The Gift and Apple Pie - Good Cook Style

I had the most wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday.

A gift.

From the heart.

Is there anything better?

It was actually three gifts.

A beautiful handmade shopping bag (right up my Green Alley)

My daughter-in-law makes and sells these bags. How perfect is this for apple picking and fall shopping?

and two hand written thank you notes from my grandlittles. Click on the image below to read their message:

All three are instant heirlooms of my life. Keepers. Treasures. Something to smile about every time they are taken out for viewing or use. I put the thank-you notes in my special little photo album, right next to their pictures that I took while babysitting for them.

Sometimes the smallest things make our days the very best.

This is the apple pie I baked for my son, DIL and littles during my visit. You already have the ultimate pie crust recipe - now here's the ultimate filling.

Harvest Apple Pie*: (makes 1 big delicious pie)

Fresh apple pie with dried cherries and brown sugar streusel.

One 9 inch blind baked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put a heavy, rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.

3 pounds apples. Your choice - granny smith, macintosh or whatever you have picked yourself (the best choice!) peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges, then 1/2 inch cubes. (about 7 cups)

Filling:

1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped (this is optional, but oh so good)

Streusel:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (quick oats are okay)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar and salt. Using a fork or your fingers blend the butter into the mixture. It will be very moist. Set aside.

Make the filling:

In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the sugar mixture to the apples and toss well. Stir in the cherries.

Mound the filling in the pie crust. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apple mixture, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps. Put the pie on the preheated rack. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, rotating the pie half way through baking. Transfer to a rack and cool completely before cutting. The pie can be stored at room temp. for up to 2 days.

* Adapted from Fine Cooking. Oct/Nov 2009 issue.

A Cook's Notes: Pears work extremely well in place of the apples and make for a nice change. I am making this pie to take to a dinner party on Friday night. The guests of honor are from Scotland and I thought a slice of Americana would be appropriate!

Grand Littles and Pork Tenderloin and Applesauce

I've been absent for a few days.

I was on a mission.

My mission was to care for my two grand littles for two whole days while their mommy and daddy went to work.

Now I know from experience that a 3 year old and a 2 year old can be exhausting. But hard? Please, I am a woman of experience. I am a woman of years. I am a woman of reason. And I have managed to raise a few littles of my own while keeping plastic bags off heads and running with scissors to a minimum. As far as I know all of my littles have reached kidadulthood with fingers, toes and limbs intact.

Here are my two little darlings on our first morning together. They are having a lovely breakfast of orange juice, dippy eggs and sausages that I prepared for them. It is 6:00 am.

Is God even awake at 6:00 am? Never mind, the littles were hungry and I was up to the task of feeding them.

Later that day the little angels demonstrated their superior art skills for me.

Oh what a wonderful day. We went to the park, visited my parents and had a picnic lunch. A refreshing three hour nap later and we all began preparing dinner for mommy and daddy.

I ended the evening by meeting up with old friends for a cocktail. By the time I arrived back at the littles' house, everyone was tucked in bed and sound asleep.

Until 2:00 am. And 3:00 am. And 5:00 am.

And of course everyone was up by 6:00 am.

Apparently the peaceful ease of my first day "on the job" was a tactic littles use to lull their prey into a false sense of superiority.

The second day:

6:00 am - everyone is awake and in the kitchen.

6:30 am - Mommy and Daddy leave for work.

6:35 am - Little #1 informs me she must go potty.

6:40 am - Little #1 tells me she needs privacy in the bathroom and asks that little #2 be removed.

Little #2 does not want to leave the potty room. Little #1 screeches at a never before heard by human ears decibel rating that SHE NEEDS PRIVACY.

I turn my back for one minute and little#2 begins to cry. She is clutching her arm in pain. This is the conversation that ensues:

Me: Little #1 - did you hit your sister?

Little #1 - no, I bit her

Little #2 - wailing at top of HER lungs

Me: (picking up #2, and carrying out of bathroom) Don't you dare bite your sister!

As I stepped over the threshold of the bathroom I heard the most sickening sound of all. The door slammed and a soft click of the door lock followed. Little #1 had shut the door and locked us out.

Me: #1, you unlock this door this instant.

Silence

Me: #1, can you hear me?

Silence

Me: #1, this is Nani - you come out right now.

Silence

Me: #1, do you want me to call your daddy and have him come home?

Silence

By now I am frantically trying to remember if my daughter-in-law has any chemicals or toxins stored under the bathroom sink that #1 may have gotten in to. I am also looking for something, anything, to stick in the little hole in the doorknob to somehow unlock the door.

Me: #1, can you hear me? Little #2 has stopped crying and is watching me with amusement. It is apparent she has witnessed this little scene before.

7:00 am: #1 has been locked up for 20 minutes. Okay, no time to panic. I am an adult. I am experienced. I am Super Nani... THINK! I cannot call my son and DIL in a panic... can I call the fire department in a panic? Will the FD keep it confidential - I mean do my son and DIL have to know about this little incident?

I decide to try a little psychology (pun intended)

Me: #2, let's go play. Just leave #1 by herself, you and Nani will have so much fun. (said while pretending to walk away from bathroom door)

Silence.

I force myself to wait for a full 3 minutes all the while with my ear pressed to the door.

Me: #1 I've had enough. If you don't come out right now Nani will not take you to your dance lesson.

I hear a a very slight rustling, a turn of a lock and the door swings open.

Little#1: Okay, I'm ready.

Little#2: Hi #1 (giggling)

OMG.

The rest of day went fine but I will never underestimate the power of a little again. At 6:30 pm I head out the door for the long, peaceful drive home.

I slept like a log (not a little) last night.

And seriously, I can't wait until I can do it all over again!

A Cook's Notes: I'm still putting my house back together from the hardwood floor installation and the stair man is coming today to refinish the staircase. Tonight's dinner is a repeat of a previous post: Pork Tenderloin and Homemade Applesauce. Bon Appetite!

Strawberry Fields Forever... Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Strawberry Vinaigrette

Sometimes life just hands you one of those days. 

A great day. 

Full of sunshine. 

Fresh Air. 

A strawberry field. 

A good friend to share the ride.

A nice dog. 

And two of the cutest littles around. 

I had one of those days this week. 

The strawberries are coming in fast and furious here in the Northeast. "They are ripe for the picking" as the saying goes; so when my daughter-in-law called and asked if I'd like to meet her and the grand littles for a morning of strawberry picking, I was out the door with my basket faster than you can sing "Strawberry Fields Forever"

Meet Hannah, 3 years old: she liked the sweet red ones and NOT the sour green ones.

And Jillian, 1 1/2: she liked ALL of them.

And a very nice yellow dog, he liked the girls. Seems happy, doesn't he?

Strawberry Vinaigrette:

10 strawberries, washed and hulled

1 teaspoon sugar or honey

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar

1/2 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Put the strawberries, sugar, and dijon mustard in a blender. Puree. Add vinegar and pulse again. With motor running on low, slowly drizzle in olive oil to emulsify (mix and thicken) Season with salt and pepper. Check seasoning with a piece of green. Adjust if necessary.

Serve over a bed of mixed baby greens, sliced strawberries and goat cheese crumbles. Yum.