Apple Pie in a Bag

My step mother-in-law and sister-in-law visited us a while back. They are from Mexico. They wanted to tour parts of the east coast before school started back. They were here for 4 days so we wanted to get in as much sight seeing as possible. On the first day we went to the Georgia Aquarium. It's the world's largest aqaurium so of course we had to take them there.

 

Jellyfish are so cool!

 

 

They look like they're dancing!

 

 

We chatted about what all they wanted to see in the small time they had here. We decided on a history museum and one quiet night at the house. The museum would have been really neat, had we went on a day they were open. Doh! So, we were able to have TWO quiet nights at home.

 

One night we sat on the back patio and roasted smores, listened to music, the kids played frisbee and the grown-ups chatted. Very nice & relaxing evening. 

 

 

The next night I wanted to cook a really good meal and dessert. I asked my MIL about apple pie. And that was it. I mean, you come to the USA in summer you need to have apple pie, right? So, that's what I made for dessert.  Immediately I got on my laptop to find the best apple pie recipe. I asked my cooking group and after about an hour of looking and talking to some people, I came across Beau's Dutch Apple Pie on Pinterest.

 

This isn't just some apple pie though. This is baked in a brown paper sack. In the oven. Uh-huh, the pie is baked in the sack in the oven. Yes, I'm serious. Nope, the house didn't catch fire-- not even a hint of smoke. And you know what? It's the BEST apple pie I have ever eaten in my life. I will NEVER deter from this recipe or try a different one. Don't fix what's not broken, right?

 

 

photo credit: Beau's Dutch Apple Pie

I am a bit sad that I didn't take pictures of the process. I was entertaining guests and I didn't even think of it, but when I make this again I will make sure I take pictures. The process is cool. It's easy. It's fun and the clean-up is a cinch!

 

So, on to the pie....

 

Ingredients

 

For the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and pat into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. (Don't roll the dough out.)

For the Apple Filling:

• 5-6 apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• Combine all ingredients except the apples in a bowl. Mix well, then toss the apples in the mixture. Put the apple filling into the unbaked pie crust.

For the Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar

Instructions

• Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the four and sugar, mix until crumbly. Cover the apple filling with the crumb topping.
• Yes, you really do put the pie inside a brown paper bag. Once the pie is inside, roll up the the top of the bag and close it together with either staples or large paper clips. Place the bag on the lowest shelf in the oven. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes. Don't open the bag until the time is up and you have let it cool outside the oven for about 5 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. So good!

 

 

This is what mine looked like after I took it out of the bag.

 



 

 And then when I plated it with a scoop of Blue Bell Vanilla.

 

 

 

Seriously, it's amazingly AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! My mouth is watering.

 

You should stop what you're doing now and make this. You will thank yourself. Your family will thank you. America will thank you.

 

Until next time,

Reb

Grandma's Chocolate Pie

My husband and I were in a bookstore looking at the next cookbook we'd like to use for a cooking group we belong to. We came across many awesome books, but I came across a book that touched my heart. The Homesick Texan. In case you haven't read my tagline or the "About Us" section on this blog, or even the name of my blog, I am a Texan living in Georgia. I'm always homesick. Always. I miss Texas. I miss the air. I miss the bluebonnets. I miss the "home" feel you get when you KNOW you're in Texas. You don't know that feeling unless you're from there. I love the people. I love the crazy weather. I love the food.

I swear Texas is in a seperate category for food. There is NOTHING like Texas food. Chicken Fried Steak with cream gravy....never had a better one outside of the state. Tex-Mex ... now I was raised on real Mexican food, but when you can't get the real stuff, Tex-Mex is a close second. The recipe for the Chalupas in this book....oh. my. word. I seriously could eat those everyday.

A staple for any Texan & my dad....Pecan Pie...and if you say "puh-can" you're saying it wrong. It's "pea-can". Ask any Texan. My dad taught me how to say it correctly. I love hearing him say, "pea-can". He stretched that one syllable into about 4. Peach Cobbler...serve hot with Blue Bell Vanilla. I have VERY fond memories of all five of us kids literally licking the pan the cobbler was baked in. When cold of course. We had it on rare occasions and it was another favorite of dads. Chocolate Pie...rich chocolate with a buttery crust and a cool, fluffy meringue. Again, my dad loves chocolate pie. Yes, he has a bad sweet tooth. Sopapillas. Now there is a recipe in the book for these, but I cannot bring myself to make them. My granpa Tony & Aunt Helen made the absolute best sopapillas EVER. There was no imitating their recipe. They've both passed and I miss them terribly. Maybe one day I can get my granma to tell me the recipe. Somehow, I doubt there was ever a recipe. I never saw either with a written recipe.

So back to The Homesick Texan cookbook. I walked out of the door that day not buying a single book. I was a little sad going home without the book. A few days went by and I made a comment about the book to a friend. She had the book. Well, it is her husband's cookbook. He got it for a Father's Day gift. She lives 45 minutes away so she put it in the mail and I had it the next day. I was giddy!! I immediately knew the recipes I wanted to try. I had mentally taken notes of some of the recipes while I was at the bookstore.

I have eaten most if not all of these recipes in some varied version at one time or another in my life. It's the reason I love this cookbook so much. It makes me feel like I'm home. Certain recipes remind me of people or a time or a tradition. It helps relieve that homesick feeling just for a moment, one sweet or savory bite at a time.

So, which recipe is this post about: Grandma's Chocolate Pie. There are two pies my dad loves. Pecan pie & a Chocolate Pie. I miss my dad. I made this pie to remind me of the great man he is and how much he would love a slice of it.

Grandma's Pie Crust
Ingredients:
For the crust (Makes enough for two. Cut the dough in half. Freeze the half for up to 6 months)
2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk

Method:
Mix flour and salt. Mix oil and milk. Pour oil and milk into flour and salt and stir until combined into a dough. Can add more milk if dry. Separate into two balls (save one ball for another pie). Roll crust out between two sheets of wax paper, line a buttered pie pan with crust.

Grandma’s Chocolate Pie
Filling ingredients:
4 tablespoons of cocoa or 1 1/2 squares of baking chocolate
3/4 cups of sugar
5 tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 egg yolks, beaten slightly
1 tablespoon of butter

Meringue ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of sugar

Method:
Mix your sugar, flour, salt, cocoa, eggs and milk (all except vanilla and butter) with a whisk.
Cook while stirring on medium until it bubbles and thickens, about five to 10 minutes. If it becomes lumpy, just beat out the lumps. (It will not get any thicker in the oven so cook until it's as thick as you want it.)

Remove from heat and stir in your vanilla and butter. Meanwhile, poke holes in your pie crust with a fork and bake it at 350 until it’s brown, about 20 minutes.
 

Beat your egg whites with salt and when they start to get fluffy add the sugar. Pour the chocolate custard into the baked pie shell and top with the beaten egg whites. Bake it until it the peaks on the meringue are lightly browned, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Grandma says: “It’s real good hot, wonderful cold and you can even eat it frozen—then it’s like a popsicle!”

Note: All that's happening in the oven is the browning of the meringue. So be sure and keep cooking the custard in the pan until it's your desired consistency.
 

 

 

My dad would love this pie. Since I can't send him a slice, I'll eat it in his honor. Love you, dad!

 

 

Until next time,
Reb

Lemon Tartlets

I'll be brief today. Go here: With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart and make these Lemon Tartlets. They're only 90 calories. Easy recipe and perfect lemon flavor.

Until next time,

Reb

Herbed Tomato-Chive Tarts

I have never made a tart. I am scared of them. I don't really know why. I think it's the dough. But thanks to some of my cooking buddies, I am feeling a little braver than a few months ago. So, I am challenging myself and diving deep into tart land. The first one up is from the Back In The Day Bakery cookbook. You need to get this book. It's got some of the best recipes I've ever made and it's adorable.

When most think of a tart they think sweet. Or at least I do. So, I wanted to really do something that was different from my thinking. As I looked through my cookbooks this recipe was the first one that caught my eye. It sounds delicious and super easy.

So far, it's been a breeze. It's in the oven baking now so I'll update you on the delicious part later.

It's a cornmeal crust. I have never made anything with cornmeal. Ever. Is that weird?

Now, I know that the crust is ugly. I could have rolled it out and made it prettier, but it's going to covered up soon so why?

I thought this was so pretty. For the filling; tomatoes and chives.

Heavy cream with egg yolks, fresh thyme and pepper. Again, part of the filling.

While the dough is baking I'm waiting to fill the dough with the rest of the yummy-ness....

Ready for the oven. Bake at 325* for 40 minutes. It's topped with fresh nutmeg.

I am sooooo hungry!

Ok, so drizzle with oil & vinegar. Wait 5-10 minutes for it to cool....

So pretty and it smells amazing!!!

Delicious!! Seriously scrumptious!! 

Scared of tarts? Who me? Never!

This will be made again and again. Next up is a Rustic Peach-Blueberry Tart from this same book.

Until next time,

Reb