Mom & Apple Pie

We went apple picking, for the second time this fall, at our favorite little family owned orchard in Wisconsin. It was a beautiful day & we managed to pick a full bushel of apples, Golden Delicious, Empires, Jonathans, and HoneyCrisp. When we got home, the girls and I made a pie, here is how we did it:

First pick 8 or 9 apples, we used Golden delicious:

Next, mix up a crust for a double crust, 9 inch pie. My recipe is simple, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup Crisco, 1/4 cup butter, 6 Tbsp ice water. I mix all the ingredients, except for the water, in my KitchenAid mixer, until it's the consistency of sand, with small pea sized pieces of Crisco and butter. I sprinkle the ice water on top & mix it gently with a fork a Tbsp at a time until it holds together. This keeps the pastry nice & flaky.

I roll out 1/2 the dough and line the pan with it:

I peel & slice the apples and mix with 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp flour:

Turn the apples into the pie crust and dot with 2 Tbsp butter, cut into small chunks:

Roll out the second crust, lay over the top and crimp the edges together, cut slits in the top crust so the steam can escape. Also I brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar, for a nice finish:

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 45 minutes. I had a beautiful picture of the finished product, but something happened to my camera battery & it didn't save. Trust me, it was beautiful! Now you can make Mom's Apple Pie too!

My second second sock

My second second sock
Originally uploaded by lizflor@sbcglobal.net

I finished this ages ago, my second second sock. I included the gauge swatch in the picture to prove to Alyssa that I knit a gauge swatch! I've got lots of yarn leftover, maybe I'll see if I can knit a third sock, just in case I wear out one of the others, or maybe I'll save it to reknit the heel or toe if I get a hole. I messed up the kitchener on the toe 4 times and ripped back, I will get it this time! (Or else I'll make Adrienne do it for me next time at Group!)

My second first sock

Newly Uploaded 025
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/68299643@N00/

My first sock I started almost a year ago, using the "socks soar on 2 circs" method with STR lightweight. It took forever, I frogged it a couple of times, and I never knit a second one. So at Stitches Midwest I bought the new Ann Budd "Getting Started Knitting Socks" book, I searched my stash for the thickest sock yarn I had (Interlacements toasty toes, purchased in May at MS&W) and followed the basic sock instructions. I knit this one last weekend (and Jen in Group kitchenerd the toe for me, thanks Jen!) then I cast on the second on our way to Wisconsin for apple picking yesterday. I am nearly done with the second, I love thick sock yarn! And I love the book too. Even Adrienne in my group, who knits a couple of socks a week, looked through the book and said there were lots of helpful hints in it. On a totally unrelated topic, I was drinking a bottle of Honest Tea yesterday & had to share the quote on the lid "The bad news: there is no key to the universe. The good news: it was never locked," attributed to Swami Beyondananda (his name is fun to say outloud, try it.)