My Apple Pie Recipe

You guys saw my previous post about my apple picking adventures, and if not go check it out now! So if you were wondering what I did with that whole bushel of apples, here is the post that answers that :) This pie is a favorite in my family and I promise it will be in yours too, enjoy!

Here's what you will need:

• 6 Apples (I like Golden apples but whatever you like most will work)

• Double layer pie crust--I buy the Pillsbury packaged ones--they come in a roll and are two to a pack which makes the process way easier--you will need just two but I often find that having an extra pack on hand for any mistakes or to reshape the crust is really handy.
• 3/4 Cups of white granulated sugar
• One medium orange
• 2 Tbsp Flour
• Lemon juice
• 1 Tsp of cinnamon
• 1 egg 
• 1/4 Tsp of Salt
• 1/4 Tsp of Nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

•  Take your glass pie plate and prepare it for baking by either spraying it with non-stick spray or doing like I like to do and smearing a little butter around the whole thing evenly coating it.
• Next you want to peel all of your apples and slice them thinly removing the core parts.

• Once your chopped apples are in a bowl, squeeze a little lemon juice over top of them to assure that they don't turn brown while you are preparing everything else. Brown isn't a bad thing, it's just an esthetic thing ;)
• After this you will want to add everything else on your ingredients list. For the orange you want to use a zester/microplane or grater to zest the orange--I use 3/4 of the orange but if you're really not into the whole orange thing you can use none at all or 1/2 of the zest from the orange. I personally love the way the orange brings out all of the delicious the flavors we are going to add atop the apples, it's a perfect twist :)

• Spread out the pie crust in the bottom of the pie pan assuring that there are no air bubbles, mine was a little short (this can be fixed by using a rolling pin to flatten it out a bit more) but ideally it would hang a smidge over the side of the plate.
• Next place all of your seasoned apples in the pie plate and even out. 

• Now roll out that second pie crust and cover the apples, there are two ways I like to do so, either a traditional cover-all or a lattice design, either way is beautiful :) 

This one is only partially completed, but it is a lattice design, it's actually rather easy to achieve, just have to get the pattern down :) My boyfriend did it because I was having no luck with hand eye coordination this evening hahaha We looked up a YouTube video on how to make this top layer so if you aren't sure by just looking at the photo, just watch a video :)

Pictured here is the traditional cover-all design which consists of covering the whole pie and crimping the edges with a fork to seal them together. We then make four slits in the top so that the pie can "breathe" and bake thoroughly.

• After covering the pie with either design, you will want to make an egg wash of beaten egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush this over top the crust evenly and pop them in the oven for about an hour continuously checking on them. If your edges start to brown too quickly too soon in the baking process, cover them in aluminum foil or a pie crust cover, those are super handy! Continue baking and then let them set to cool for about an hour or so so that everything can come together and not be watery. 

**There is a chance that the pie will bubble over because the juices that are being made on the inside are that divine, just place some foil or a baking sheet underneath of the pie at the beginning of the baking process to keep your oven clean.

Last but not least, let your taste buds enjoy :) This can be served with a scoop of vanilla ice scream for a really rich treat!

This gal has baked three of these in the past two weeks,
xox

Highlights From Day 5 Of My Vacation: Huntington Beach

We didn't do much today as this was our designated beach day, but Huntington was a great spot to see for sure! Surfers, gorgeous homes, great shopping and food, Huntington has it all and I was glad to be a part of the Tuesday madness today :) The beach is very clean and there are people of all walks. People playing beach volleyball, mini lifeguards in training, families and couples alike--everyone was there for the same reason, to have fun and soak up the sun! I definitely want to return to Huntington some day--even the High School was GORGEOUS! Now we are home and making some brownies--nothing like Tuesday night baking :) 

Tomorrow our plans are still tentative but I'm sure we will end up doing something fun--maybe another beach day--Venice or Santa Monica maybe? I think the SM Pier is calling our names ;) 

 The only thing I hate about California so far is the occasional traffic and the gas prices---

xox

Calling All Nutella Lovers: NUTELLA COOKIES INSIDE!

I am not a fan of Nutella personally, I know start yelling at me now, but I am just not that into chocolate products, and lets face it, this tastes like hazelnut chocolate! However, when incorporated into a cookie, I simply couldn't keep my little hands off of these things! Here is just another way to eat Nutella that will for sure leave others asking "how did you do this?!" :) It is SO simple too! Keep reading below for the recipe, and my next Nutella recipe is coming soon!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup Nutella
1 egg
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Yields Approx: 25 cookies

Directions:

1. Mix together the  butter with an electric mixer or a whisk (my favorite) until everything is incorporated and a smooth consistency.
2. Next put in your brown sugar and your white sugar and mix those very well until the consistency of the mixture is light and airy.
3. Now you are going to add in that egg. If you are using an electric mixer be sure to have it on a low speed so you don't get splattered! Also add your vanilla at this time and then the Nutella!
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add  these ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until incorporated. 
5. Fold in the chocolate chips now, bringing up the mixer speed to medium at this point.
6. Now it's time to make the cookie rounds! Take about teaspoon full and roll them into little balls.  I use a cookie scooper to do this with ease and to assure the same size cookies, after all presentation is key remember! :) ** A trick I read online somewhere was to put the dough in the freezer after rolled into the cookies for about 10 mins or so before baking to prevent them from becoming so spread out, I don't know how well this works per-say, because I haven't really ever tried these cookies without doing it lol BUT I say what the heck why not? :)
7. I baked my cookies about 8 minutes (Remember I put them in the freezer before hand, if you didn't maybe drop the time by 2 mins).
8.  Let your cookies cool and then serve them up with a big glass of milk! YUM!

Let me know if you guys try this out! They were gone in a day! :)

Nutella isn't just a spread after all,

xox

Holiday Series: SUPER Easy Treat to Bring to Holiday Dinner's/Parties!

Although many company parties have passed, my family and a lot of others get together for Christmas Eve.  Whether it be for a more formal party or just spending quality time with one another and sharing a warm meal, I know I always feel obligated to bring something, even if I'm not asked to.  Below is something you have probably all eaten at one point or another and I know I am not the only one who has posted about this, but this was my journey so come along if you wish :)

Peppermint Bark requires NO baking and you can even do it with children, which is another thing I absolutely love.  It pleases a lot of different people because its not too overpowering and has something most (minus myself!) love, chocolate.

Here's the super simple "recipe" I used---way too easy for me to even think of this as a recipe haha:

Things you will need:

*Parchment Paper
*Small Baking Pan (or large if you're going for a larger amount)
*2 16 oz. packages of chocolate morsels--NEVER bake with chocolate you wouldn't eat alone (good quality chocolate)--it just comes out bad. For this you can mix white and milk chocolate or do all of one etc. Totally up to you! This amount makes enough for a small baking pan. Adjust accordingly
*Peppermint Candy Canes or Candies
*optional*--Cute Treat Tin

Directions:

1. Line your baking tin with parchment paper, this makes it so easy to get the chocolate out after it's done.

2. Melt your chocolate in the microwave. I did one minute, stirred it and then did one final minute and it was perfect! You want to melt them separately.

3. In the meantime, grab a food storage bag/plastic bag and put about two handfuls of the peppermint candy inside. Place this bag on top of a cutting board and begin banging away. I used my rolling pin and it worked wonders. WARNING: The bag can tear a little if you go "Incredible Hulk" on it so beware and if you feel like you want to be extra safe, double bag them :)

 

4. After the chocolate for the first layer is smoothly melted, spread it around the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.  Try to get as even a layer as possible and smooth it down really well. Place this in your refrigerator for about 20 mins or until nice and hardened. --While you are waiting for this, go ahead and melt your white chocolate morsels :)

5. Spread the white chocolate in the same exact manner, right on top of the hardened milk chocolate.  Do this quickly because the cold from the milk chocolate will make the white chocolate harden pretty quickly.  The reason we want to work quickly is because we want to sprinkle our peppermint crumbles on and have them stick and set in the mixture before it hardens! (As you can see some of the peppermint pieces are bigger than others and some just look like peppermint dust, this is because some people prefer a nice chunk of peppermint and some like just a hint--this way you please everyone!)

6. Grab your decorative holiday tin and line the bottom with tissue paper.  On top of the tissue paper (just on the bottom layer) line that with a rectangle of parchment paper.  (this makes sure you don't have tissue paper directly on your food product.)

7. When your Peppermint Bark has completely hardened in the refrigerator (about another 25 mins to be safe) remove them from the pan and cut into little rectangles or squares, whatever you want. Nicely place them in your tissue lined tin and place another piece of parchment paper over the top before folding the tissue paper over to close.

8. Tape two candy canes on top and slap a bow on and you're set to go! This makes a great gift, is SO inexpensive to make and literally can be done without ever turning on your oven, does it get any better than that? Not to mention that I am not even a chocolate lover, but this my dears is delicious! I will be making this for a holiday party I am attending this weekend, and I can't wait to see how everyone likes it!

To stress-free & yummy Holiday treats,

xox

Good Eats: Banana Cream Pie!

Yummm, as I type this blog post, I am craving yet another slice of this bad boy! So rich and delicious, who wouldn't love this recipe?! Lets get started: 

Ingredients: 

1 Medium Orange (I used a large one and found that it was super orangey so if you like this use a large one! I didn't mind :) 

1 Pre-made Nilla Wafer Crust (can be found in the baking aisle of your super market, if not use a graham cracker one!)

3 Bananas
3/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Box Mini Nilla Wafers
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1.1/4 Cup Whipped Cream (you may use light or fat free as well, tastes just as good!)
2 Tbsp. ROOM TEMPERATURE butter (I used organic, you can use regular if you wish--non salted!)
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup (can be found in baking aisle as well)
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Tsp. Salt (to bring out all of the wonderful flavors in this pie :)
5 Egg Yolks (I used Organic Brown Eggs, feel free to use whatever you prefer)
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract (yes a separate 1/2 tsp--this is for the pastry cream filling)
1.1/2 Cups Scalded Milk
1 Tsp. Unsalted Butter (yes a separate 1 Tsp. this will be used for the filling as well)
2.1/2 Tbsp of Cornstarch
1/2 Cup Granulated sugar and a pinch more to your personal liking :) (this is another additional measurement)

Cooking Tools You Will Need: 

Whisk
Rubber Spatula
Wooden Spoon
Medium pot
Medium Bowl
Zester
Liquid and Dry Measuring Utensils

• First you want to mix together all of the egg yolks and the 3/4 Cups of sugar. Add in the cornstarch and keep whisking until everything is a pale yellow color.
• In the meantime, bring the milk to an almost boil and when it has reached this point, add it to your bowl slowly while also continuously mixing the egg yolk and sugar mixture. 
• Pour this mixture in your medium saucepan and put the flame on low heat. While this mixture is warming, be sure to continuously whisk it until you realize it is thickened well. 

• Once your mixture is thickened, remove it from the heat and add the orange zest (this adds such a delightful taste!) and the 1 Tsp. of Butter.  Mix well and place everything in a bowl being sure to cover the top with plastic wrap. You want to place the plastic wrap right on top of the mixture instead of on top of the bowl, this assures that the pastry cream filling doesn't form a film at the top. Leave in the fridge until everything is cooled. 
• Next we are going to work on our homemade caramel! :) Begin by placing the water and light corn syrup into another medium sauce pan. 
• Add the second listing of sugar (1/2 cup) and be sure to NOT mix it all together, just let it sit there in a white mound on the bottom of the pan--I have OCD tendencies so this was SO hard to do haha
• Put this over medium low heat until you can't see anymore of the white sugar and you are confident it has dissolved.  
• After you see this, pipe up the heat to high and bring it to a vigorous boil, remember not to stir! This process will take about 10-13 mins, but be patient, you want to wait until it reaches a nice amber like color :)

• Once the mixture in your medium saucepan has turned an amber color,  turn the flame back down to low and add in your room temperature heavy cream. BE SURE TO DO THIS VERY SLOWLY! 
• Continue to whisk this heavy cream in pretty fast, you don't want to go too slow or the caramel will form a clump on your whisk, believe me, I've done that before! (your mixture is going to look pretty out of control once you begin adding the heavy cream, but take control of it and don't let it control you! lol whisk whisk whisk and you MAKE it come together! :)
• After everything is combined and you have what looks like caramel, add 3/4 of this in with your sliced bananas in a bowl and coat them evenly. (I say 3/4 of the caramel because you may want to use some of the leftover caramel as a drizzle for decoration before serving)

• Place this banana caramel mixture as the first layer in your pie, smoothing it our over the bottom. 
• Place your mini Nilla Wafers as a thin second layer right over the banana mixture. 
• Remove your heavy cream from the fridge (hopefully fully cooled at this point) and spread a layer of that over your Nilla Wafers being sure to smooth everything out evenly. 

• Lastly, take out your whipped cream and spread this as the final layer. I am going to warn you now, some of the caramel may ooze out of the sides depending on how thick you have made your layers, but have no fear, this can easily be wiped up and your pie will not suffer in flavor because of this :) 
• Don't worry yourself about being perfect while spreading your whipped cream, the "homemade" look is what we are going for anyway right?!
• Leave this pie in your fridge for at least 4 hours (I left mine over night because after 4 hours it still wasn't "set" all the way and not everything had congealed together as I would have liked it to at that point. 
• Place a piece of aluminum foil under your pie so that if any of that yummy filling leaks out, your fridge will be saved! 

There you have it! When you slice into this, you will have a little slice of heaven. You taste everything from the caramel to that sweet pasty filling and even the lovely orange--zest is pretty strong!

This recipe was a hit with everyone who had the pleasure of trying a piece, its truly a piece of comfort, and I LOVE bananas and anything banana so this is for sure one of my favorite pies to make :)

3 Bananas and some Caramel,

xox