Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups

I am always looking for those easy, "grab on the go" meals to freeze. I will be making up a batch or two of these, filling them with our favorite filling for those days, most days I dont have time to spend in the kitchen....

Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups from Pillsbury.com

It has to be Granny....

When I think of Apple Pie....

Only one word comes to mind

"GRANNY!"

This for two reasons..

One for the type of Apple (Granny Smith) used in my pie

and Two for the person who taught me how to bake...

Granny as in "My Mother"

My niece being the first grandchild born,

had the privileged rights to name her Grandmother, (my mother) what

would be the name her grandchildren would come to know her as..

As I was picking and choosing the perfect apples from the high, very well stocked bin,

My thoughts were moving faster than lighting thinking how tasty this pie was going to be

on this Beautiful Autumn Day..

 

Deep dish pie plate filled with Granny Smith Apples and Spices

Crust Topping with egg wash

Top sprinkled with generous amount of white sugar and slits made on top for release of heat and steam during baking

Straight from the oven Hot Apple Pie..

RECIPE:

2 (9 inch) pie shell
6 cups sliced apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
One egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg.Sprinkle mixture over apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Spoon mixture into pastry shell and place butter cubes on top of apples.  Top with second pie crust sealing the ends together by pinching dough.
3. Place egg in small bowl and whisk, spread egg wash on top of pie crust with pastry brush.
4. Sprinkle white sugar very generously on top of egg wash.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until top crust is golden brown.
6. Cool to desired temperature and serve with your favorite ice cream... 

                
This pie did not make it one hour before 
the first piece was cut

              
 Baking Pies is something I very much enjoy doing,

                                   However, I do not do it often enough, though... 

                                  And last evening as I was chatting
                                       away with my cousin on the phone,

                                  My Aunt, (Mother's Youngest Sister) phoned ME  

                                     to ask a question about Pumpkin Pies
                                 I was so honored my Aunt thought of me when
                                     needing directions in baking...

                               Yes..Granny, I was paying attention to
                                       EVERY detail....

How much is this??....."One Dollar"

A blog friend posted a few days ago her beautiful creation she made for $10.00,

A Fall Wreath made from items she purchased for $1.00 each at the Dollar Store....

I have the most awesome Dollar Tree in my area,

it's clean, organized and stocked like an old fashion 5 and Dime Store..!!

Evey time I stop in, I feel like a kid in a candy store..

and they really do have candy..

Came home with a package of Hershey's PB Cups...

FOR ONE DOLLAR!

Here is my $10.00 Fall Wreath Creation...

Basic wood wreath

I purchased Garland Fall leaves on a vine and removed the leaves from the vine

Hot glued the leaves evenly around the wreath

Added the pumpkin and two gourdes I purchased...Final Outcome

This project was easy in preparation and in the wallet..!

Take me back in time......

 

Old Sturbridge Village In Massachusetts,

was one of my most favorite places to have visited..

Particularly this time of  year,

When the days are warmed with the sun and the air has a bit of cool crispness to it...

I love strolling along old cobble stone lined streets that once 

had the presence of children playing while the live stock were herded 

throughout the town, the clanging of the town blacksmith could be heard in the distance

while maybe a political debated or two had once been discussed at the town square...

Our visit to this quaint little piece of history was on one of the most spectacular

Fall Weekends during that year...

It was the first stop of several as we made our way north to 

Kennebunkport, MA

Kennebunkport is a small East Coastal town,

The streets are lined with many novelty stores to which I remember having

a fun day of shopping and talking with the locals...

The Ocean was within our sights as we found our way walking around

the narrow sidewalks, feeling the cool ocean breeze on our face...

During our little stroll, we eventually found our way to

The Landing 

along the water front...

Our trip home the following day had one stop in Massachusetts,

The Plimoth Plantation

Here we spent a entire afternoon at the Plantation 

stepping back in time with the 

Native Wampanoag Indians and Pilgrims of

the 17th century... 

I must share, this is where I had the most

delectable Whole Maine Lobster Meal..EVER!

I do not recall the name of the restaurant,

only remembering it was on the water front and very comfortable in

decor...And

The lobster was sweeter than sweet with no butter needed or added...

 

So...If you find yourself traveling the East Coast,

I highly recommend taking the time and stepping back into history,
throughout the New England States.

 

It's Time To Say Good-Bye For The Summer....

Niece Shayna, Nephews Keegan and Seth at Hershey Park Chocolate World

I can not wrap my brain around the fact summer is coming to a close...

Although I LOVE Fall,

Summer is by far my most favorite season...!!

Shayna and Amy(BFF's Daughter) getting in some Ice Cream Time at the "Cone"  These two lovely young ladies are four days apart in age...

Keegan eating one of Aunt K's Cuppies

NYC...Brother Mike, SIL Trina, Keegan, Seth and Shayna

This summer was filled with many visitors to my home,

which meant my time away was very little...but I'm not complaining..!

Keegan getting in some swim fun at Aunt K's

Brother Mike and I

The summer started off with a visit from my Oldest Brother, Mike 

and his family from Texas.

The last visit for Mike home to PA was almost 12 years ago,

so it was time for him to make the trip..!

The time spent here went by very quickly,

Day trips around the area, NYC

Family gatherings and just hanging out made for a really good time for all....

Mike and I can talk for hours and hours....its probably a good thing we do not live too close to each other!

Waiting to board train for NYC

Me and Sue during her visit

Another visitor was my good friend, Sue from Florida.

Sue and I have been friends from way back during our Nursing years 

at the same hospital...

Sue's daughter, Danielle and my son Jere are the same age,

We became friends quickly after meeting while on duty and

sharing every day events about our children and life in general...

Much of the summer was also spent having friends over for summer time swims

and cook outs...

 The very last gathering was a surprise today from my dear friend, Paula

along with her son and daughter...

I haven't seen Paula for some time,

We do keep in touch, just not "in person"

those busy schedules just have a way of keeping people..busy

Ending the visit with more chocolate, the kids made their very own chocolate bar...

All in all, this summer turned out to be a very memorable one...

I am so very lucky and blessed to have good friends and family who want to 

share time with me and my family..!

 I hope your summer was a memorable one too..in a very good way!

Happy Fall

Faded Memories...

Recently my dear cousin, Patti and I were able to steal some time away from busy schedules

and go back in time a bit to our childhood with old photos her mother had tucked away in an album.

When my cousin went in search for some photos I had asked if her Mother may have,

She found an entire album filled with years of memories...

Each picture was carefully placed and labeled...

We had such a good time remembering while looking back through the years...

Growing up there were six grandchildren..

My two brothers, Mike and Doug

My cousins and siblings, Patti and Jim

Then I came along, with our cousin Tracy bring up the rear...

We do have two younger cousins,

Todd and Shane..they however came way behind us in age and unfortunately did not

experience growing up with the fearless 6...

My grandparents built the farmhouse after all four of their children were born..
My grandfather, my father and great-grandfather worked together building what would
become a place we all came to know as....
Grandpa and Grandma's.


My Grandmother cooked Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner
every year for the entire crew...
Never taking any help or covered dish from either of her daughters or daughter in law.
Grandma cooked for days,
preparing the pies and cakes, puddings and stuffing...
We all sat around the very large dinning room table and ate until our hearts and tummies were filled to the brim...
At the end of the meal, 
it was a contest to see who would get to the chocolate pudding first..
And grandpa usually...almost always...DID win..!

Through out the year, there was never a question where or what we
would be doing...
It was spent on the farm on Sunday evenings, where all of us gathered..
The grown ups sat either on the porch or in the very large kitchen
and chatted away for hours...
while the kids rode bike, roamed the farm,  or all 
piled on top of Grandpa's Hemock and swinging as fast as we could until it did eventually come lose, which at that point we all found 
ourselves on the ground.
The cold winter months were spent playing in the basement where we
rode bikes continuously in a circle around the steps,
avoiding a head on collision with the coal stove,
to which none of us to this day understand how that never happened..

During the summer months,
our time together was spent from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon
at the Family Cottage at Red Point, MD along the Chesapeake.
Here is where we would gather early in the mornings and eat a huge 
breakfast prepared by my grandmother, Aunts and my mother,
I can still smell that bacon..!
Eggs were made to special order, mine was always...Sunny Side Up!
After breakfast the men would take off
in the boat and fish for a good part of the day
returning with their catch, (cleaning what they caught in the back yard on the
wooden stump), the daily catch would  then be part of our dinner....

The rest of us would wonder the grounds or play games while the men fished,
eventually finding our way to the beach.  We had a very short
walk to the beach, our cottage was water front and within a very short walking
distance to the road leading down to the beach and docks..
Our entire afternoon would be spent swimming and playing off the floating dock..
Red Point was where all the grandchildren learned to swim and we all
were/are very good swimmers...!

What I will always remember:
My grandmother made her own Popsicles...used Miracle Whip for everything,
always had a fresh pie made and sugar cookies in the cookie jar...
Grandpa was very quiet, but had a smile that melted your heart..!
He chewed tobacco, never ate from a paper plate or drank from a paper cup,
he could fix anything, cleaned his dinner plate with a piece of bread,
and always had a piece of that pie for dessert grandma had freshly made...

Patti, Aunt Sally and Me on Aunt Sally's Wedding Day at the Farm House before the ceremony...

Me apparently getting ready to take a nap on Grandma's kitchen floor

Me taking early steps at the Farm House

Me on the beach at the family cottage, Red Point, MD

(L) Cousin Jim, Brothers Doug and Mike, Cousin Patti standing in front of huge Evergreen Tree at the Farm

The Fearless 6..Back row: brothers Mike and Doug, Cousin Jim..Front: Me, Cousins Tracy and Patti

Brother Mike on beach at Red Point, MD

(L) Grandparents, Hannah and Leroy, kitchen at Farm (R) Grandparents on Porch swing at family cottage in Red Point, MD

Grandmother, Hannah...this is how I will always remember her...dressed like a lady adorned with apron.

Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me...

I have so many great memories of my childhood to which I owe credit to wonderful family and values...