Because I couldn't set my typical New Year's resolution of losing weight this year, I decided to conquer many of my culinary fears. Some of my most feared recipes include pie crust and anything containing yeast. I can proudly say, that I have tackled both in the past month (VERY successfully I might add).

In January, I tried a Lemon Ice Box Pie (a 3 layer lemony paradise) with pie crust from scratch. I found the pie crust recipe on thepioneerwoman.com, but the pie was a T.O.H. creation. Although I didn't take a picture of the finished pie, I did snap a few of my beautiful crust. I couldn't believe I waited so long to attempt this! The recipe was sooooo easy, and they best part.... it's even flakier if you keep it in the freezer!!! I wasn't sure about fluting the crust, so I YouTubed a video for instruction, and...... Wal-lah:

Aren't you impressed? I sure was! I couldn't believe I did it -- the Pillsbury Doughboy will no longer be getting my money!

Today I decided to try a Monkey Bread Recipe (yes, it was from T.O.H. too). I'm not a huge fan of sticky, sweet, cinnamon confections, but the barista in me really wanted to pair it with one of our new coffees. The result: one of the best decisions I've ever made! My main goal in accomplishing this recipe was the utilization of active dry yeast. I hadn't ever made anything that required time to rise or kneading, and decided to give it a shot. Here's the result:

(Perfection) It was scrumptious (Ady's words, not mine). It was a tedious creation at best, but the taste is nothing that can be achieved with a box of baking mix. There is no comparison to that warm, gooey, caramel, goodness right out of the oven! Hungry yet?

So my next Everest? I'm not really sure. I want to familiarize myself with some of the kitchen tools and cooking methods that I steer clear of. You know, those ones that sound really good, but you keep flipping because you have no idea what they're talking about. I'd like to perfectly roast a prime rib (Dave will surely never leave me then ;), purchase a dutch oven, and fine tune my pastry making skills. Until I figure out what is next on my list, I guess I'll sit here and wait for my next T.O.H., so I can yet again be inspired to create greatness.