Now that my kitchen is completely unpacked and OCD- organized, the Baking Odyssey can continue. I chose Lemon Meringue pie as the next dish. I’ve tried meringues before with cream pies and had little success. I’m happy to report my Lemon Meringue turned out terrifically! I love lemon zest and added a bit more than the recipe called for, making the filling a wonderful blend of tangy and sweet. I fully credit my meringues’ success to my KitchenAid mixer. Hand mixers, or at least the one I used to use, combined with my easily distracted nature were the source of my prior meringue failures.

I’ve also been hard at work on improving my decorating skills. Typically I have great vision and poor execution, but with lots of work and experimentation I’m improving. I donated a cake to a church benefit that I was quite proud of (photos below). I also recently re-made Golden Peach Pie with a spiral lattice crust that I’m also incredibly proud of. My new buttercream frosting recipe is the perfect consistency for piping decorations on cakes and treats, and I must thank my friend Christina for that. She gave me a decorating kit that included my new favorite frosting recipe, so I owe my latest success in decorating in part to her.

Alaska has finally gone green– not in the environmentally conscious sense (we have yet to find recycling here), but in the nature sense. Trees have leaves, grass is green, it’s a wonderful thing. I delighted in the green grass by turning cartwheels in it. Sadly our apartment is a new-construction area and apparently the builders decided grass is overrated and gravel is great, so we don’t have a lot of grass near us. We do have a hilly field with thousands of saplings trying to grow. Sunny and warm weather draws everyone outside due to it’s rareness, so if a few days go by without a new entry, don’t fret– I’m probably just outside instead of in the kitchen.

The fruit based desserts in the Baking Odyssey may take a backseat for awhile as it is difficult and incredibly expensive to find produce here (that golden peach pie cost me $3.50/lb for peaches!). I’ll just have to explore the other bits of the desserts– cookies and candies may be tackled next 😉 Now that the Baking Odyssey has returned, expect 1 to 2 new dishes (and posts) a week. Time for me to head back to the kitchen!