Apple Pie Sundae

My MiL brought me a bushel of apples from the apple orchard. So, I spent the weekend tackling this...

...into this...

...which in turn became this:

An Apple Pie Sundae!! Vanilla ice cream with apple pie filling syrup topped with whipped cream and garnished with peanuts and Poor Man Cookie:-)

Carmel Apples

This weekend, we went a Halloween party at the neighborhood fun house (you know, the one house everyone gathers at). The hostess asked me to bring carmel apples. No problem right? Wrong.

You see, it is the neighborhood fun house however, the mom is a little...shall I say scattered. In the short time I have known her, I have learned that plans have to be confirmed and reconfirmed and even then, that doesn't mean that it going to happen as we agreed. Many a play date have been rescheduled at the last minute and lately, she just doesn't even show up for them at all. It's becoming very frustrating.

So, as the day of the party approached, I still didn't know what time, how many apples to make or even if the party was still going on. So, I called and left a message. She called me back...the night before the party to confirm it was still going on. She asked if I was still bringing carmel apples and I said that I was prepared to bring a dozen. She said, "Oh no. You have to bring at least 2 dozen." Have to bring?? My annoyance grew.

After a couple minutes of bitching about how completely rude that was, I grudingly went on to make the 2 dozen carmel apples that she requested:

So, because I was doing this grudgingly and because it was last minute, they turned out less than pretty:


So, I designed a plastic wrap smoke screen to hide their ugliness.
Then, I further disguised the ugliness with this basket:

Now, I feel better.
By the way, she wasn't even expecting 24 people at the party!! She was expecting 15 at the most! After all was said and done, I left a dozen there. So, here's my question...would you have been annoyed?
Carmel Apples:
Ingredients:
12 apples
12 sticks
2 bags of carmels (approximately 40 pieces)
1 small jar of peanuts, chopped

Directions:
1. Unwrap all of the carmels and melt them over low heat.

2. Twist stems off of the apples. Insert sticks into the apples at the stem.

3. Dip apples into carmel and then the peanuts. Place the apples on waxed paper to set.

Makes 12 apples

Susie's Homemade Apple Pie

As promised, this is my apple pie.

When it comes to pies, I am more of a purest in terms of design. I really like the rustic look and the flavor speaks for itself. So, go pick some apples and try this recipe today:-)

Susie's Homemade Apple Pie
Fail Proof Pie Crust (See Recipe Below)
6 cups apples, peeled, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sugar plus additional sugar for top crust
2 tbls flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon plus
1/8 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Prepare the pie crust recipe. Line 9-inch pie plate with 1/2 the recipe.

3. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add apples and gently toss. Transfer apples to pastry lined pie plate. Cover with remaining pie crust. Brust crust with enough milk until it pools in places. Sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon. Cut slits in the crust for venting.

4. Shield the edges of the crust with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 25 to 30 more minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Servings: 8

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/8 of a recipe (8.1 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 706.1
Calories From Fat (43%) 302.54
% Daily Value
Total Fat 33.68g 52%
Saturated Fat 11.83g 59%
Cholesterol 48.74mg 16%
Sodium 13.51mg <1>
Recipe Cost: $4.26
Serving Cost: $0.53

And, if you have left over pie crust, make Poor-Man Cookies. It is another recipe my mother-in-law gave me. She got it from her mother. They grow up on a farm in Kansas and nothing was wasted...NOTHING. Besides recycling pie crust, they are really good. Give this a try:
Directions:
1. Roll out leftover pie crust on a cookie sheet.

2. Brush with enough milk until it pools in places.

3. Generously sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

4. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown.

5. Break into pieces and enjoy.