Monday, November 14, 2011

my favorite holiday

Thanksgiving is far and away my favorite holiday. I love everything about it - the food, the time with family, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I Love It! I think it's the tradition I love. Tradition is the opposite of change and ask anyone who knows me: I. Do. Not. Like. Change. When I was like four years old my grandmother bought a new couch. I was devastated. I laid on her bed and cried as I watched the movers carry the old couch out of the house. My great grandmother came in and gave me all of the change they had found in the cushions of the old couch. It is a very vivid memory for me. And not much has changed. I could tell you about the time I laid across the hood of my old car in the car lot and bawled my eyes out...but I won't.

So anyway, I think that's why I like the holidays so much, it's all about tradition. I'm in charge of pies for our dinner. I have a ritual. I get up, turn on my little kitchen tv (it's shaped like and apple and CUTE!) to watch the parade while I make the crusts. Typically I make five pies. Two pumpkin, two pecan, and one apple of some sort. This year the apple is gonna be honey, rosemary apple! The pie pictured was my test run. I had to make sure it was gonna be okay, you never know when adding something savory to something sweet.
Into the baking of the test run pie I decided candied rosemary on top of the pie might be nice...and it was sooooo good! I need to work on the candy-ing process, but it will be good by turkey day! I kind of made up the recipe, but it turned out so I thought I would share:

Honey Rosemary Apple Pie

1 double crust pie crust - I highly recommend making your own! It's not hard!!!!

5-6 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey depending on how sweet you like your apple pies
3 tablespoons of flour
1-2 teaspoons of rosemary, whole or chopped (I left mine whole because I wanted the more rustic look)
two tablespoons of butter (NOT MARGARINE!)

preheat oven to 375

Add everything to a large bowl and toss until the apples are evenly coated with flour and honey. Pour into the bottom crust. Dot the top of the apples with the butter. I just pull it into bits with my fingers. Put top crust on. I did a lattice crust but you can do a regular crust and just poke vent holes with a fork. You can crack open and egg at this point, whisk it together and brush the egg over the top of your pie to give it that lovely golden color - I add sugar crystals at this point too (makes it sparkle!). Wrap edges of crust with foil for the first half of baking so it doesn't burn. Put the pie in the bottom third of the oven (this helps the bottom crust to back and not be mushy). bake for 25 minutes. Take the foil off and bake another 25 minutes. Take your pie out and put it on a cooling rack...setting your pie right on the counter can cause the bottom crust to get soggy.

All done!