Thursday Thanks and Apple Pie

It's Thursday again and time to count our blessings! Inspired by Tamara from 31 Dates in 31 Days, I'm taking time each week to slow down and take note of the goodness in my life.

Today I am grateful for crisp fall days, the promise of holiday fun and family coming soon, and for the goodness of homemade pie. Is there anything better than a flaky, salty, buttery crust filled with custard, cream, or fruit? You'd have to try hard to convince me.

As with everything else, I have a hard time choosing a favorite pie. Coconut cream, Banana cream, German Chocolate, Apple, Berry, Pumpkin, Lemon cream . . . I love them all. And I come from a pie-loving family. This year we will have 9 adults and 9 kids at Thanksgiving dinner (three of them babies) and we will have at least 7 pies. And more if we have time to tack on a couple more! So when I look at the grocery ads and see Sara Lee frozen cherry pies on sale, I feel sad for anyone that will be eating them at all, but especially on this feast day made for pies.

Now my husband, he's a decisive man. He has no problem choosing favorites-- and when it comes to pie, his is apple. No question. In fact, what he likes is a very traditional apple pie made with Golden Delicious apples. No added nuts or berries, no streusel topping for him. When I first learned this about him, I was resistant. Why not tinker? Why not jazz up a boring old apple pie? But over the years, I have learned to make a good apple pie just the way he likes it-- and guess what? I love it, too! I may not have a favorite, but this apple pie ranks in my top five (or seven). And that's saying a lot.

The recipe that I have used for the past three or four years came from a friend from church, Mary Jeane. She likes to use Gravenstein apples best, but did I mention that Jared likes Golden Delicious? If you make it my way, it won't be a tart pie, but you won't mind. I guarantee.

For a great crust recipe and tutorial on how to do your own pie crust, go over to my friend Prudence Pennywise's blog. She did an excellent step-by-step guide last year. Her introduction about making a pie crust as one of the top things people are frightened of is pretty darn funny. Don't be scared. You can do it. There's no comparison to homemade.

Now the filling. You will need:

• 6 cups thinly sliced apples. Minimum. Use any variety that bakes well. If you don't know what that means, ask your produce guy or just buy Golden Delicious like I do.
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of kosher salt
• a couple pats of butter
• milk for brushing the crust
• an 8 or 9 inch pie plate

I will tell you the honest truth-- I don't really measure this. I cut up 6 cups of apples, decide it will never be enough, and cut up some more. Once I've filled up my large mixing bowl, I start with the ingredients listed and then add a little more of everything because I put in more apples. If this style of baking freaks you out, just stick to the recipe. I just like my apple pies loaded with apples.

Put the apples, sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and use your fingers to mix it all together. The pile it into your prepared crust and mash it down a little. The apples are going to cook down anyway, so if there are a lot of air pockets, the pie will collapse. I like to use enough apples to really mound it up. Now put two pats of butter on top of the apples.

Roll out your top crust and gently lay it over your filling. For a beautiful, bumpy pie, gently press to almost mold the crust to your apples. Don't stretch the crust, though. Now get your finger wet and run it along the bottom pie crust, then seal the two crusts together. I don't get fancy with my edges, I just pinch them between my finger and thumb.

Now put a few slits in the top of the crust. Or use a little cutter to cut out shapes. The steam needs a place to escape, but it's okay to make it look pretty.

If you want, to give it extra wow factor when it's baked, brush the crust lightly with some milk and sprinkle with sugar. For best results, cover the edges of the pie with a bit of tin foil or a pie guard to prevent the crust from over browning.

Now, pop it in a 350 oven for about an hour. When your entire pie crust is a beautiful golden brown and the filling is bubbly and looks thick. If you really aren't sure (and the slits you cut for steam are big enough), poke a knife into an apple and make sure it's soft.

Let the pie cool on a cooling rack. If you can let it sit for a few hours (I make my Thanksgiving pies on Wednesday for sanity's sake, but I'll admit that we occasionally dig into the apple pie the night before), the filling shouldn't be runny. Serve it with vanilla ice cream. Because it's just better that way.

Now go forth and conquer. And if apple pie's not your thing, find a great recipe online or in a magazine and try it out. Don't let food intimidate you. There is gratification in making good food for those you love!

And leave me a comment, please: What's your must have pie at Thanksgiving? Can you choose just one, or are you like me, who loves them all?!

For some reason, I've never taken a picture of this pie in all it's glory, and although I love you, dear readers, I simply can't make all these delicious goodies two weeks in a row without some serious consequences. So for now, you'll have to look at the top photo. The apple pie is the middle one in the pie stand.:) I'll throw in more photos next week.

Thursday Thanks

My dear SIL, Tamara, author of the 31 Dates in 31 Days blog (and soon-to-be-book), suggested last Thursday that we take time each Thursday this month to count our blessings and to feel grateful. This completely tied in with some counsel we recently received from Thomas S. Monson, counsel which hit home when he said it. Here is a little of what he said,

"We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

I also came across a little saying this summer that gave me pause, as being content instead of wanting stuff is a struggle of mine: "The secret to having it all is believing that you do!"


Anyway, I decided to take it a step beyond commenting on Tam's blog. I need to cultivate within my heart (and the hearts of my children) and attitude of gratitude. Additionally, I need to get back on the wagon with blogging. I miss it. I miss hearing your comments. I miss feeling like we are in this whole crazy thing together. So I am going to try to post every Thursday indefinitely about something for which I am grateful. Sometime it may just be a quick list, sometimes something more thoughtful. But I'm hoping it will help me to see how truly blessed I am and prompt others to count their blessings as well.


So, this Thursday Thanks post is going to be about how grateful I am that I feel supported and helped so much in raising my family. My mom, Jared's parents, and many friends help us all the time in making this work. I honestly don't know if I could have had five children without so much support from these people. I am thankful for the people who are a good example in my kids' lives; for Cub Scout leaders, teachers at church, piano teachers, coaches, neighbors, and friends who go out of their way to know my children and to help mold them into people of virtue, of integrity, of kindness.


Today during Kimball and Henry's rock climbing class, I took my younger kids to a nearby sanctuary zoo and invited a friend to come along and bring her granddaughter. We had a great time, but over the course of the outing a couple of my children had some not-so-nice moments that included whining, pouting, fighting with each other, and even hitting. The drive home was excruciating because they were over-stimulated, over-tired, and touching each other (heaven forbid). I was so thankful to have Nancy there with me-- not judging at all, but rather commiserating and giggling a little with me over their ridiculous behavior. As frustrated as I was with the kids, because of the way that she acted I wasn't mortified, nor was I afraid that she thought they were monsters. It's the little things that count in friendship and that help us moms feel supported instead of torn down. Thanks, Nancy!

To my mom and in-laws who are always so willing to help watch kids or take them on a fun outing, I am so grateful. I really believe that home schooling is the best choice for us and a blessing, but sometimes we need a little space from one another for an hour or two and our parents help facilitate that for the good of both the kids and me.


I'm thankful for Kimball's Primary (Sunday School) teacher, who never acts like she is irritated with him, nor grumpy that he is her responsibility, even when he is sliding out of this chair or making silly noises during a quiet moment. She does her best to understand his challenges, handles them matter-of-factly, and loves him for his strengths. She is as gem.

There are so many others who help and support me as a mom in raising these five wonderful, spirited, unique little people, and I am grateful for each and every one.

What are you grateful for today?