Making the Most of It

After 2.5 months away from home, Ben has finally finished his summer job and come back to me!  Yesterday, I had a minimum day which gave me time to go shopping to prepare for his homecoming.  He did not get home till 9pm last night, which gave me enough time to get ready.

First, Ben loves breakfast, so I made him coffee cake muffins for this morning.  (I also made bacon and eggs this morning to go with them).

Making the muffins!

Struesel for the muffins

Final product! 🙂 So tasty with my morning cup of Earl Gray.

Next, I made an apple pie!  I am loving this almost fall weather.  Hey, anything that’s less than 90 degrees in Canoga Park feels like fall weather, especially after the hot streak we were having.  Here’s a mini-tutorial below!  I used a basic recipe but I changed it, so here’s my own creation 🙂  You will want to pre-heat your oven to 425 F.

1.  First, if you are making your own pie crust, do so and let it chill for at least 15 minutes before baking the pie.  I use a recipe from the book, Mad Hungry.  Basically, it’s 2 cups of flour and 2 tsp of salt (mix).  Cut in 2 sticks of cold butter and mix till it has a crumbly consistency.  Then add 1/2 cup of cold milk and mix.  Separate into two lumps and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 15 minutes (results best if chilled for 1 hour).

2.  Next, core and peel 6-7 Granny Smith apples.  It helps if you have this awesome contraption from Pampered Chef!

2.  In a saucepan, melt 3/4ths cup of butter (a stick and a half) on low heat. Then add 4.5 tablespoons of flour and whisk till the mixture if froathy.  Next add in 3/4s cup of regular white sugar, 3/4s cup of packed brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a dash of nutmeg (optional).  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

What the mixture looks like while it simmers.

3.  Third, roll out your dough and put the apple slices in the bottom of the dish.  Then pour on the liquid mixture!

4.  With your 2nd lump of dough, you can either roll it out flat on top or create a criss-cross pattern.  I prefer the criss cross pattern!

5.  Now, put your pie in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325 and bake for an additional 35 minutes.

Enjoy:

What else did I do to welcome Ben home?  Well,I made him a sweet romantic gift, but I haven’t given it to him yet, so you’ll have to wait too!! 🙂  It comes with a story, so stay tuned!!