Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay (ONE of these weeks I'm going to have a DAILY postJ), but yesterday was mostly spent in a fog after spending MONDAY NIGHT here...
Normally, I'm passed out on the couch by 10pm AT THE LATEST during ANY night. It is only for my lovely husband that I would spend a weeknight seeing his favorite Foo Fighters in concert, where the band played for THREE HOURS! Impressive right?? They even did SIX encore songs. Pretty awesome.
I can't even complain, he got even LESS sleep than I did! hehehehehehe...but at least it was a great timeJ
Sooooo now I must REALLY back peddle and show you my now 'long ago' SundayJ Where we started our day here:
YES...despite it being WARM, SUNNY & 80 degrees, Sunday was our official yearly Apple day!
Which began as it usually does....with some of these:
Apple picking is WORK, ya know? You needddd some apple cider & cinnamon sustenanceJ
Not that some "quality control" wasn't also had at the orchard....
We strolled & picked away in the total peace of "first thing in the morning"...
The early bird catches 'the silence', ya know...
And I found something new this year....well, at least to ME...but TONS of "mini" apples. I've NEVER seen them, or at least, not that many....
I wonder if the soaking rain we got in August affected the apple growing this year?? Just a wonderment...
After loading up our bags, we rallied up our loot and head out...
And start puttin those babies to work, ya know?? And I knew what my first treat was going to be! We had seen a "Salted Caramel Apple Pie" on an episode of "Best Thing I Ever Ate" recently on the Food Network and knew I wanted to try my hand at it. Albeit, WITH ASSISTANCE!
I just DID not have it in me to be a heroJ I ORIGINALLY planned on making my own crust & caramel sauce...but I just KNOW those apples would still be sitting in the bin of my fridge if I didn't have 'help' from Trader Joe's J hahahahahhahahahaha....
I DO love my Weight Watchers crust recipe, because it's SUPER easy to whip up in your food processor, but damn-how can you beat this???
I didn't even need to ROLL out the crust! I just unfolded it....
Not gonna lie...I was VERY happy about this on Sunday afternoonJ
Meanwhile, I peeled & sliced my 6 apples and mixed em with:
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- a tablespoon of Apple Pie Spice
- a couple teaspoons of All Spice
I layered 1/3 of the apples in the pie plate and then drizzled it with a THIN shake of sea salt & a drizzle of the TJ's Fleur de Sel...
....before adding ANOTHER layer of apples, sea salt & caramel sauce...
I topped the pie with the rest of the apples and the other piece of pie crust. I cut a few slits into the top crust to let out the steam of the pie and brushed the top with milk and popped it in the oven.
I baked the pie for 20 minutes at 450. After that, I placed aluminum foil around the ridges (or they'll burn quickly) and baked it for another hour at 350, or until golden brown.
Now here's the hard part: You HAVE to let the pie settle & 'firm up' for AT LEAST an hour. I know it's tough, but ya gotta let it breath, folksJ
At least we had a good distraction in the form of a homemade Chicago Pie (made the same as last time) in honor of the Bears playing on TV on Sunday...
This one is NEVER a beauty, but it's so damn tasty with LOTS of flavors from the crushed tomato, fennel, stringy mozzerella and savory garlic butter crust...
(although, I fear I may have to cut my "Bears game/pizza" tradition short for awhile! EVERY TIME I make the pizza: THEY LOSE!!!!! I'll need a new recipe for the next gameJ)
And OK, OK...an hour of "settling" or not, my apple pie was STILL a bit of a messJ Probably didn't help that it was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to lift a 'proper slice' out with that ridged BLUEBERRY PIE panJ
But it was still SOOO GOOD! A mess of spices, sweet apples & melted caramel. Just call this baby "rustic" and no one will think twice about it's 'looks' J
Alright...well, I'll skedaddle for now and let you enjoy your WEDNESDAY!! Soooooooooo happy it's MIDWEEK ALREADY! This is my last full week of work for 2 weeks...yeeeee! Italy is looming closer & closer...I can't even believe it. Wohooooooo!
Hope you have a great dayJ
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