The White House in Transition, aka I Hate Moving

Last month, the Whites moved from the Mathison Road, where we'd been living since returning to Traverse City, to an apartment on Manhattan West.

I hate moving, and here's why:

This, my friends, is the stuff my nightmares are made of.  We've been here nearly a month the place is looking MUCH more settled than these photos indicate, though we've still got a ways to go.  Something I've learned about myself is that I am very slow at moving in.  This particular move-in has been overwhelming because we moved to a smaller place with less storage space, so it's taken more time and creativity to organize our stuff.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.

(Also, there was a bit of a delay because we had to move most of our stuff back out right after we moved in while new carpet was being installed.  So it's like we moved TWICE this month!  Woe is me!)

In spite of the organizational challenges, we're happy in our new space.  As I write this, the dogs are lounging on the back of the couch, watching the neighborhood and fussing because my father-in-law (who maintains/manages our building) is outside and they really can't understand why he's not coming in to see them.  I'm missing Matt, who is working late for the fifth night in a row.  And I'm getting ready to go wash dishes.  There's no dishwasher in this apartment.  But there IS a window over the kitchen sink and it looks out into the woods behind our apartment building.  I've decided that I'll take a window with a view over a dishwasher any day.

A taste of Chicago in TC.

Matt came home with a frozen pizza.  But not just any frozen pizza, my friends.  You cannot walk into Meijer, Tom's, Kroger, etc. and come out with one of these babies:

This pizza straight from Chicago, a gift from Pastor Joel Brown who just returned from the Windy City.

It's a particularly appropriate gift for this weekend, seeing as how almost exactly seven years ago Matt and I spent a week in Chicago for our honeymoon.  We've been to Chicago several times since, and we always eat lots of pizza there.  Here's the funny thing: though we are overjoyed with this Giordano's pizza, when we're actually in Chicago we never eat there.  The most absolutely delicious Chicago-style pizza is at none other than Pizzeria Due.  (It's the sister restaurant to Pizzeria Uno ... but it's got a lot more seating.  It's also conveniently across the street from a Trader Joe's.)  Some misguided people will try to tell you that Giordano's is the best.  Others will tell you that it's all about Gino's.  Don't take their word for it.  Don't take the Whites' word for it, either.  Get to Chicago as quickly as you can and spend a couple of days pizza-joint-hopping.  

When we're in Chicago, it's Pizzeria Due all the way.  When we're in Traverse City, we set all prejudice aside and welcome any Chicago pizza with open arms.  And wide-open mouths.

The Best Chocolate Pie You'll Ever Taste.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie Julie and Julia is when Julia goes home after a really crappy day and makes chocolate pie.

"Chocolate cream pie! You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure--and when I say nothing, I mean nothing--you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That's such a comfort."

As much as I enjoy cooking, I'll admit that when I get home after a seriously rotten day I am far more tempted to order a pizza and watch tv all night than I am to make a big chocolate pie mess in the kitchen.  But I appreciate Julie's philosophizing on how the predictability of a following a familiar recipe brings some order and comfort into the chaos of life.

And ever since I first saw this scene in this movie I have wanted to make a chocolate pie.

Enter Pioneer Woman's chocolate pie recipe.  This is not quite the pie that Julie makes in the movie.  Instead of  adding "egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk", PW's pie is composed of chocolate, whole eggs, sugar, and butter.  But the result is the same--it all gets thick.  It gets poured into a crust.  And it tastes unbelievably delicious.  

Everyone needs to taste this pie before they die.  Unless you are pregnant or elderly or otherwise shouldn't eat raw eggs.  But for the rest of you, there's little danger of becoming ill from consuming raw eggs.  Watch Rocky if you don't believe me. 

The original recipe calls for using a regular pastry pie crust.  But I had my heart set on a lovely graham cracker crust like the one in the movie.  I pulled out my trusty New Best Recipe cookbook from Cook's Illustrated and followed their recipe for graham cracker crust.  It was so easy that I will never purchase a store-bought crust again.

                      

                      

I made a little mistake. Since the only pie plate I currently own is a deep dish pie plate I really should have at least made 1-1/2 of the recipe ... since I didn't, my crust is a little skimpy.  Live and learn.

I made some slight modifications to the original recipe for the pie filling based on the suggestions of my friend Vanessa, who recommended using a little more chocolate and also beating the mixture for six minutes between eggs.  Do not be deceived into thinking that you can throw all these ingredients into a bowl together and whip 'em up for a few minutes.  If you want the most delicious chocolate pie ever, you've gotta be patient and follow the directions.  

                

Chocolate Pie

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

5 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (I used Ghiradelli's)

1 cup salted butter (two sticks), softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 whole eggs

1 baked pie shell (see recipe for graham cracker crust below)

In small microwave safe bowl melt unsweetened baking chocolate until stirrable (about 45 seconds).  Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy (about 1-2 minutes).  If using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment.  When melted chocolate is cooled, drizzle over the butter/sugar mixture.  Add vanilla extract.  Beat the mixture thouroughly until combined. 

Turn mixer to medium speed (about 7 on a Kitchen Aid) and add in the four eggs one at a time, beating for a total of 5-6 minutes after adding each egg.  This means that you will be beating in the eggs over a period of 25-30 minutes.  It helps to have a stand mixer.  One the pie filling is well mixed, pour it into the baked pie shell.  Smooth the filling and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably longer.  I highly recommend refrigerating at least 8 hours or overnight, I found that the texture of the filling was greatly improved the day after I made my pie.

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Graham Cracker Crust

from The New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated

9 graham crackers, broken into rough pieces

2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept warm

Adjust  an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a food processor, process the graham crackers until evenly fine, about 30 seconds (you should have 1 cup crumbs).  Add the sugar and pulse to combine.  Continue to pulse while adding the warm melted butter in a steady stream; pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.  Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch glass pie plate and evenly press the crumbs into the pie plate.  Bake the crust until it is fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.