Thankful Thursday & Acorn Inspired Crust Design

Thankful for a few things today.

My family.

Wild Maine Blueberry pie with and acorn inspired crust.

Red Sox winning the World Series at home!

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

My experience with making apple crisp is limited.  I never felt that I could "nail" the crisp part of the apple crisp, which is a key part of the recipe!  LOL!  Well, I found a recipe from Ina Garten which inspired me!!!  It was delicious.  I tweaked it quite a bit, and I've noted my changes below.

Serve this warm, or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - it's the perfect autumn treat, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients
5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples (I used Cortlands)
Grated zest of 1 orange (did not use-didn't have any and it was 10:00 p.m.)
Grated zest of 1 lemon (did not use-didn't have any and it was 10:00 p.m.)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (did not use-didn't have any and it was 10:00 p.m.)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (did not use-didn't have any and it was 10:00 p.m.)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used a 1/4 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (a pinch)

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced (I used 1 stick + a 1/2 stick)

I added a pinch of ground cloves 

I added a pinch of allspice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. (I did this by hand, but the mixer would have made it easier). Scatter evenly over the apples.

Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

I know I made a lot of changes, so it's not really Ina's recipe, but it was still very delicious, my husband loved it!  

Go Red Sox!!!

Halloween ~ ha ha ha

Boo!!!  No, I haven't gone off my rocker - yet!  I was looking around on Pinterest for some simple Halloween decorating and menu ideas.  I found some really cute things that don't take a bazillion hours to create or prepare. Seriously, who has that kind of time today?  I hope you enjoy my little spooky post!

Some fun decorations

Fun with dips!  Guacamole or spinach, or a traditional pumpkin!

Cocktail ideas

Spooky tablescapes

Sweet Treats

Cute Candy Corn

I hope you enjoyed my Halloween post!  

Here's a post I did two years ago!  Have fun!

Scary Movies!