Update and Apple Pie

Greetings on this Tuesday night. I just got home from Photoshop class...I think I know enough to be dangerous. I'll post some of my handiwork another time. In other news, my ex-husbands girlfriend emailed me back with useless information. Basically the transaction was handled over the phone and she doesn't have record of his phone number, can't remember his name, but knows he lives on the westside. The registration papers had a pre-signed transfer form with them (I forgot that was there.) So until he transfers the mare into his name I probably won't find my mare. Thank you all for your concern, if anything new transpires, I'll be sure to let you know.

Well, as you know this is not a cooking blog, nor a baking blog or even a pastry chef blog. But last fall I encountered the most sinful apple pie I've ever put my lips on. I wrangled the recipe out of this womans hands, after knocking her down and rolling down a steep incline and pulling her hair...oh well...I'm going to share this great recipe with you. I recently baked this glorious bit of heaven and even took photos. So, off we go...

Here is what you'll need to bake Apple Crumb Pie (It's the "crumb" that makes it extra special)

4 large tart apples (I used Granny Smith's)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

another 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/3 cup butter

And a recipe for Pie Crust (I'll give you my recipe at the end)

So first, you need to pare your apples, cut into eighths and arrange in a 9inch pastry-lined pie pan.

Then mix 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples. Now, here's where the magic starts to happen...

Sift 1/2 cup sugar (the other one) with the flour, cut the butter in until it's all crumbly.

Now sprinkle the crumblies all over the apples. This is the reason for the season, the big cheese, the bees knees...the crumblies are the key to this creation. For you underacheivers out there, this could be a stopping point and you could pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

But I really really really love pie crust. Seriously, I love it. So I add lattice to the top of my pie. Lattice, not lettuce. Please.

By the way, my dog really really likes apples...or anything else that falls off the kitchen counter.

Oh, I forgot, I put lattice on one and a full top crust on the other, with fancy schmancy autumn leaf cut outs. That was a big deal for me...I felt like I should win a ribbon for knowing how to do that. I just used a christmas cookie cutter, it's actually a holly leaf cutter, but they sell the autumn shaped ones at places like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. So, be careful not to burn your top crusts, watch and when they are golden brown, pull those puppies out of the oven...and put on the vintage apron that you bought at a garage sale for your finished photo...

The recipe for the crust is easy...

For a double crust 9 inch pie: 1 and 1/2 cups sifted flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup shortening (I like butter flavor crisco) and 4-5 tablespoons cold water.

Sift flour and salt, cut in shortening until size of peas. Mix in water with fork until consistency to roll out. There, easy squeezy.

So go forth to your local apple orchards and bake something from scratch.