Apple Pie With Streusel topping

Golden Delicious apples work well in this pie because they retain their texture and do not flood the pie with juice. I like the flavor of Gala and Fuji better though. If you have access to fresh apples, they usually make the very best pie. The apples need to be sliced about ¼ inch thick, measured at the thicker end. If the slices are thinner, the filling is apt to turn mushy; if thicker, the pie will not hold together when cut. Resist the temptation to add other spices or flavorings. A hint of cinnamon is all that is needed.

Pastry Dough
2 ½ pounds apples (5 to 6 medium-large, measuring 6 cups)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Streusel Topping
⅔cup all-purpose flour
⅔cup packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Roll the dough into a 13-inch round, fit it into a 9-inch pie pan, trim the edges and crimp. Refrigerate.
3. Peel, core, and slice apples a little thicker than ¼ inch. Combine the apples with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring several times, so that the apples soften slightly and will better fit into the crust.
4. Pour the mixture into the crust and gently level with the back of a spoon. Dot the top with the butter pieces.
5. Blend the streusel ingredients with a fork or pulse in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread topping over apples, making sure to cover all.
6. Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Slip a baking sheet beneath it; reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F, and bake until the fruit feels just tender when a knife or skewer is poked through, 25 to 35 minutes more.
For the filling to thicken properly, the pie must cool completely on a rack, 3 to 4 hours. If you wish to serve the pie warm, place it in a 350˚F oven for about 15 minutes. The pie is best the day it is baked, but it can be kept for 2 to 3 days on the counter.

Susie's Potato Bacon Soup

½ onion, chopped
8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 potatoes, cubed
2 cups water
1 can evaporated milk
3 tbs Butter Buds
¼ tsp salt
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Cook potatoes and onion in water until tender. Don’t drain the water.

2. Slightly mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add evaporated milk, Butter Buds,
bacon, and salt. Add milk to thin it if needed.

3. After it has cooled slightly, stir in cheese. Garnish the soup with grated cheese on top.

I love this soup. I always double it, because it is never enough. Here are some tweaks that I've made. Be sure that the potatoes are Russets. I've tried other varieties, and none do the job like a plain Jane Russet potato. I cook the bacon in the same pot as I make the soup in. I use pepper bacon (Daleys from Costco is the best ever). It adds a lot more flavor than regular bacon. Even after draining the grease from the pot, you're still left with some bacon flavored pepper flakes. I have also added a couple of cups of frozen broccoli, peas, and cauliflower, (just to make me feel better about all of that cheese and bacon). Broccoli is by far my favorite addition. Thanks for the recipe Susie!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

3 c pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2-1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce to taste
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or to taste
1/2 tsp. onion powder or to taste
Little salt

Take seeds out of pumpkin and wash thoroughly. Lay on towel to dry (overnight is best). Mix butter, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt together. Stir together with seeds until all seeds are well covered. Lay out single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Taste after 1 hour 15 minutes, it doesn’t take long for the seeds to burn.

It's probably a little late in the year to post these, but they are so yummy, so remember them for next year!

Go Pokes!

Notice the shirt.

He always sings raggy music to his cattle as he swings
Back and forward in his saddle on a horse (pretty good horse!)
He's a syncopated gaiter
And you ought to hear the meter to the roar of his repeater
How they run (yes run!)
When they hear him come, because the western folks all know,
He's a high fallutin', rootin' tootin'
Son of a gun from old Wyoming
Ragtime Cowboy, (talk about your cowboy), Ragtime Cowboy Joe.
C-O-W-B-O-Y-S
COWBOYS!
COWBOYS!
COWBOYS!

Because it's almost Thanksgiving

I thought I should finally upload the pictures from Halloween since it is nearly Thanksgiving!


This is a typical Montana Halloween. Coats are always a part of the costume. These pictures are of the kids getting ready to go to the trunk or treat at the church.

Michael always carves the pumpkins with the girls. He will draw a variety of faces on a paper and let them choose which face will be carved on their pumpkins. Emma liked pulling the pieces out as Michael finished them. Christine finally was brave enough this year to help clean out her pumpkin. We had to convince her that she didn't need to wash her hands after every dip inside.


Christine's vampire pumpkin.


Emma's happy pumpkin. Side note: For some reason, my daredevil wants nothing to do with anything scary. She gets frightened very easily. Still no fear of physical danger though!


The finished products. The girls also got to paint pumpkins at a flower shop this year. Definitely something that we'll do next year (sorry, I forgot to take pictures).


The actual day of Halloween was beautiful! Now you can see that we have a nice witch and a scary witch. They wanted the same costume; it's all in the perception.


We went to Boo at the Zoo this year and Michael's mom and step dad were able to come with us. We all had a great time trick or treating at the zoo and seeing the animals.


They can't all seem to smile at the same time, so use your imagination to make this become one picture. Jacob was a perfect Tigger this year. He loves to growl and will growl at you if you growl first. He growled all day long, so cute!


We ended up with way too much candy, and then my parents brought up these from my grandma. Ever since I was little, when we trick or treated at my grandma's she would send us home with a gallon sized bag of candy. I still get a bag every year! The more that is added to my family, the bigger our payout. There are now four bags that come to our house. Luckily my mom was able to convince my grandma that Jacob isn't old enough for a bag, not even a little one, and no, he doesn't need cookies grandma - he doesn't even have teeth yet!

Anyway, all in all, a good Halloween. Except for one thing, we didn't get any trick or treaters! My father-in-law lives in an alley, and he even got some. As Michael put it, "Why did they skip the place with all of the cute pumpkins out front and go to the creepy old guy's place without any decorations?" Maybe next year.

Spaghetti with Tomato Garlic Cream Sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups milk
4 tbs butter
salt & pepper to taste
3 cups diced tomatoes*
18 oz pasta**

1. In a medium sauce pan, sauté garlic in butter over medium heat until very lightly browned. Watch carefully, this will burn fast.

2. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes. The roux should be a light golden brown.

3. Add tomatoes, milk, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thickened, stirring frequently. Serve over pasta.

*If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, this takes 2 of the 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes. I like to use Italian style (with basil, oregano, etc.)

**I have used quite a few varieties of pasta. If you use a tube or curly shaped pasta,
you’ll only need a pound of pasta.

A Few Isms

Just thought I'd write down these things before I forget them.

Christine while walking to school: Uh-oh mom, they broke their car. I can see the inside of it, and look at the outside! It's all wrinkled! (As we walked by a car that had damage to its front end).

Emma: Mom, who has sparkles on their noses? Does daddy have sparkles on his nose?
Me: No, I don't know anyone who has sparkles on their nose.
Emma: Uh-huh, Colin has sparkles on his nose and they're brown.
Me: Oh! You must mean freckles.
Emma: Yeah, sparkles.