Pie Pilgrimage - Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Baseball/Softball season is upon us.  And although football and NASCAR seem to be the two American sports that rake in the most dough these days, baseball is still nostalgically considered an "All American Past Time."

Baseball isn't the only thing considered "All-American." 

There's also...Apple Pie!

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Here's What You Need:

For the crust:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup cold butter, cut into chunks

1/3 cup shortening

4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

For the Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 medium (6 cups) tart cooking apples, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon sugar

Here's What You Do:

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in large bowl; cut in 1/3 cup butter and shortening with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in enough water just until flour is moistened.  Divide dough in half; shape each half into a ball. Flatten slightly. Wrap each ball of dough in plastic food wrap and refrigerate.

Roll out remaining ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters. Place dough into 9-inch pie pan; unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim crust to 1/2 inch from edge of pan; set aside.

Combine all filling ingredients except apples, 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon sugar in large bowl. Add apples; toss lightly to coat.

Spoon apple mixture into prepared crust. Roll remaining ball of dough into 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters. Place dough over filling; unfold. Trim, seal and crimp or flute edge. Cut 5 or 6 large slits in crust. Brush with melted 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Cover edge of crust with 2-inch strip aluminum foil.

Bake for 35 minutes; remove aluminum foil. Continue baking for 10 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool pie 30 minutes; serve warm. Store refrigerated.

This recipe came courtesy of the good folks at Land O Lakes butter.  There's nothing better than homemade apple pie for Memorial Day...an All American holiday for sure!

My Apologies

This is the longest I have gone without posting on my blog. 

I wish I could say that I have missed it.  The writing.  The sharing.  The venting.  The observing.

I have not.

It has been a bit freeing to just let go of something and not worry about it.  It's not say I have not thought once about the neglect I have been issuing this blog.  There have just been so many other things that truly held me ransome with greater priority than publishing my words to the world.  There I go being melo-dramatic as I am prone to be at times. 

(I wonder where my darling daughter gets it from.)

So almost a month since I shared a tempting recipe for Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes.  I'd like to tell you that I have been uber-busy sampling new recipes and baking up a storm.

Alas.  That is not the case. 

No, we are in the season of quickie meals and aggravation over our inability to sit down at the table, all five of us, and share a meal together.  We eat in shifts, sadly.  Bowls of cereal, hot dogs on the grill, meatballs kept warm in the Crock-Pot and the like.  With three busy children and two equally busy parents, it truly is difficult to plan, execute and serve a quality meal these days.  My neighbor and I were lamenting to one another the other day (Hi Becca!) about the very fact that our pantries and freezers and cupboards and refrigerators are stocked with a myriad of ingredients capable of culminating into a prize-worthy meal.  It is just that, where do you find the time to prepare and enjoy said meal when your evening is full of school music programs, homework assignments and baseball practice (also softball and soccer and karate), or baseball games (and softball and soccer) and church meetings and baking cookies for birthday treats and writing thank you letters to the donors of the recent school carnival.

You get the picture.  Said neighbor and I decided we truly would not want it any other way.  My husband even suggested that the truest way to avoid this mayhem would be to simply not enroll our children in any activities and to not engage in any sort of volunteerism, whatsoever.

That really does not seem to be an option.  I like involvement and activity.  I enjoy fellowship with my fellow parents and neighbors. 

So I have been on a sabbatical of sorts and hope to return to the blogging routine that I once enjoyed.  But if I don't, it's good to know that the Earth will continue to rotate.  Sometimes you just have to let go of one thing in order to grab hold of something else.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Most of my recipe shares on The Buckeye Five are for desserts, main dishes and more desserts.  I don't hear anyone complaining, but I do feel a certain sense of responsibility to offer up the occasional side dish.

We've all had twice-baked potatoes before.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The center of a baked spud scooped out and mashed together with a wonderfully, sinfully combination of sour cream and butter and cheese and bacon. 

Heart attack alert!

How come I'd never considered a similar process with a sweet potato?!

We love sweet potatoes around our house and I usually just bake them up and mash 'em with a little butter and cinnamon.  Great, easy side dish that my kiddos have always loved.

Here's a simple Twice Baked Potato recipe to try sometime if you're having company over.  They are super easy to do up ahead of time and then pop in the oven before your main course and other dishes are ready to serve.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Here's What You Need:

5 medium sized sweet potatoes

2 Tablespoons butter

4 ounces goat cheese

salt and pepper

3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 Tablespoons butter

Here's What You Do:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Prick the potatoes with a fork, all over.  Place the potatoes on a large piece of foil and fold the foil around the potatoes to form a packet.  Place the packet on a baking sheet.  Bake until tender, about 1 hour.

When they are tender enough to pierce with a fork, remove the potatoes from the oven and open up the packet so they can cool.  Once they are cool enough to handle.  Slice each potatoes in half, lengthwise.  Scoop out all potato but 1/4 inch around the inside skins.  Set 8 skins aside in a baking dish and place the potato "pulp" in a food processor.  Add 2 Tablespoons butter and the goat cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Process until smooth, 2 minutes.  Add the chives and pulse to combine.  Spoon the mixture into the skins.

In a small bowl, stir together the pecans, panko and 2 Tablespoons butter until combined.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle mixture over the sweet potatoes and bake until golden, 10-12 minutes.

This recipe was found in Everyday Food which is published my Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.