Apple Pie

As if things haven't been busy enough, I decided to bake an apple pie.......

 

While my mom was here, we visited Rouster's Orchard, which is about a 30 minute drive from where I live.  It's a family owned farm and their apples are really, really good. 

So in keeping with my Fall mindset, I made apple crisp the other night; it's all gone.  And today, I decided to make an apple pie.  I used the recipe from Joy of Cooking for my apple filling and the traditional Crisco Recipe for my crust.  I used the Deep Dish Double Pie Crust recipe as the pan I used is a little larger than most. 

Now, I'm no "Martha Stewart", but I think it turned out pretty good for a gal whose pies usually fall around the Thanksgiving holiday in the pumpkin variety. 

I've never quite learned how to make it look pretty.  Maybe I need to make a few more......you know the old saying, "practice makes perfect." 

Joy in cooking! 

HDP

Simple, Light and Delicious

Lemon Cake!

I was in the mood to have something sweet following dinner.  So, I looked through the cupboards to see what I could come up with......I had everything I needed to make one of our family's favorites; Lemon Cake.  I found the recipe on-line a couple of years ago.  You can find the original recipe by following the link.  I don't make the icing they recommend and instead do a simple glaze.  Below is my version of their cake:

Heather's Version Light Lemon Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray bundt pan with cooking spray and lightly flour

Ingredients:
1 box Yellow Cake Mix (I use Duncan Hines)
1 box Instant Lemon Pudding (I use Jello brand)
1 3/4 Cup water
2 Egg whites

Mix ingredients in large bowl on low for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake 40 - 50 min. or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack 10 - 15 min. and carefully remove from pan.  Let cool completely.

Glaze:
1 1/2 - 2 C Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons of lemon extract OR fresh lemon juice (more or less to suit your taste)
1 Tablespoon of water

Wisk glaze ingredients together until you get a good drizzle consistency.  If too stiff, add a little more water.  If too runny, add a little more powdered sugar.  Once the cake is cooled, drizzle glaze over cake.

YUM! 

HDP

Pizza and a New Book

I like pizza, I always have.  There is something about a nice thick crust, gooey cheese and spicy pepperoni that goes so well together.  We used to frequently order out for pizza.  Here in Cincinnati, I'd say LaRosa's is the best.  But, when you cut your family income in half, you start looking for ways to save money.  Making my own pizza was one of those ways. 

My pizza has evolved over the past 4 years.  I'd like to hope for the better.  I used to purchase the refrigerator dough for my crust.  The kind you just plop on a cookie sheet and throw on some toppings.  It was ok, it just wasn't good.  I started experimenting with different dough recipes for my crust.  My Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook has a good recipe in it and I've been using that.  But this past weekend, my sister-in-law made a wonderful pizza for us, and her crust was just like what you'd get at a restaurant.  She told me it was the one on the Fleischmann's Yeast jar.  So I looked it up online and made it tonight; it was very good.  It wasn't as good as hers, my crust was a bit heavier, but it was still good.  I may need to get a different pan.  She prepared hers in a deep dish pan.  Not sure if that has any bearing on the texture of the crust, but it is certainly worth a try. 


NEW BOOK

I was gifted with a new book today.

Written by and illustrated by my dear son.  He "wrote" it for me while I was preparing the pizza.  It's a story about our family taking a trip to China.  As he would say, "I'm using my imagination".  He "read" it to me while the pizza was in the oven.  The story takes our family on a trip to China where we walk on rocks and grass, go swimming in a pool that has colorful lights, and then we walk some more under the sun.  Best book I've read in a long time. 

Happy weekend!

HDP