Cool As Elvis Cheese Pie

Posted on May 2, 2011 by beckyajohnson

A couple of months ago, I saw an advertisement on the Trader Joe’s website for a pie contest. The rules were: (1) to use up to 5 Trader Joe’s products (binding agents don’t count in the ingredient total); (2) don’t use any alcohol; and (3) the recipe must take 20 minutes or less for preparation (not including cooking time).

Since I love Trader Joe’s, and I love contests, I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t selected as a finalist, but the recipe was pretty tasty, so I thought I would share it here.

Cool As Elvis Cheese Pie
 
Total Prep Time: 3 hours
Active Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
 
Ingredients:
1 TJ’s brand pre-made pie crust (from frozen dept.)
1 8-oz. package of TJ’s brand RBST-free, full-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup TJ’s brand organic crunchy peanut butter
2 19-cent bananas (ripe & mashed)
1 TJ’s brand 72% dark chocolate Swiss Bar
1 stick of unsalted butter
2/3 cup of sugar
2 eggs
 
 
Directions:
1. Before you begin, leave the frozen pie crust, cream cheese, peanut butter and butter on the kitchen counter for one hour to allow the ingredients to soften.
 
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, butter and sugar. Cream with either a wooden spoon or electric mixer until smooth and well-mixed.
 
 
3. Add the eggs and bananas and continue to cream until smooth and well-mixed.
 
 
4. In a pie plate, carefully arange the pre-made crust. Pour the creamy mixture into pie plate and place on top rack of the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until pie crust is golden around the edges.
 
5. Turn off the oven and allow the pie to sit in the oven for one hour. This will allow the pie to cook evenly throughout. Go do something fun during this time.
 
 
6. Remove the pie from the oven and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, simmer around 3 cups of water in 2-quart pot over the stove. Place a smaller saucepan with the chocolate, broken into pieces, inside the larger pan. Voila! In less than 5 minutes you will have melted chocolate. This is a great way to melt chocolate in general without it burning over direct stovetop contact.
 
 
7. Pour the melted chocolate over the pie and spread evenly over the top. Allow it to cool before serving. The pie tastes even better the second day.
 
 
 
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March Virtual Book Discussion

Posted on April 21, 2011 by beckyajohnson

March by Geraldine Brooks. Published in 2005.

Synopsis: This work of historical fiction is told from the point-of-view of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Set during the Civil War, Mr. March serves as an army chaplain. Tracing his life as an abolitionist – beginning with his first love with the slave Grace – to his near-fatal illness and short-comings, March draws from the life of Bronson Alcott and weaves in a few other historical figures too.

About the Author: Australian-born journalist Geraldine Brooks previously served as war correspondent for The Wall Street Journal in Bosnia, Somalia and the Middle East. Her other books include Year of Wonders (a historical novel set during the 17th-century bubonic plague epidemic), People of the Book, and several non-fiction books. Married to American journalist Tony Horwitz, Brooks became a U.S. citizen in 2002. March won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for best American fiction.

My Initial Reactions to the Book

I was looking forward to reading this book, largely because I am generally interested in this period of history and am a huge fan of the writings of Emerson, Thoreau and other transcendentalists. I adored Little Women, despite later learning that Louisa May Alcott detested it and wrote it to earn an income for their family when her idealistic father had failed to. Having just finished a great Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Olive Kitteridge, I had high hopes for this book.

Unfortunately, I came away a bit disappointed. To start, I think I have a prejudice against books written by women that are first-person narratives from the point-of-view of men (for example, I didn’t really care for Water for Elephants despite the rave reviews). The writing style of March reminded me of Wuthering Heights, which is fine for a novel written in the nineteenth century, but not one written in 2005.

As I mentioned above, I am a huge fan of the transcendentalist school of thought and the writings of Emerson and Thoreau, so what I enjoyed most about this book was the tie-in with actual history. Although they are minor characters, Emerson, Thoreau and John Brown are some of the more interesting characters in the book. I appreciated the personalized connections with the fictionalized March family – Thoreau going berry hunting with the March sisters and Mr. March’s beneficence towards John Brown as the agent for the family’s financial ruin.

After reading Brooks’ afterword, I appreciate the research she undertook in putting this novel together and attempts to portray a period in history accurately. Perhaps in my mind I have over-glorified the person that Bronson Alcott really was, but I found myself annoyed by the character of Mr. March and his constant obsession with his weaknesses and short-comings.

So what did you think of the book? Did you enjoy it or were you also a bit annoyed by it? Have you also read Little Women and how do you think the two stories compare? Do you believe it is an accurate reflection of this period in American history? Please post your opinions in the comments section below.

Next up for discussion: Abby Sher’s memoir about her struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder – Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl who Couldn’t Stop Praying (Among Other Things). Discussion begins May 5th.

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Olive Kitteridge Virtual Book Discussion

Posted on April 6, 2011 by beckyajohnson

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. Published in 2008.

Synopsis: Set in the small town of Crosby, Maine, this collection of inter-connected short stories has one thing in common: the complex character of Olive Kitteridge, a retired math teacher. While the stories do not all have a happy ending, Olive Kitteridge explores human relationships and a breadth of human emotions – at times humorous, at time wanting to make you cry.

About the Author: Elizabeth Strout is also the author of bestseller Abide with Me and the award-winning Amy and Isabelle. Olive Kitteridge won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Raised in Maine, Strout has a law degree from Syracuse University. She is currently on the faculty of the MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina and divides her time between New York and Maine.

My Initial Reactions to the Book

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it relatively easy to get through, despite the reality that many of the stories have a somewhat-heavy-hearted story line. For example, some of the more heavy topics include: suicide, eating disorders, being held hostage, arson, loneliness. Death is a prominent theme in over half the stories. Despite this list, I didn’t find the collection of stories overly depressing. It’s more about the human experience, about relationships, and about how we manage to persevere despite all of the difficult circumstances that go on around us.

I found Olive to be a likeable character despite all of her flaws. Though there are people in her community who don’t like her, who fear her, or who call her the c-word, many of the stories show how, deep-down, she is a person who truly cares. Some of her more remarkable feats are the intervention with Nina who is starving to death, the intervention with Kevin right before he almost killed himself, reaching out to Marlene after her husband died. Then there are her funny shenanigins, which in a way I admire – vandalizing her daughter-in-law’s closet so she begins to think she’s not really perfect, standing up to airport security for making her take her shoes off.

I would say my two favorite stories in the collection are ‘A Little Burst,’ because of the humor in Olive standing up to her daughter-in-law after she overhears her speaking ill of her, and ‘Criminal,’ because the main character is so quintessentially normal and plain, yet overwhelmingly disturbing.

What about you? Did you have a favorite story within the collection? Did you find Olive to be a likeable character? Did you find the collection to be depressing or uplifting or a little of both? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Next up for discussion will be another Pulitzer Prize Winner, March by Geraldine Brooks. Discussion begins March 21st.

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A Day at the Lake (Lake Mead National Recreation Area)

Posted on April 3, 2011 by beckyajohnson

For donating a pint of blood, United Blood Services sent me a voucher for a free mid-day sightseeing cruise on Lake Mead Cruises. Although I grew up in Vegas and have collectively lived here for over 20 years of my life, I have never really spent time at this lake that’s only about 1 hour from west Vegas – other than the occasional picnic or hike – and I’d never actually been on the lake.

Interestingly, Lake Mead National Recreation Area is the 5th most visited unit within the entire U.S. National Park System. It’s even more popular than the Lincoln Memorial or the Grand Canyon. So why all the hype for a man-made lake? It’s smart fundraising in my opinion, as with over 7 million visitors annually, the $10 per car visitor fee quickly adds up – but I’m happy to support our parks.

Lake Mead Cruises has daily 90-minute sightseeing cruises at 12 pm and 2 pm aboard the Desert Princess – an old-fashioned paddlewheeler. These cruises run at $24 for adults and $12 for children. They also have a Sunday brunch cruise and dinner cruises Sunday thru Thursdays.

The best part of the Desert Princess, in my opinion, is the full bar. I’m a sucker for special deals and signature drinks, so I had to try their featured 20-ounce Bloody Mary. They also have a snack bar for those who prefer their meals to be solid food.

During our cruise, you could see just how bad the rising population of Las Vegas plus recent droughts has impacted the level of the lake.

As entertainment aboard the cruise, they had a taped narrator as our guide, who spoke in a complete monotone (super exciting!). We much preferred the hit songs from 1993 that were played when the narrator was taking a ‘break.’ The climax of our trip (and also the boat’s turning around point) is the engineering spectacle of Hoover Dam. It was pretty cool seeing it from this angle.

Our overall assessment of the cruise was that it’s worth the 2-for-1 price we paid after using my voucher, but we probably wouldn’t have paid $48 for the both of us to go. But it was awfully nice of United Blood Service and Lake Mead Cruises to offer the free voucher, and as the weather today was gorgeous, it beat sitting around our apartment playing on our computer all day.

After our excursion, we headed to our favorite nearby hotel & casino for an early dinner. The Hacienda Hotel & Casino is located off the US-93, just a few miles south of the Boulder City entrance to Lake Mead. We like it for the ‘Old Nevada’ feel that Las Vegas used to possess before it became overrun with superficiality.

The Hacienda Steakhouse has ‘early bird’ dinner specials if you dine Wed-Fri or Sunday between 4 pm – 6 pm. I was tempted by the fried shrimp dinner with all the fixins’ for $10.95, but was more swayed by the $18.95 ahi tuna steak with mango salsa (their daily special). All meals come with soup or salad (my husband says their lobster bisque is the BEST), choice of starch, and our favorite item: the veggie tray you get as soon as you sit down.

After dinner we played 25-cent roulette – another deal you won’t find in Vegas. I’m a pretty conservative gambler, so I cashed out as soon as my lucky 31 hit and went home $7 richer.

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Hiking at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on March 26, 2011 by beckyajohnson

Admittedly, I had never heard of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge until a few weeks ago. Then I saw an announcement on Nevada Magazine’s Facebook Page for a ranger-led guided hike to take place there twice this month. As my husband and I often feel we’ve exhausted all hiking opportunities in the near-Vegas vicinity, we decided to check it out.

Ash Meadows was established in 1984 and encompasses 23,000 acres near Amargosa Valley in Nye County, Nevada. Geographically speaking, it’s about 30 miles west of Pahrump and 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Directions to the refuge may be found on their website. The park is good for bird-watching, picnicing, hiking and there’s also swimming at Crystal Spring (though it was closed when we were there). While you can also occasionally see bighorn sheep and coyotes, the big faunal attraction of the park is the rare Desert Pupfish.

For our hike, we began at the Point of Rocks Picnic area. Here they have a recently built boardwalk that is wheelchair accessible. This is probably one of the best spots in the park for bird-watching, although today since we were with a largish group the only bird we were able to identify is the Phainopepla. If you’re really into bird-watching, you can download a birder’s checklist in advance or pick one up at the park’s visitor center.

The Point of Rocks boardwalk is also one of the best places in the park where you can see the tiny Desert Pupfish up close.

The destination of our hike today was Devil’s Hole. Interestingly, Devil’s Hole is a small pocket that is part of Death Valley National Park, although it’s not connected to the remainder of the park that’s over 20 miles away. Devil’s Hole is unique in that no one knows the exact depth of the pool, but it’s at least 500 feet deep. It’s also home to the Devil’s Hole Pupfish – the only place in the world where this endangered species is found.

To get to Devil’s Hole from Point of Rocks, we walked just over 2 miles across open desert. It doesn’t so much follow an actual hiking trail, but you can get directions from the visitor’s center. You can also drive directly to Devil’s Hole if hiking is not your thing. But it was a fine day in the desert today and we got to experience landscape such as this:

And my favorite part of hiking in the desert in the springtime is undoubtedly the blooming wildflowers.

When you get to Devil’s Hole, you can’t actually walk right up to it. I guess they (a) don’t want people falling in; and (b) don’t want people to damage the fragile eco-system. Rather, you enter a fully enclosed viewing area. Don’t bother trying to hop the fence, as it’s protected with electric barbed wire. This is the best view of Devil’s Hole that I could capture on film.

Ash Meadows is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. My advice is to visit in the months between November and April because, after all, you’re not too far away from Death Valley where the summers can be long and brutal.

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