As American...

The boy requested an apple pie.  He has never requested one preferring cherry pie.  

Of course I had to comply.

I always use Granny Smith apples for their texture and tartness.

Well, guess what.  For the first time in years, I didn't put a pan under the pie and you know what happened.  

The pie bubbled and oozed over into the bottom of my oven. Made quite a mess.

I don't know what I was thinking.

It will never happen again.

Bribery

My friend ( Ms. Mary Kay) pointed out that I hadn't posted lately.  So, here's a twofer.  

When I want my kids to come home, I have to bribe them.  "It's too far," or "I have to work/study", and the grand kids are a handful and have stuff to do", though they love coming to the farm.  Valid reasons all, nevertheless, bribery sometimes does the trick.  In my middle child's case, a Granny Smith apple pie works some of the time.  When my sister comes, she pre orders a tart cherry pie.

My father always had to have an extra sharp cheddar cheese melted on top of his slice.  I don't know where this started, buy I did see David Letterman one night talking about his favorite apple pie with cheddar on top, so I guess we are not the only ones.  It really is good.

Mile High Apple Pie

Since it is much too hot to bake, I'll share this apple pie I made last fall.  Secrets to a good apple pie?  Granny Smith apples, lemon juice, dotted with butter and light brown sugar gives it the most flavor.

APPLE PIE

Lo and behold, it's that time of year again. Apple pickin' time is nigh. In all the grocery stores, apples of all kinds spill out of the produce bins into our baskets. This year, my twenty year old Golden Delicious apple tree is just about kaput. It has been blown over by strong storm winds then stood back up and braced. Two major ice storms have laid it down again and again only this year, half of it died. I didn't have the heart to cut it down, but I did plant three new apple trees this fall. Truth be known, I rarely ever got to eat the apples as the squirrels and deer usually got most of them. Nevertheless, this post is about apple pie - and you have to use Granny Smith apples for the best apple pie. I have tried many other kinds, including different varieties together, but always go back to Granny's. I have run this recipe previously, so type it in the upper left hand corner for the recipe. I'd also like to give a shout out to Stark Brother's Nursery. I have purchased fruit trees and berry plants from them and their quality of plants are very good.

Apple Pie 101

Everyone has their own favorite recipe for apple pie. I will share a few pointers from mine. First, use tart apples. I always use 6 or 7 large Granny Smith apples. Along with the juice from 1 whole lemon, I also use a combination of brown sugar and white. A sprinkling of cinnamon is a must. I also add flour as a thickening agent. Afterward, I dot the top of the pie with butter and finish with a top crust and voila! The recipe for the crust is listed under the pecan pie post but you can certainly use a pate brisee. I rarely ever measure when I'm baking etc., but if you would like the recipe for the pie filling, leave your email address and I'll send it to you.

Remember the Victory Gardens of old? Well, if you are too overwhelmed to create a vegetable garden, plant some fruit trees. Everyone has time for that. It won't be long before you have your own apple pies.