Fried Pies

This weekend my husband and I went to a burger place with fried pies. They were pretty good (though I think if you are making lemon ones you might want to add some lemon juice and zest to the lemon goo) BUT the pie dough he used was so delicate you could not pick them up without the filling falling out everywhere. This began a discussion with my husband about how his mother always used canned (yuck) biscuits for her fried pies.
Of course this became an issue that I began obsessing over and like most puzzles in my life I figured it out while sitting in the bathtub.
I have no fucking idea why this happens.
Is it the warm steam?
Mostly I sit there bored wondering what Benedict Cumberbatch would look like sitting in the tub across from me.

Maybe like this?

But whatever, I think better in the tub and my solution was to try making fried pies using THE BEST BISCUIT RECIPE EVER and this was, I might say, a success.

My fillings were already made. I had some chocolate pudding I made the other day and a can (I know) of apple pie filling to which I added more sugar, butter, cinnamon and mashed a bit.

Made the biscuit dough, kneaded it with some extra self-rising flour a few times and rolled it into a ball. Covered with cling wrap and put in the fridge for a few hours.
After a couple of hours I turned the deep fryer to 375F and began rolling out circles (about 5 inches).
Wish I could tell you how thick I rolled them out, but I can't, I guess it was a good pie crust thickness.
On one half of circle I added a bit of chocolate or apple mix.
NO I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH you will have to dick around with this and figure out what works best for you.
Now you put a bit of water on a half and fold over so you have a half a circle. Pinch the edges with your fingers THEN crimp with a fork. Make SURE YOU GET THE SIDES or stuff will ooze out while frying.
If the oil (canola is what I have in the fryer YMMV) is ready drop a couple of pies in.
PLEASE DO THIS CAREFULLY.

It seems like I fried 4-5 minutes. Fry on side and then get it to flip over. Basically you are going for bubbly, dark golden, but not brown. Brown is burnt, dark golden is yummy while getting all the dough done in the middle.

Take 'em out, dust with some powdered sugar and please let them cool down a few because they fillings will be like hot lava.

Here is some bonus Cumberbatch.

Yummy man.

Pro-Life is Anti-Women's Health

This is a direct result of Pro-Life, Forced Birthers making it harder and harder for Doctors to choose to be trained to perform abortions. A heartbreaking (and as a woman incredibly chilling) Twitter feed of a Doctor who had to force a teenager to deliver her dead baby because there was no Drs. available who could perform a therapeutic abortion on a dead fetus.

https://twitter.com/DrJaneChi

"At noon, I got a call from my hospital. A teenage prenatal patient of mine was there. 21 weeks along. Bleeding, with pain. I ordered an ultrasound. It turned out there wasn't major bleeding... but her amniotic sac had ruptured. No fluid left at all. 
So, a teenager w/a "late," but not viable, fetus that cannot survive. After rupture, delivery will occur, and/or infection. Think Savita.
2 treatment options: 1, induce labor; 2, operative dilation & evacuation. In other words, an abortion.
No one at my hospital is able to do a D&E. Bc you have to do a bunch to be good, no one can do it who didn't opt in to abortion training."

*I want to stop there. A hospital in an AMERICAN city that has NO ONE who could do a D&E. This is what is wrought by bastards like Rapert and Mayberry. This is the fault of women like Lila Rose.*

"So. I call the nearest academic hospital. They tell me the next time an appropriately trained Dr is available is 4 days away. I call another academic hospital. Same story: most of their docs aren't trained. Only one is, & s/he is only there 2 days a week. So there I am, w/a teenager w/a doomed fetus, crying from grief & pain,& I tell her, there is no doctor who can do your surgery for 4 days. 
So I have to tell her, after that grief & pain, she has to labor & birth a dying fetus. ALL BC NO ONE IS WILLING TO DO ABORTION TRAINING.

So basically the girl was forced to go though labor (and screw you if you think it is no big deal to go though labor to push out a dead baby. Screw you.) and deliver a dead baby. A trauma she would NOT have had to endure if there had been a doctor (in a city with fairly liberal abortion laws) who could perform an abortion. A delivery that put her life at greater risk.

You pro-life forced birth folks out there think it is GREAT there are less and less Doctors who perform abortions, but there is a reason we need them. I bet some of you are even thinking the slut got exactly what she deserved. I am livid. I pray to God that if at my advanced age I end up pregnant that there will be a Doctor in Little Rock who can perform an abortion. 

Cumberbatch Love

.@caitlinmoran being marvellous about Benedict Cumberbatch in The Times tmblr.co/ZkMfrxdgz8c3
— Cumberbatchweb (@cumberbatchweb) February 8, 2013

Today's morning in bed with my pets picture is River randomly attacking herself. twitter.com/vintagegoddess…
— just julie (@vintagegoddess) February 8, 2013

Blizzard Memories

Pictures I took over the Ice/Snow Apocalypse that we had in December in honor of those about to sudder under the wrath of....NEMO. 

Christmas So Far

Best Biscuits Ever

I'm not sure I have shared the Best Biscuits Ever recipe that Honoree Jeffers (it is her mother's) posted on Twitter in the spring, but seriously it makes the BEST BISCUITS EVER!

Plus it is incredibly easy.

1) Two parts HIGH QUALITY self-rising flour. One part heavy whipping cream.
2) Make a well in the middle of the flour. Pour in the cream. Mix well with CLEAN HANDS
3) Don't over-mix. Dough should be moist but not wet.
4) Break off portions that are the size that you want your biscuits. Put on a greased cookie sheet.
5) Press slightly on the biscuits. Bake in a preheated to 425 oven until risen and golden. That's it!


That's about it.
I do 2 Cups SRF to a smidge over 1 Cup of cream, mix, then knead a couple of times on floured counter, press flat and cut with biscuit cutter. Sometimes I'll brush melted butter on top before cooking.
I'll probably do more then I need too.

Her last bit of info is VERY IMPORTANT!
6) Unless you never want to get rid of a man, don't make him these biscuits. I'm tryna tell you what I know. 

I can attest to this, Jim has said he will NEVER leave me now that I make biscuits this good.

Butternut Squash and Grilled Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich

Well Campbell's 100% "Natural" Soup that is.

Not too bad.
A bit sweet with a fall-ish flavor due to what I think was some cinnamon and nutmeg.
Swanson's tastes fresher and has a brighter color, but for a canned soup this was not too bad.

The sandwich was yummy too. Sorry nothing "foodie" about it. Nothing "artisan". Just Walmart french bread and cheese and some grape tomatoes.

Here's the crappy photograph.
The vintage in this picture would be the ugly Corelle plate.

River really wanted some.

*and so begins a new feature of anti-foodie posts...

Four More Years!

Halloween 2012

MINE.
ALL MINE.

MUHWAHAHAHAHA

Also tried a new Spanakopita recipe tonight from America's Test Kitchen and it turned out perfect.
Delicious.

WTF Vintage Halloween #1

Seriously, there is nothing more terrifying then Halloween masks from before the 1960's.
Christ.
Look at that.

I'm Back

Finally.
Long story.
Not worth the trouble.
Suffice it to say that it involves forgotten IDs and passwords and my lack of caring.

So this is just to say "Hi, lovely weather we are having".

A Reminder For Conservatives

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
’T is mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s,
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.


-- William Shakespeare (1564-1616) The Merchant of Venice. Act iv. Sc. 1.

New Patterns at Sew-Retro Vintage Patterns

Still in the middle of updating the websites, but thought I would show you some of the new patterns I've listed in the last week.

This is a great pattern.
Totally a rip-off of the Mondrian Op-Art look YSL created from Simplicity.

And this Adorable 50's dress pattern.

I love the collar with the pull-though bow.

 Sexy 50's skirt with pleats.
There are arrows at the top pf those pleats.

 1940's Anne Adams dress pattern with a clever asymmetrical opening.

 I LOVE these two 1950's cover-up/day dresses with their huge pockets and adorable appliques.

Coffee and doughnuts:

And FREAKING carrots:

 All of these can now be directly purchased from Sew-Retro Vintage Patterns.

Memorial Day

Thank you for your sacrifice.

His Kind of Woman, Jane Russell

Just watched His Kind of Woman.

Crazy ass Noir.
The level of camp from Vincent Price is just shiny.
Robert Mitchum and Raymond Burr.
And Jane Russell.
She was just smoking hot.

 Howard Greer did the costumes.
Of course he did.
This is a Howard Greer on Dita.

Here is a couple more pictures from the movie, the other gal's dress is also amazing.

My Favorite Thing

Sherlock is back tonight.
Your local PBS station.
Watch it, I promise you will not be disappointed.


Over at Bookshelf Bombshells they have been hosting a Sherlockapalooza:


In celebration of the Sherlock season 2 premiere, Bookshelf Bombshells will have Sherlock posts aplenty all weekend long, featuring guest blogs from Holmes fans and Holmes writers, including the ladies of Baker Street Babes and Cumberbatch Web.

I should add that my favorite Cumberbatch Fan has a contribution to the cause. Go read it.

Pretty, Yummy Things

A Cookbook A Month is lovely cooking blog.
One cookbook a month with comments from the blog ladies and (I think) their families.
The photographs are worth stopping by.

Another blog is from my friend Helen Rushbrook, a photographer in the UK, who does lovely work.

And last but not least, I can't believe I have not mentioned CumberbatchWeb which is run by another UK friend and has all things related to the delectable Benedict Cumberbatch without being a creepy fan site with pap photos and gossip. Here is a nice write up of all his doings in New York in the past few days.

This, of course allows me to post a picture of Ben at the Sherlock PBS Masterpiece Q&A in New York last night.

(seriously...adorable....wish I could remember where I got it from last night)

(no I did not go, he's all that, but NY is too far to go for any dude.)
Sherlock will grace our TV screens once more beginning this Sunday night on your local PBS (I hope you support you local PBS) station.

Lastly, I know there has not been near enough vintage lately, but I'm in the middle of migrating from Main Street Online to Etsy or possibly just selling directly from Damngoodvintage.com so I'm still feeling all a muddle about that.
I will be having a brilliant sale next week.
Check back here for the details.

I added Kate O'Hara's Hot Cuppa TV Blog over in the Vagina Enhanced Human's blog link list because she's interviewed Benedict Cumberbatch.
I'm shallow like that.
And hey, it's another reason to slap his sexy mug on the blog too.

I feel I should add that this newest group of photos that cropped up from this NYTs interview has me jonesing for The Batch in a 40's Noir remake. Seriously, add a fedora and a gun holster and he's a private dick or a gangster.
And he'd be able to use that American accent he seems to want to use.
Someone needs to make this happen.

I Love a Man in Uniform

So I saw War Horse at Christmas.
Mostly because I wanted to see Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Hiddleston (LOKI in Thor and Avengers) in uniforms.
It was what I expected, a good film that would have been a great film with a bit more editing.
All of the actors did a wonderful job, it is a beautifully rendered movie, but the truth is it was the best when we were watching the "war" part.
Whatever, because oh, there were some lovely men in manly uniforms
The boots and gloves the officers had were just too. die. for.

Look at those boots:

Rawr.
One more:

Which is all a way to say I thoroughly enjoyed this interview with costume designer Johanna Johnston from Clothes On Film.

Thanks to Cumberbatchweb for the heads up on the article.