J's 25th Birthday

Last night we celebrated my husband's 25th birthday...So I bought him a wheelchair and some dentures. Haha, I kept reminding him all day that he is now a quarter of a century old! Anyway, my mother-in-law, Shannon cooked a SCRUMPTIOUS feast of Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Okra, Black Eyed Peas, Creamed Corn, Biscuits, Lima Beans, and a gravy that was simply too delicious.



J and I...



The family...




For dessert, I made J's favorite, apple pie. But I forgot to snap a picture of it before we dug in. I ended up taking a picture of what was left over, but the apple pie remnants were not very photogenic. So I will simply leave you with the recipe:


Basic Pie Pastry

1 3/4 c. soft whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. canola oil
3 T. cold water

Put flour & salt in a large bowl; toss with fork. Make a well in center; fill with oil and water. Blend briefly with fork, then, using wide sweeping strokes, stir briskly until evenly mixed. Dough will be dampish and oily. Put dough in pie dish, and press out to cover the bottom and sides of dish evenly.


Apple Pie Filling

4 granny smith apples, sliced, cored, and peeled (I used an apple peeler/corer/slicer)
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 c. cornstarch
dash of salt
2 T. butter

Mix ingredients together, except butter. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter. And place on top of the pie crust in your pie dish.


Crumb Top

1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. soft whole wheat flour
3/4 c. oatmeal (I ground up oat groats, so that the "rolled" oats were fresh)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt

Mix ingredients except butter. Cut butter in with a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. (If crumb top becomes too dark while baking, cover loosely with foil, but remove foil the last few minutes of baking so the topping will be crisp)


I assembled the entire pie, and baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, then I turned the oven off and left it in there until we were finished eating dinner (about 15 minutes)


We are all still recovering from our food comas, but with a little coffee and a few trips to the royal throne, I think we will be in good shape! (A very round shape, that is)