First of the Season

Today E & I made our first apple pie of the season.

Yum.

I've been making apples pies since I was 17.

I vividly remember the fall after my mom died, my Nana and her sister, Aunt G, came for a visit.

I really wanted to make an apple pie.

But, I had never made one before.

So Aunt G, who was a wonderful baker, told me she would help me.

She was always so good and sweet with me.  Always.

I pulled out my moms' Betty Crocker Cookbook.

We followed Bettys' recipe for Apple Pie.

I just love the way the apples get all yummy with the mixture of flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Ever since that one time, I have always made my apple pie the exact way that Aunt G showed me.

And I think of her each time.

Last year D&E helped a few times when I made pies.

Today,  I peeled the apples and let E cut the apples into chunks.

And then she did the measuring of the flour and sugar.

I measured out the cinnamon and nutmeg.

I have made so many pies since that 1st time, I have it memorized.

I should write it down though.  It's good to have certain recipes written.  This is one of them.

E even said something to me about not needing to look at a recipe card.

There are many recipes of my moms' that I wish she had written down on paper.

Her spaghetti sauce is one recipe I wish she had written down.  I remember it being very yummy.

I digress.

D helped scoop the prepared apples into the bottom crust.

Back when Aunt G showed me how to make my 1st apple pie, we actually made our crust from scratch.

I haven't done that in years.  Not since Pillsbury came out with their very easy pre-made, unroll it crust.

It is very yummy.

Here is a picture of the finished product.  Just out of the oven.

So very yummy.

Aunt G taught me a few tricks with the crust.

Before putting it in oven, she had me brush it with milk.  Not egg white like many recipes call for.

Also, she had me wrap the crust edges with foil.  Sure, they sell fancy kitchen gadgets to do the same thing.

I still like the foil best.

Then she taught me to take a couple tablespoons of butter and rub it over the crust, so it melts into the crust, with about 10 minutes left of cooking.

This trick really helps to make the crust golden brown.  And it helps make the crust flaky.

Good tricks, Aunt G.

potd #267.  Here is the pie all ready to go in the oven.  Looks good.  I will never forget that 1st pie I made with Aunt G.  And now it makes me happy to show D& E those same tricks that Aunt G showed me all those years ago.