Skylar's Apple Crumb Top Pie

Ingredients

Dough and Filling:

Dough for a double crust 9-inch pie (homemade, frozen, or refrigerated)
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash salt
3 ½ cups peeled, chopped cooking apples
1 (16-ounce) jar applesauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces

Crunch Topping:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Dash salt
1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of dough. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in apples, applesauce, and lemon juice. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Spoon apple mixture into pie pan and dot with butter. Cut remaining crust into strips; arrange in a lattice design over top of pie. For crunch topping, combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Using a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over top of crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust and topping are golden brown. Avoid salivating on pie whilst it cools.

John Waters

Sometimes when sitting in traffic I find myself thinking about a particular part from John Waters' fabulous book Role Models and I can't help but bust out laughing. He was at a bar and was chatting with the man next to him and decided to ask, "What do you do for a living?" The gentleman replied, "I trade deer meat for crack." I don't recall that as an option on Career Day in high school...

Family Time

Here is yet another fab pic stolen from the movie theatre photo booth.

Sean Hayes

Since seeing Let Fury Have the Hour on Saturday, I have not stopped listening to Sean Hayes' Soul Shaker - it's brilliant:

You were a real street preacher
Talking about life’s abundance
Living it to the fullest
Giving us all that you could

A deep soul shaker
Surely a true heart breaker
Always be a guiding light
For anyone looking for a little bit more in life

You sang do it yourself
But then teach some one
When your heartbeat was taken away
You left us with so much spirit

You were in the wrong place at the wrong time
But you

You were a fire starter
Autonomy seeker
Freedom fighter
Singing there is enough for everyone

Potluck romance
Love that love dance
You walked that walk
Talk that talk

Joy bringer
A helping hand
Yes we can
Live lets live

You were in the wrong place at the wrong time
But you had it right

Wind blows
Rock falls
A wing breaks
Father shakes

Red light
Green light
Boy race with time
Mama crying

Warm night
Barrowed bike
Last dance

You were in the wrong place at the wrong time
But you had it right

There
Is
Enough
For everyone
You
Had it right

(lyrics kidnapped from seanhayes)

Alaska Gold

(pic kidnapped from everydayishalloween written by Alaska Gold)

Let Fury Have the Hour

I do so love a film that as I leave the theatre I am completely inspired to do more. To be more. To make some kind of impact in any kind of way. To think more. To think more positively and to live in the best way possible. Let Fury Have the Hour was that kind of film. See it.

Movies from My Childhood

Growing up in the late seventies and early eighties, my brothers and I were rarely allowed to watch television (a popular catchphrase in our household was "Go outside and do something constructive.") and my parents never had enough cash to go see an actual movie. Except for Wrath of Khan in summer '82, but that's a whole nother story in and of itself.
To start off, obviously no childhood is complete without watching The Wizard of Oz whenever possible. The scene when Dorothy opens the door and the world goes from black and white to colour was my absolute favourite part. (Imagine my disappointment the time we watched it on our old black & white.) I was utterly mesmerised and agog at how magical Oz was and I desperately wanted to go for a nice long weekend.
It also goes without saying that we also were severely addicted to all things Star Wars and watched that movie til we had it completely memorised. Luckily none of my brothers have realised that I currently have the Darth Vader figure case in my possession. (Good thing they don't read this blog.) I have no plans on returning it or the action figures stored inside.
My two faves, that my brothers could care less about, were Faerie Tale Theatre's Beauty and the Beast (my love for Klaus Kinski began at a very early age) and Pollyanna. I swear every time Pollyanna'd be up in that tree, sneaking back in through the window, I'd think, "Maybe this time she won't fall..." But she'd never learn. Every damn time she'd reach for that stupid doll and go crashing several stories to the ground. Idiot.
Other classic films of my youth were The Black Stallion, Mr. Boogedy - to this day we still quote from this '86 TV movie - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow which began my great appreciation for tall, raven haired Jewish men, Savannah Smiles, Watcher in the Woods, and Penny Serenade. What could be better than a love story featuring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne? Especially one that features earthquakes, miscarriage, infertility, and the death of a child. Just what my dysfunctional family needed to bring us all together on a Saturday night.

Dear and the Headlights

I have still not quite come to terms with the demise of this band. They put out two of the most spectacular albums I've ever heard. Every single song is uplifting and utterly remarkable. Give them both a listen.

(photos kidnapped from ex3cublog and somdefora respectively)

Trenton State Hospital

(photo by Scott Haefner)

Joy

This afternoon Melissa and I finally went to the old playground and scattered Joy's ashes. It's the perfect resting place for our girl. This is where we all used to play on the swings, go down the slide, talk to the dogs being walked and where we would toss the frisbee. We are so lucky to have had this gal in our lives for as long as we did.

Jump From Paper

The thought of me walking around with a cartoonie bag like this is so stinkin' fantastic I can hardly stand it.

(photo kidnapped from jumpfrompaper)

Turkish Playlist

Portishead - Glory Box
Jamiroquai - Everyday
Alpha - Sometime Later
Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
Madonna - I Want You
Prince - Scandalous
Sade - No Ordinary Love
Led Zeppelin - Since I've Been Loving You
Marilyn Manson - Fundamentally Loathsome
Massive Attack - Angel
Metallica - Loverman
NIN - Get Down, Make Love
Depeche Mode - Dirt
Pulp - F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E
The Revolting Cocks - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
The Cure - A Thousand Hours
Teddy Pendergrass - Close the Door
Chris Isaak - Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
SRV - Ain't Gone n' Give Up On Love
Nina Simone - Feeling Good
INXS - Need You Tonight
John Legend - Save Room
Jace Everett - Bad Things
NIN - Closer
Led Zeppelin - When the Levee Breaks
Marilyn Manson - I Put a Spell on You

My Feelings Exactly

Day 15...

...of a month long juice fast and all I can think of is Govinda's vegan chicken cheesesteaks. I know, I know, all you carnivores out there are like, "Vegan chicken cheesesteak?" Okay, so there's no chicken or steak and the cheese is fake as well. But hey, the bread is real. Oh, how it is a delight for the senses...I really mean it. I saw Bishop on Sunday and, possibly salivating, I cornered him and said, "If you don't go with me to Govinda's in February we are through!" Clearly my beloved fellow vegetarian is totally down for a jaunt across the bridge to stuff our gobs. I cannot wait.

I Heart Tina Fey

 
(photo kidnapped from ceeobvious)

Westminster Abbey

Tacconelli's with Marina

Aldous Huxley

Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.

-"Texts and Pretexts", 1932

They Exist

On August 23rd, 2002, Xavier, Buddy, and I all went to NYC for the day. It was Xave's first adventure on the NY subway and man, did they deliver. He was overjoyed when he looked across the platform and said, "Holy shit! It's a fuckin' huge-ass sewer rat. I can't believe it. I've always heard about New York City sewer rats and now I'm actually seeing one. This is awesome!" That's all it took to make his day, and mine as well. For an instant I felt transported back to the NYC of films like Gloria, where shit was real and the city was mysterious and scary.

The Giant Mechanical Man

Simply charming from start to finish.

(photo kidnapped from pariscine)

The Ska Mix

Five Iron Frenzy - Sucker Punch
Supertones - What It Comes To
Reel Big Fish - Sell Out
The Hippos - Wasting My Life
Aquabats - Pizza Day
Pie Tasters - Same Old Song
Less Than Jake - Happy Man
Less Than Jake - 9th at Pine
Save Ferris - Come On Eileen
Reel Big Fish - Brown Eyed Girl
Five Iron Frenzy - Oh Canada
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Impression That I Get
Rancid - Ruby Soho
Toots & the Maytals - Pressure Drop
The Hippos - Pollution
Operation Ivy - Bad Town
Rancid - Time Bomb
Reel Big Fish - She Has a Girlfriend Now

Best New Love

I ♥ Mateo Emiliano.

Where are you already?

Marina and Mario are expecting their first child and he was due on the 4th. They are withholding his name and the suspense is damn near killing me. Baby Manny, what's the hold up??? We want to meet you so bad!!

And Everything Is Going Fine

Not knowing much about Spalding Gray, but always feeling like he was an interesting fella, I was really anxious to finally watch Soderbergh's And Everything Is Going Fine. I'm not a huge fan of Steven Soderbergh's films, but this one was brilliant from beginning to end. What a fabulous portrait he created by seamlessly unfolding Spalding's life through interviews, performance pieces, and home movies. I loved every moment.

(photo kidnapped from impawards)

Buckeyes

Ingredients

3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat together the sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla at medium speed. The dough should end up slightly crumbly. Roll the dough into 1 inch spheres. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and stick a toothpick into each one. Place in the freezer and chill for one hour.

3. In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl snugly on top of a pan with a few inches of simmering water, melt the chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Holding the chilled peanut butter spheres by the toothpick and placing a fork under it to stabilise, dip it into the melted chocolate, leaving a small hole of the dough showing at the top as the "buckeye." Let the excess chocolate drip back into the pot. Return the buckeye to the backing sheet. Repeat with remaining peanut butter spheres.

4. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Remove toothpicks prior to serving.

5. Result - deliciousness.

 

 

This Shall Be Mine

My twelve year old niece, Kayla, and I are both so into this whole moustache craze. We've got 'stache necklaces and socks and t-shirts and mittens and duct tape and are always on the lookout for more. I saw this dress on PassionPeach's etsy site and think I'd look simply dazzling in it for my brother's wedding in June. And maybe Marina's wedding next summer in Colombia....

Soon....

Nicole and I will be sitting on these very steps, sharing a cigarette and feeling overwhelming bliss.

(photo kidnapped from judefoodlife)

Best Recent Read

I just tore through Charles Bronson's Bronson and loved every page. His writing was terribly honest and he totally comes across as a likeable, decent guy. I've found that I tend to be drawn to the writings of people who are held captive, who are subjected to years of hell yet manage to persevere and keep going. People like Viktor Frankl, Epictetus, Ingrid Betancourt, Haing Ngor, Palden Gyatso, James Stockdale, and Ani Pachen to name the few whose books line my shelves. Next I'm gonna finally read The Fifth Diamond by Irene Zisblatt. But seriously, check out Bronson - it's brilliant and I've more of his work on their way across the Atlantic.