Apple Pie

I sure make a mess sometimes when baking! This is after the pie went into the oven.

Now, please don't laugh! This is my crust recipe. I have used it for about 60 years. Now I use unsalted butter instead of Crisco. I also add a tablespoon of white sugar and one of salt as well.

The Honey Crisp apple pie before cutting is rather lovely to see after the mess and time invested.

That first piece is a doozy to get out.

And now for a taste! Ummmmmmm!

 Please click on image to view larger

Recipe below:

Gere's Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry for 2 crusts
8 cups sliced, peeled assorted baking apples - about 3 lbs.
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with lemon juice.

2. Combine sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to apples and toss well to coat.

3. Fill pastry lined 9 inch pie pan with apple mixture. Dot with butter.

4. Place second crust on top of pie filling, cut slits in top of crust to vent. Seal the edges of the crust with a fork or by hand.

5. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes.

6. Reduce heat to 350° and bake 40-45 minutes more or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

Abberations

Carole Swingle-Hunsinger took these pictures of an apple at Jayne's Orchard. She works there and takes many nice photos of everything. She didn't say what kind(s)of apples this aberration came from - yet! I was reminded of a photo I took of a rose with a similar appearance. These are unaltered pictures and natural just as Mother Nature gave them to us.

click on image to view larger

After research I find that the name for this mutation is chimera. They are apple chimeras, and more information is available at many sites on the internet. Just GOOGLE "fruit chimera" images. You will see many fruits and flowers which also have mutations. The following graphic examples come from the internet.

 In plant chimeras the distinct types of tissue may originate from the same zygote, and the difference is often due to mutation during ordinary cell division. It all has to do with fertilization and division as far as I understand. Enough!

In Again - Out Again - Home Again!

It's been one busy week after a long 13 1/2 hour trip from South to North. As we age, the trip that we take 3 times a year becomes an endurance test. We've been doing this for over 14 years. It's always good to be here and it's always good to be there, but Oh! the travel is now an exhausting experience. You see, we bring back and forth all foods and seasonal clothes. We continue to leave our places with clean beds made, no laundry in baskets, and rooms fully polished and cleaned. It's a wonderful reward to return to find things just as left and ready for re-occupancy. Just packing is exercise to the extreme. It didn't seem to be difficult way back when…..Now don't get me wrong, we already know we have the best of both worlds - sea and mountains and time and health to enjoy both. 

Monday: We put away all and put up containers in storage areas. Then a trip to town for monthly refilling of prescription drugs for husband, pick up of post office mail that is held, filled artesian water jugs for our coffee and tea. We experience the shock of filling the gasoline tank - I say shock, because it costs more here - much more - It is the day we later catch up on mail and paperwork.

Tuesday in November is husband rearranging and servicing the snowblower, quad and generator in preparation for winter. It is a day of his cutting and removing dead foliage and plants from flowerbeds and raking leaves. It's a good thing for him there is no snow covering it all. I don't do any of these chores, but I keep busy nesting.

Wednesday was a trip to town for a few groceries. Then we took a break and relaxed.

Thursday entailed a 30 mile one way trip to nearby town for more groceries and sundry items at Walmart. This was after Time Warner serviceman came and set me up with WiFi internet on my laptop. It's getting too cold in the bedroom to work in there now.

Friday I made a large pan of Rice Krispy Treats and a delicious pork tenderloin meal for dinner. He rested.

Saturday I baked and cooked meals ahead and froze them. I made pizza from scratch for dinner.

The lake was very calm with beautiful reflections this morning - BUT there has been something going on way over there! We don't know what yet. Yeow!

Today, Sunday We made delicious MacCoun applesauce! I forgot how labor intensive this is, using my treasured old utensils.  I also got a minute to check computers and move more music files from one into the other. 

Tomorrow is a laundry trip to town or we'll be without underwear! and socks! Well….almost.

The next days ahead will be baking cakes (apple), pies and cookies (all varieties.) This is a great time to bake as the oven helps us stay warm.  I might make fudge - maybe. We both share chores indoors and then we go our separate ways - me on computer, he watching big screen TV. Life is good.