Apple Pie

We have apple trees in our back yard. This year we had the most apples we've ever had. Each fall I make apple pies. I've had to freeze apples too because we've had so many. To me, the best part of an apple pie is the homemade flaky crust! I like to use Granny Smith apples, but any apple will work fine..you just might need to adjust the amount of sugar used.

So, are ya ready? Here it is...

APPLE PIE

Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 small egg, beaten
1/2 Tbsp. vinegar
5 Tbsp. cold water

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and salt. With a pastry blender (or two knives), cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg, vinegar and water, then add to flour mixture. Mix until dough is moist enough to form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half into a 12 inch circle. Press dough into pie plate (I like to use deep dish). Crimp edges or use a fork to make a decorative border, then prick bottom with a fork. Put the plate in the freezer while preparing the pie filling. The other half of crust will be used on top.

Apple Pie Filling:

5 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
4 Tbsp. flour
1 1/3 cup sugar (remember I use granny smith apples, you may want to decrease the amount of sugar if using a sweeter apple)
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir gently. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Dab with butter and pour milk over filling. Roll top crust same as bottom and lift onto filled pie. Crimp edges again and cut an X in the center of pie w/ sharp knife..pull the edges at the center of the X back some to open the center of the pie a little. You can also make a woven lattice top with the top pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Game Day Fun

This weekend my husband, my cousins and myself went to a Virginia Tech football game. We had a lot of fun tailgating and watching the kids play and of course eating..I didn't get any great shots of all the food..it was kind of hard with it all crammed together in the back of a vehicle.












That was our day! One thing that I made that everyone seemed to love was the hot wings. This is how I did it... I bought a 4lb bag of frozen chicken wings. Thawed them almost completely, poured some olive oil on them, salt and pepper..grilled them until done, then tossed them in 1 cup of Frank's Red Hot Buffalo wing sauce. Thats it! Yumm!!!

Game Day Appetizer

Football season is in and we all like to snack while watching the big game. This cheese ball is so easy to make...with only 4 ingredients...and even better...it tastes great!

Spicy Cheese Ball





8 oz. finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. tub softened cream cheese
8 oz. tub softened chives and onion cream cheese
2 teaspoons ground red pepper (this is enough for us, but you may want to add another 1/2 tsp.)

Mix all into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for a few hours.