Apple Pie

I believe in family rituals. Big time.

One of my most vivid rituals from childhood involves a Mr. Johnny Mathis and a very skippy “Sleigh Ride”. Best part? We all sang the skips… and laughed every time! I would lay money that we all still know them. And now that I’m thinking about it, even today, I am challenged to sing along with Johnny without including the skips. I mean, as soon as that album came out of hibernation each year – we were keenly aware that the holidays were upon us – and we played it all the time. Talk about programming! That album, that song, held so much meaning and created so much joy for our family. THE BEST! This version will forever take me back to very warm, very special times. And that is what family rituals are all about.

I realize it’s a little premature to be singing Christmas songs, but hey, if the radio stations can do it (95.3 in Syracuse)…so can I! Besides – it makes me happy. (Yes, I am one of those people who will tune in to Holly-FM starting on October 5th. Don’t judge.)

So…what do Apple Pie and Johnny Mathis have in common? Ritual, of course.

I made my first apple pie of the season today. Apple pie says autumn. It says, refreshed breathing, crisp cool air, falling leaves, and Thanksgiving. And for our family, it also says, more time to linger at the table, more cinnamon and brown sugar in the pantry, and a bumpy hayride at our favorite orchard. It says, aromas wafting, taste-buds anticipating, and stretchy pants welcome.

Oh yeah, apple pie’s a pret-ty big deal in our house.

I first learned this recipe back in the late 1990’s. We were new to our community and I became part of a women’s church group that made apple pies for the annual Fall Festival. These ladies produced pies like it was nobody’s business. I can’t tell you how many they assembled in an hour’s time. It was such a sight to behold as well as an awesome education.  And let’s just say our church community never left the festival hungry.

Making apple pie, correction, making crust for apple pie had always intimidated me. But this recipe was so simple that even I could do it – which means – even you can do it!

I remember scratching out ingredients on the only paper my friend had available at the time, a blue envelope. And because there wasn’t enough room to write the remainder of the recipe on the envelope, she tore me a piece of brown paper bag to finish writing. This is so funny to think about. I guess we were fearful that we might shut down the entire operation if we stopped even for a minute to look for a decent piece of paper. But, what I could not have known then, that I do know now, is that this recipe would become one of our family’s all-time favorites and that the paper that it’s written on is almost as special as the pie itself. My kids won’t let me replace the envelope with a recipe card. So to this day, this is what I refer to when I make my pies…

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tape up the sides.

So how can something so not pretty, be so beautiful? I guess that’s what rituals will do to “a thing”. Scratched records, tattered recipes… I suppose that is what love, over time, looks like.

I’ll take tattered and torn, any day. It says, ‘we’ve stood the test of time’. That means something. That means everything.

So what’s tattered and torn in your house?

I’d love to know!

Ciao!

Apple Pie

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• Author: Ciao Chow Bambina
• Category: Dessert

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Ingredients

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• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup ice water
• 7–8 apples, sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. flour

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Instructions

1. Combine flour, shortening, salt, and water in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are well combined.
3. Pat dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
4. Place in refrigerator for the time it takes to make the filling. (30-60 min.)
5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
6. In a large bowl combine apples, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and flour.
7. Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut in half.
8. Roll out each half to use for the bottom and top crusts.
9. Place first dough in pie plate.
10. Fill with apple mixture.
11. Place remaining dough on top.
12. Crimp edges and poke holes in top to release steam.
13. Decorate with remaining bits of dough. (Optional)
14. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
15. Remove when golden brown.

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