fall supper

Last week we had the grands over for dinner.  The weather was perfectly fallish - crisp and a little breezy.  Chicken and dumplings are a favorite in our house, easy to whip up, but comforting and totally delicious.  We used Pioneer Woman's recipe, which can be found here.

                                  

For dessert we had fresh-from-the-mountains-apple pie.  (the apples, not the pie)

 When your pie crust doesn't look perfect, call it "rustic."  It sounds cool, and allows for imperfections.

 Introducing. . . Rustic Apple Pie.

Perfect.

For the crust we used this recipe, and for the filling we pulled out the handy Southern Living cookbook.  (recipe at end of post) 

A double recipe of crust is needed If you are doing a top and bottom on your pie.

Everything was delicious, the company was stimulating, (as Miss Bingley would say) and of course the sisters were gorgeous.

      

I think the head-tilt thing runs in the family. . .

I am so loving fall!  What about you?

Apple Pie

6 cups sliced apples

1 T lemon juice

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar (we used Sucanat)

2 T flour

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

2 T butter

Roll half of pastry out and place in pie plate. Set aside.

Combine apples, lemon juice, sugars, and spices.  Spoon filling into pastry shell and dot with butter. 

Roll remaining pastry and place over the top, folding or pinching excess crust until desired look is achieved.  (I say go for the rustic look.  It's super easy.)

Cut slits in top crust and brush top with a mixture of beaten egg yolk and half-n-half. (optional) Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or sugar.  (also optional)

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 50 more minutes.

Spring Supper

Today we'll make...

...Pizza Pockets!

You'll need :

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 t salt

2 sticks melted butter

1 cup yogurt

Stir these together.

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1/2 t garlic powder

1 1/2 t oregano

1 1/2 t basil

Simmer together on the stove for a few minutes. 

You can use your choice of filling ingredients - ground beef, pepperoni, olives, cheese, etc.

I used *fresh* ground beef.  It was our first time using the meat grinder and it was a success!  A little different than store bought though.  I really only ground my own to use up some stew beef we had in the freezer - my whole family is sick of soup!

Now, roll out small 2-3 in balls of dough into a circle, top with sauce and other toppings, fold and seal.

Bake @ 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. 

This is another Heavenly Homemakers recipe!