Recipe: Easy Berry Pie

Yeahhh...Doesn't quite look like the picture on the website.

I got stood up over the weekend, so I had most of Saturday all to myself (not that I minded!). To keep myself occupied, after going to the gym, running errands, and making lunch, I thought I'd bake a pie. Safeway had a sale on blueberries and strawberries, and I already had a pre-made graham cracker crust, so I was pretty much set.

I googled "easy berry pie," and the first hit was this recipe from Parade with the same name. Voilà!

Ingredients

• 2 cup graham-cracker crumbs
• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 4½ cup fresh berries, washed, hulled if necessary, and drained
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup water
• 2 Tbsp lime juice, or more as needed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a 9-inch pie pan, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. In a food processor or using a fork, mash 2 cups berries. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and water in a saucepan; whisk until smooth. Stir in mashed fruit. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture is thick, about 7–10 minutes. Add lime juice. Taste and add extra juice or sugar as needed.
4. Stir in remaining berries. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until partially thickened. Spoon into crust. Chill for at least 3 hours to set. Serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired. Store the pie, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

Since I already had the crust pre-made, I didn't have to worry about the first two ingredients or the first two steps of directions. I did use my food processor (for the first time!), which worked like a charm. However, I do wonder if I chopped up the berries too much, to the point that they were too liquid-y. This pie needed to be in the fridge for nearly 24 hours to even be close to set, and you can see from the photo that there was so much liquid that it ran over the crust (and that's not even all of the filling I made! I ended up just eating some of it because I knew it wouldn't fit.). More corn starch definitely would have helped. And because of all the liquid, the crust was completely soaked and mushy, instead of a nice, crunchy contrast to the filling.

I'm certainly not blaming the recipe for the way this pie turned out. And it's not all bad: heated up with some vanilla ice cream on top, it tastes okay. But, not my finest baking moment.

Disney Acapella

Image found here

Last night a friend and I went to see Disney Acapella ("D-Capella" for short) at the Warner Theatre. She and I grew up together, and we have fond memories of watching Disney movies. Because the show didn't sell out (and that's putting it nicely), our balcony seats were upgraded to middle orchestra seats. So we had a great view of the show!

I was very impressed by the whole group. I especially liked the beat-boxer Antonio Fernandez and the soprano Morgan Keene. And Orlando Dixon, the baritone, is from DC, so that was cool to have him perform in his home town! Click here to read their bios. 

Here's a medley of many of the songs the group sings:

Here are some full songs they performed:

"The World Es Mi Familia" from Coco (go to 1:30 in the video)

"Friend Like Me" from Aladdin

"I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Book

"I Won't Say I'm in Love" from Hercules (probably my favorite from the whole night)

"Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid

"How Far I'll Go" from Moana

"Remember Me" from Coco

They had some interest mash-ups, too:

The group did a villain mash-up like this one (actually, I think this one is better!):

"Part of Your World"/"A Whole New World" (from The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, respectively)

Frozen's "Let It Go"/"Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" (While I'm not a huge fan of the movie, I really liked this part of the show.)

They performed "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast in multiple languages, similar to the following video. I never thought about how many ways these movies have been translated!

I did not love all of their arrangements, though. Some of these songs are so pure; you can't change them! The group made the songs too complicated to the point that the music lost its original wonder. Like Elton John's "Circle of Life" from The Lion King. Don't mess with that!

Here's what I mean about "You'll Be in My Heart" :

Compared to the original Phil Collins version:

While I didn't know some of the songs, I thought the group did a wonderful job singing them. Like these:

"When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2

"The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns

"The Glory Days" from Incredibles 2

And some of these songs are so mainstream that I had forgotten they were from Disney movies!

"Immortals" (originally by Fall Out Boy) from Big Hero 6

Shakira's Try Everything (which I thought was from Moana, not Zootopia...Oops!)

Sometimes the group went way old-school. They performed Disney's "Big Bad Wolf" nearly in its entirety (go 'til about 8:15 in the following video).

And they did a mash-up of Disney Land songs, like "In the Tiki Room" and "It's a Small World." So that was fun, especially for the older crowd in the audience.

BUT...What do you notice about the current list? That's right: the group did not perform ANY songs from some of the most iconic Disney Princess movies, including Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, or Pocahontas. WHAT?!?!?! How can something be branded "Disney" while excluding these incredible masterpieces?! WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT.

So for your viewing pleasure (and mine to make up for last night), here are some of my favorite Disney songs that should have been performed. I would have even accepted a medley!

Maybe they should have two separate shows when they tour: one for the younger generation (like this performance), and one for those of us who know that the 1990's were the hay-day of Disney movies, and anything afterward is just "meh."

Old Dominion Concert

My parents and sister had already seen Old Dominion, so when I saw that the band was coming to DC, I had to get tickets. So my friend and I had dinner at Mi Vida and then made our way to the Anthem for the concert.

Image found here

We missed the first opener, Morgan Evans. But we had seen him open for Chris Young last year (read that blog post), so that was okay. His big hit is "Kiss Somebody" :

Image found here

The second opener was Jordan Davis. I didn't know anything about him; I couldn't even tell you what he sings. But he actually has some big songs:

Singles You Up

Take It From Me

Image found here

And Old Dominion was next! I didn't know how many band members there were or what they looked like, or even all of their songs. I just knew they were a famous country band that I hadn't seen live yet, so I wanted to check them off my list!

Here are some of their songs:

Snapback

Break Up with Him (I thought this was a Sam Hunt song haha)

Written in the Sand

Hotel Key

No Such Thing as a Broken Heart

Make It Sweet

Song for Another Time

My favorite part of the show was when they did an acoustic set. Many of the band members started out as song writers, so they sang bits of songs they had written and sold to other artists. I couldn't believe how many country hits they had written! It really shows just how talented this group is. Here are some of those hits:

Kenny Chesney's Save It for a Rainy Day

 Blake Shelton's Sangria

Craig Morgan's Wake Up Lovin' You

Tyler Farr's A Guy Walks Into a Bar

Dierks Bentley's Say You Do

The Band Perry's Better Dig Two

Sam Hunt's Make You Miss Me

We had such a fun time, but because Old Dominion not only has so many of their own song but also performed those other hits, this was a LONG concert. Be prepared for a great but extensive show if you see them live!

Challah Bread Recipe

I made two loaves. I totally messed up the first braid, but I got help with the second one!

I haven't made challah bread since 2017* when I made it with a group at the Moishe House in Columbia Heights. So when I saw that the NoVA Moishe House was hosting a challah bake, I signed up immediately.

This recipe is so easy. The hardest part is braiding it!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 tsp (or 1 packet) of quick rise yeast
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 5 cups flour
• 1 egg for egg wash
• various toppings

Directions

1.  Dissolve yeast in bowl by pouring in warm water and gently mixing in 1 spoonful of sugar.
2. Cover bowl and let sit for 5 minutes until it starts bubbling/foaming.
3. Add 1 egg to the yeasty mix.
4. Add the rest of the sugar, oil, and salt. Mix well.
5. Slowly add flour and mix between additions.
6. Begin kneading (best with the heel of your palm) until dough is smooth, slightly elastic, but not sticky. Use extra flour if it is still too sticky (you can put the flour directly on your hands). 
7. Cover bowl and let rise for 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.
8. Time to braid! (see video below) This recipe makes either two large 3-strand loaves or two medium 4-strand loaves.
9. Grease the baking sheet, place the challah on it, and let rise for another 30 minutes to 1 hour. 
10. Brush the challah with egg wash and sprinkle on toppings if desired. 
11. Bake at 350° F for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

The recipe also included a note that you can put the dough in the fridge overnight, but if you do that, take it out for an hour or until it's room temperature before baking it. Do NOT freeze the dough.

The recipe doesn't include what "toppings" means. It can be seeds (poppy seeds, sesame seeds) or cinnamon sugar. I didn't add any toppings because I think the bread tastes delicious just as it is!

Here's a video on how to do all sorts of braids with bread:

*Check out the recipe from the first time I made challah bread.

Ice Fest in Chambersburg, PA

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I read about Chambersburg's Ice Fest in Bethesda Magazine. I had never heard of the town nor the event, but since it's less than two hours north of the DC area, I was curious to check it out. So my friend and I headed up that Friday, and we had such a blast!

We didn't arrive until Friday evening, so we quickly checked into the Travelodge, had dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Montezuma, and then got dressed up for the Snowfall Ball at a local church. I liked that a lot of different music was played, so we danced several different styles (luckily my friend is a great dancer and gave me quick lessons): waltz, swing, rumba, foxtrot, even line dancing! The crowd was a bit sparse, and was composed mostly of high schoolers (I thought it would be all old people, so this was actually a pleasant surprise). It was $12 to get in, which I think is a little steep for a dance in a church gym with a DJ, but we were happy to support the local community.

Saturday was our first full day in town. The continental breakfast at the hotel was quite disappointing, but luckily there was a town pancake breakfast! We had our fill of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausages before heading to the main square. Chambersburg is really cute, and it was fun walking down the main street looking at the different ice sculptures. There were so many, but I took pictures of a few of them:

This one was my favorite. It's two wolves next to a tree howling at the moon.

Obviously I had to get a photo with this one!

We liked stopping by the local shops, too. There were consignment shops, toy stores (we saw a llama/unicorn/Pegasus stuffed animal), and the most perfect place to hold a legitimate tea party called Kristtany Tea Room. Here are some photos:

After walking around town, we went to the Old Jail to see an Art Fest display and to get a tour of the jail itself. The art featured a "Secret Garden" theme, and it was interesting to see the interpretations of this theme through the work of several local artists. And the jail was pretty neat! We saw the older part, which was built in the 1800's. The sheriff back then actually lived there, so we saw the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. We could also peek into the cells (some of which were right across the hall from the sheriff's bedroom), and we saw a fake fireplace that could have hidden run-away slaves as part of the underground railroad (no one knows if the fireplace was actually ever needed for that purpose). An addition was later added to the jail to increase capacity, and those cells were more modern and added more space for female inmates, too (beforehand only one or two cells were dedicated to women). The tour was a history lesson both on the jail but also of the town itself, including the times when Chambersburg burned down and how Chambersburg was impacted during the Civil War. The tour lasted about an hour, and we found it really interesting. I would highly recommend it!

These are the newer cells at the Old Jail. Image found here

Then we headed back to the main street for some food. We enjoyed lunch from some food trucks (I had chicken tenders and fries; my friend had a cheese steak made with elk) before going to the Capitol Theatre to see a performance by some local students from the Chambersburg Ballet Theatre School. The pieces performed were a mix of classical ballet, modern dance, and Irish dance. These were only students (high school age), so that dancing wasn't spectacular. But again, it was all about supporting the local community and sharing in these students' dreams.

We sat at the bar at the Copper Kettle. Image found here

After a quick nap, we made our way to the Copper Kettle for dinner. It's probably the only upscale restaurant in town, so we couldn't get a reservation for a Saturday night, but we were able to grab seats at the bar. I was very happy with my $10 crab cake special, and my friend enjoyed the lobster bisque and sea scallops. And while the kitchen was out of the chocolate mousse by the time we were ready for dessert, we did partake in a baklava dessert that was delicious.

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Then we headed to the Chambersburg Mall to see a movie. We both wanted to see The Upside, and I really enjoyed the film. Plus, the theater had a random seat that was like a love seat, so we were able to sit right next to each other without the arm rest in between. It was a good movie night!

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Sunday was our last day in town. We had crepes for breakfast at Brussel's Cafe, and they were so good! And the owner/manager was there telling us all about the different crepes, so that was fun. Most of the shops were still closed by the time we were finished with breakfast, so we got in the car and took a quick drive to Greene Township. I had read online that they flood the baseball diamond in the park to turn it into an outdoor skating rink. The rink was indeed there, but the gates were locked. But that wouldn't deter us. We climbed over the fence, and with our skates in hand enjoyed a private rink. My friend had never ice skated outside before, so I was doubly glad for this adventure. It was so much fun, and we even saw another park-goer filming us on the ice (seeing two adults skating on their own on a tiny rink must have looked kind of funny haha). We had so much for that we were out there for nearly two hours! But the weather was warming up and we could feel the ice melting under us, so we headed to our next stop.

This may be a photo of the winery before it expanded. Now it has a huge space! Image found here

We had tried a few wines from Jan Zell Wines before the ballet, but we wanted to check out the whole winery. So we drove over and did a tasting (I tasted several white wines, while my friend tasted their ciders). My souvenir from the trip was a wine glass, so that was fun!

Image found here

Then we walked just next door to GearHouse Brewing Co., a brewpub that also had a kitchen. We had yummy breakfast food at the bar, and my friend bought a metal growler to take home. Once we were satisfied, it was time to go home. We listened to 80's and 90's country music all the way back.

This was such a fun trip! I would highly recommend it. There are lots of different weekend events like this, so maybe I'll try checking out a different town next time, but this was a really fun get-away!

Books vs. Movie: Love, Simon [SPOILERS]

Images found here and here

I've been on a YA tear when it comes to my reading, and I recently finished Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Then I watched the movie Love, Simon, which is based on the novel. Here are my main (albeit superficial) take-aways between the two.

1. Clearly the title is different. I think the general American population would go cray-cray if the movie had the word "homo" in it, assuming it means gay when really we are ALL homo sapiens. But this movie is actually about the love story between two teenage boys, so...



2. There were tiny things in the movie that I don't remember from the book. Was his friend Nick (played by Jorge Lendeborg, Jr.) black? Was his little sister really into cooking? Was the school vice principal (played by Tony Hale) really that obnoxious? Did the students perform Cabaret* (it seems a bit racy for high school)? Did Simon have a heart-to-heart with the other openly gay student in the book?



3. I had pictured Martin (played by Logan Miller) to look more like the character Fogell/McLovin from Superbad. But maybe that's just me. And he NEVER made the grand gesture of admitting his love for Abby at the football game in the book; that was just for the film. (GIF found here)

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4. In the movie, Simon suspects too early that his secret crush "Blue" is actually his friend Bram (played by Keiynan Lonsdale). We don't get that realization until close to the end of the book. And while Blue does stop messaging Simon, I don't remember him deleting his entire email account.

5. While not in the novel, I loved the "coming out" scenes for the straight characters. Simon's friends telling their parents that they're straight and the parents' reactions were so funny. And the rainbow flash mob was perfect! (both videos are above) Side note: SO happy that the characters call their game of beer pong "Beirut." Beirut is throwing balls into the cups, while legitimate beer pong is played with ping pong paddles.

6. Even though Simon did try to help Martin get on Abby's good side in the book, Simon never sabotaged the relationships of his friends the way he did in the movie. He didn't tell Nick that Abby had an older boyfriend or was in love with Martin, and he never forced Nick and Leah to go on a date (by the way, Leah (played by Katherine Langford) does have a crush on Nick in the book; in the movie they switched the script so that she liked Simon.).

Image found here

7. At the end of the book, Simon does make some announcement about meeting his love at the Ferris wheel, but there isn't a crowd looking on and clapping for him like in the film. All of that is much more subtle in the book, whereas it's built up dramatically in the movie.

8. The film cut out the gay bar scene (even though a similar scene was indeed in the book). At least you can watch the deleted scene:

Lastly, in the very last scene of the movie, Abby is drinking the wrong iced coffee. Earlier on, we specifically learn that she likes milk in her coffee, but in that last take, she's drinking it black. Oops.

Here's a look at a video that points out the differences they saw:

*GIF found here.

Harlequinade Ballet

Earlier this week I went to the Kennedy Center to see the American Ballet Theatre perform Harlequinade. I did not know the story, so I was thankful there was a synopsis in the program. I wasn't sure what to expect when I came to the show. Here are my thoughts:

1. The sets were beautiful. They looked big and grand; you felt like you were right there with the characters!

This is Columbine's balcony (à la Juliet). Image found here

This is a drawing of the set from the second act, representing the ballroom. Image found here

2. Some of the costumes were really pretty, like that of the Good Fairy (who never danced, unfortunately) and Columbine's lark costume. See below:

Image from the Kennedy Center's home page, here

Image found here

3. But some of the other costumes were just strange. The father figure had a braided wig that came up like Pippy Longstocking, and Pierrot, the character of the father's servant, looked like a creepy mime with oversized sleeves. Several women wore what looked like silky shower caps, and some of the soldiers (including the children) wore fake paunches to give them larger bellies. Just, why?

SO weird. Image found here

Even the children dressed like that. Image found here

Note the shower caps. Image found here

4. Speaking of children, there were WAY too many of them. In the second act, there were more than 30 of them! And they danced for the majority of the second act! I didn't pay good money to go to the Kennedy Center to see children dance; I could go to some local recital if that's what I wanted to see. There were also a number of dancers who were clearly from the junior company; I'm not sure they added much to the show. In general the second act had a repetitive dance sequence, and the party scene was just boring, honestly.

SO. MANY. CHILDREN. Image found here

5. Although I thought some parts were silly or stupid, others were surprisingly funny. When the servant throws Harlequinade from the balcony, it's actually a life-size doll, so that was comical. When the father's henchmen came over to help remove the body, the limbs of the doll pulled off! And Léandre, the rich suitor, is extremely flamboyant and full of himself; Duncan Lyle was fabulous in the role. I did laugh out loud during some of these bits!

6. Multiple times throughout the show, the dancers would take a bow, completely getting out of character. That was so annoying! They know they'll get a curtain call at the end. Just WAIT!

So, not my favorite ballet. I liked that is was so short! But, then again, isn't that saying something...?