Baking an Apple Pie

Have you girls been over to Sugar Pie Farmhouse yet? You know?...Aunt Ruthie?  Let me tell you, she is amazing!  I always feel totally inept after visiting her blog. She does everything...and does it well...ya know what I mean?  I never feel like I can do the things she does...but last week she posted a recipe for apple pie that looked soooo good that I just had to try it.  It was called Butter Crunch Apple Pie and the photo made me almost drool! 

Now, I haven't had the best results with making homemade pies in the past...but I was sure that the reason for Aunt Ruthie's success with her awesome pie was in the special apple peeler...corer...slicer thingy that she had. It was shiny and red and looked...ahem...like a professional apple pie making tool.

So I immediately ordered it.  While I waited for it to arrive, I dreamed of all the lovely apple pies I would make...effortlessly, of course, with this new and wonderful tool.  I imagined my husband and son thinking I was amazing and telling all their friends about all of the heavenly delicious apple pies I made.

I purchased the apples and other supplies for the recipe...and anxiously watched my mailbox...

Well, Thursday...it arrived!  I was so excited! I opened it on the dining room table and put on the little handle and prongs that hold the apple, in place... and sighed. Now, I would make a pie like Aunt Ruthie...finally!

First, I made the pie shell...just like Aunt Ruthie said.  It wasn't too difficult I managed to sail right through it...a little flour found its way into my hair, on my forehead and the front of my apron...but that was ok. I still had my professional apple thingy tool to use and I was quite certain that the displaced flour was all part of my new professional baking skills.

Now...on to the apple peeling! The thing that had catapulted me into this new vision of me as a person who can snap her fingers and produce the prettiest, yummiest, most awesome pie you ever saw!

That is a terrible photo...sorry!  Even Aunt Ruthie's photos are better than mine.  Anyway...you can see how clever it is. You put the apple in and turn the handle and in no time at all you have a lovely bowl of peeled and sliced apple ready for your pie...right?

Well...it didn't work that way for me.  I don't know if I had the tension wrong or the prongs in the wrong place or what. I looked for directions in the box but couldn't find any...so I just tried to figure it out from the picture on the box. 

The result was a squished apple...juice all over the counter and peels on the floor...which the dog tried to eat but decided against very quickly.
I had already made the pie shell and was covered in flour from that and now I was sticky, too.   Sticky...but determined.

So, rather than be defeated by a lack of knowledge about my new kitchen tool...I made a note to email them for instructions and sat down with a bowl of apples in my lap and a paring knife...like my grandmother used to do. I was feeling very "vintagey" as I began peeling.

It took a bit longer...but when I was finished, I had a bowl of apples ready for a pie...and I was plum proud of myself!

I mixed the apples with the required ingredients, then topped them with the butter crunch topping...and then popped it into the oven and set about to clean my kitchen... whew...

When all was said and done...I had made a lovely apple pie that I was proud of and my husband and son absolutely loved it! My son has told me three times that it's the best apple pie he ever ate... (moms love that doncha know?)  

And then...my sweet husband heard the story about the tool problem and found the box...and pulled out a little booklet of directions. 

"Where did you find that?" I stammered

"It was right there in the box" he replied.

I felt like and idiot.  Somehow in my excitement to use my new kitchen tool...I overlooked the directions...totally.   This can only mean one thing.
I shall have to make another apple pie...using the directions this time!

Meanwhile...I encourage you to go visit Aunt Ruthie and get her awesome pie recipe. I would post it here....but I haven't asked her permission to do so. Anyway, you need to see her amazing blog!
www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com
'Til next time... love and happiness... Kate~

The Quilt Show

Friday was such an awesome day! I went with my sister and my daughter...my two favorite women in the world,  to the Dallas quilt show!

Kate, Joy & Sweet M~

 We saw the most bee-yoo-tee-ful quilts...were filled with inspiration and stirred to creativity!  I still cannot believe some of the quilts I saw. Such talented women!

Don't you just love this vintage pick-up truck? Omg...I can't even imagine how long it took her to get the shading right... wow...

The fabric and the colors and the excitement of hundreds of quilters all around us was electrifying!  Then after a couple of hours of oohs and ahhs and "look at this!"... we went and had lunch. We laughed so hard and talked so much and shared phone photos of everything that was happening in our lives. It was truly wonderful!  We were like three little girls on a playground!

Then we got down to some serious shopping and filled our little pull along carts with awesome deals and beautiful things and said the word, "cute" so many times it started to lose its' meaning!  

I have to say my favorite fabric was the little fat quarter I bought with the tiny aprons on it....

Which I will probably use with this sweet little piece of vintage rose fabric... sorry...there were no names on the fabric when I got it home or I would be happy to tell you... but I do remember the website of the shop! It was http://www.quiltingals.com/



And my favorite "kit" was a little quilted wall hanging of a chicken with a heart shaped wing, looking down at it's baby chick as if giving "mommy" instructions!  Just love it. I can't wait to get started on it.

Isn't it adorable? The little chickens are wool felt and all of the fabric I needed was included in the kit...I LOVE that... :)  It's called Spotty Hen by Rachel's of Greenfield.

And how 'bout this, dare I say it?..." Cutie, cute, cute snowman pillow?



Bought the pattern and enough fabric to make two of them! One for me and one for my daughter, Sweet M~  Pattern is by Meg Hawkey for Crabapple Hill Studio.

 And of course, I had to have some of this...



After all that walking, I slept like a baby Friday night and woke up to hear the bahhing of a new baby goat in our barnyard!! A little doe...and since it was my sister's birthday that day...I named the little goat, "Joy", after her!

That's all for now. I have lots of sewing to do!  Hope I have something finished to show you next time... until then...wishing you love and happiness...Kate~