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Feb 13 2008
French Silk Pie
But I have some bad news first. And what I'm about to tell you almost prevented me from posting this recipe altogether, because I can't stand the thought of some of you not being able to partake in this delight. But…this chocolate pie of mine contains raw eggs. And though getting sick from eating raw egg products—particularly if you're very careful to use very fresh eggs that have been adequately refrigerated and that weren't cracked in the carton—is relatively unlikely, I have to insist that those of you who are older (Ga-Ga, that includes you), pregnant (Wetsy, that includes you), or those of you with compromised immune systems shouldn't use this recipe. Kids under three should probably avoid it, too. I care about each and every one of you, ya know.
BUT…because I want to include you in the fun, I'm putting in a little bonus at the end that you can be use to adorn any number of chocolate desserts, including my own Chocolate Sheet Cake, which is 100% safe for everyone! So skip forward to that point while the rest of us raw egg freakos make the pie.
The Cast of Characters: One baked pie shell (I used Perfect Pie Crust), Butter, Sugar, Vanilla, Eggs, and Unsweetened Baking Chocolate (I used Hershey's, but anything is fine. If you're interested in my baking chocolate taste test, visit this post on Serious Eats.)
My girls helped me make this pie crust, I put a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom and filled it with dried pinto beans to keep it fron shrinking while it baked. I also wrapped foil around the edge (my girls did that, too, the little boogers) to keep it from burning.
Break up four ounces of chocolate…
And place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Nuke it for about 45 seconds, or until stirrable. Set aside and cool.
Now throw two sticks of softened butter (regular, salted) into the bowl of your mixer. A mixer is essential here.
Dump in 1 1/2 cups sugar.
Mix until fluffy, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
Make sure your chocolate is cooled…
And drizzle it into the bowl.
Now find your vanilla. Then, as I just did, wipe the fingerprints and batter smudges from the bottle so your readers won't think you're a total slob.
Then, add 1 teaspoon to the bowl.
I think vanilla extract should be sainted. From pancakes to icing to pie, its contribution can not be underestimated.
Mix it together thoroughly, and now it's time to get serious, people. I need you to straighten in your chairs and listen. Read. Whatever.
You're going to turn the mixer on medium speed (on a Kitchen Aid, I use 7), and over a period of 15 to 20 minutes, you're going to add in four eggs. After you add each egg, allow the mixture to beat for four to five minutes. And don't rush it. Just let it happen, people.
Here, I've added the first egg. This is four minutes later.
Here, I've added the second egg. This is five minutes after that addition.
Now, during the twenty-odd minutes of mixing in the four eggs, the mixture's consistency will change constantly. Don't read into it, and don't suddenly become plagued with a raging case of self doubt. If you give each egg at least four to five minutes, it'll turn out right.
For the love of Our Lady of Perpetual Bliss, will you take a dadgum look that THAT? THAT is what you call chocolate pie filling.
Oh! That reminds me! We now must FILL our PIE.
Oh, lawsie mercy. Lawsie. Mercy.
Hello, my beautiful lover. Why have you stayed away from me for so long?
Now, just smooth out the surface every so slightly…
And because you don't like to waste perfectly good chocolate pie filling…
You need to go ahead and lick it, baby.
Okay! Now you need to cover and refrigerate the pie for at least two hours. More is better. And before we cut into it an eat it, which you're certainly free to do at any time after the two hours, let's try something fun.
*Non raw-eggers can come in now.
Have you ever made chocolate curls? NO?????????? Oh, okay. That's cool.
But let's make them right now. They're fun, they're easy, they're fanciful…yada yada yada, who am I kidding? They make you look reeeeeal coooool, is what they do.
Grab some Crisco and some semi-sweet baking chocolate. (Any brand will do, and you can even use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you'd like!)
Place three ounces (usually three squares) of chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl.
Now place one tablespoon of Crisco (vegetable shortening) into the bowl.
Now throw it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the shortening is melted and hot.
With a fork…
Stir to combine thoroughly.
And there you have it—chocolate curls!
Just kidding. I just love doing that, though.
Now, grab a metal cookie sheet, turn it upside down, and pour the melted chocolate on.
Then, with a flat spatula (or heck, a knife), spread the chocolate in a thin layer…
Keep going until it's very, very thin. Then…and this is the key…stick it in the freezer for a few minutes.
Now, this is after one minute in the freezer. I gave the chocolate the ol' fingerprint test, and it failed miserably. It's still way too soft to make the curls. So I put it back in for exactly two minutes.
Be sure to give it the ol' fingerprint test. And when it's ready, it should leave the slightest mark, but not an actual depression.
Next, get a somewhat sharp-edged spatula and begin to scrape the chocolate from the bottom of the pan. When the chocolate is just the right temperature, it'll curl instead of break.
See, right now it's still just a tad too cold/hard. So I waited one minute and tried again.
And guess what? It's just right.
Now you have a couple of minutes before the chocolate gets too soft.
So just scrape along the bottom of the pan…
…And the chocolate will curl right up. If it's too hard, give it a minute, then try again. If it gets too soft, stick it back in the freezer for a minute.
Pretty soon you'll have a bunch of fun little chocolate curls.
And I have no idea how this one happened, but I think it's kinda neat. And I totally meant to do it.
Important: as soon as possible, transfer the curls to a cold pan or plate, then stick them in the freezer to harden. Store in the freezer in a Ziploc bag until you need them.
Now it's time to retrive the chocolate pie that's been chilling in the fridge.
Now WAIT a minute! This isn't what it looked like earlier. I have no idea how this happened, either.
Cut yourself a piece of pie and plop some whipped cream on top.
Now start decorating it with chocolate curls.
I thought the big one was a little distracting, so I went ahead and ate it.
Hey, it's for the art.
Now, the chocolate curls are fun and all, but let's not forget what lies at the heart of this chocolate pie. It's the chocolate pie itself.
And baby, let me tell you. This is one chocolate experience you're not likely to forget.
And the next chocolate pie will be a cooked one. I promise.
Pioneer Woman
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Delicious Chocolate Pie
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Servings:
- 8
- 4 ounces, weight Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
- 1 cup Salted Butter, Softened
- 1-1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 whole Eggs
- 1 package Baked Pie Shell
Preparation Instructions
In small microwave safe bowl melt 4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate until stirrable (about 45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat 1 cup (2 sticks) of regular (salted) butter and 1 ½ cups of white sugar until fluffy (about 1 to 2 minutes). When melted chocolate is cooled, drizzle it over the butter/sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat the mixture thoroughly until combined (on a Kitchen Aid mixer, you will be using the whisk attachment).
Turn your mixer to a medium speed and over a period of 15 to 20 minutes add in the four eggs, one at a time, leaving about 5 minutes between each egg addition. Once the pie filling is well mixed, pour it into the baked pie shell, scraping every last speck of it out of the bowl. Smooth out the pie filling and place pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours (preferably longer).
Plop a heap of whipped cream and garnish with a few chocolate curls if you're feeling sassy.
318 Comments
Kristi On Wednesday, February 13 at 3:53 pm
Alright, if you haven't died yet, I guess I'll try this pie cuz it sure looks scrumptious. Just kidding, I'd try this pie no matter what!
Pwatters On Wednesday, February 13 at 3:55 pm
If I had to die before I'm an old lady, I would hope I would be eating raw cookie dough. I would so think it was worth it and would die with a smile on my face. I WILL eat raw eggs!! No more will I hide in the closet to lick the beater!
Erica On Wednesday, February 13 at 4:04 pm
Well, after reading that recipe, I'm just sitting back taking a moment wondering if I should call my chocoholics anonymous sponsor. Sweet Betsy that looks divine. And this chocoholic is saving that recipe for a special night. My waist is not quite ready for it tomorrow and it would be wasted on my wee ones, but oh, how I'll dream of it in my sleep.
julie On Wednesday, February 13 at 4:12 pm
I am sincerely shocked Land-O-Lakes doesn't advertise on your blog. I have never, in all my 36 years, bought Land-O-Lakes butter until reading your blog. They owe you, big time.
P.S. The lemon totally makes the roasted chicken rock. I was leery of it at first because I HATE lemon chicken.
Gee On Wednesday, February 13 at 4:18 pm
French Silk!! Thanks for reminding me that it has been a few years since I tried it….and thanks for the chocolate curl lesson….VERY cool!!
canknitian On Wednesday, February 13 at 4:48 pm
Looks SO good! I may need to invest in a stand mixer just so I can try this!
Jeanette Peterson In The AZ On Wednesday, February 13 at 5:05 pm
I do understand what you are saying about the whole raw egg thing. But I personally think it worth dying for.
Have a good one.
Heather On Wednesday, February 13 at 5:14 pm
I have made this pie several times and it's always, always a hit! It's soooooo rich!
cribtales On Wednesday, February 13 at 5:21 pm
Oh. My. God.
You should have a contest and mail this pie to the winner. And the winner should be me.
CovingtonKat On Wednesday, February 13 at 5:31 pm
Since my Valentine is cooking for me tomorrow night, I'll have to try these recipes over the weekend – can't wait! AND especially can't wait for the next BH2TW – Woohoo!
Love ya, Ree – you romantic lil devil – I had a feeling there'd be one tomorrow!
BTW, I start every work day (M-F) with a homemade fruit smoothie:
1 RAW egg
3/4 C low fat yogurt
1 banana
1 serving other fruit (cantelope or sumpthin)
1 serving frozen berries (usually strawberries or blueberries)
1 lil splash 100% fruit juice
Blend on High until mixed.
Raw eggs? NOT. A. Problem!
Michaela On Wednesday, February 13 at 5:37 pm
Hey, if you cooked the sugar and the egg over a double boiler, like you would with tiramisu, would that work?
Jenny On Wednesday, February 13 at 5:41 pm
Thanks for including the recipe.
I'm not a huge chocolate pie fan, however, this might have made a believer oughta me!
Briget On Wednesday, February 13 at 5:44 pm
Tellya what – vanilla extract is to baking as Kitchen Bouquet is to stew/gravy/pot roast.
WHAT?? You never use Kitchen Bouquet? What's wrong witchoo, girl?? That stuff is magic. Magic I tell you!
P.S. I'm diabetic and supposed to have a "compromised immune system" but I'm going to make this pie anyway. Hey, I take care of myself be-yoo-ti-fully for 350 days out of 365. On those days, I make and eat pie.
Debbie V. On Wednesday, February 13 at 6:14 pm
The pictures you post are wonderful and so are the foods! I just discovered your site last week and I love it.
Becky from Canada On Wednesday, February 13 at 6:48 pm
Hi Ree, As much as I would love to try this recipe the thought of standing with my hand mixer for 20 plus minutes is just to much. I have a hard time doing the 3 minutes with a cake mix…the recipe looks great tho and I am an avid fan. Your the best…Thanks Ree…Bec
Stu On Wednesday, February 13 at 7:24 pm
HEY…how did you get my family's secret pie recipe????
Funny story, my husband (who thinks cooking is going to McDonalds) wanted to surprise me with this pie for my b-day many (many) years ago.
When he served it, it was kinda runny…when I asked him about it he said the recipe said "cream", after adding the butter and sugar…but didn't say how much!
I damn near spit out the pie laughing!
Andrea the marine wife On Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 pm
YUMMMMYYYY!!! Ok i am drooling right now! Only 2 problems, 1, Im pregnant so no raw eggs (as a rule they dont bother me) and 2, I dont have a stand mixer so it would be a little hard to do this using only my hand mixer if I am even able to find it since i normaly just mix stuff by hand (well with a spoon)
tommie On Wednesday, February 13 at 8:09 pm
Have you ever made this with the fake eggs in a carton? Okay, I just asked you if you use fake eggs…..I seriously doubt that.
I would love to try this!! I guess I could experiment with it and see.
BTW, do you have chickens on that farm/ranch?
Tommie, I haven't tried it with EggBeaters ("fake eggs") but several commenters have said they've used them with great success. Just for fun, I think I'll try it next time.
Tracey On Wednesday, February 13 at 8:28 pm
Come to momma, sweet thing…
Thanks, Ree, I think I love ya!
Diane E On Wednesday, February 13 at 9:22 pm
Thank you Thank you Ree for a wonderful looking Valentine menu! I got the ribeyes garlic and potatoes today and I have all i need for the pie, I might have to cheat on the crust and use the oreo premade ones b/c my schedule is hectic as it is tomorrow, or it could be that I'm lazy and already aprehensive about doing my first rib eye and messing up and hence having nothing for hubby and kids to eat tomorrow night! lol. Thanks again for all your wonderful recipes! You are a true sweetheart.
Diane, the filling would be delicious in an Oreo/storebought crust. Yum!
jesslev On Wednesday, February 13 at 9:27 pm
I'm not a huge chocolate fan- weird, I know! But that just looks darn good! I'm making it this weekend!
Caitlin On Wednesday, February 13 at 9:52 pm
I LOVE the step-by-step pictures! I could never figure out the veg. peeler method of making chocolate curls, but your method looks way easier. Thanks for the tip!
shped On Thursday, February 14 at 5:32 am
oh, my husband will love this!
(and me, too)
That IS one mighty-fine looking meal!
Thanks yet again.
NuJoi On Thursday, February 14 at 6:56 am
I can't wait to try this pie and I love your curls!! What a neat trick.
Suzanne On Thursday, February 14 at 7:48 am
mmmmmmmmm, p-i-e! I'm making this tonight too and although the husband usually doesn't like pie, he L-O-V-E-S chocolate so hopefully he'll eat it. If not, then more yummy p-i-e for me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of awesome recipes and the glimpses into your life. Your blog(s) are a great read.
Big hugs from FL,
?_Heather On Thursday, February 14 at 7:51 am
Yummm — this looks great! I'm another advocate of using an egg-substitute product instead of raw eggs. And yes, that would be Egg Beaters or a generic brand. (I couldn't find pasteurized whole eggs in our supermarket). Whenever I've tried Egg-Beaters-or-the-equivalent in pies, I haven't noticed any difference in taste or texture from raw eggs.
(I also grew up eating raw eggs and don't mind doing it occasionally, but I'm much more hesitant about letting my kiddos or friends have any, so this lets me play it safe.)
Heather M. On Thursday, February 14 at 7:59 am
I may have to wait 5 months for the pie, but I can have those chocolate curls right now! Yum-yum.
Susana On Thursday, February 14 at 8:57 am
Sinful! Love it!!
Christy On Thursday, February 14 at 9:36 am
This looks amazing!
lomagirl On Thursday, February 14 at 10:33 am
THank you RA in MA. I didn't want to buy a whole carton of the expensive pastuerized eggs, but I wanted to make what we call a "French Silk Pie". I think the recipe was a little different, but there is raw egg. This was our fave in high school for overnights.
ruth On Thursday, February 14 at 10:39 am
That's the old French Silk Pie recipe. We used to make it back in the eighties for high school French class–we got extra credit for bringing in "cultural experiences". Everybody loved French Silk Pie. However, I have not made it since the egg scares.
Susan May On Thursday, February 14 at 12:39 pm
I just made your pie with "fake eggs". It looks so yummy, and I did sample the spatula after filling the pie crust… tasted just fine to me! I figured my husband would give it a try with egg beaters in it, and my baby punk who just turned a year could have some too if we decide not to eat it all ourselves tonight!
Kristi On Thursday, February 14 at 12:57 pm
Just popped this baby into the fridge, after I licked every little bit off the bowl, the beater and the spatula. Oh my I can't wait to eat it when it is all set up.
Thanks, Ree.
Cindy On Thursday, February 14 at 1:03 pm
I tried, I really did, but in the end I just couldn't eat the raw eggs. It has nothing to do with salmonella or anything like that, it's all in my mind, just the thought of eating those slimy raw eggs was more than I could take. One thing I did notice was the filling felt gritty – I guess from the sugar, but I can't imagine why since the butter was softened and I beat it for 5 minutes between each egg – I set the timer so I would know for sure. Thanks anyway Ree….I'm waiting for the recipe that is baked – it sure looks good though.
sweetlilmagnolia On Thursday, February 14 at 1:05 pm
Ok, I have no problem using raw eggs if bought locally & fresh from someone I know…but 1: While the risk is low, it is still a risk and pretty tuff to go thru and 2: My son thinks its halarious that I open EVERY carton of eggs to make sure none are broken…I never fail to find more than one carton sitting with broken eggs…so Im overly cautious since I'm a mother. But I love how your readers have written in using the pasturized/eggbeaters/etc..even how to DIYS…Love your cooking, Love your faithful readers. PW & following RAWKS! I will be trying this pie, with eggbeaters or fresh eggs if I can get them.
Deb in TX
on the crust..I have used my sons marbles, dried beans, but usually just prick the heck out of my crust & forgo the weights, dont "stretch" the crust, and it turns out fine. Happy V-Day~
sweetlilmagnolia On Thursday, February 14 at 1:10 pm
emm..ok to clarify my strangeness…I check the egg cartons in supermarkets…not from farm fresh eggs..I mean that would be weirder than I already am and pretty darn rude doncha know….lol. Oh yes..and that IS me in the produce section smelling the stem end of fruits/veggies to check for freshness…don't even bother to say it, I already know you won't go shopping with me…."sigh" lol
Deb in TX, smelling the fruit of life, one cantalope at a time….har har har
Tamlynn On Thursday, February 14 at 1:18 pm
I don't even care if the pie tastes good,(and I'm sure its heavenly) your photos and commentary made my day. Lick that knife!
Narinda On Thursday, February 14 at 1:37 pm
I love chocolate. I love any excuse to eat eggs raw (don't judge me). I love… you.
Not really.
Maybe a little.
But not in that way.
Tammy in Germany On Thursday, February 14 at 1:43 pm
Ree..I made everything for Valentine's Day. My family loved…loved…loved it!
Awesome ! Thanks so much!
PS…the pie was to die for!
Sally On Thursday, February 14 at 2:03 pm
Can you please please please PLEASE tell me where you got your green plate??? I love the translucency of it and the color!!!
Libby On Thursday, February 14 at 2:50 pm
I just went to the grocery store to get the ingredients for your Valentine meal. I couldn't believe it, they had heart shaped rib-eye steaks! Well back to the kitchen. I'm making your pie first. Thanks for all you do.
Happy Valentines Day!
Heidi On Thursday, February 14 at 2:56 pm
I made this pie yesterday for work. DELICOUS!!
Although instead of making a pie I put the filling in tart shells. It worked out perfectly. (1 recipe made 26 heaping tarts)
Dani On Thursday, February 14 at 4:45 pm
I just made this pie and it was a lot runnier than yours. What happened?
Blackeyedsue On Thursday, February 14 at 6:21 pm
I made this today. I don't know how there was any filling left in my mixer. I kept going back and sticking my finger in. Not just the tip of my finger…my WHOLE finger!
emily On Thursday, February 14 at 7:17 pm
we just finished our meal of love. it could not have been more delicious. unless you had made it for me. and my kids weren't eating it with us. THANK YOU!
Cynthia On Thursday, February 14 at 7:51 pm
I just want you to know that I enjoy reading your blog very much. You have a very witty writing style (even my 12-year-old son laughs as he reads over my shoulder), and your recipes are great.
I left something for you on my blog.
Check it out when you get a chance.
Bayou Woman On Thursday, February 14 at 8:56 pm
It does look delicious!
Blue in NZ On Thursday, February 14 at 11:14 pm
I have a similar recipe but instead of raw eggs, I whip up some cream to firm and then mix the chocolate mix in with that and let set.
While I have and will continue to eat things with raw egg in them (like cookie dough and cake mix) I dont actually like the concept of eating it in the quantity in a pudding like this.
mosheep On Friday, February 15 at 4:42 am
I made this pie yesterday to go with dinner.
We had heart shaped individual meat loaves
along with mashed potatoes. Roasted brussel sprouts and then the pie for dessert.
The pie was out of this world and everyone loved it. My son decided to wait to have his later in the evening. He came down to cut his piece and I hear him in the kitchen. He is so excited because the pie is so deep. He loved it also.
Thanks for all the great recipes. I can't wait to get some rib eye steaks.
OneCowgirl On Friday, February 15 at 6:40 am
those chocolate curls are just cool!!
Kristi On Friday, February 15 at 7:09 am
This pie is so rich, so smooth, so chocolaty but the one problem was that I could only eat ONE SLICE. I thought for sure the whole pie would be gulped down but really, a small slice is all it takes to be satisfied. The good news is that now there are leftovers for today! (Oh, and also, no one got sick from the four raw eggs.)
kristin On Friday, February 15 at 7:26 am
HOLY COW! my husband loved the meal i made him. thank you for the hints. we were a little nervous about the meat b/c it was totally blackened (first time with a rub!) and it was extremely delicious!
Heather Outside Boston On Friday, February 15 at 8:28 am
Okay, I need a little help.
I made this pie last night as a surprise for my wonderful hubby, it all looked and smelled terrific when I put it together and popped it in the 'fridge before we went out to dinner.
When we got home I whipped some cream and popped some champage.
Oh, the flavor of the pie was terrific, but it was grainy. Like the sugar stayed crystals. And I creamed the butter and sugar for a good 5 minutes.
No this didn't stop us from eating our whole pieces, but I don't want to make the same mistake next time.
I saw a suggestion for superfine sugar in one comment… Or would 10x/confectioners be okay?
I'm just a little sad I couldn't be as perfect as you.
RecipeGirl On Friday, February 15 at 8:33 am
The pie looks great, but the best part of your post was learning how to make those cute chocolate curls! So easy!
Emily On Friday, February 15 at 9:45 am
Made this pie past yesterday for Valentine's Day & LOVED it! It turned out rich & creamy & everyone was suprised at how dadgumgood it was, dh & the in-laws were expecting just a plain ol' chocolate pudding pie. I told my husband how I made it, but won't be telling anyone else about the raw eggs, it will just be my secret recipe. So yummy! Thank you! & the chocolate curls were just the right touch.
Angie :) On Friday, February 15 at 10:25 am
Okay Ree, Honestly! How can you sleep with yourself (and mm of course) at night knowing good and well that you voluntarily gave this sinfully delicious and deceptively easy recipe to me and mine?
That pie omg that pie……..
It was just nothing like I've ever made before and now, now that I've subjected my husband and children to it, I'll be making it several thousand more times in my lifetime probably causing me to gain just a gazillion pounds in a lifetime.
Not only the pie but the lovely creamy mashed potatoes with the scrumptious roasted garlic – where have these been all my life?
Thanks so much for making our valentines night!!
Amii On Friday, February 15 at 10:41 am
This has been a favorite pie of mine for years…I've called it French Silk Pie and the ingredients and the way you make it is almost exact. When I was pregnant I would make this with pasturized eggs…not a good thing…i would eat half of the raw filling…then eat the pie…then want more. No wonder I gained 65+ pounds!
karen On Friday, February 15 at 1:50 pm
I'm a microbiologist. I make Caeser Salad frequently using a raw egg. The trick is to coddle the egg. First inspect it for any flaws use only eggs that have shells which are intact and flawles. Immerse the egg in simmering water for 60 seconds. This will destroy any samonella on the shell. Unless there is a perforation of the shell the egg is sterile.
Jamie from Mi. On Friday, February 15 at 2:34 pm
oh my goodness, how did I miss this posting the other day,,,here I've been waiting and waiting for this recipe. Gosh silly me.
Thanks Ree
regina On Friday, February 15 at 3:58 pm
mmmm, why are the pictures labeled "choc pie creamed spinach pizza" ???
Shelley On Friday, February 15 at 4:30 pm
I haven't read the usual bajillion comments so I don't know if you have already heard, but girlfriend, you can buy pasteurized (sp?) eggs at the store. And of course you can buy no yolks too, which are also pasteurized. Anyway, that is what I do for homemade ice cream—the no-cook kind, and they work wonders and no risk!
AmyB On Friday, February 15 at 6:53 pm
Thank you for this great recipe!! For Valentine's dinner I made a tri-tip roast using your marinade for brisket, your mashed potatoes, and this pie. It was so delicious!!! The thought of another piece of leftover pie for dessert tonite is what got me out of bed this morning! Soooooo good.
Burning Kitchen On Friday, February 15 at 8:12 pm
All I can say is WOW!! My husband will love this one. Thanks for the recipe.
Mooshand3 On Friday, February 15 at 8:40 pm
I made this yesterday……. but, Hubby doesn't like pie crust!! SO…….I made chocolate mousse cups with lots of whipped cream on top AND the heavenly chocolate curls!!!!! He thought they were THE best EVAH!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOOO PW!
Allikayes Mama On Friday, February 15 at 9:18 pm
I teach 2nd grade and we were talking about digestion – and what happens when people say "my mouth is watering." Well, those pictures of that pie – and your descriptions – oh my, they made my salivary gands in my mouth water!! Ha!!
Heffalump On Friday, February 15 at 11:45 pm
I make a similar pie called a french silk pie, and it uses pasturized eggs (egg beaters etc) instead of regular raw ones. It will come out the same and no worries about salmonella. 1/4 cup of the pasturized eggs = one raw egg. I also use them in cookie dough when I want to let the kids eat it raw (I am a risk taker myself and eat raw cookie dough even with regular eggs in it).
The chocolate curls are awesome…I am going to have to try that.
Jennifer On Saturday, February 16 at 6:11 am
I hope I can find pasteurized eggs in my store…I'd never feed my kids this pie otherwise…my friend's child nearly died from salmonella…yes it's rare but it does occasionally taint eggs and it only takes that one time…
MaryT On Saturday, February 16 at 6:26 am
P-dub, you have once again saved and reinvigorated my marriage–and it was already going strongly! I made this pie for Valentine's and my husband and I were barely able to go to work on Friday because we were busy being in orbit over its deliciousness. I first found your site when looking for a great chicken spaghetti recipe (yours is tops!) and you have never let us down in all the recipes we've tried since. You're a goddess and a genius and now all my friends are your readers, too. East Texas loves PW! Keep up the great work!
Andrea the marine wife On Saturday, February 16 at 8:07 pm
ok you have GOT to post a new recipie because it is really killing me to see this everytime I check in.
Terri Steffes On Saturday, February 16 at 9:47 pm
If no one has suggested it yet, I always use pasteurized eggs any time I use raw eggs (like for eggnog). They lessen the risk of illness tremendously!
Fatima On Saturday, February 16 at 10:01 pm
I made this tonight along with the Penne a la betsy for my roommate who is running a marathon (In austin!) tomorrow morning. I of course ate just as much as she did because I'm a good friend and I sympathy carb load. And tomorrow all those wonderful, delicious calories will keep me going…as I cheer her on. Thanks for the yummy recipes!
Lore On Sunday, February 17 at 4:55 am
I'm….. just speechless!
Patricia On Sunday, February 17 at 12:58 pm
I already have a chocolate ice cream cake in the freezer, but with the rest of the baking chocolate I know what I'll be making next! I've recently become addicted to whole wheat pastry flour so I might become TOTALLY strange and make a chocolate pie in a whole wheat pie crust. Hey, at least it'll give you some fiber!
Terri On Sunday, February 17 at 4:20 pm
This was great…made it this weekend. Definitely a keeper!!
Cailinmarie On Sunday, February 17 at 4:41 pm
This looks suspiciously like "French Silk Pie" my mother makes (and I have never even attempted!) and we all come home every holiday for THAT pie and her cheese cake – she is never allowed to make anything else or mutiny –
now I"m going to have to make it and see if it is the same
Lily On Sunday, February 17 at 6:31 pm
I made your 'Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever." today…oh, my, GODSWEETMARYMOTHEROFJESUS!!!! I followed your directions EXACTLY (even when 'pour batter into the ungreased tin'…ungreased? Reeeally? Hmmm, I thought. But did it none the less) It is without doubt the best cake I've ever made! (and I'm known for my baking!) Actually that should be cakeS plural, as my tin wasn't big enough so I had enough for a big rectangular one and a smaller round one, which I'm going to take to work tomorrow and wow everyone with my culinary genius! Well, YOUR culninary genius, but you know, whatever!
Thank you so much, I love both of your blogs and can't wait to try some more recipes
Love from Lily – an English girl desperately dreaming of the American country xxx
Kat On Sunday, February 17 at 7:40 pm
That looks delicious! Too bad I'm pregnant!
Sandy On Sunday, February 17 at 9:07 pm
Ok, I made this but my filling turned out like…pudding. Didn't look fluffy at all. What did I do wrong??
reda On Sunday, February 17 at 9:59 pm
this is only my favorite food of all time! how glorious, to check this site for the first time and find a recipe for the pie i could eat every night after dinner…forever! i plan on making this for my lucky honey tomorrow night, yummy.
palmtreefanatic On Monday, February 18 at 8:29 am
Amber On Monday, February 18 at 2:47 pm
I made this tonight, for my in-laws. We're in Britain for the week, and it was an adventure trying to eyeball ounces to grams, but I made it work. I just didn't tell the skittish brits about the raw eggs!
It was absolfreakinlutely amazing. I nearly passed out from the chocolatey goodness. I used green & blacks organic baking chocolate. Oh lawsie mercy, indeed.
Frogdancer On Monday, February 18 at 4:21 pm
I gave you some blog bling. It's just a little award, so I gave it to an wildly eclectic bunch of bloggers who satisfy different parts of my life. You're the culinary one!
Anyway, it's on my blog under 'E for Excellent'.
Skur On Monday, February 18 at 4:25 pm
Hi Ree, I finally got around to reading this. This was my Dad's most FAVORITE pie and I made it for him a lot. I still make it for my family and always use eggbeaters or some other pasteurized eggs and it turns out fine. Just make sure the chocolate is cooled — otherwise it won't fluff up b/c the chocolate will melt the butter.
Sandy On Monday, February 18 at 4:48 pm
Maybe that is what happened to mine. It turned out runny and not fluffy at all. I was about to give up on this site for recipes. I thought maybe it was a difference in weather or something!
jen On Monday, February 18 at 6:41 pm
I have been sitting on the thrown all day thanks to this pie.
terri@a daily obsession On Monday, February 18 at 9:24 pm
how much (in gm or oz) is one stick of butter bc it sure looks smaller than one stick of 250g butter here in Shocking Asia. btw, so many comments — i don't know to congratulate or to sympathize with you (having to answer them)…!
Jamie On Tuesday, February 19 at 6:42 am
The Safe Eggs webiste ( http://www.safeeggs.com/consumer-390.html ) also has an interesting video explaining salmonella and the pasteurization of shell eggs. They also have a store locator to find a store in your area that sells these eggs. I can't wait to find them and make this pie, and other recipes I've stayed away from due to raw eggs.
sara On Tuesday, February 19 at 11:21 am
This pie looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I'm not sure when I'll make it, but I'm going to have to come up with a good excuse to make pie!
Julia Wreyford On Tuesday, February 19 at 12:32 pm
Got any recipes that are perfect for a wedding anniversary? My 4th is this Thursday, Feb. 21st and I need something good for the weekend!!!
Katie H On Tuesday, February 19 at 8:24 pm
If you are wild and crazy like me and want to try to make this even though you don't have a stand mixer and you try to use your food processor, it doesn't exactly work. I guess food processors generate a considerable amount of heat, because my butter basically melted and I got a deep, dark runny batter. I thought it was over, but then I stuck it in the freezer to chill down for awhile, then whipped it up with an electric beater. It lightened up to the color of Ree's, although it was still perhaps a bit denser. I was pretty amazed that that saved it! As for taste, it's quite sweet. It definitely needs barely sweetened whipped cream… which is fine by me!
Katie H On Tuesday, February 19 at 10:07 pm
Re: Food processor. I kind of take it back. Although whipping the chilled runny pudding liquid made it lighten in color and thicken up some, it didn't thicken up enough. It's pretty much soup that spreads all over the plate when I cut a slice. Tasty soup, but soup nonetheless. So don't be like me! Food processor = no!
Kira On Tuesday, February 19 at 10:22 pm
Hey, did you know you could use pasturized eggs? *snort*
Seriously, I'm currently off sugar, but I stop by here every day, just to drool over this pie. YOU are responsible for getting me hooked on the tragedy of sugar porn.
Excuse me, I'm going to go eat a raw egg.
Frank On Tuesday, February 19 at 10:23 pm
Amazing photography….yet again.
Angie :) On Wednesday, February 20 at 1:22 pm
I'm still amazed by the wickedness of this pie, pure wickedness!
Maria On Wednesday, February 20 at 7:23 pm
Wickedly good. Mine looked a little runny at first but after being in the fridge, it seems OK. I used pateurized shell eggs….
Maria On Wednesday, February 20 at 7:28 pm
IIRC pasteurized eggs are not supposed to "fluff" as musch as regular eggs, which might account for the less fluffy texture to mine…
Lydia On Thursday, February 21 at 12:35 am
tried this recipe tonight! it was good,…but a bit too sweet. i loved it, but may use less sugar next time i make it!!
or, just a smaller piece of pie ;).
YUMMY though!!
Lydia On Thursday, February 21 at 12:37 am
PS—the chocolate curls were SOOO fun! i loved it! i'm totally going to use those from now on for every fun dessert!!
tracie On Thursday, February 21 at 8:24 am
I am a chocoholic and have found no chocolate that could beat me. Until now. I couldn't even finish a piece of it. Of course…we had just eaten the garlic mashed potatoes and pan fried steak for dinner before it.
great recipe…and I used eggbeaters and it turned out fine.
Stephanie On Thursday, February 21 at 10:37 am
I got rave reviews on this pie. My husband griped that it wouldn't be like grandma's chocolate pie. But once he took a bite of it, he was hooked. Also, thank God for electric stand mixers. I couldn't imagine doing this with a hand beater. Thanks for the recipe Ree. Awesome stuff.


text:
General William Boykin: Words of Faith
[Sorry, the video for this story has expired, but you can still read the transcript below. ]
MARGARET WARNER: As the new deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, lieutenant general William Boykin is in charge of tracking down top terror targets like Osama bin laden and Saddam Hussein. But Boykin, an evangelical Christian, says neither man is America's true enemy. He spoke this past June to a church in Oregon. This video was broadcast on NBC nightly news last week.
LT. GEN. WILLIAM BOYKIN: The enemy is a spiritual enemy. He's called the principality of darkness. The enemy is a guy called Satan.
MARGARET WARNER: As for international terrorists:
LT. GEN. WILLIAM BOYKIN: They're after us because we're a Christian nation.
MARGARET WARNER: In another church speech, delivered while wearing his army uniform, Boykin said this about a Muslim warlord in Somalia:
LT. GEN. WILLIAM BOYKIN: You know what? I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol.
MARGARET WARNER: Boykin has also said President Bush "is in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this." Arab American advocates reacted strongly to the comments, first reported last week by NBC and the "Los Angeles Times." James Zogby heads the Arab-American Institute.
JAMES ZOGBY, President, Arab-American Institute: I think they need to remove the general. He is unfit for the position he is being called upon to serve, precisely because he's become a liability. He's become a weapon our enemies will use against us.
MARGARET WARNER: Two Senate Democrats running for president, Joe Lieberman and John Kerry, blasted Boykin's comments at a meeting of Zogby's Arab-American group in Detroit.
SEN. JOHN KERRY: Our cause in the war on terror isn't helped when we have army officers like Lieutenant General William Boykin speaking in evangelical churches and claiming this as some sort of battle for the Christian religion. That's wrong. That's un-American.
MARGARET WARNER: When the story first broke, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he hadn't seen the context of the remarks.
DONALD RUMSFELD: There are a lot of things that are said by people in the military, or civilian life, or in the Congress, or in the Executive Branch, that are their views. And that's the way we live. We're a free people. And that's the wonderful thing about our country.
MARGARET WARNER: But the next day, the Pentagon issued an apology from Boykin. "for those who were offended by my statements," it said, "I offer a sincere apology." Boykin also wrote: "I am neither a zealot nor an extremist – only a soldier who has an abiding faith….I am not anti-Islam or any other religion."
Still, Boykin defended some of his past words, saying, "My references to Judeo-Christian roots in America or to our nation as a Christian nation are historically undeniable." On ABC News Sunday, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice was asked if President Bush would condemn Boykin's words.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: I think the president is very clear here on what he means here. This is not a war between religions. No one should describe it as such.
MARGARET WARNER: Rumsfeld was asked about the controversy again today.
REPORTER: How can you keep a man in a senior position on you staff whose views are so diametrically opposed to those of the president and to yours?
DONALD RUMSFELD: Let me make several, hopefully precisely put sentences on this subject. First of all, I appreciate your question, because it correctly indicated that the president's views and my views… the president's views are that this is not a war against a religion. General Boykin has requested that an inspector general review this matter. And I have indicated that if that's his request, I think it's appropriate.
MARGARET WARNER: Later, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner and top committee Democrat Carl Levin disclosed they had written Rumsfeld last Friday night, urging him to launch an inspector general probe. "Remarks by a senior military officer denigrating another religion could be exploited by America's enemies," they wrote, "and even endanger U.S. troops serving in Muslim nations."
This evening, Senator Warner went to the Senate floor and recommended that the Pentagon, without prejudice, temporarily remove General Boykin from his job and detail him elsewhere until the IG investigation is complete. To explore this controversy, we turn to Richard Kohn, a professor of history at the University of North Carolina. The former chief historian for the U.S. Air Force, he has written extensively on civil- military relations. And retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert Maginnis.
His final assignment was as an investigator in the army's inspector general office. He then served as national security director at the Family Research Council. He's now a consultant, and a contributor to Fox Television. Welcome to you both. Professor Kohn, what do you make of this controversy?
RICHARD KOHN: Well, it's a very disturbing controversy, Margaret. It's a potential disaster for American foreign policy particularly the war on terrorism. It's very disturbing that a man of these… not of his views– the views are not as important as of his judgment in expressing them publicly in uniform, although that's not the issue either– that are opposed to those of the United States repeatedly in semi-public forums should rise to general officer rank and would be appointed to a position like this.
I'm also disturbed that in general uniformed officers are serving in high positions with the title secretary in them. That's not really civilian control. And that Secretary Rumsfeld should be so testy and evasive at his press conferences about this incident doesn't speak to me that he, the secretary who has asserted civilian control most vigorously, more than anyone in the last 35 years, would just kind of evade this issue and try to put it off is also disturbing.
MARGARET WARNER: Professor Kohn's laid a number of issues have been laid on the table. How do you see it, Col. Maginnis?
LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS: We live in a politically correct world. The reality is that we say today Margaret will be heard around the world. They'll kind of test those words. Osama bin Laden is sending tapes our way, you know, Saddam Hussein is sending tapes our way trying to influence the masses. So even though, you know, if you could say that what the general said was completely correct that, you know, whatever, it's politically incorrect.
Obviously it can be manipulated by our enemies to our own, you know, chagrin quite frankly. I just came back from Iraq. I think we're doing a great job with working with the iraqi people and with the Muslims and the Shia and so forth. I would hate to see, you know, some statements made a couple years ago by an officer at the time that was in a clandestine sort of situation.
Now, quite frankly some of what he said i think was taken out of context by the LA Times and others. However, things get out of control and i tend to agree with what Senator Warner said tonight. Maybe it's time to kind of have a cooling off. Let's look at what was really said. Let's re-evaluate it because what we don't want is to have some of our young soldiers killed because some Jihadist got the idea that we're just ratcheting up this war against them. That would be unfortunate.
MARGARET WARNER: Professor Kohn, help us understand here how much latitude officers do have to express their religious or political views. Senators Warner and Levin in their letter said that in general there had been, you know, the armed forces tries to give a lot of latitude but that there are limits. Was what… if what he said is what's reported he said, one, was it wrong of him or unprofessional or was it simply… or was it a matter of, say, political correctness as Colonel Maginnis has also suggested?
RICHARD KOHN: No, it's not a matter of political correctness, Margaret. The issue is the content and how it relates to American policy. This officer gave at least a dozen of these speeches, virtually once a month in different churches over the last year including one in July and one in September after he had been appointed to this job a very sensitive job in the war on terror. So while officers have a good deal of latitude in private, of course, to express their views, in private to people, in private even when they're in contravention of American policy they have to be very careful and very circumspect.
I think in this case when this officer used bad judgment to pronounce on the nature of our war, the nature of our enemy, the nature of what's motivating us and provides really an enormous propaganda coups to the other side, he's really made himself useless to the Pentagon and it seems to me that unless he is really swiftly removed, this disaster will be exploited more and more by our enemies.
MARGARET WARNER: Before we go on to what should happen to Colonel Boykin and you both seem to be in agreement on that. Help us understand, Col. Maginnis, your sense as a former uniformed officer of how much freedom, latitude you had and in what venues to express your views particularly… I mean, he's expressing religious views but also about a war he's in the middle of waging. Where's the line here? Where is it?
LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS: Well, the sensitivity he should have with regard to what's going on around him, he's an intelligence officer as well as a special ops having worked a long time in that part of the world so he knows how incendiary words can be in that particular culture. He reads it every day. I hold him at fault for not demonstrating that.
There is a problem though, Margaret, when he goes out in uniform. You know, I served a long time in the military. I can recall back right before i retired, i did some national television. And I was told very clearly you don't show up in uniform. You say up front these are my thoughts. And they do not represent those of the United States government. So i hold him at fault for showing up in his uniform with his polished boots as they said in the LA Times and then stating his beliefs.
Now, Thomas Jefferson though if you go over to the memorial here it says clearly you should be able to express your religious opinion in this country but there is a difference between being in uniform and being a civilian and being in elected office. I would disagree with the professor. Politics does matter. The general should have known. He was going up the ranks fairly rapidly. If you live in a glass house, people throw rocks. And especially if you live in a glass house where there's a war going on, you better be very sensitive to that.
MARGARET WARNER: Professor, is part of the issue that he did this in uniform and let me ask you a double-barreled question: There are some Republican members of congress who have written or are circulating a letter suggesting to Secretary Rumsfeld that he not do anything that would seem to interfere with General Boykin's free expression of his religious beliefs. That's not an exact quote but that's the gist.
RICHARD KOHN: Well, i think the general has the right to freely express his religious beliefs in private, and he can do it in public when he's not attaching those religious beliefs to the nature of the war and then transferring them to the war. I think the issue of uniform is really a less significant issue. Because he is a high official of the Department of Defense in a particularly important job means that he has to be very careful.
He can express his religious views in the appropriate forum if they are his private religious views and they are detached from the policies of the United States Government and are not, not his views but those views of policy and of the war in contradiction to national policy and what the president, the secretary of defense, and most other high officials are saying.
MARGARET WARNER: All right, Colonel, let me go back to an issue that the professor raised earlier which was Secretary Rumsfeld's reaction to how he's handled this. Do you think he's been testy and defensive? Do you think he should have… he pointedly refused to criticize the remarks or applaud them either. How do you think he's handled this?
LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS: He's been fairly evasive i think. He didn't win a deal with the particulars. He said in today's press conference, i listened to the tape but i couldn't really make it out. He escapes to a certain degree, Margaret, you know, accountability. But I think this buys him time to kind of see what obviously what Senator Warner says and what others are beginning to see. And I think it's an appropriate outcome here that, you know, the general has asked for an Inspector General investigation to look at the details here, to verify what was said on the tape, how it was perhaps misconstrued from his point of view.
He does go through in his statement of last Friday night outlining what he really intended. And so quite frankly the audience ha he was speaking to might have understood it in one context but it was interpreted completely differently.
RICHARD KOHN: Margaret?
MARGARET WARNER: Yes.
RICHARD KOHN: It seems to me that we have to keep in mind just how potentially damaging this can be to the war on terror because in many foreign countries particularly unrepresentative countries, conspiracy theories abound. People consider in those kinds of societies that the public statements of leaders are just blather, just propaganda. And when a second or third or fourth level official lets slip something like this, it can be taken out of context. It can be blown up.
It can be represented by our enemies as the true motivation of the United States particularly in those societies in the Middle East and elsewhere that are so susceptible to these conspiracy theories. You see that in the rise in anti-Semitism in some societies again attached to conspiracy theories which is an old basis for anti-Semitism. So I think it's really quite dangerous here. This is just not political correctness. This is a possible major problem for the United States that has to be dealt with quickly.
MARGARET WARNER: Col. Maginnis, let me go back now to how Secretary Rumsfeld should handle this next because even though he said today that Boykin had asked for the I.G., We then learned from Senator Warner that they had written and suggested it to Rumsfeld; however, Rumsfeld did not say today Boykin would be remove. Warner goes to the floor and makes the suggestion. Should Secretary Rumsfeld… does he have a choice now is he going to have to temporarily remove Boykin from this job?
LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS: You heard Condoleezza Rice yesterday or Sunday and what she spoke about. I think that she was speaking for the president — that it is inconsistent to have someone saying something that is interpreted differently than what the party line. The party line is this is not a war against Islam. Apparently these words, whether he intended them or not, are being misused.
MARGARET WARNER: Professor, briefly, do you agree that Secretary Rumsfeld should take the next step and temporarily transfer Boykin out of this job?
RICHARD KOHN: I think it's an interim step but I think that this whole issue has to come to closure very quickly if it's to minimize the damage that's been done.
MARGARET WARNER: Professor Richard Kohn and Lieutenant Colonel Maginnis, thank you both.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Temptalia Asks You – How do you know what blush to use in a look?
How do you know what blush to use in a look? Do you have a certain way to choose your blush?
Question courtesy of Laura!
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text:
A US TV news presenter who played a rightwing media commentator in Oliver Stone's George Bush-bashing W was in critical condition yesterday after being stabbed and beaten at her home.
- Production year: 2008
- Country: USA
- Cert (UK): 15
- Runtime: 131 mins
- Directors: Oliver Stone
- Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, Ioan Gruffudd, James Cromwell, Jason Ritter, Jeffrey Wright, Jeson Ritter, Jesse Bradford, Josh Brolin, Noah Wyle, Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Corddry, Scott Glenn, Thandie Newton, Toby Jones
Anne Pressly, 26, of the Little Rock, Arkansas-based KATV station, portrays a TV journalist who praises President Bush's infamous "mission accomplished" speech on an aircraft carrier shortly after the start of the Iraq war. W opened in the US this weekend, and police are investigating whether Pressly's appearance might have provided a motive for the attack.
She was found at about 4.30am local time by her mother, who went to the house when Pressly failed to answer a wake-up call, according to local police spokesperson Cassandra Davis. She was found unconscious in her bed and taken to hospital. Her purse had been stolen, suggesting robbery as another potential motive.
Pressly won the role in W, which opens in the UK on November 7, after being spotted by a casting director during a trip to the Los Angeles shoot to report on the film for KATV.
W, which stars Josh Brolin as the 43rd US president, opened well with a decent $10.6m (£6.2m) at the US box office at the weekend, despite mixed reviews. The film centres on Bush's life from the age of 21 up until the present day. It also stars Elizabeth Banks, Thandie Newton, James Cromwell, Jeffrey Wright and Richard Dreyfuss.


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Dr. Blaine Schubert, director of the Natural History Museum and the Gray Fossil Site, shows a claw from the giant short-faced bear found at the Saltville site.
Dating as far back as Thomas Jefferson's State of Virginia Address in the late 1700s, Saltville, Va., has been known for its Ice Age fossil discoveries. For a group of East Tennessee State University paleontologists, the fossil finds in the area continue to be plentiful.
Dr. Blaine Schubert, director of the Don Sundquist Center for Excellence in Paleontology and director of the ETSU and General Shale Natural History Museum, said he began excavating and researching in Saltville in 2008, after the Gray Fossil Site and Saltville developed a curation agreement. The agreement allows the Fossil Site to excavate, transport, clean, catalog and preserve the fossils found in Saltville, as well as keep them in Gray, but says if Saltville ever had a full team and museum to take on and manage the fossils, they would be returned to the town.
Schubert said this past field season, which started in June, he and a group of around 20 people, including Dr. Jim Mead, Brian Compton and Sandra Swift, as well as graduate students from ETSU and other colleges, museum staff and volunteers, were able to successfully rediscover the location of a rock on the Saltville site from a picture taken back in 2000. Rediscovering the rock led them to the remains of a giant short-faced bear they had been trying to locate for approximately five years.
"There was an excavation that was done in 1999, where a canine of a giant short-faced bear was found and then in 2000, a jaw of a giant short-faced bear. These were not excavations by us, they were by another group and basically ... they knew they had a big bear, but nobody was working on bears. They didn't know for sure what they had," he said. "I later was shown this specimen and realized that it was one of these giant short-faced bears."
Schubert said he took teams in 2008 and 2009 to excavate two areas, one of which was focused on a mammoth skeleton that had been scavenged and chewed on. He said it was predicted that the mammoth was chewed on by two large carnivores, one of those including a giant short-faced bear. He said the mammoth, which had allegedly died along a river turned lake in the area, had been chewed on long after he had already died.
In 2010, Schubert said they began to work on and research where the bear might be, but in 2012 a helpful discovery was made.
"In 2012, we did find the canine of the giant short-faced bear, and so we knew we were probably on the right track, but there was still this possibility that it could be a different short-faced bear," he said. "We knew we'd found it, a bear, but we didn't know for sure we were in the right area. One of the big goals of this year was actually taking this photograph that I had, an old photograph that was taken in the year 2000, that showed the bear jaw ... sitting next to a rock, that is a very distinct shape, down in the gravel."
In June, Schubert said the university-led group returned to the site, which required one whole day of pumping water from the site.
"(In) Saltville, if you dig up a hole it fills up with water. The first whole day is just about pumping our pit back down again and then every day that we're digging, we have to pump continuously to keep the water from coming back in on us," he said. "It's a nice way to protect our site and preserve it, because two days after we leave the site's completely ... covered back over with water again."
Schubert said this time they found the rock they had been searching for and he was able to match up the photographs and put the bear jaw back in place and then mapped it three dimensionally.
"We continued to dig and we found more of the bear. I'm not only finding teeth and claws, but we're finding a lot of broken up bear bone as well," he said. "I was jumping up and down with excitement. The crew didn't quite understand when I was looking for it why it was so exciting for me, until after I found it and explained it. This had been a tremendous puzzle for us."
Schubert said the group made the discovery in the latter part of the field season, so their focus will mainly be on the location of the bear next season.
He said he's been gathering samples for radiocarbon dating to help them get a better feel for the age range of the fossils at the site.
"So far everything dates from about 11,000 years, which is the very end of the Ice Age, all the way back to about 40,000 (years old). We're getting a big timespan and we're seeing something really interesting geologically happening and that's that transition ... from a river into a lake in the valley," Schubert said. "Something caused it to dam up during the very late end of the Ice Age and if you could go back into that time, you would be looking at a ... swampy river area that turns into a lake and there would be spruce trees all over the place.
"What we find as we do more and more radiocarbon dates is that mammoths and mastodons were the last of the megafauna to actually go extinct, and giant short-faced bears were also one of the last ones to go extinct," he said.
He said the Saltville area has ridges all along the valley, and the ridges have caves in them.
"What we want to do is start exploring and studying some of these cave sites because they will tell us another piece of the history," Schubert said. "There's so much yet to learn about the end of the Ice Age, and it's a perfect site because there are so many fossils and it's perfect for us because it's an hour and a half away and it provides another opportunity for our students to learn about another kind of site, a totally different time frame with different kinds of animals than what we get here at the Gray site."
According to an ETSU news release, the museum is preparing an exhibit on recent Saltville discoveries and more information on the exhibit will be provided as it becomes available.


text:
Topic: Nancy vs Feyenoord
Nancy with 1-1-0 so far in the Uefa Cup, and are in the battle for second place at home in France, thanks to their fantastic home stats, 7-1-0.
Feyenoord with two draws so far, and will strougle to get an medal in the Dutch league this season. 3-1-3 away after last weekends 1-4 defeat in Nijmegen. The defenders Lucius and Tiendalli are missing.
Nancy should have a good chance of winning this.


text:
While I was working on a Domo hat for Michelle, I had a request from my mom's coworker's daughter for another animal.
I love the way the pattern worked, from an idea tried on a whim. I love how the ears turn, as if they're alert and listening to everything around them. And even the mane, that took an insane amount of finger-numbing time, tying (what felt like) thousands of individual pieces of yarn on, one by one, I'm pretty fond of.
The hat is hanging out on a college campus, somewhere in the North West part of the country. Some days, I like to think I get to experience the other side of the States vicariously through it. Minus another round of undergrad homework.


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Despite the advent and ubiquity of colour film, it's quite likely that a number of Leica cameras have been used exclusively for black and white pictures. Beyond the Ilford single use camera owner, Leica users are probably more apt to shoot in black and white.
I point this out neither to mock or praise, but as a simple, if general, observation – so it makes sense that if a company is going to make a camera that shoots only in monochrome, it should be Leica.
Leica's M-Monochrom attracted a great deal of attention when it was first announced in 2012, partly for the fact that it shoots only in mono, and partly for its stunning £6,000+ price tag. The real attraction though should be the camera's sensor.
Using all of its pixels for collecting luminosity information, and without the hindrance of having to decipher and interpolate colour values, this naked array should enjoy an ability to resolve pure and crisp detail beyond the usual expectations of an 18-million-pixel sensor.
The feature-set of this camera might be summed up in the sentence 'it takes pictures', as in truth it does little else. In an attempt to produce a pared down and simple device, Leica has steered clear of including anything other than the basics of what you might need.
Leica photographers should be grateful for any degree of automation and can't take even aperture priority for granted – though the Monochrom does allow this daring luxury.
A camera isn't necessarily worse off for a lack of features, since offering centre-weighted metering (as the Monochrom does) but no autofocus and no picture styles, doesn't make the camera less useable. Where we might begin to struggle with such abstinence though is when real photography functions are affected – such as with a restricted ISO range of 320-10,000.
Although such a range is obviously a good thing for those who like to shoot in low light, those who enjoy an f/2 lens for its f/2 maximum aperture – and who prefer to shoot during the hours of daylight – might find their options rather limited. Leica does provide a 'pull process' ISO 160 setting, but we know without looking that this will have a reduced dynamic range, and inevitably, blown highlights.
The most obvious feature of the camera is of course the remarkable sensor. It's an 18Mp device that measures 23.9×35.8mm – full frame.
As it's required to output luminance values, it has no use for the RGB coloured Bayer filters that usually feed colour information to pixels. That means it can collect more light than most – hence the minimum ISO 320 setting.
Neither is there any use for a low-pass filter, meaning the resolution of the light passing from the lens isn't reduced and there's no need for the usual interpolation. Consequently, this sensor arrangement should possess a first-class ability to render detail clearly without the need for post-capture Unsharp Masking.
As the sensor is full-frame, lenses retain the effects of their marked focal lengths. The Leica M lens series offers focal lengths of between 16mm and 135mm, but this camera is designed to provide screen guides for 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 90mm and 135mm lenses.
With Leica's usual digital camera viewfinder magnification of 0.68x, the 47.1mm mechanical base length of the rangefinder focusing system is effectively 69.25mm – which is slightly shorter than the company's film models. Focusing should still be very accurate.
The feature most missing on the Leica Monochrom though is a good rear screen. The 2.5in 230k-dot model provided lacks the resolution and the size to be as useful as one might hope a screen would be on a camera of this type (and price!).
Jargon buster
Rangefinder base length: this term simply refers to the distance between the two windows in a rangefinder focusing system that create the double overlaid image in the viewfinder of Leica M cameras, and others. The distance is significant as, in general terms, the further apart the windows are the more accurate the focusing system.
All of Leica's current M film and digital models have a base length of 69.25mm, but the greater magnification of the film camera viewfinders (0.72x) makes their rangefinders more accurate in practice than that of the Monochrom, which has a viewfinder magnification of 0.62x.
Handling, Performance and Verdict
In a slightly sinister matt black, the solid and unsophisticated block of Monochrom looks somewhere between military hardware and a Hell's Angel's petrol tank. Its design is either clean or a little featureless, depending on your preference, and the ergonomic touches and grips of other interchangeable lens cameras are nowhere to be seen.
It is a camera that is built to last, and one should rightly expect the body to be functioning well beyond the time the pixel count will seem attractive. And of all the digital cameras we've used, this is the one we would least want to drop, and yet the one which we would have no fear of doing so. The weight and lack of built-in grip mean this is a camera to use with a strap or an optional grip – or both.
The layout of controls on the body is simple and straightforward, and what features there are for shooting and playback are easily found – except exposure compensation. This favourite feature of ours has to be excavated from the menu system every time you want to use it – until you discover that a custom setting can assign the rear dial to its control.
Those used to being able to keep abreast of settings in use will find it difficult to acclimatise to the information panel in the viewfinder. The exposure indicator shows only under-, correct or over-exposure, with no scale to tell you by how much you're off course. There's nothing to tell you what aperture is in use, and shutter speeds show only when set automatically in aperture priority mode.
The rangefinder dual image focusing system is as bright and quick to use as we have come to expect from Leica, but for some reason this time we struggled to shoot uprights without blocking the rangefinder window. It could be because the camera is fatter than the sleek film models we're more acquainted with, but it took some time to find what felt like a secure gripping technique for shooting in portrait orientation.
The Leica M-Monochrom's menu system is somewhat antiquated, with the entire collection of options in a single index stream that seems to scroll forever. Making changes to the listed items is not always straightforward either, as some alterations require a confirmation press of the 'set' button, while others don't. After a while you'd probably get used to it, but we're not sure it would ever become more convenient.
Images from this camera are characterised by a high volume of very deep greys, as though the tail of the tone curve is pulled down at the end, as we might expect from a long process in dilute chemistry. The look straight from the camera is striking and suits gritty subjects and mysterious documentary images very well, though on occasions we found it a little overwhelming.
The top of the curve pings upwards in a kink, and burns highlight tones very quickly, a characteristic which only made us want to aim for darker shots and thus more of those darker shadows.
Fortunately, both JPEG and raw files contain plenty of information, and while JPEGs do run out of steam more quickly, the DNG raw files can handle a good deal of tonal manipulation with minimal degradation of the image.
Detail is certainly well preserved, and although the images were noisier than we expected, the noise features a more pleasant tight grain pattern than we are used to – and is thus much less offensive.
I compared the camera's colour response to that of a normal Bayer pattern sensor working in black and white mode, and with a colour image switched between channels in Channel Mixer. I remain somewhat mystified by Leica's choice of spectral sensitivity. The images are much more blue/red sensitive than we're used to, even from film, and have an air of blue channel conversion mixed with the density and contrast of ortho film.
With raw files, of course, we have the chance to alter the look of the images a great deal. But we rather missed the choices that RGB monochrome present. We could always go back to using coloured filters over the lens if we really wanted to.
Having said all that, I am extremely pleased with the images that the camera produced. The distinctive look took a while to get used to, but we were soon able to shoot with that style in mind – as we would have done with film. If that style appeals to you, you'll be very happy.
For a camera that you would think is ready to capture the decisive moment, the Monochrom spends rather too much time processing images. Leica needs to introduce a processing engine with a higher performance so that the camera clears more quickly and images render on the rear screen with less delay. While the images from the Monochrom are very nice indeed, the process of making them can be torturous.
The Leica M-Monochrom is like no other camera on the market and it's extremely difficult to pass judgement on it by way of comparison. This test provided one of those rare occasions where I enjoyed looking at the pictures produced more than I did actually using the camera.
The Monochrom is an awkward beast to handle and demands that you alter the way you see as well as the way you work. Essentially it offers little in the way of flexibility. The images it produces are extremely good, and even the noise is attractive, but the tonal characteristics are dark and moody, and find light and jolly subjects a challenge. It shoots like a TV news programme – full of dramatic grit, dirt and death, with only the occasional positive story.
The question of whether it's worth its price tag is redundant – of course it isn't, but that won't stop Leica selling out, because there are more than enough people with money to spend who will want one.
We liked
Exceptional detail and versatility from the raw files allows dramatic post-capture editing, so you can remodel images the way you want. And the Monochrom is built to last forever.
We disliked
The viewfinder information and menu system are prehistoric, while the rear screen really has no place on a camera that offers such image quality and demands such expense.
Final verdict
It is a little unfair to score this camera against the values of normal products, as it is designed to stand apart from and against so many of those measures. It intentionally has limited features, but perhaps it is too pared down, and there are a number of handling issues that are plain unhelpful. Image quality though, is outstanding.
Sample images
Click here to view the full resolution image
A combination of nice-looking noise and Leica's fast fixed lenses makes shooting at night easy. At ISO 1600, the camera offered 1/250sec for this scene.
Click here to view the full resolution image
Although tones tend to be bunched at the lower end there's still enough separation to describe shadow details, and raw files are packed with information just waiting to be used.
Click here to view the full resolution image
Once you're used to the rangefinder system, focusing is fast and smooth. We were able to use wide apertures and still maintain sharp subjects, so long as they weren't actually moving.
Click here to view the full resolution image
We had to use exposure compensation quite a lot, not just to adjust the brightness of subjects, but to ensure bright highlights weren't burning out.
Click here to view the full resolution image
The dipped lower curve of the Monochrom's tonal range work nicely to emphasise shadows.
Click here to view the full resolution image
Being a matt black and not especially large, the Monochrom is good for working discretely and for getting close to your subject.
Click to view the full resolution image
Working with backlit subjects emerging from a dark area, we discovered that mid tones can be rendered a little flat and grey, as all the contrast is concentrated on the extreme tones.
The tonal resolution of the sensor produces images that have very fine graduation from one brightness level to the next. This gives the pictures a wonderful three-dimensional feel, even when they've been through a brightening or darkening process.
By Damien Demolder, TechRadar


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Wisconsin recently adopted a new concussion bill that does not allow high school athletes to return to their sport after a concussion without written clearance by a health care provider.
Wendy Kuschel caught up wiht a local athletic trainer and athlete to learn more.
Copyright 2013 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved.


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- EnviroGuy - http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy -
A heat wave as hot as Hades in July
Posted By Todd B. Bates On August 13, 2010 @ 6:05 pm In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled
Now that the seemingly summer-long heat wave has eased – at least for a while in New Jersey [1] – it's time for a look back and some explanations.
Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared that over land, July was the warmest on record globally [2].
Finland's highest-ever temperature reading was 99 degrees on July 29, while Moscow hit 102 – its highest reading ever – on July 30, according to a NOAA statement, which cites the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
China had its warmest July since 1961, according to the statement, which cites the Beijing Climate Center.
David A. Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist at Rutgers University, has posted a monthly report – "Extreme Heat & Widely Variable Precipitation, July 2010 Overview, Plus a look at the Growing Season to date" [4] – on his office's website.
In New Jersey, July was the second warmest since 1895, according to Robinson's report.
And after reading an AP story yesterday, I checked out an Aug. 11 World Meteorological Organization post on an "Unprecedented sequence of extreme weather events." [5]
"The occurrence of all these events at almost the same time raises questions about their possible linkages to the predicted increase in intensity and frequency of extreme events," according to the post.
"A series of recent publications indicate that main patterns of atmospheric variability exhibit noticeable changes and are predicted to be different in a warmer climate," the post says.
Article printed from EnviroGuy: http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy
URL to article: http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy/2010/08/13/a-heat-wave-as-hot-as-hades-in-july/
URLs in this post:
[1] at least for a while in New Jersey: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Neptune&state=NJ&site=PHI&textField1=40.212&textField2=-74.0887&e=1
[2] July was the warmest on record globally: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100813_globalstats.html
[3] Image: http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy/files/2010/08/Heat-wave.jpg
[4] "Extreme Heat & Widely Variable Precipitation, July 2010 Overview, Plus a look at the Growing Season to date": http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim/?section=menu& target=july10
[5] "Unprecedented sequence of extreme weather events.": http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/news/extremeweathersequence_en.html
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2009 EnviroGuy. All rights reserved.


text: University Libraries Site Index Search Results Site Index - Keyword: Global Or browse an alphanumeric list of Library resources: 2 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z I found 1 entry that contains the keyword Global. 0 Ratings International and Global Studies This guide will help you find resources related to international and global studies. If you have any questions, please feel free to use our library's Ask US! Service or contact Mark Schumacher. Pages & more information related to International and Global Studies Keywords: International, Global, WorldCat You are viewing page 1 of 1 Have a suggestion or correction? Please let us know.


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Fujifilm Synapse Mobility 3.0 Available In the United States
Synapse Mobility 3.0 is a zero-footprint application with improved features that enable access to Fujifilm's suite of Synapse products, from handheld mobile devices to Macintosh- or Windows-based PCs. Using the Web browser or mobile device of their choice, radiologists and referring physicians can now review patient images and information available in Synapse PACS (picture archiving and communications system) and Synapse RIS (radiology information system), increasing accessibility to patient information and improving workflow.
The version 3 has U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for diagnostic use on Apple devices. It also includes a collaboration feature designed to foster greater communication between professionals by allowing clinicians to consult in real-time. The collaboration feature will allow physicians to bring information to their patients and ultimately aide in consultation during clinical situations, such as the communication between physicians, referring clinicians and patients, using the Web browser or mobile device of their choice. Synapse Mobility 3.0 will remove the device barrier between users and allow open collaboration.
Synapse Mobility 3.0 also includes several upgrades to the user functionality including improved visual layouts and reference lines. It provides advanced viewing capabilities for physicians to view 3-D images as well as to be able to zoom, window and level, and use MIP/MPR just as they would do at a clinical workstation. Easily uploaded on a variety of products, Mobility is readily deployed because it is browser-independent and scalable, providing facilities with virtually an unlimited number of user licenses.
For more information: www.fujimed.com


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Ursula Johnson has an exciting new experience to add to her already impressive résumé. She is the first artist in residence at Cape Breton University.
Originally from Eskasoni, Ursula studied theatre arts here at CBU which would pave the way for her future art exhibitions. She then moved to Halifax, N.S., to attend the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (NSCAD) University. There, she studied a variety of mediums, including photography, drawing, textiles and screen printing. "Just before graduating I went into a bit of a panic, because I didn't have access to a loom, a darkroom or any of the other equipment that NSCAD provides," recalls Ursula. "I ended up staying an extra semester and worked with Rita McKeough who works in installation and performance art. She helped me bring out the performative element in my art."
Ursula graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NSCAD in 2006 and already she has been featured in more than 20 solo and group exhibits across Canada. Reflecting on her career to date, she says that one of the highlights was a performance piece she did called Elmiet (He/She is Going Home) for the Nocturne and Prismatic Arts Festivals in Halifax in 2010. "I began that performance piece in the afternoon, walking through the streets of Halifax wearing a headpiece that I had created which was representative of my hair. I handed out invitations along the way to an event that I was hosting at 9 p.m. at Grand Parade Square," says Ursula. "At the evening event, I explained that I was wearing the headpiece to draw attention to the 1756 Scalping Proclamation which was put forth by Governor Lawrence and has not yet been rescinded. I then invited a member of the audience to come up on the stage who tore off my headpiece to represent the last scalping of an Indian in Halifax."
The headpiece Ursula created for that performance was made using Mi'kmaq basket weaving techniques. In another career highlight, Ursula did a performance piece where she wove a basket around herself. She says, "I first did that performance in 2003 in Halifax, but I needed help from Elders to finish it because at that time I didn't know how to weave. When I revisited that piece in 2010, my weaving skills had improved and I was able to complete the basket in 12 hours."
Ursula is now taking her basket weaving skills into the classroom as part of her role of artist in residence. She is currently teaching a special topics course called The Role of the Mi'kmaw Basket in Contemporary Fine Craft. Ursula has also developed a public lecture series which is held through the CBU Art Gallery. "My position as artist in residence here at CBU is very different from other residencies and internships I have done in the past," says Ursula. "In other residencies, I primarily worked in a studio. Here, I get to teach and interact with students, faculty and Elders in residence. I also have incredible resources to consult here at the Beaton Institute, the Mi'kmaq Resource Centre and Unama'ki College which is really helpful for my art creation."


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Cooking with Quinoa: The SupergrainHardback
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- Publisher: NEW HOLLAND PUBLISHERS
- Format: Hardback | 192 pages
- Dimensions: 192mm x 232mm x 28mm | 880g
- Publication date: 1 November 2011
- Publication City/Country: Frenchs Forest, NSW
- Sales rank: 1,191
Product description
Quinoa - pronounced keen-wah - is a grain, but not just any grain. It is considered to be almost a complete food. It is very high in protein, full of vitamins, gluten- and wheat-free, cholesterol-free and usually organic. And it is simply delicious. An ancient plant native to the Andes mountains, quinoa is known to have been a staple food of the Incas. Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain. The World Health Organization as being closest to milk has likened the quality of this protein. Quinoa is also a very good source of manganese, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, copper, zinc, vitamins E and B6, riboflavin, niacin and thiamine. It has more calcium than cow's milk, is an excellent antioxidant, is rich in dietary fibre and has more iron than any grain. It also has the highest content of unsaturated fats and a lower ratio of carbohydrates than any other grain plus a low Glycemic Index level. The health benefits are truly enormous. In the kitchen, quinoa has a huge range of uses and lends itself beautifully to so many dishes. When cooked, it has a very delicate texture and is lovely in soups and sweets, and makes wonderful salads, pasta, breads and delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals. It is simple to prepare, easy to digest and most enjoyable to eat. It is very light on the stomach and you don't tend to feel at all heavy after eating a meal made with quinoa. There should be a packet of quinoa in every pantry. Here, I show you many different ways to use quinoa.
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Rena Patten has written her book on quinoa grain to raise awareness of the versatility and health benefits of the many uses of Quinoa in everyday meals and the fact that it is a food that can be enjoyed by everyone including people with gluten and wheat intolerances. Rena has previously published Greek Cooking and How to Prepare Stuffings.
Review quote
Patten, Rena. Cooking with Quinoa: The Supergrain. New Holland Australia, dist. by Midpoint Trade. 2011. 192p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781742570556. $19.99. COOKING High in protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, free from cholesterol, and perfect for anyone on a wheat-free diet, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), the seed from a plant that has been harvested since the Incas ruled South America, is an almost complete food. Patten, an Australian culinary instructor, is determined to show home cooks how they can successfully incorporate this protein powerhouse into their own diets with 90 clearly written and easy-to-follow recipes for everything from soups and salads to main dishes and desserts. The result is a solid cookbook that would be an excellent choice for anyone trying to boost nutritional values in his or her diet. Verdict Both Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming's Quinoa 365 and Robin Asbell's The New Whole Grains Cookbook also offer recipes featuring quinoa, but Patten's practical, reasonably priced guide to this superfood deserves equal consideration from any cook who wants all the benefits of healthy eating without having to give up flavorful foods in the process. -- John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ--LIBRARY JOURNAL