Classic Apple Pie

That’s why my friend Jackie requested when I asked her what I should make to bring to her birthday BBQ. So I did! It came out really great- particularly the top. I am usually a lattice-style pie girl, but I am glad I decided to go with a closed top pie with this one because the dough fell perfectly into the apples beneath and created this rippled, lumpy, delicious look! Served with vanilla ice cream, you can’t go wrong!

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Martha Stewart Living (November/December 1991)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Pie Dough (I used store bought- two deep dish pie crusts)
12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (I used 9 apples)
3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves (I omitted b/c I didn’t have any!)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten


Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pie crust. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges as desired. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Mango Oatmeal

I recently ordered the most amazing thing for breakfast- mango oatmeal. I couldn’t resist the description on the menu and the dish fully lived up to all of my expectations. I have developed a strong love for oatmeal over the years and this was a take on the oats that I never considered. I’ve been dreaming of it ever since… So, when Tony brought home a canister of steel cut oats AND a jar of mangoes from Trader Joe’s I knew exactly what to do! I’ve never made steel cut oatmeal before so that was a challenge. I am a fan of Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (and believe me, I’ve tried many brands). For my first try I think the oats came out well. However, I did burn the bottom of the pot so I lost a good portion of the oats… Steel cut oatmeal takes A LOT longer than regular oats. I usually make my Quaker Oats in the microwave for 1 minute and 33 seconds (exactly) plus a half cup of water. Simple. Steel cut oats are very demanding and require a lot of attention and stirring (lest they burn!). The result is definitely worth it- but it’s a commitment.

I didn’t follow any particular recipe- I just added a number of ingredients to taste.

I started with a ½ cup of steel cut oats and cooked them on the stove following the directions on the can. Once cooked, I added pieces of mango and cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Perfect!

Heaven!

Blueberries are one my FAVORITE foods, if not my absolute favorite. So imagine how excited I was to come home and find that Tony had bought TWO POUNDS of these!:

Now all I have to do is figure out the best way to use them!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My parents gave me this wonderful gadget for my birthday this year:

Behold the Cuisinart Griddler!I have been eyeing my parents’ Griddler for awhile now, and the last time I was at their house they took note! This guy does everything! There are four separate cooking options: closed Grill, a Panini Press, or an extended double Open Grill or Griddle. I’ve only touched the surface of its possibilities. So far we have grilled vegetables, meat, fruit and made paninis. We have yet to use the “open griddle,” but there are definitely some pancakes in our near future.

Tomato, Eggplant and Mozzarella Panini

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream

New Beginnings

We are finally settled into our new house and love it! We couldn’t be happier! So now with a new kitchen to break in, I am ready to get back to this blog!

I took these pictures a month ago, but they are worth documenting in cyberspace for eternity:

Peonies are my favorite flower and, of course, they are only in bloom for what seems like three days of the year. My wedding bouquet was supposed to be peonies. The florist promised I would have them. However, as the big day approached, I learned they had gone “out of season” and in order have them I would have to ship them in from Holland. I chose to have an actual reception instead, so I went with roses. That is how my love/hate relationship with these beauties began. So I was very surprised when I walked into Whole Foods one afternoon in June and saw row after row of peonies staring at me!

Have I been able to find them again since? Of course not. The next weekend I went back and they were out, as were three other florists in the city. The way I see it, peonies are like my unicorn or four leaf clover. I need to document their existence because it will probably be another 100 years before I capture them again: