best apple pie

 Found this little apple pie and it's simple, but oh so delicious!

apple pie 
makes 1 pie

1 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger powder

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar., cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Combine sauce with sliced apples. Stir to coat the apples. 

2. Place the bottom  crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust, Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. 

3. Bake 15 mins in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 35-45 mins, until apples are soft. 

apple torte

 a variation of the NYT's original plum torte. We often make this with fruit that we need to eat up, but for whatever reason aren't eating it very quickly. With whatever fruit, it's always excellent!

apple torte
makes 8 servings

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1-2 apples, sliced
sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon for topping

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Cream the sugar and butter together in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs. Beat well. 

3. Spoon the batter into a springform pan. Place the fruit skin side up on the top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar (use turbinado sugar if you have it) and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon. 

4. Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees). 

one pot garlic parmesan pasta

 an easier and tastier alfredo sauce that actually sticks to your pasta. We ate this with some of our leftover christmas lamb and green beans. 

one pot garlic parmesan pasta
makes 4 servings

2 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
8 oz uncooked pasta
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 mins. 

2. Stir in chicken broth, milk and pasta; season with salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 11 mins (may vary depending on your pasta). Stir in parmesan. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached. 

4. Serve immediately, garnish with parsley if desired. 

scalloped potatoes

another dish to put into the holiday meal repertoire. this was perfectly creamy, but not overly so.

scalloped potatoes
makes 6 servings

5 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped oinoin
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives or green onions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 2 1/2 quart baking dish. 

2. Layer potatoes and onion in prepared baking dish.

3. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, parsley, and pepper. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly, about 2 mins. Pour broth mixture over potatoes and onion. Cover baking dish with foil.

4. Bake in preheated oven until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour and 45 ins. Remove foil and continue to bake until golden brown, about 15 mins more. Sprinkle with chives or green onions to serve.