Experiments with Apple Pie

It seems like I have not done a food posting in forever. No I am not on strike from cooking its just that I haven't been experimenting with anything new or doing anything that fabulous.

Last week I was inspired out of the blue to make apple pie to go along with our pork chop dinner. Now granted I LUUUVVVVV apple pie but I have never made it before in my life. (Isn't that terrible?) The biggest deterrent has always been that I didn't know a great pie crust recipe, that is until I learned Pioneer Woman's recipe. Only since then have I felt I had a foundation for making good pie. So I decided to take another page out of her recipe book and try her Flat Apple Pie Recipe.

Now I will tell you I had a hard time with this recipe because I did not thoroughly read the directions. It requires  2 pie crusts and I used one. DOOOOHHHH! Which resulted in too much filling, which tore the crust , which made filling spill onto the baking sheet and caused a hot smoky mess in my kitchen.  So my filing could have been a little more caramelly (is that even a word but you know what I mean) but otherwise it was totally tasty. The recipe for the filling yields a filling that is just right in terms of taste - not too sweet not too tart. I only modified it a bit by adding cinnamon. I am definitely going to use the filling in more traditional pies as well.

And next time I will use 2 pie crusts!

As you can see it is extra brown (burnt) around the bottom edges. But it was still really yummy.

Pioneer Woman's Flat Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 5 peeled & sliced Granny Smith apples
• 2 tbsp. flour
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust
• 6 tbsp. butter
• Cinnamon to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the apples, flour, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt. Set aside.
3. Roll out two pie crusts into large circles. Place the circles on large baking sheets.
4. Place half the apple mixture on one crust and other half on the other crust.
5. Fold over the edge of each crust so that it covers 2-3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better.
6. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of butter.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is golden and bubbly. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.
8. All to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter.

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Farmer's Market on the Piazza

Roe and I went to SPCA Adoption Day this weekend at the Northern Liberties Piazza. We have been going back and forth about adding a new fur baby to our family. We already have Donnie my faithful feline friend but Roe has his heart set on a dog. We have visited breeders but quite frankly at this point neither one of us has the time to properly raise a dog. So needless to say we came home empty handed but I do have some photos to post of some of the cute cuddly guys we met.

Every weekend on the Piazza there is a farmer's market and me being a foodie could not pass up all the yummy farm fresh goodies. I even was able to stop over at Brown Betty's Cupcake Boutique and indulge in my love of moist cakey goodness.

Roe went crazy with the make your own snack mix and they had toffee covered cashews - OMG a taste of heaven.

Of course I had to get a half a dozen cupcakes (and yes I did share with my husband).

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Planning a Luncheon for Mommy - Invitations

As Deb from Owl and Bunny can attest to a couple of weeks ago I was going back and forth regarding choosing an invitation for my mother's birthday luncheon I am hosting. My mother will be 59 this year and I was holding off doing something special for her until next year when she turns the big 6-0. However, my mother had a series of health scares the past couple of months one of which involved a potential diagnosis of cancer, which thank the Lord it was not, so I thought why wait. This is the perfect time to celebrate her life and show my appreciation to her for being such a wonderful and giving mother. So I decided to do a birthday luncheon at the Philadelphia Park Hyatt Bellevue XIX, one of our favorite restaurants, for her and 5 of her closest friends.

I wanted the invite to be feminine, light, and sophisticated and also keep with my mother's style and taste. I went back and forth as to whether I should make them myself, order print your own through etsy, or go all out and have them custom done. In the process I had a hard time making up my mind and kept waffling back and forth between the three options. I even went as far as drafting up an invite in Photoshop but put the kibosh on it when my mother said that she hates grey and of course the invites I designed were grey and yellow.

Then I decided to go check out Tiny Prints/Wedding Paper Divas. I order my Christmas cards through them every year (I know shame on me for not using etsy) and recall that they had some very pretty party  invites at reasonable prices. There I found a beautiful bridal shower invitation that I was able to customize to my needs. My mother loved it which was a big relief for me.

Now I can focus on florals and menu selection and of course I will keep you updated.

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An afternoon with the Woman, the Myth, the Legend - Sylvia Weinstock

This past Sunday my friend Cass and I went to a bridal event hosted by Eclatante in Northern Liberties. Cass and I are both newbies to the wedding industry and we thought it would be a great way to observe seasoned professionals. Well part of the draw for me for the afternoon was the opportunity to meet the legendary Sylvia Weinstock and I was not disappointed. Its clear that she is fabulously talented and one savvy business woman but its her  personality that really sells you. She is just a dynamo - witty, funny, and engaging. The thing I am hearing again and again from people in the wedding industry is that while you are selling your goods and services what you are really selling is yourself. And I can see how Sylvia can draw people in and make them feel as though that she is giving them a once in a life time cake experience. Unfortunately we didn't get to sample any of her cake but I didn't care because it was just so awe inspiring to hear her speak.

Now if I can just meet Martha ......

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I got a new toy!

Feeding my photography bug has taken the place of my shopping for clothes and bags .... well almost.

But I do admit that I sit and drool over the B&H catalog earmarking all the new accessories and lenses I want.  I bit the bullet and bought my new baby after taking a photography seminar earlier this month. My original plan was to get another body towards the end of the year but I couldn't hold out. Now my D3000 is relegated to my back up body and travel camera. I have already road tested my D90 and I love her. I see us doing fab things in the year ahead.

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Why my posting has been erratic

My posting has not been regular as I like because of .....

My photography has been taking off and all my free time has gone towards making it grow.  Juggling a full time job, establishing a business, and still keeping up on the domestic front is hard.

I have so much to share with my garden, recipes, shopping, and home but just need more time to blog. I love my little blog and all my blog friends and want you to know hey I am still here.

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FLICKR IS DOWN AND IT BLOWS BIG TIME

My Flickr account is down!!!!!

Because I discontinued service with Verizon which was linked to my Yahoo account which was linked to my Flickr account, I now have no access to Flickr till someone decides to respond to my cry for help via email to their  customer service.

This blows big time.

And means no blogging. Grrrrrrrrr!

And I pay to be a have a Flickr account. WTH.

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The Most Magical Kitchen Product - EVER

I want to introduce you to the most magical kitchen product ever created. EVER!

Bar Keepers Friend. And we are BFF's in the kitchen.

I use this product on my pots, pans, baking sheets, roaster, ceramic cookware, darn near everything. And it gets out the nastiest stains. All our beautiful Calphon cookware we got for our wedding is still shiny, silver,  and stain free.  Its just like new and its not from lack of use. It's from this little can of magic that is less than $2 a canister. Yes you read that right, less than $2. It even removes rust because my husband tested on that too.

I swear that you will fall in love with it too. So run don't walk and get yourself a can.

And no I am not being paid for this. I just really love this stuff that much.

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Hot Weather = Sweet Tea aka Liquid Diabetes

Anyone who knows me well knows that I do not indulge in caffeinated beverages or beverages that could potentially stain my teeth (red wine, strong tea, coffee). (Yes I am a clean teeth freak) I mainly drink water 98% of the time. But my one weakness is sweet tea which my husband and I jokingly call "Liquid Diabetes". And boy is it SWEET! Just the way both my husband and I like it. My husband's family is from West Virginia and my family from Georgia and Virginia so we were both raised on sweet tea being the drink of choice on hot days. And it just wasn't good if it wasn't done with a lot of sugar. The secret is to put the sugar in when its hot so that it dissolves. One of my pet peeves in restaurants is that they expect you to add in the sugar when its cold, then you have a pile of sugar at the bottom of the glass. YUCK!

I try not to make it too often but it is so easy and tasty. Plus for me it clearly falls into a comfort food category because it brings back fond memories.

So what is your drink of choice when the weather gets warm?

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Vintage Lens Cases

While I love my camera bag its kind of bulky to have strapped to me when I go out on shoots and every since hearing about the Shootsac I've wanted one. However, when you are establishing a business you have to prioritize your purchases and invest in what is going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. Unfortunately, the shootsac fell low on the list since it is a want and not a need. So I decide to take a trip over to my local camera shop Chestnut Hill Camera and see what they had to offer in terms of a small lens case that I could wear strapped across my body. I found a perfect little Lowepro lens bag at a great price but when the store associate told me they had vintage lens cases my ears perked up. I love vintage items and love to be a little quirky and different. When he brought out two large boxes filled with black leather lens cases I went gaga. I was able to find 2 in great condition which fits most of my lenses and for $25 they are a great affordable alternative for now. I am also thinking since they are padded that they may be great for using for travel on our vacations as well. Can't wait to put them to the field test.

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