Seasonal sweets

The enticing aroma of apple pie baking in the oven brings back memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas morning.  Those were the two days out of the year in which my mother baked her apple pie.  Which was a shame, really, because it was just plain fabulous! Her pies were extra large in size and bursting with apples.  Try though I might, I simply cannot replicate it.  She's given me her recipe but mine never seems to turn out quite the same.

Meredith Vieira offered her apple pie recipe several years ago and I have "tweaked" it a bit to satisfy my husband and I.  Unlike my mother, I try to make it as often as possible during the Autumn season.  For me it is pure comfort food!  And I like to justify it by telling myself how healthy it must be, eating all those apples. Something about "an apple a day keeps the doctor away...."

In case you are an apple pie novice, here is the combined recipe of my mother Ann, Meredith, and I:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

6-8 apples - Granny Smith and/or Macintosh  (I use Granny Smith - at least 8)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 small tab of butter
pie crust pastry (I use Pillsbury Pie Crust)
pie plate

Peel and slice apples into 8 sections.  Place in large bowl.
Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
Roll out bottom crust on a floured board.  (I put a tiny amount of flour on the bottom of the pie dish)
Place bottom crust on pie dish and fit to size.
Pour cinnamon mix over apples and stir.  Then place seasoned apples on top of the crust.
Dot the apples with small pieces of butter cut up.
Roll out then cover the apples with the top crust.  Turn under the edges and either pinch or press down with the tines of a fork to seal.
Brush a little milk over the crust.  I then make tiny slices and pricks with a fork to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 50 minutes.

Savor the aroma and enjoy!!