Been scouring all your favorite websites for sales? Check out the Sales page for the run down :)
Great, now that that's out of the way, here's what *I* look forward to most:
Apart from sewing, I also enjoy baking! This is this year's pie: Apple, Cranberry, & Walnut--and yes, that's a picture of my actual pie before I stuck it in the oven. Gotta make it look as good as it tastes!
Apple pie by itself is OK. My favorite version adds Cranberries for a little fruity sourness and walnuts for a touch of earthy undertones. I've made it a bunch of times and it never lasts 30 minutes anywhere I bring it. Wanna try? Here's my recipe:
Ingredients:
1 pie crust recipe or box of 2 pie crusts
4 apples (I prefer Cortlands for pies)
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sugar
1 t cinnamon
4 t corn starch
1 egg (optional) for egg wash
Preheat oven 400 F
1-Peel and core your apples and slice them into about 1/2"
pieces, not in wedges. This helps them cook more evenly and you don't get the edges dissolving while the centers are still crunchy! It's a game changer with apple pies, I used to screw them up all the time before I did this.
2- In a large bowl, mix your sugar, cinnamon, and corn starch.
3- In a second large bowl, combine your apple slices, cranberries, and walnuts. Stir to coat the cranberries & walnuts with apple juice from the wedges.
4-Pour fruit & nut mixture into the bowl with your sugar mix and toss until everything is evenly coated and there's no mix left in the bottom.
5- Roll out your pie bottom and put it in your pie plate (I use a 9" round glass pie. If you use a tin foil disposable pie plate, you may have too much filling)
6- Pour your fruit mix into the pie bottom.
7- Roll out your pie top and lattice or some other decoration and place over your pie.
8- Scramble your egg in a bowl and brush it over the top of your pie. This will give it an even golden color and prevent it from drying out.
Stick your pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes. No 'till the pie is done' or 'till the top is golden'. 45 minutes at 400 degrees.
Let cool to room temperature before cutting (about 3 hours)
Note: Lots of recipes have you add butter (2T, cut into small cubes), but I've done it with and without and can't tell the difference.