Monday, April 12, 2010

Monday Odds & Ends



Happy Monday folks! I've had a very busy weekend. Lots of baking, errands, a birthday party, and a cracked rib from an over enthusiastic two year old jumping on my chest.

You know, the usual.

I've been busy with decorating science cookies for most of the weekend and will be wrapped up in their construction for most of today, and possibly tomorrow.

As icing dozens of cookies allows for little in the way of multitasking, I lack any suitable baked goodies to post today. However after a long weekend I feel as though I should post something, so I'm going to use this opportunity to get a couple announcements out of the way.

First off, I must metion this Medieval Stew from Inspired By Wolfe. Remember my post on medieval cooking? Well Inspired by Wolfe actually made the stew and posted it.

The result: amazingly edible.


The next thing I need to mention is something that I brought up in the comments section of one of my posts last week. Since there seems to be interest I'm going to go ahead and announce the...

Not So Humble Pie Contest

Okay, here is the deal. Next month I leave for London and will be staying with Mother Humble for a couple weeks. There will be travel time (18 hour flight with a toddler?! AHH!), jet lag, a completely different kitchen and many other obligations that will most likely reduce my weekly post count. I want to keep things lively around here for those weeks so I've decided I'll host a contest, a pie contest.

Fitting right?

While overseas I will be making a side trip to Morocco and I'll be picking up prize(s) for the contest. What? I have no idea. I'll figure it out while I am there but I can assure you they, like most Moroccan handicrafts, will be quite spiffy.

To enter your pie you'll need to email me at least one photo of the pie and a recipe to my email address (notsohumblepieblog@gmail.com). You can also include any interesting anecdote or history related to the pie, or talk a bit about your own blog if you're a food blogger. That's right, I'll plug your blog.

I myself read a lot of food blogs and I've noticed some really great blogs are ridiculously underexposed. I thought this would be a good chance to showcase some of the food blogs run by my readers. After all, we're one big happy blogging community, right?

So yes, whatever commentary you would like to accompany your pie I can probably work into the post.

Within reason of course. If you send me a 30 haiku poems devoted to Hannah Montana along with your pie, I might take issue with that.

Try to keep it limited to a maximum of 5 teen pop idol poems. Okay?

Thanks.



What am I defining a as a 'pie'? Anything in a crust with a filling. Tarts, hand pies, cheesecake, quiche, etc. Sweet or savory, if it has a crust and something inside then I'll consider it a pie. It can be your own recipe or from your favorite cookbook (as long as the instructions are in your own words).

It just can't be humble. No humble pies allowed.

If you're interested in entering, do send me an email or post a comment here letting me know you might bake something. That will help me plan ahead for next month. That isn't a requirement to enter, though. You can enter via email anytime between now and May 15th.

Winners will be chosen in a completely arbitrary fashion by me when I return from London. I'll give weight to photography, recipe, reader comments (possibly a poll too) and the pie's general lack of humility. For the sake of postage, I must limit prizes to US, Canada and the UK (unless I manage to find a prize what won't cost $75 to mail to the Maldives etc).

Sound good? Then go forth and bake!

51 comments:

  1. Ooooh I can't wait to enter! The tough part will be deciding what to make...

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  2. Me too! Me too! Count me in! Of course my husband will also probably want to make something, but you're not aloud choose his pie over mine okay? ;)

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  3. How many pies can we enter??

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  4. As many as you wish.

    There is no such thing as too much pie.

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  5. Exciting! Can we enter a pie (and accompanying photo) that we've already made or should we bake and photograph something new for the contest?

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  6. I'm very excited ... will take any excuse to bake a pie! Now, I just need to come up with something super-spiffy!

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  7. I'm in - and I already know what to make...and another . . . and if I get REALLY inspired . . . whew, this might be harder than I thought!

    This is funny -- my word verification was "Brattur" which made me think of Hannah Montana...creepy

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  8. My blog is not food blog. Does this mean that I am out completely?

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  9. I had a hard time getting past the fact that your 2 year old broke your rib. That lime tart in the previous post looks amazing.

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  10. PinkCupcakeArts,

    Anyone can enter. Bloggers, food bloggers, and non-bloggers.

    The ability to link to your own blog with your pie is just a little something extra I decided to do to help get the word out about other blogs.

    Melange a Trois,

    It was rather surprising.

    Apparently reading a book while laying on the floor has its risks when there is a 30lb toddler in the room.

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  11. Oh! I shall have to give serious thought to this pie idea. :-) Nice challenge! And, you know, as a prize, something from Morocco sounds nice, but you could also just contribute to my Maldives dream fund (which is never really going to happen...). ;-P

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  12. Ooh I'll enter for sure. :D Now I'll just have to actually bake it and dig out my camera. :P

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  13. Mrs. Humble,
    You really know how to generate excitement around here! Sorry to hear about your rib! Yes, I would love to enter!

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  14. I might enter depending on when the deadline is.

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  15. I'm new to the food blogging world and I've never entered a baking contest before, but I love your blog and this sounds fun. Count me in.

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  16. I really like the picture of the egg. And it's placement.

    "Thanks."
    [Egg]
    "So what is a pie?"

    I'd bake a pie, but...uh...hmm...

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  17. Oh, I have been itching to make a pie! This sounds like a good opportunity to do so!

    I'm so sorry to hear about your rib!

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  18. Oh I love this idea! I think I will be entering! :)

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  19. I can't believe how excited I am bout this contest (and how jealous I am that you're going to London and Morocco! Take me with you!!).

    May we enter more than once?

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  20. Maybe a silly question, but I'm going to ask anyway: How are you defining "crust"?

    I'm thinking of either piroshki (yeast bread crust) or a quiche that uses crouton crumbs for the crust. I also have a Cornish pasty type of pie in a traditional pastry crust.

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  21. Ohhhh- exciting. I'm in! Thanks for the 1 month heads up- just enough time to make what I've been wanting to try out anyways. Yea for excuses to bake!

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  22. Uhm... Since the UK is allowed, could inhabitants of germany maaaaybe participate as well?

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  23. This sounds like it's time to try something with a crust. I haven't done it before, but now I really want to.

    I hope your rib will heal soon and without much pain.

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  24. your travel plans sound wonderful & all of us- your loyal followers can "score" as well...lovely!

    i do hope that you will be feeling "tip top" & healed soon...

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  26. This sounds like fun! I can't wait to do this since I recently learned how to bake a cheesecake.

    Please heal quickly and enjoy your trip :)

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  27. So are cakes out of the question? I've got a family recipe for a jam cake that is out of this world!

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  28. Oh wow! I have never done something like this before and since I just started my blog I think this is a great challenge. :) Anything to stroke my competitive streak, haha! Thanks for the beautiful blog.

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  29. ooooh! I can't turn down a challenge! Count me in!

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  30. I may have to enter. I have not made a pie in a long time.

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  31. gadow,

    I won't put any limitations on ingredients (like yeast) so long as the dish is pie-esque. I love piroshki...

    Jessica,

    I'm afraid that unless the cake is baked in a crust and resembles a pie it isn't eligible. You'll have to save it for a possible cake vs. pie contest :)

    keenacat,

    Anyone anywhere can participate. However, as I have no idea what sort of prize I will be buying in Morocco (size, weight, dimensions) I'm playing conservative as to where I will ship it. If shipping between the UK and the continent isn't too prohibitive, I'll extend the prize(s) to Germany et al. as well.

    As for all the sympathy for my rib, thank you. I'm doing quite well. The discomfort is very reasonable and considering the trade-offs (Making Mr. Humble do all the strenuous house work and lift and carry anything over 1lb for me...) I might ask the Little Humble to crack a few more ribs sometime soon.

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  32. oh i am sooo in! can't wait.

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  33. I don't know if you answered my question or not, but I was just wondering if one may enter more than once. Thanks!

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  34. Yes, you can enter more than once. :)

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  35. I'm IN! In fact, there is a very non-humble pie sitting in my fridge right now that may qualify nicely... :)

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  36. I am totally planning on entering a pie! I just got a Nikon D5000 that has not been exposed to food, so you have given me an excuse to play, and my husband an excuse to make his favorite pie for me! :)

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  37. I might enter, even if I feel small among all the food bloggers. :3 Depends on whether I can get my camera fixed by May though ...

    Is postage to the UK really that different from postage to the rest of Europe? (Yes, I know, the UK doesn't consider itself part of Europe, but geographically it still is. But not postage-wise, apparently?)

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  38. Maju,

    I'll be in the UK while judging. Hence I have the ability to ship the prize locally while I am visiting.

    If the winner is from the US or Canada I'll fly back to Seattle in Early June and mail it from there.

    I'm just uncertain of the costs of mailing parcels between the UK and the continent.

    Of course, that VOLCANO in Iceland needs to knock it off.

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  39. Aha, I see. :) Being a Norwegian in the UK, with friends who acquired a taste for various UK sweets while studying here, I keep this handy list bookmarked:
    http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?mediaId=53800712&catId=400036

    Right side ("Small packets and printed papers"), Europe column, for all your Crispy M&M smuggling needs. (Mine, anyway. :P)

    If you're going to bake with exotic (?) UK specialities, here's a good place to start ;) : http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=10419754263&topic=5282

    The volcano had better not ruin my Amsterdam trip next weekend. I crave licorice.

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  40. I've got 2 "pies" baked, just waiting for me to write up the recipe... I ate one of them already. Oops!

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  41. I might throw in an entry as well!

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  42. I will throw my hat into the ring as well.

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  43. I just found your blog (thank you! it is wonderful!) & just in time! I am inspired to make a pie ASAP :O)

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  44. Um, I just saw this. I could swear I'm so excited.

    I JUST MADE A PIE! For April.

    It may photograph horribly, but it is the first thing I made in my new kitchen. And I am entering it, goddamn it.

    Wait for my post! :)

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  45. HMMM.. If I have time i will bake a Pie! for your contest . Will let you know. Have a safe and fun trip, Cheers!

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  46. Hi Ms. Humble. I'd definitely be interested in baking a pie or pies for this. Wow, I haven't baked a pie for so long, better get to practicing, hehe.

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  47. Hello Ms Humble! Just giving you the heads up that I'll be submitting a pie real soon. Thanks!

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  48. I know it's late to let you know but I baked a pie and will be entering it tomorrow!

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