Skillet Apple Pie

A friend of mine first brought a skillet apple pie to a dinner we had here at the house.  She and her husband had received a Pastorship at Mt Joy Baptist Church, where my Dad carried me and my Brother to church when we were kids.  She got the recipe from a lady there who had brought it to a function.

Easy Skillet Apple Pie

4 lb tart apples
1 t ground cinnamon
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 c butter
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 (14.1 oz) package refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg white
2 T granulated sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel apples, and cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges.  Toss apples with cinnamon and 3/4 c granulated sugar.

2) Melt butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet over med heat: add brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly 1-2 min or until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat, and place 1 pie crust in skillet over brown sugar mixture, spoon apple mixture over pie crust, and top with remaining pie crust.  Whisk egg white until foamy.  Brush top of pie crust with egg white: sprinkle with 2 T granulated sugar.  Cut 4 or 5 slits in top for steam to escape.

3) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly, shielding with aluminum foil during last 10 min to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.  Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with Butter-Pecan ice cream.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

They make life much easier:  left to right

1.  Garden utility cart.  Handy for transporting heavy loads with ease, or small children.

2.  Straw hat with 3" or greater brim with vent holes above inner sweat band and bolo tie to keep it stay put  for Summertime wear.

3.  2 lb sledge hammer.  Makes driving light duty fence posts a snap.

4.  Army issue rain poncho.  This is just about my most favorite thing.  Keeps you nice and dry and you can still use both hands to do chores, or stay alive.

5.  LED headlight.  Same principle, hands free light for work after dark.

6.  Boonie hat with string tie for Springtime and Fall wear.

7. Rubber boots.  Gotta have 'em.

8.  Padded coveralls.  These are lightweight and provide a lot of warmth.  Add stretchy belt to keep them in place.

9.  Grabber.  Handy around the house and yard to extend your reach, or pick a burr out of a llama's tail.

10.  Boggin with ear flaps and neck tie.  Helps keep 'ya warm in the Wintertime, and it's coming.

Summertime Equine Oil

"Happy Jack Frost", a sensitive mule, finds this combination of a popular bath oil, reputed to have insect repellent properties, to his liking.  Add about 12 drops per ounce of Eucalyptus Essential Oil to this product for an effective rub.  No need to spray.  Just pour a little into the palm of your hand and apply. About one-fourth cup should be adequate and can increase or decrease according to size and location.

Smile Yourself Happy

It has been said that "The eyes are the Windows of the Soul".

I have looked into the sad little eyes of the little girls who have lost their Daddy, who had taken his own life.

I've looked into the empty eyes of the man that I loved when he told me he was leaving.

I've looked into the eyes of beloved pets that have begged me to end their suffering.

And I have looked into the Eyes of Love.

I also have looked into the eyes of love through my family and friends and my little canine companion gazing at me sleepily from the corner of my couch.  Those big brown eyes whose love cannot be fathomed.

Smile.  It may seem impossible sometimes.  Some might say it denies the cold, hard facts of life.  It might be so.  But one thing I do know is that we cannot live without joy.  No, we aren't going to sit around on a cloud for all of our life but we can't live under one.

Our souls aren't equipped to live in sadness all of the time.  We must hold on to any rescue attempts like a drowning man who holds on to a life preserver attached to someone who can haul you in to shore and maybe that "Easy Bake Oven" or "Cabbage Patch Doll" or "Furbee" didn't get there until after Christmas, but hey, It still got there.  So smile yourself happy, pretty soon your feelings will catch up with your face.

Love,
Cheryl