Apple Pie Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Can it be? Can I really be blogging after a near 9 month hiatus? Yes, it is I, back to the grindstone of blogging. Sort of. So what could I have possibly been doing for nearly 9 months? What takes that long? Oh, yes I know.
Growing a human inside my uterus. That generally takes about 9 months.
Why did it stop me from blogging? Well, let me break it down for you.
Back in October I found out I was pregnant, which was awesome! I was feeling great, on top of the world, glowing, all that jazz. Then about a week after I found out I was knocked up, it hit me. Morning sickness. Which is a huge misnomer btw. I had "All Day Sickness". Generally I felt terrible all day and all night. The kind of terrible where if you eat you know its just gonna come right back up, but you have to eat because you are not only trying to sustain yourself, but a new life growing inside of you. Plus I still had a 8 to 5 job that I could barely keep up with. Seriously, I had no idea how I did it. So, when I would come home from that job, I would basically insert my self on the couch or bed and not get up until the next morning. The very last thing I wanted to do was be around food/make food/anything to do with food. So that was the first 4 months of my pregnancy. Once the sickness went away, the tiredness and aches and pains took over. And I was still working all day. So I had no energy to make anything. Thank God I have such an understanding husband. He has been such a wonderful support to me and a trooper keeping up with my mood swings and lack of energy to make a pb and j sandwich let alone dinner on a bigger scale.
So now I am days away from my due date, no longer at my job, and have some energy! I was able to crank out this recipe for a church gathering. Its been so long! Can I still do it? Lets try it out peeps!

Brown Sugar Apple Pie

I got this recipe from this cook book by Ken Haedrich:

Its a pretty awesome cookbook, which literally has only pie recipes in it. I got this as a wedding present from my mom(5 years ago!), and have only made a few pies from it. I thought I was going to be a wonderful pie maker. You've heard of Delusions of Grandeur, right? That was me thinking of all the great pies I was going to make. The reality is that I just like to make pies. Its fun. I am no proficient at it. Pies are like a fun hobby for me. I enjoy making them, and they turn out pretty decent, so I have no cause for complaint. Anyway, about the cook book. The first chapter is just different pie crusts. He has a great selection of basic crusts and a few harder ones. Then the rest of the book is all recipes of pie fillings that he pairs with different crusts. You can totally mix and match at your discretion too. Which I did for this recipe. This book also has tips on picking the right apples/berries for fillings and tons of hints on pie making. So anyway on with the recipe!

Ingredients for the Pie Crust:(Keep in mind you will need more ingredients for the filling, but since you make the crust first I will share the ingredients for it first, then later the filling)
This is for a Double Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup cake flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup(1 stick)cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch pieces, 1/2 cup cold water

So I didn't picture the water, my bad. The main reason I chose this crust recipe was for the cake flour. I have a that big box of cake flour that I have been trying to use up. So if you don't cake flour, just make a basic pie crust.

Directions:

The other cool thing about this cookbook is that he has directions for making the crust by hand, by food processor, and my choice by electric (stand) mixer.

Combine the flours, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss with flour.

With the mixer on low speed, blend the butter into the flour until you have what looks like coarse, damp meal, with both large and small clumps. Add the shortening and repeat.

Turning the mixer on and off add half the water and mix briefly on low speed. Add the remaining water, mixing until the dough starts to form large clumps. Do not over mix.

Using your hands, pack the dough into a ball. If making double crust(which I was), divide dough in half, making one half slightly larger, but your bottom crust(which I mixed up, oops!).

Knead each piece 2 or 3 times. Put each in the center of a piece of plastic wrap and flatten it into a disk about 3/4 inch thick(which I skipped, heheh). Wrap up and place in fridge for at least an hour, at most over night.

On a sheet of lightly floured wax paper(yes, I skipped that too. Think of recipes as guidelines more than actual rules), roll the larger(in my case smaller, I just grabbed the wrong one!)portion of the pastry into a 12 inch circle.

So, since I used the smaller portion, it didn't quite make it to 12 inches. But I was able to get it big enough for the 9 inch pie pan that I was using. He says 12 inches to allow for a lot of over hang on the sides so you can blend the top and bottom crust better. 

Invert the pastry over a 9 inch pie pan. Place in fridge for 15 minutes.

 

This would have been easy if I did the wax paper trick, but meh, it worked.

 

 

Filling Ingredients:

6 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples(or whatever ones you prefer. My husband requested Granny Smith), 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, Big pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

So the recipe doesn't tell you how many apples makes 6 cups, but I figured it was about 6 or 7. So I bought 8, to be safe. Like my "fresh" lemon juice?

 

 

This is how I sliced, cored, and peeled my apples. With my Apple Peeler-Corer-Slicer from Pampered Chef. This is a way older model. I don't know how old, like 10 or more years. It was my Gramma's but she never used it, so she gave it to my sister, who also never used it, who in turn gave it to me. I have used it maybe 3 or 4 times, which totally justifies its place in my kitchen I think. It works great! My Papap made the work bench for it, since there are no counters that it would fit on. I think the newer model comes with one.

 

 

See how good it works? I love using it. Even if it is a bit messy.

 

 

Directions:

Combine the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well, then let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir into the apple mix, then scrape into chilled pie dough.

 



Roll out the other half of pie dough to fit over bottom of pie. This is where you would normally see the whole "use a fork to crimp edges together and cut steam vents into top". I totally didn't do that. I wanted to try something new. I have cool pastry cutters and cookie cutters in the shape of stars. Very American. So I rolled out my dough, and cut 6 big stars and 5 small stars. Then I placed them ontop of my pie. No need for steam vents or crimping. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

 

Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes, Reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees and rotate the pie 180, so what was in the back is now in front. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 2 hours.

 

Boom. Amazing. Usually I do like to take a pic of a piece of hte finished product, but since this was for a church function I didn't. And I couldn't take one when we got home because it was all gone! Woot woot! That's one of the best feeling when you make something that took all day and its finished completely. Yes, this did take me all day. First, when I start baking I need a clean slate. So I had to clean the kitchen. Then for some reason I thought every room in our apartment stunk with some phantom stink that would not got away(it was my pregnancy nose getting the best of me, when my husband came home he said he couldn't smell anything). I swept and mopped the floors, took out the garbage, and lit tons of candles, and cleaned the toilet. Then as I was making the filling I started to get false labor contractions and had to sit down for another half hour. Then I had to clean the kitchen again after making a huge mess.

So needless to say it was pretty gratifying when the entire pie was eaten.

Well, I am glad to be back, but this will prob be my last entry for a while again. I will have a baby here pretty soon, and that should occupy my time too. But I am back and I will continue this blog, I promise! Thanks to anyone that reads it! :)

Haluski

I know what you are thinking, "Haluksi!" "Gesundheit!"
But for reals, this recipe is called Haluski. I think its Polish?
All I know is that I have never really seen this dish anywhere but in Pennsylvania. Thats not to say it isn't in other states, but its most def popular in PA. Specially in the Pittsburgh area.
Both my sets of my grandparents live about an hour from the Pitt, and this dish was a staple. Whenever I smell its I immediately am transported to 1995 summer vacation at Gramma and Pap's house.
I have been feeling nostalgic lately and we are having company for supper so I made it(along with a pot roast! which isn't going to be blogged, sorry).
The recipe I will share is more of an amalgam of recipes and just winging it. I mean its 4 ingredients, its not that difficult.
Do I like this dish that hearkens me to my youth?
Absolutely not.

Ingredients:
16 oz bag of egg noodles, 3 onions, a head of cabbage, and 1 cup of butter

So the onions. You know how in most of my recipes I cut back on the onion? Do not cut back for Haluski! Add as much or as little(if you must)as you want. I choose 3, at first as you can see from the picture but they were a little small so I added a fourth. They were small because our landlord grew them. We came back from work one day and a bag of what we thought were apples was waiting for us. But no, it was onions, about 2 dozen garden grown onions. Another reason why I made this recipe. Because I had a ton of onions to use up.

Directions:
Chop onions into half moon slices, and cook in large skillet with a stick of butter. Cook until golden brown/translucent. Chop the cabbage into long strips, and add them and another stick of butter to onions. Cook until cabbage is no longer crunchy. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

 

I had no idea how to cut a cabbage, so I just kinda hacked it. All I know is that it needed to be long strips. Also, I am not posting times since I really depends on the stove and pot you use. The onions took about 5 to 10 mins, and the cabbage is about 10 to 15. But this recipe is really a case by case recipe.

This is the resulting mess.

 

This pot got so hot that I needed pot holders just to pick it up!

 



I know what you healthy people are thinking, "A WHOLE stick of butter!" Just for once don't worry about that kinda stuff and just RELAX.

 

Onions are gross, but I find kinda fun to cook. Its so easy to see the results. Aside from the cutting that is. Then you can't see anything through your tears. I had to go outside and take a huge whiff of fresh air, then I got a candle to light, and dropped an entire big box of matches on the floor. I didn't take a picture because my cat was like, "STICKS!!!" and started to scatter them everywhere, and all I could envision is one lighting on something and setting our apartment on fire and burning the place down around me. So, yeah no pics of me frantically cleaning up matches, as my cat is freaking out, I look like I've been crying(which I was, technically), and onions cooking on the stove.

 

 

Yes, another stick of butter.

 

Mix onion cabbage mix with noodles and stir until noodles are hot again. Serve HOT with salt and pepper.

 



I mixed the onion/cabbage with the noodles in the pot that I cooked the noodles in, it was the biggest one I had. And I kept it on a hot burner, so it would heat up faster.

 



 

There is the finished project! My husband said it was good, but the cabbage was still a bit crunchy, so next time I will cook that a bit longer. Other then that he really liked it, and so did the company that we had over. They enjoyed the pork pot roast I made as well. It was the first roast I ever attempted, and it was moist and fell apart as you tried to dish it on your plate. Perfect. Well I hope you all enjoyed this recipe. It wasn't too complex, and never fear Butter. Or in this case Margarine!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Why, hello there.
Here I am, back at it! With a very challenging recipe.
Banana Bread
How was it challenging? Read on my wayward son! Read on!

Ingredients:
(I made a double recipe, because I had more than enough bananas, but I will give the regular recipe) 1/4 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup mashed ripe(mine were over ripe *shudder*)bananas(about 2), 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt

The recipe also called for nuts. But why totally ruin a good batch of banana bread by adding nuts? Now, as you can see the bananas are really ripe. I had frozen them, and now here is where this recipe almost did me in, they were so SLIMY and SQUISHY. Which means GROSS. More on that later.


Directions: (I got this recipe from my Taste of Home cookbook)
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.

I love my new mixer. Its simply the best. I was listening to a Franki Valli and the Four Season CD, when the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" came on. I sang to my mixer.


Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

As you can see by the picture, I did not add my eggs one at a time. Oops! I don't think it changed anything. But this was the first time I have ever done this(and probably the last you'll know why coming up)recipe.


Stir in bananas and sour cream.

Yes, the bananas were that gross that I had to were gloves. The bananas were metly, slimy, squishy, smelly, and just plain gross. When I picked one up, it made a terrible gushy noise. My mom told me to "Squeeze them like a tub of toothpase." So thats what I did. Lemme tell you, that was the WORST part. It felt so gross, even with gloves, and had the consistency of well....Pepto Bismol helps with it. So on the second banana I stopped looking at it, and I didn't even take a picture. I had 5 bananas and almost threw up on the 3rd. Yeah, thats how gross. And that my dear readers, is why I will most likely never make banana bread again.

Here it is all mashed up. Still had trouble holding in my lunch. Sorry for the more graphic descriptions in this blog. Its just how I felt!


Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir into banana mix, just until moistened.

As much as I do love my mixer, it wasn't quite big enough for this task. If I had made just a single batch, it would have been fine.

"Stir just until moistened" That one sentence alone was enough to make me almost have an anxiety attack. "Is this too little? Or too much? Maybe just another stir. No, I shouldn't have done that. Well, there is still a pocket of flour, maybe just another stir. Was that too much?"

In the end, I think I got it mostly right. Still am a little paranoid about it though.

 

Transfer to a greased 8inx4inx2in loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Boom baby! They came out great! The one in the metal pan is a little better than the one in the glass pan. Not sure why though. But I am going to slice them and take them to church tomorrow, but I had a slice and think they turned out good. For the only time I will ever make them, they aren't bad! Well thats it for me. Hope you enjoyed this installment!

I'll Be Back

Hello!
Its been awhile I know, I know. Whats me excuse for not updating since April?
A few.
One, we moved. Again. The last place was always a temporary homestead, so now we moved into town because the second reason I haven't updated...
I got a job. An honest to goodness 8-5 receptionist job. At a very fast paced office, so when I would get home at night the last thing I wanted to do was cook something. Its taken me near 3 moths to get used to it. And I am still learning new things everyday. Mostly office politics. Its primary gender is female and we'll you know women.
So now here we are. I have an appreciation for weekends so on Saturday I baked. All day. Why? Because I got
A KITCHEN AID MIXER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Words cannot describe the excitment. I've wanted one for like ever. How did I come about such a wonderous machine? A wonderously expensive machine? Well, basically my husband has an awesome coworker. His coworker was upgrading her Kitchen Aid to a new more snazzy model, so what was she to do with her old one? Why sell it to me, of course! At a super good price and well I love it. Its white, which is good. I was worried it was going to be some ugly color like, avocado or something. I still woulda taken it, duh. But its also in great condition! Basically one of my biggest kitchen dreams has come true.  So I made an apple pie(not photographed) and....
Cinnamon Rolls
I have never attempted cinnamon rolls before, but have wanted to give it a go. After this I may try homemade donuts. But now on with the recipe.

Ingredients

5 cups all pupose flour, 1(18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix, 2(.25 oz)packages quick rise yeast, 2 1/2 warm water(120 to 130 degrees F), 1/4 cups melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon NOTE: there is ingredients for frosting as well, but I didn't take a pic mostly cuz I forgot! But  here is what you need: 6 tablespoons softened butter, 3 cups confectioners' sugar, 1 1/2 tso vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp milk

See my awesome mixer?? Isn't it amazing? I hugged it. About the yeast, I happened to have some yeast at home but it didn't say anything like "quick". So when I was grocery shopping I looked at the yeast and only one said "rapid rise", which is pictured. I called my mom and she advised I get teh rapid rise, even though I had yeast at home. Better safe then sorry.

Directions:

In a mixing bowl(Squee!)combine 4 cups flour, dry cake mix, yeast and warm water until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn on a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

So I don't have a pic of me kneading the dough, because at this point my husband said, "Wanna go to lunch? If so we have to leave NOW." His urgency was because we were going with other people that were starving after working at our church all morning. So I kneaded the dough like twice, threw it under the mixer bowl and ran out the door. When I came back it was doubled. I shoulda taken a picture of it. It was like The Blob, and was oozing out all over the counter.

Punch dough down. Turn on a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Roll each portion into a 14 in x 10in rectangle. Brush with buter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

 

So I didn't measure the sugar and cinnamon. I just sprinkled a good amount of both. Cuz, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon?? A single teaspoon? That seemed a small amount to me. So yeah just eyed it up! And I think it was just right.

Roll up jelly roll style starting with the long side( reading thie now, I think I did it wrong, I did the short side. So they weren't as big as they shouldve been, I spose. Oh well this still worked) Cut each roll in into 12 slices place cut side down in two 13in x 9 inx 2 in pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 20 minutes.

So I waited the recommenced 20 minutes and they grew a little, but didn't double. Still worked though. I think.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes. Then frost it up! Just mix the butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Frost warm rolls.

Here they are all done and frosted. You could defiantly do way more frosting then I did, my husband doesn't like too much so I did less is more. It was really runny too. Which was good, I think. I baked them in 2 different pans. One batch on a metal and one on a stone from Pampered Chef. The one on the metal pan got a bit crispy on the bottom, which wasn't unappetizing. But the ones on the stone came out super good, and not crispy on the bottom. So I called that "The better" batch. They were really good, I love cinnamon rolls! And several people said they were good! So my first try was succesful. Next time, I think I will just use the cooking stone, cut them right and I think they will be really really good.

Well sorry to make you all wait. Hope you don't mind that my updates won't be as frequent, since I don've have much free time anymore. I thuroughly enjoed my time off, but its time to get back to reality.
One thing I don't like about our new place is that I can't see our TV. I loved to just put a random movie on while I cooked. But I fixed that quick! I have a portable DVD player, that I put on a small counter I don't use for cooking and let a movie play away. Yesterday I chose, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkahban(Is that whole to spell it?).