Today we spent the day at Riley's Apple Farm in Oak Glen, Ca. We go every year and look forward to it all year long. Having finally perfected my apple pie recipe- we picked apples & are looking forward to baking them tonight. We found a tiny pig, raspberry bushes, cozy cabins & shot arrows. Mostly we had a chance to see family- which is always so special. We took a million pictures, but you get to see the good ones: 

When we arrived home we knew we had to get these pies made quick! Since we literally had just picked the apples- they are fresh and need to get into a pie. My pie recipe has been altered over and over again. I'm going for simple but ridiculously delicious. 

A P P L E   P I E   R E C I P E

you'll need: 

pilsbury refrigerated pie crust (comes with two round rolled crusts)

7 apples (fresh is better- I love to use 'rome' or 'pippin') peeled, cored, sliced thinly

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbs lemon juice

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 stick of butter

1 egg

1 tbs white sugar

step 1: mix together brown sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl

step 2: mix together lemon juice and apples in a large bowl

step 3: pour sugar mix into large bowl with apples and turn until apples are covered evenly with sugar mix

step 4: lightly flour round crusts and put one of the round crust pressed into pie pan or dish

step 5: mound sugar/apple filling into the dough in dish- stacking slices on top of eachother

step 6: take other round crust and slice into 1/2" - criss cross dough slices across one another vertically & horizontally (better explanation here: http://video.about.com/baking/Pie-Crust-Lattice.htm)

step 7: mix up one egg and lightly brush onto lattice top of pie- sprinkle white sugar, honey and cinnamon to taste

step 8: cut up stick of butter into small cubes and place cubes in between openings on pie lattice top

put pie in the oven for approx 30 min. - could be more or less - check on your pie every 10 min. 

Recipe can be altered and made into cup pies simply cut the pre-made refrigerated crust into circles that fit into cup cake pan. Lattice dough much thinner over cup pies. Same mix- same amounts. Enjoy!

santa cruz, taken by me

What a lovely weekend. More great food & a lot of listening. I really had a chance to hear people this weekend which is something I've been working on in my relationships. My Dad shared a lot with me about trees, crops, his Dad & how he wants to mend relationships. I heard my old friend Jeremy talk about the past and the present & we've known each other since I was 17, when I wasn't so interested in others. I heard my brother & although I'm worried I feel like I know him better now. We played pool, ate sushi and laughed a whole lot. What a wonderful weekend. I love the charm of Santa Cruz, Ca. I love the homes and the artisan food. I love the colors everywhere. What a wonderful weekend.