I am trying… desperately trying. It seems that many of the things I usually love to do… blogging, photography, cooking, reading, etc. are hidden somewhere among a mass of things that stress me out. Those activities that I deeply love to do are falling into the same categories as cleaning my house, paying the bills and shaving my legs. Things that I have to do but that just don’t make me jump for joy.
I am finding great happiness in my kids right now, which I am thankful for, but I need more than that. I need to feel productive and I want to BE productive, but the part of me who has the energy to produce just isn’t coming forward right now. She is hidden… sleeping in a deep coma apparently hidden until the day when this pregnancy isn’t knocking me down every time I feel like I can stand up.
This past Monday, I did find a smidgen of energy and decided to use it to please my husband. Not what you think people… I baked him an apple pie. He has been so good through all of this and I appreciate his love so much. No matter what, he always seems to pick up the pieces that I let fall and he does it without a bit of resentment. I felt like the one day I had some energy and the desire to cook something, it would only be appropriate to make him one of his favorite desserts.
As most of you know, I am pretty much a stick to the recipe kind of cook. One of the exceptions to that is when I make apple pie. I go off of one of my favorite recipes and then rarely measure. My apple pies are a scoop of this, a scoop of that and usually filled with more sugar than should be allowed! I always combine brown sugar with white sugar because I like the caramel taste the brown sugar adds when mixed with the apples. Gone by noon the day after I made it, and only eaten by one person in our house, I would say that this pie was much appreciated and quite a success!
Kentucky Apple Festival Apple Pie
SERVES 6
Crust
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Filling
- 7 granny smith apples
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup sugar (I always use half white sugar, half brown sugar)
- 1Tbs flour
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- Crust: Mix shortening, 1/2 cup butter and flour.
- Add boiling water, salt and baking powder.
- Mix well.
- Separate into 2 balls; place between 2 pieces of wax paper; roll.
- Filling: Peel, core and slice apples.
- Lightly mix cinnamon, sugar, flour and lemon juice with the apples.
- Heap into pastry lined pie pan and dot with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.
- Cover with topping crust; slit to allow steam to escape. (I always brush with a bit of milk and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top).
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes then reduce temperature to 350° and continue baking 45-60 minutes.
- Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie from Baking and Books
- Spicy Apple Pie from Anne’s Food
- French Apple Pie from Andrea’s Recipes
- Apple-Cranberry Pie with Oatmeal Cookie Crust from The Recipe Girl
Make sure you get in on the giveaway for your own copy of The Taste of Home Cookbook. Details can be found HERE.
The only way I made it through the beginning of my pregnancy was to make sure I had a lot of recipes in my back log! My poor husband – he was lucky if he got one home cooked meal a week!
I’m going to try the half white sugar/half brown sugar next time. This pie sounds amazing!
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Hello friend! I’m so glad to see you had a burst of inspiration and energy. I think it’s just beautiful that you would point all of that energy at making you husband feel good.
The pie looks absolutely dreamy! I have a bag full of apples that I know just what to do with now.
Hang in there! I have a little inspiration I need to send you. Will you email me your address when you have a moment? Yay! Thanks!
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I bet your hubby was pleased, lol! Welcome back to the blogland you mojoless blogger!
clumbsycookies last blog post..Chocolate Chip Cookie Chart!
Apple pie a la mode is my favorite. This version of apple pie sounds yummy. I like the idea of the caramel-y filling.
kamailes last blog post..Pomodoro Pasta with White Beans & Olives
Pregnancy is tough! Way to go to findyour mojo — that pie looks fantastic!
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WOW, if this is what you come up with when you’re feeling sluggish then you are truly amazing. If I felt like you felt, I’d be buying pie and disguising it as my own.
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What a sweet family! I think Apple Pie is the perfect autumn comfort food and I get all nostalgic about most things “Kentucky.” Sounds like a nice recipe.
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Oh, that looks so splendid! I could eat half that pie myself!
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I love brown sugar with apples too, I’m a sucker for caramel! When you do find your mojo, would you mind checking if mine is hanging out around with yours? 😉
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Your pie looks wonderful! Somtimes cooking by instinct just turns out so much better than the recipe.
Hope you are feeling more interested in doing the things you love soon!
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What a lucky husband!!!!!
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Perhaps your mojo is hanging out with my mojo. All I know is that my mojo has stayed out past curfew and needs to come home. 😉
What a great pie. The crust looks so flaky.
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That’s interesting. I had never heard of adding boiling water to the crust before.
I lOVE apple pie. I think it’s my favorite and I like to play around with it. I think this weekend I’ll be making apple-pear pie because I got some really nice pears from my CSA.
Very kind of you to make pie for your husband, and sounds like he really appreciated it!
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OMG CRUST IS SO FLAKY
ok now that that’s out of my system…very sweet post. 🙂 glad you got a little mojo back–every bit counts.
-danielle
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If your husband still doesn’t read your blogs, you need to sit him down (that won’t be easy) and read this one to him. The nice things you say about him are true. Aren’t we the lucky ones! Is losing your mojo the way you knew you were going to have a baby (re:Jacob)? Love you, Mom
hey!
looks as if you are half way back in finding your mojo. your apple pie looks delish! i totally get what you mean. i have to be productive as well as being a mommy. thanks for your candid-ness. its refreshing.
enjoying your blog.
So glad to see you blogging again! Hopefully you will find that happy balance soon. Life does tend to get in the way of the things we love.
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Oh, sweetie! you are being too hard on yourself – this looks amazing and very “mojoey” to me. 😉
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this wouldn’t last very long in my presence, i can tell you that! apple pie a la mode has yet to be topped as my favorite dessert. it has to be good apple pie, though, and this is definitely good. 🙂
hang in there!
Warning! Pregnancy may be hazardous to blogging.
Maybe I should have posted that sooner. Whoops! Now you have your own little loaf of Challah in the oven. 🙂
I am the same cook as you – my husband can throw something together and it tastes great.
I on the otherhand have to look and say “okay, the recipe calls for 1 tsp. of baking soda.”
But apple pie I can eye-ball!
Hope you feel better soon!
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I hope you are feeling more in the mood of the things you love soon! I think it is normal to go off the boil occasionally!
Your apples pies sounds very similar in flavour to the apple crumble I made for my hubby this week too. It is definitely apple season 🙂
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That was so sweet of you to make it for him, and it does sound like he loved it.
My dear Kristen, this is not the time to worry about the mojo. It is on vacation with my mojo down in Puerto Vallarta.
You will perk up eventually. In the mean time, don’t even think about it. Just go with what you know. Do a couple of really good repeats for those of us readers who haven’t read your entire archive. We all understand. Nella
Congratulations on baby #4!
This pie recipe looks TO DIE FOR!
Kristen- Don’t forget that you are very productive right now. You have helped your baby make skin, bones, organs, muscles, fingers and toes, eyes and ears…no wonder you are so tired- look at all you are doing!! Hang in there- you’ll make it! Love apple pie too by the way!
I love apple pie!
Take it easy.
Sometimes we want to do more than a human being is able to do and we get all stressed out. Now the time is for relaxation 🙂
nice website! can’t wait to try some of your recipes!
Brown sugar makes everything better.
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Glad you’re getting a little more energy, and hopefully a lot of rest too! This pie looks so delicious and I’m sure your hubby enjoyed it!
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This look amazing — and I’m sure your husband appreciated your energy going toward making this deliciousness!
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I think it’s hiding beneath the covers because it’s too cold to come out!
I swear, we really WERE switched at birth! The first 2 paragraphs could have been written by me {minus the pregnancy part!}. I so feel the same. I want to be productive, I yearn to be organized! I just can’t force myself to do it most of the time. And lately it just feels like something has got to give. And since the house won’t clean it’s self and the kids are my true joy and they need me, it probably means the blog…
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