#35 Country Apple Pie

After a Thanksgiving Meal and eating leftovers, here are a few things that I should be doing--- first of all a few sit-ups in a futile effort to take off a few pounds. That will help me after all the feasts that
have and are about to unfold this Holiday Season.  Secondly, cleaning out my pantry of all the goodies and baking mixes I picked up at the store. Can we take a break from the kitchen? Instead, here I am
developing an idea to bake an apple pie!! This time I have a valid excuse too--- one of my colleagues-Richard, is leaving for another opportunity and we have planned a surprise Goodbye lunch on Thursday
so I baked an apple pie from scratch. I love to bake and share the joy, of course we all need a little more joy in this world.
Inevitably every single person has a story about their favorite dessert or cookie, and when we share it with others ---a normal occasion turns into a special occasion. This particular recipe comes from one
of my old McCall's Cooking School Collections. Baking is a soothing experience where precise measurements play an important part in a perfect end result. So I have been peeling, coring and slicing a
whole bunch of apples wildly, then making two 10 inch pie crusts from scratch, making the filling and then all that pie crust crimping. I wish I could share with you, the warm and happy feeling I get when I
smell something baking in the oven. When the pie comes out of the oven it will be magical and luscious and will be going straight to work with me tomorrow----Wish you Good Luck in your new endeavors,
Richard!

Ingredients:
For the filling:
Sugar-1 cup
All-purpose flour- 1/4 cup
Ground Cinnamon- 3/4 tspn
Ground Nutmeg-1/2 tspn
dash of salt
Lemon juice- 1/2 of a lemon
Apples(I used mostly Granny Smith and Red delicious)- 8 cups
Heavy cream or beaten eggs- 4 tablespoon
For the Crust:
Shortening /Crisco- 1 cup + 2 Tblspn
All-purpose flour- 2 2/3 cups
Salt-1 tspn
Cold Water- 8 Tblspns

Method:
1. Heat Oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core and slice apples to thin slices.
2. Measure 8 cups and keep aside.
3. Mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt for the filling ingredients . Add sliced apples and keep aside.
4. Cut the shortening into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle water 1 Tblspn at a time and toss with a fork until all
the flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans the side of the bowl.
5. Gather the pastry into a ball, Divide the ball into half. Store in fridge for about an hour. Shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface.
6. Roll the flattened rounds large enough to fit into a 9 inch pie plate. Press the first round down with fingers to fit the shape of the plate.
7. Stir in the apples into the pastry lined deep-dish pie plate drizzle with butter or heavy cream.
8. Cover the top with the second round from step 5 and cover completely, crimp the crust at the edges to seal and flute.
9. Make a few slits or make leaf or star shapes with pastry scraps if desired. Brush with remaining heavy cream or eggs.
10. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits.
Note: Cover the crimped edges with Aluminum foil while baking, to avoid burning. Remove the foil carefully during the last few minutes of baking to get an even color.