Scrumptious Apple Pie
July 28, 2008
I love apple pie and to me nothing tastes better than a homemade apple pie. Even though I’m a busy single mom I still take the time every once in a while to whip up a homemade pie. I don’t want my kids to miss out on the delicious tastes and smells that I grew up with as a kid. Here is an excellent apple pie recipe that I’m sure you’ll love.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pound Golden Delicious apples, cored, cut into 1/2 inch slices (6 cups)
1 pound Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into 1/2 inch slices (6 cups)
1 (15 ounce 2 crust) package refrigerator piecrust
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 (12 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
Instructions:
Combine butter and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Add both types of apples and toss to coat.
Line two large baking pans with aluminum foil. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Roast apples one pan at a time for 5 minutes turning once while roasting. The apples should just start to brown around the edges. Allow the apples to cool right in the pans. Reduce oven heat to 375.
Bring piecrust dough to room temperature. Place one crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. In a mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, flour and salt. Place the roasted apples, both pans juice included into the bowl with the brown sugar mixture. Coat the apples well. Place the apples in the pie plate. Flour a flat surface and roll the second dough out to a 14 inch circle. Cut 4 slits in the dough. Place the dough over the top of the apples. Cut dough to 1/2 inch beyond plate. Crimp edges. Place the lightly beaten egg in a bowl. Add the water and mix together. Brush the top of the pie with the egg mixture.
Place aluminum foil around the edge of the pie to keep the crust from browning too much and becoming hard. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil from the edges and bake 35 minutes longer. The top should be a golden brown and the filling bubbly. Drizzle with the caramel topping as soon as you take the pie from the oven. Cool.
Citrus Sirloins on the Grill with Italian Pasta Salad
July 22, 2008
Summer time means gillin’ time for many people. For me any time is grillin’ time — stop by on Christmas Eve and you’ll find me cooking steaks on the grill as has been my tradition for the past several years. Here’s a recipe I tried over the weekend and it tasted delicious. I thought you might like it as well.
Citrus Sirloins
Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons steak seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 1 1/2 lb sirloin steaks, trimmed
Instructions:
Place the orange juice, lime juice and vegetable oil in a large zippered bag. In a small bowl combine the steak seasoning, oregano and cumin.
Rub seasoning mixture on both side of the steak and add any remaining seasoning to the juice mixture in the bag. Place the steaks in the bag and seal. Refrigerate 1 hour. Be sure to turn the bag a few times to marinade all sides of the steaks well.
Remove the steaks and discard the marinade. Heat grill to medium high. Grill steaks 6-8 minutes on each side or until desired doneness is reached. Can be served with some grilled lemon, lime or oranges slices as a garnish.
Here’s a great pasta salad that would accompany the steaks well:
Italian Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
6-8 fresh plum tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil
3-4 cloves fresh chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh chopped basil
1 lb. bow tie pasta
½ cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
Cook pasta as directed on the package. When it’s al dente, remove the pasta and drain. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except the cheese and mix well. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture. Finish the dish by grating Romano cheese directly over the mixture.
If you happen to have someone special to share the meal you can add wine or your favorite beverage and some candles.
