This week, has been full of so many things I've hardly been able to take a breath... so today I had to stop and do something I wanted to do... and I wanted to bake a pie...I baked a homemade apple pie, with the best crust recipe ever from my friend Becky and some yummy granny smith apples. It was perfection, I’m telling you. Sheer and utter perfection.
When I pulled the piping hot pie from the oven, the mixture of sugar and cinnamon bubbling and spilling over the sides plus there was that lovely the scent of baked apples filling the air. And you should have seen my family anxiously waited for it to cool, for their slice of the heavenly creation and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
It was so beautiful, I almost didn’t want to cut into it. After all, you can’t have your pie and eat it, too. Rainee thought it was so pretty she asked to take a picture of it, which of course we did. She moved around some of Christmas decorations to make it look pretty... It was beautiful...
Once cooled, I finally did the honors, serving a generous slice topped with the ice cream. I loved watching it melt down the sides of the pie. This moment was heavenly... apple pie, ice cream and sitting in front of a warm cozy fire with my family... and then... everyone begged for a second slice.
This is the first of many Christmas pies I'll be baking... and this was the best treat ever after the week I had. I am always amazed by Martha Stewart... then there's me and my little pie.. is nothing compared to Martha. She would not only have made the pie crust, but picked the apples from her yard, and then churned the delicious homemade ice cream... but then that's Martha! As for me??? I'm enjoying the feeling of accomplishment... it's nice to be able to say... "Job, well done!!"... after a week where I didn't feel I'd accomplished anything...
As I sit eating my lovely, delicious pie I'm reminded of a favorite verse... “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart...” Colossians 3:23.... and on that note... all any of us can do is our best at whatever we put our hands to...
Becky's Famous Pie Crust ~
4 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Vinegar
1/2 Cup COLD Water
1 3/4 Cup Veg. Shortening
1 Egg
2 tsp. Salt
- With a fork mix, flour, shortening, sugar, & salt together until crumbly.
- In a small bowl mix together, water, vinegar & egg.
- Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Mix together with fork until moist.
- Form into 4 evenly divided balls, and flatten. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Chill for at least 15 minutes.
- Roll out, place in pie pan.
- While making pie filling, put pie crust in freezer.
- Remove pie crust from freezer and fill with desired pie filling.
- Bake according to desired pie recipe.
- If crust edges get too brown before pie is done, put foil over edges.
- Left over pie crust can be frozen.
Apple Pie Filling ~ (9inch pie pan)
6 Cup Granny Smith Apples
3/4 Cup Sugar
3 Tbspn Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
Dash Salt
- Heat oven at 425º.
- In a bowl combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss lightly.
- Place into prepared pie crust.
- Place back in freezer, while making Streusel Topping.
Streusel Topping ~
3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
- Combine all ingredients with a fork until crumbly.
- Take pie out of freezer.
- Sprinkle over fruit filling. Covering all of the fruit.
- Before placing in oven, brush the crust surface with an egg wash for a golden brown crust.
- Bake for a total of 45 minutes. At 35 minutes cover topping to prevent topping from burning.
Pie crust secret... for those of you who have never made pie crusts... or for those of you have and swore you would never do it again, because it never turns out... it isn't flaky...HERE'S THE SECRET... your crust isn't cold... for a lovely flaky crust you want your crust to be cold. That is why you continue to place your pie/crust in the freezer. You will be amazed at the difference this simple little thing will do for your crust... Let me know how it turns out!!! Happy pie making!!! Enjoy!!!
4 comments:
omygosh!!! I will be there in an hour to have me a YUMMY SLICE!!!! LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE it!!!! LOVING the new blog look....yours looks soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than mine...ugh ugh ugh...I have been trying to figure out how to make it better to no avail...*sigh*...and thanks again for the Santa letter to Brookie...her and I both LOVED it....for the 100 times she has wanted to watch it!!! LOL! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):))):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
yOU ALWAYS GIVE US GOOD RECIPES AND THIS ONE IS THE ONE THAT i THINK i'LL BRING FOR THE FAMILY DINNER FOR THE CHRISTMAS EVE!! TFS!!!
BTW: RAINEE IS ADORABLE IN THAT PICTURE WITH SANTA AND I LOOOOVE THE NEW LOOK OF YOUR BLOG
HUGS
JANA
That pie looks AND sounds YUMMY! Thanks for sharing the recipe, too! :-)
Have a GREAT week!
Looks so very delicious - I can almost smell the apples and cinnamon from here! Pie crust is one of those very tricky things that never seems to work quite right for me... (Thank goodness for Pillsbury Ready-Made!) But I have learned the secret is, as you said, COLD! ...and to not overmix the dough, even if it looks a little "sandy." I like your recipe with the egg. I may have to try that soon. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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