tons of the more unusual pies recipes that I love to try out.

Periodic Table of Cupcakes

I am kind of a nerdy scientist.

So, obviously, I love this.

Not A Foodie Blog and Other Random Thoughts

#1 I would just like to state for the record that this is NOT a foodie blog.

I have nothing against foodie blogs, in fact I spend a lot of my time perusing them, getting recipes, and envying their photography. But I am not a foodie. Foodie to me is someone who may be a bit of a food snob expecting the best ingredients and has high standards for the finished dish. This is not me.

I was recently drawn in by a box of Hamburger Helper. It WAS gross, but I bought, made, and ate it. These are not the actions of a foodie.

#2 I have not been using my own voice.

It's like my sub-conscious decided that since I am writing about pie I have to use some weird family friendly voice or something. I'm going to try to stop. It's not me and this SHOULD reflect me and my personality along with my pie experiments.

And besides, 5 year olds don't make pies anyway.

#3 I just can't keep up.

When I started this I worried about if I would have enough to post. If there would be large gaps during those periods when I do not have lots of time for pie baking.

Now I worry because I am so far behind! Seriously, I may not remember what a pie tastes like by the time I write about it.

And if I take a pie baking break, well, that will just give me a chance to catch up.

#4 I am generally averse to joining any of the on-line recipe sites. Even all-recipes. They are just so big and it doesn't really seem to matter if you comment on a recipe 500 people have already have reviewed.

But this week I joined The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen. I have already found a great pie recipe there (look for the upcoming Milk Pie post) and it is small enough that I feel like commenting is actually worthwhile. She did not start it that long ago so I may not continue if it blows up into a huge thing, but for now I like it.

So far I have only posted my Concord Grape Pie, but plan to post more pie recipes when I make enough adjustments to consider them my own.

This is also a place for me to put up things other then pies. I am still struggling with how pie and/or dessert exclusive to keep this blog and have not quite decided yet, so for now...sticking to pies.

If your interested in anything else I might be cooking I can be found over at Tasty Kitchen.