A Slice of the Pie

The activity this weekend kept me on my toes. There was ample opportunity for baking ventures.... Pie definitely was the theme of the weekend.

I offered to bake a bunch of pumpkin pies for the birthday bash on Saturday as it is a favorite dish of both the guys being celebrated. On Wednesday, I cooked and pureed a pumpkin in preparation.

The pumpkin let me down, however, as it produced enough meat for only two pies. I was forced to break out the canned pumpkin for the other three. The pies made with the fresh pumpkin turned out lighter in color than the ones made with the canned pumpkin. I wonder what kind of coloring or preservatives is placed in the canned pumpkin that makes it richer in color....?

My dear friend, Giovanna, helped me dish up the plethora of pie at the party. We had close to an hundred people at the house, ravenously hungry.

We jazzed it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. It was very popular amongst the masses.

Afraid that we would run out of pumpkin pie, Giovanna and I scoured the kitchen for ingredients for another dessert to add to the mix. Having purchased a 20 lb. box of apples at Apple Hill earlier in the day and a couple of crusts left over the in fridge to roll out, the obvious solution was an apple pie. As I didn't feel like using both crusts, I decided to be a bit innovative and create a apple pie with a crumble topping.

I think she is enjoying this a bit too much. ;-)

My fantastic friend rolled out the crust while I mixed together the apples with some spice and flour. We then collaborated on a topping to sprinkle on top. Here is the result of our efforts:

Apple Crumble Pie

6 or 7 apples (we used Galas)
1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 unbaked pie crust

Topping:
1/2 c. oats
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Chop apples into slices and place in a large bowl.* Mix with flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour apple mixture into pie crust.
In separate bowl, mix oats, sugar, nuts and flour together. Melt butter and pour into dry ingredients. Mix well. Sprinkle evenly over top of the apples.
Cook for 35-45 minutes.

*You can peel the apples if you wish. I prefer to leave the skins on as it gives further texture and color to the pie.

As the apple pie was cooking, someone commented that the kitchen smelled like Thanksgiving. I love when the kitchen smells of the flavors and spices of autumn!

We enjoyed the apple pie later as a night-time snack after digesting the burgers, hot dogs and pumpkin pie, chatting around the kitchen table. I love opportunities to enjoy the company of wonderful friends and delicious food. :-)

Happy Birthday, Fr. Masutti and Dominic!