apple pie.

the fun thing about blogging is that you get to do whatever you want. today, i want to be a food blogger. 

here's some pie.

words escape me when i look at that picture of pie. i had a piece for breakfast, but i might just need another piece for lunch. 

i was talking to the queen of pies at church the other night and being the domestic lady that i am, i told her i needed to know how to make good pies. she said it was all in the crust and then told me her recipe right there. after VBS was over, i talked laura into going with me to grab some apples so we could make an apple pie. 

it was well after 9pm by the time we actually got started, and considering neither of us have ever made a pie before, i'm not sure why we thought it was a good idea to make one so late at night.

laura did all the apple business and i handled the crust. i'd say it looks pretty good for my first try!

the sauce you make to go in the filling was probably the best thing i've ever tasted. i want to make it and pour it on everything.

the pie wasn't finished baking until 1am. but it was worth it. i took the rest of these pictures the next day when the light was better. 

a scoop of vanilla ice cream was the perfect topping. just writing about it makes me want another piece.

just look at all those layers of apple goodness!

oh it was delicious. 

i suppose in true food blogger fashion, i should include the recipe.

CRUST:

2 parts flour

1 part butter flavored crisco (i'm normally a butter kind of gal, but the pie lady insisted)

1/2 part water

1 tsp of salt 

donna, the pie lady, says that you need 1 cup of flour for every pie crust you make. since i made a double pie crust (crust on top and bottom), i used 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of shortening, and 1/2 cup water, and then 1 tsp of salt for every 2 cups of flour. 

she said to cut the shortening, salt and flour in (basically mix it in a bowl with a fork) until it is crumbly, then add the water slowly. my mom, who also makes yummy crust, says its good to use cold water. the key is to not overwork the dough or it will become tough. i used a kitchen aide and donna scolded me. use a fork!

FILLING:

8 granny smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced (i couldn't fit all 8 in, maybe 6.)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup minus 1 teaspoon water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

2. place the bottom crust in your pan. fill with apples, mounded slightly. cover with a lattice work crust.

3. melt the butter in a saucepan. stir in flour to form a paste. add water, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, and bring to a boil. reduce temperature and let simmer.

4. gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. pour slowly so that it does not run off. basically you are trying to get the liquid into the holes created by the lattice, but its okay and yummy if it gets on the lattice too.

5. bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft. you don't want mushy apples. mine still had a little crisp to them and they were perfect. 

if you look in the last picture, you can see a lot of goopyness on the bottom of the pan, this only happens if you cut it 3 seconds after removing it from the oven. if you let the pie cool, it will thicken up. 

recipe adapted from here

well there you have it. look mom, i'm a real food blogger!
ko.