A Big Fan of Le Creuset

 Some people wonder why I am such a big fan of Le Creuset Cookware.  It all started after we got married and moved into our first house in the mid 1980’s.  I really wanted a great pan that would last for at least 10 years. I knew that Le Creuset was very expensive.  A very good quality pan from a good company.  But there was away that I could get at least one piece as a newlywed.  My dad and I pooled our Betty Crocker Catalog points.  With at least a 6 x 9 inch envelope full of points bundled up and a check for $35.00, I got my first piece. The money was from rebates and using coupons when I went grocery shopping.  The Betty Crocker Company use to put point’s coupons on everything that they sold.  I used those points for everything in my kitchen including my Oneida silverware, white Corelle dinnerware set which is also still in use, I bought this before I got married.

Fast forward to February 28, 2023.  The pan I bought in the mid 1980’s, is the pan I am using to cook dinner in tonight.  It is a simple Salsa Verde Chicken.  

1 double chicken breast 

1/2 cup Salsa Verde and water

Spray the pan with nonstick olive oil. Place the chicken in the casserole dish.  Wash your hands with hot soapy water.  Cover with the Sals Verde Sauce. Pour the water around the edges of the chicken.  

Bake at 350f for 35 to 45 minutes. It is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165f. The extra water makes the chicken more tender.  

This is dinner for 2 nights for us.  When we were younger we would eat this as 1 meal for 2.  

Over the years I would get more pieces for myself and my daughter.  I even passed down 1 pan that I could no longer lift do to arthritis.  My daughter now uses it for holidays.  In the long run the pan has cost less than $1.00 per year.  Over the years I have gotten a few more pieces, but the heart shaped pan is still my favorite.  It ranks right up there with my Kitchen Aid K-5A mixer bought in 1978 for a whole paycheck and still in use today.  

***Updated***Cranberry Sauce - No Sugar Added

 This is a new recipe to go with my new lifestyle.  No sugar has been added.  Some interesting substitutions have been made.  I added the walnuts for extra nutrients and crunch. 

Chunky Orange Cranberry Sauce

3 cups fresh cranberries rinsed

1 cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons of Penzey’s  Lemon Peel California Minced or the zest of 1 lemon 

1 cup walnuts broken into bite sized pieces (Next year 1/2 cup)

1 cup of orange juice- no sugar added ( get someone else to finish the small bottle  or juice the fresh oranges for you) (Next year apple juice)

Place cinnamon stick, lemon peel, and apple juice into a 3 quart pan. Cover and bring to a boil.  Add the cranberries and walnuts. Return to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. 

Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick. Place into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.  

Makes about 3 1/4 cups. The estimated calories for the entire batch is 1,028.  I saved 662 calories by not adding sugar.  If you want a truly low calorie version leave out the walnuts which have 766 calories,  which would leave you at 242 calories for the entire recipe. All these calorie counts are from information found on Google.  This has not been lab tested for calories. 

The picture below is what it will look like when cooking.  It does not look or taste like a traditional cranberry sauce.  It looks more orange than red, because of the orange juice.

When I call out a brand name it is because I use the product in my house for cooking. I am not being paid to advertise the brand. You may use whatever brand you like.  

* The orange juice made it too tart and I will use apple juice next year and less walnuts. The tartness got stronger as the cranberry sauce sat in the fridge. 

Single Serving Sugar Free Apple Pie

 I have been.craving holiday foods just because it is fall. I really wanted to go out and get a slice of apple pie today. So going out to get a fat and sugar laden piece of pie is out of the question right now. So here is my elegant solution.  

Sugar Free Apple Pie

Serves 1.

1 apple cored and cut into chunks

cinnamon 

30 grams or 1 ounce of the nut of your choice. If you have a nut allergy skip this ingredient. 

In a microwave safe bowl toss the apple chunks and the amount of cinnamon desired.  For a hardier taste I like more cinnamon.  Sprinkle with nuts.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Rotate a 1/4 of a turn and microwave for 2 minutes more.  

I know some people put cheese on their apple pie, so place the cheese on when you take it out of the microwave oven..

Please enjoy.  

Turkey Taco Salad

 This is a new recipe to our house that became an instant family favorite.  It is a one pot meal that makes 4 servings. It takes about 15 minutes to put together, with breaks in between to do things like hang up laundry or other quick chores. It does take about 30 minutes total cooking time.  When I call out brands, they are the brands that I use at home on a regular basis.  If you have your preferred brands that’s fine too although the taste may differ from mine. I also have not asked permission from the brand’s to list them in the recipe and if asked I will change to a generic listing.

This recipe makes 4 servings or more if you have small children. This also reheats well  This recipe may be double. You may also use this recipe in tacos or burritos.

Turkey Taco Salad

1 Soup pot, I use my Le Creuset soup pot

1 pound 99% fat free ground turkey

2 Tablespoons of  California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon  each of salt and pepper 

1 Tablespoon of dried Onion Flakes or 1 fresh onion diced.

1 Tablespoon of Penzey’s Spices Chicken Taco Seasoning 

10 ounces of Mirepoix mix

1 - 12 ounce package of Good and Gather mixed vegetables 

2 - 2 1/2ounces cans of Early California Sliced Ripe Olives

A nice fresh vegetable salad with your favorite vegetables. We use romaine lettuce as the base. 

Optional: shredded cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Add the olive oil to the pan and heat to a medium heat.  Add the ground turkey, salt, pepper, and dried onion flakes. With a spoon mix in the spice’s breaking up the meat. Cover and let brown. Come back every few minutes to further break up the meat until it is crumbled and no pink shows.  Change to a fresh spoon once the meat is thoroughly cooked. Add the chicken taco seasoning and mix in thoroughly. Then add the Mirepoix mix and if you are using fresh onion, stir in and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the sliced olives and the frozen vegetables and thoroughly mix in. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the frozen vegetables are thoroughly cooked.

While the frozen vegetables are cooking make up the salads. Place 1/4 of the mixture on top of the salads. 

To Much Salad Dressing

 I tried a new recipe for a farrow salad. I followed the directions including the dressing.  I came to 2 separate conclusions on the recipe.  

1. The recipe calls for too much salad dressing.  The recipe made a 1/2 cup and I used less than half.  John and I agreed that it was still too much salad dressing.  I personally think that Americans in general use too much salad dressing. I really want to enjoy the flavors of the salad and not some greasy concoction.  Most of the time I do not use salad dressing at all  

2. I need to go back to California Olive Oil and not the store brand which has a greasy texture and flavor.  My preferred brand was not available for a while for home shopping during COVID19.  I don’t use much oil on a low fat diet.  I need to pick up a bottle next time I am out shopping.  Along with red wine vinegar.  Don’t ask. 

By the way it was so bad hat I will not share the recipe. John will not eat anymore than the taste he took. I have it sitting over night in the fridge. I hope that this settles the flavors out a bit otherwise you do know where it is going, don’t you?

Baked Blueberry French Toast

 This is the special NewYears Day breakfast treat that I made for breakfast today.   If you have seen this recipe in a past blog I have changed a few things. There is no added sugar.  My thinking is that there are enough carbs between the bread, blueberries and milk so that no empty sugar calories are needed.  The blueberries provide enough sweetness.  I used duck eggs because of an allergy to chicken eggs, you may use the egg of your own choosing.  I used whole wheat bread, you many use gluten free bread or any other bread of choice. Egg bread is always a good choice.   I used vanilla soy milk, you may use any milk of choice except chocolate milk.  Look I do have to draw the line somewhere.  Plus I am not sure if it will taste good if made with chocolate milk.  I also did not add any additional salt because I feel we get enough sodium in our diets   Also there is sodium in the bread and milk   Trust me you will not miss it   

Pre heat the oven to 350f

Supplies Needed

1 8 x 8 inch baking pan sprayed with a non stick spray

1 2 quart mixing bowl 

1 fork 

8 slices of bread diced

1 cup fresh blueberries rinsed and dried 

1 cup of milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

Preparing 

Place the diced bread and blueberries in the baking pan. Gently toss them together making sure that the blueberries are evenly distributed   

In a 2 quart bowl place the eggs, milk and vanilla.   Mix well making sure that the eggs are well blended. Pour over the bread and blueberries making sure that the bread is evenly coated with the egg mixture. 

Carefully place the baking pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 use a knife to test for doneness.  If not done just put it back in for a few more minutes. Servers 4 to 8  

For 1/8th of the pan you will count 1 slice of bread, 1/2 egg, 1/8 cup milk and blueberries 

For 1/4th of the pan you will count 2 slices of bread, 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk and blueberries 

Thank You Brandy

 Brandy was one of our favorite aides for Eric. Yesterday she reached out and asked for a favorite family recipe.   Then John goes it’s cold now, we should have that for dinner tomorrow night.  So I got up early to head to the store as early as possible.  Yes, I wore my Kn95 mask and the store was not crowded.  So here is the minestrone soup recipe.  It’s quick and easy.  

I used to make it more with stew beef when the kids were younger   Now that I am on a very low fat diet I use skinless, boneless, chicken breast meat. I have my butcher cut it up in cubes for me about 1/2 square. Both are tasty options   

Minestrone Soup

1 4.5 quart LeCreuset soup pot 

1 package Manischewitz Minestrone Soup Mix

1.5 pounds of diced chicken breast or stew beef

1 large sweet onion diced

1 bunch of celery cleaned and sliced 

1 pound of carrots peeled and sliced 

5 cups of water

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon of salt and white pepper 

1 pound frozen mixed vegetables 

Sauté meat, salt and pepper in the olive oil until the meat is no longer red or pink.  15 to 20 minutes stirring every few minutes.  Add the onion and continue to sauté until tender and translucent.  Add celery and carrots mix in and cook until softened about 5 minutes.  

Add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add the soup mix. Bring to a boil again.  Lower the temperature to a slow simmer and cook 45 minutes stirring often.  

About 15 minutes before the basic soup is done remove the frozen vegetables from the freezer.  Add the mixed vegetables to the soup once the 45 minute timer goes off.  Stir in well. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes more until the frozen vegetables are cooked.  You may add other vegetables too.  Just don’t over fill your pot. 

Serve with warm dinner rolls.  It is better the second night. This makes about 4 quarts of soup.  Yes you may freeze the leftover soup in individual containers and freeze.  

Saturday

 I have had my most productive day in a while.  I even started 2 loads of laundry and put things away during the 8 minutes that my breakfast was cooking.  Not one spot got cleaned, instead a whole lot of things got got trashed or moved to where they were supposed to be.  

I was going to take a walk when I got frustrated by my new design.  I am not sure how, but it is easier to walk, talk and knit this pattern than it is sitting down at a table with pen snd paper, writing the pattern as I go.  There was just one little glitch.  There was a coyote wandering around.  I make it a point not to venture far when wild animals are roaming the streets.  So I did the sensible thing and watered the new cactus we planted last weekend.  

When I came back inside, I was a little more relaxed.  I figured out it was not the written pattern that was the problem rather I did not count right when casting on yesterday. So I tinked it. Cast on again and everything is ok.  

I picked up some wonderful salmon for dinner. It came out perfect.  Nice and buttery.  No, I did not use butter when I baked the salmon.  I use the juice of one lemon, salt, white pepper and dill.  I let it marinate a few hours. Add a bit of water before cooking.  Bake at 350f for about 35 minutes.  I buy enough to cook once and eat for 2 nights.  

Charity knitting happened after dinner.  The scarf that I am working on will take at least 7 skeins of yarn.  It is called the Stash Dive Scarf by Summer Lee Designs.and is available on Raverly.  This is number 4 with this pattern.  

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Updated

 

An updated version of an old favorite..

This has been updated to include more chicken, the way John likes it.  Of course if you like lesss meat stay with the original published on May 9, 2011.  It was a very rare lazy day for me. I followed my bodies lead and took it very slow today.  So this is what John got for dinner tonight.

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

6 ounces pre diced onions
2 cups frozen hash brown potato cubes
2 heaping tablespoons margarine
1 box of Pillsbury ready made pie crusts - you will need both
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables
16 ounces pre cooked chicken diced
1 large deep dish pie pan
1 foil lined cookie sheet

In a large fry pan or wok melt the margarine on a medium low heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to a lower heat and add the frozen potatoes and cook until soft. Add the chicken and the vegetables and keep on a low heat until 45 minutes before dinner. Unroll the first crust into an un greased pie pan. Pat the pie crust in place. Add all the mixture from the pan and pack it very firmly into the pie crust. dampen the edges of the pie crust and unroll the second pie crust on top. Wet the entire top of the pie crust with a small amount of water. Roll the bottom and top edges together and crimp anyway you would like. There are no bonus points for perfect thumb prints or crimps. Make 4 slits around the top of the pie crust and another vent hole in the center. Place in a cold oven and bake at 325 for 45 minutes,  a little longer if you like a darker crust.

You will notice two things about this recipe. First I did not add additional seasonings. I find that when making semi homemade items everything is usually very well seasoned to begin with. Secondly that I place the pot pie in a cold oven. I use a glass pie dish and I do not want it to crack so I put it on a cookie sheet lined with foil into a cold oven. It is better for the pie dish to heat up very slowly. When I remove the pot pie I leave it on the cookie sheet. It is very important that you do not put hot glass baking dishes on a damp or cold surface when taking it out of the oven.  So the cookie sheet is perfect in two ways. First it will catch any over flow and second just leave the pot pie on the cookie sheet until both are cool.

This serves 4 to 5 people. For a vegan pot pie just leave out the chicken.

Easy Tri Tip Roast

Teri has requested that I share my tri-tip roast recipe.  It is a very easy 5 ingredient recipe. It takes less than 5 minutes to put together and only 35 minutes to cook.

1 Tri-tip Roast
Salt and pepper
1 sweet onion sliced thin
1/2 c water
Cooking Spray

Pre heat the oven to 425f

Use cooking spray to spray the bottom and sides of your. Le Creuset roasting pan. Place roast in the bottom of the pan. Salt and pepper lightly.  Cover with the sliced onions.  Pour the water on the side of the roast being careful not to wash the salt and pepper off the top of the meat.   Cover and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and wrap in heavy duty foil for 15 minutes to the the roast finish cooking and rest. Slice and serve.

Add vegetables and a starch for a complete meal.

Mock Cheese Cake

I love to make this very simple snack as a late night dessert or a decadent breakfast. This has also gone to more than a few potlucks and got the thumbs up from most people. It takes more time to go to Trader Joe's to get the fixings than to make.

Ingredient's

1 box Trader Joe's Honey Graham Crackers, 1 sheet per serving.
1 tube Trader Joe's Blueberry and Vanilla Chèvre or any other flavor that you like. 2 thin slices per serving. 

On a nice plate, place 1 Trader Joe's graham cracker broken in half. Slice 2 thin slices of the chèvre and place 1 slice on each graham cracker half. Your mock cheesecake is now ready to eat. 

Candied Yams

For that quick last minute new family tradition. One of our favorite holiday dishes.

Candied Yams

1 large can of yams in light syrup - drained
1 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple in its own juice - drained (the cook gets to drink the pineapple juice)
1 bag of marshmallows
1/2 cup of margarine
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 greased casserole dish with a lid or foil pan with extra foil to cover.

Put the yams, crushed pineapple, 1/2 a bag of the marshmallows and margarine in your large mixing bowl. I use my Kitchen-Aide K5 (TM) with the paddle. Mix until slightly lumpy. Pour into the greased casserole dish or foil pan. Cover with the remaining marshmallows.

Since I always have used a covered Corning ware (TM) glass casserole I always cook mine at 325f for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If using a foil pan cooking time may be less and you will need to uncover it for the last 10 to 15 minutes for a golden crust of marshmallow's.

This dish may be doubled. If doubling only use 1-20 ounce can of pineapple and one bag of marshmallows. If tripling add another 20 ounce can of pineapple and an extra bag of marshmallows. If quadrupling only use 2 -20 ounce cans of crushed pineapple and 2 bags of marshmallows.

*Updated to reflect the addition of Cinnamon and Brown Sugar on 11/24/2016.  Teri figured out that I forgot the last 2 ingredients. Thank you Teri.

Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken is a recipie that is fast, easy and gluten free. I will have some more gluten free dishes on the blog as I create them for my wonderful sister in law Marla.  They will all be fast and easy to put together. Many will be semi homemade with pre-made ingredients. Perfect for the cook with active children or newer cooks.  This is an easy recipie to bring the younger cooks into the kitchen to help with. 

For those of you who do not live in the United States the following conversions will be helpful. These are exact conversions,  C= F-32.00/1.8) Since I do not cook in celius just get them as close as possible to your own oven.  

350f is equal to 176.67c

325f is equal to 162.78c

185f is equal to 85c

 16 ounces or 1 pound is equal to 0.45 kilograms

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken ( more or less depending on your needs. )

Salt and white pepper

1 cup of salsa, pre made is fine. 

Spray your favorite casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. The clean up crew likes this.   Add the chicken.  Lightly salt and pepper. I use white pepper because it has a milder taste.  Evenly cover the chicken with the salsa. Bake at 350f for 50 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal tempature of 185f. If you are using a glass casserole dish set the oven to 325f and bake for 1 hour or until the chicken reaches 185f.   

I will be serving this with gluten free corn  tortillas, refrained beans and vegetables. You can also add olives for good luck, this is a south of the boarder tradition.

A New Summer Drink

My question to you is what do these things have in common? The answer might just surprise you. Combined with ice these items make a wonderful and refreshing summer drink that is very easy to make.

Recipe:

Brew 1 tablespoon of the Teavana Blueberry Bliss and Pineapple Kona Pop* for 5 to 6 minutes in 12 ounces of water heated to 208f.   

      

*If you do not pre- blend the Teavana Blueberry Bliss and Pineapple Kona Pop like I do use 1 1/2 teaspoons of each tea.

In a very large tumbler or small pitcher combine 11 ounces of the freshly brewed tea with 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of the Trader Joe's Cranberry Raspberry Juice. Add 1 cup of ice cubes. Stir well and enjoy. I did not add any sugar to this since the Trader Joe's Cranberry Raspberry juice is already sweetened. 

Living in the desert I have a lot of very large tumblers and this just fills one 24 ounce tumbler to the brim. I am sure that this can be doubled or tripled for parties, although I tend to brew my tea 1 cup at a time. 

Disclaimer: I was Not given samples of the Teavana tea or the Trader Joe's Juice to develop this recipe. I was Not paid by either company for featuring them. I paid for the products with my own money. All opinions expressed here are my own and in no way reflect the policies of either company.

Fruit Compote

It has been a while since I have shared a recipe. I have this cooking on the stove as we speak. This is a holiday favorite of mine. For those of you who indulge in a little too much matzo this time of year this recipe is the perfect cure.

Sheri's Fruit Compote

8 ounces of Dried White Peaches
8 ounces of Dried Apricots
8 ounces of Dried Pitted Prunes
2 Cinnamon Sticks
10 Whole Cloves
Water to cover

In a large pot, place all the dry ingredients. Cover with water. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Cover and simmer on a low heat until the fruit is soft and tender and the water becomes like syrup. The fruit should absorb most of the water. This will take about an hour. Be careful not to burn this. Check the water level every so often. You may add water as needed but don't drown the fruit, you will want this to have a heavy syrup.

What ever you do DO NOT ADD ANY SUGAR. The fruit will be sweet enough.

Cool in the pan and then transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator.

This should make enough to last a small family for all of Passover.

Vegan Corn Chowder

As promised here is a brand new recipe to end the year. On top of having a wonderful texture and taste it can be one of your higher fiber soups for the coming year. With only 5 ingredients it is also very quick to put together. You will also note that it is slightly different from the Corn Chowder recipe of January 20,2011.  It does not include the carrots or celery, i.e. the marpoix mix. So here goes.

Vegan Corn Chowder

1- 32 ounce carton of Imagine Creamy Sweet Corn Soup

1 very large onion or 2 smaller onions peeled and coarsely chopped, about 2 cups

2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Large Russet Potatoes peeled and coarsely diced between 2 to 3 cups

1 pound of frozen sweet white corn

In your LeCreuset 4 quart soup pot, heat olive oil over a low heat. Add the onions and saute over medium heat until translucent. Add the diced potatoes and saute until they start to stick to the pan. Add the Imagine Sweet Corn Soup and the frozen corn. Cook over a medium low heat for at least 1 hour stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. The soup is done when the potatoes are tender. 

This should make between 4 to 8 servings depending on the size of your bowls. 

Cranberry Chicken

Lets face it, it has been quite a while since I posted a new recipe. This one is a new family favorite. It has only 5 ingredients. Takes less than 5 minutes to put together. As a bonus it has 4 servings. It also tastes good cold.

Cranberry Chicken

2 Large chicken breasts, skinless and boneless about 1 pound

1 cup of cranberry sauce, I use the chunky kind

1/2 cup of water

a pinch of salt and pepper

4 quart LeCreuset Cast iron pot with lid or something of a similar weight.

Spray the inside of of your LeCruset 4 quart soup pot with Pam. Who ever is washing the pot can thank me later. Wash the chicken and place in the pot. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cover the chicken breasts with all the cranberry sauce, you will have a nice thick layer. Add the water to the bottom of the pan. Cover and place the pot in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. The chicken will not come out dry. The chicken will also be very pink on the outside when cooked. 

Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes in the covered pot before slicing. Slice into medallions no thicker then 1/2 inch and arrange on 4 plates. It is also good to have a little extra cranberry sauce on the table in case anyone wants a little more cranberry sauce on the chicken.

I hope that you enjoy this quick and easy recipe as much as we do. 

Chicken Chili

It has been a while since I posted a recipe. We are trying to cut down on red meat so I have been working on chicken dishes. Here is a new on that has been husband approved.

Chicken Chili

2 large chicken breasts - skinned , boned and rinsed
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound frozen sweet white corn
2-15 ounces cans of diced tomatoes - do not drain this will be the liquid for the chili
1 - 15 ounce can or Red kidney Beans drained and rinsed
1 large sweet onion diced
salt
pepper
1tablespoon of your favorite chili powder. I use The Spice Hunter Salt Free Chili powder Blend

Optional

1 - 15 ounces can of black olives

In a 4 quart cover pot. I use my red soup pot. Add the olive oil and chicken. Salt and pepper as desired, I like to keep it on the light side. Cook the chicken on medium low for 15 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the onions. Cook the onions until translucent. while the onions are cooking cut the chicken in to bite size pieces. Put the chicken and the remaining ingredients into the pan. Cook covered on medium low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

While that is cooking make your corn bread.

This recipe serves 5 as a main course.

Hot Chocolate Chai Tea Recipe

After a long night with Eric, my most amazing accomplishment was a 2 hour nap and a walk around the block. So rather than bore you with the details I will share a new winter drink combo that I think you should try.

Hot Chocolate Chai Tea

1 to 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips
8 ounces of hot chai tea in a large mug
Vanilla soy milk to top it off (you can use other milks but I am not sure how it will taste)

Put the chocolate chips in the bottom of a large mug. Pour the hot chai tea over the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the desired amount of say milk and enjoy.

If you would like to indulge in this with out going into the kitchen, Starbucks will make something very similar.

Semi Homemade Apple Pie

This recipe request is from my daughter Teri. This is a family favorite. It is great alone or served with vanilla ice cream


Semi Homemade Apple Pie

1 Package Pillsbury Pie Crust.

8 to 10 apples cored and sliced, leave the skin on. Use a tart & firm apple like Pippin or Granny Smith

1/2 cup of sugar

A Small Pinch of salt

1 Teaspoon of cinnamon

2 Tablespoons of flour

2 Tablespoons of sugar mixed with a few dashes of cinnamon (reserve)*

1 cookie sheet lined with foil

1 very deep pie pan 9 to 10 inches

For a glass or ceramic pie pan heat the oven to 325f for an aluminum pan heat the oven to 350f.

In a large bowl mix the apples, salt, cinnamon, flour and sugar until the apples are well coated. Use one pie crust to line the bottom of the pan, making sure that the crust is firmly in place. Fill the pie crust with the apple mixture. When you have reached the top of the pie crust, make a small mountain with the rest of the apples. Rinse your hands and get the pie crust edge wet, but not dripping. Carefully place the second pie crust on top and seal the edges by crimping the edges ( basically pressing the 2 pie crusts together.) Use any design you want for crimping, folding the excess dough into the crimping pattern. 

Make a small dime sized vent in the top of the pie along with 4 vent slits about 2 inches long. get the top of the pie crust damp and sprinkle with the reserved cinnamon sugar mix*.  Bake for 45 minutes. If the crust has not become golden cook a little longer until the crust has become golden.

Cool a minimum of 15 minutes before slicing. Serves between 4 and 10 people depending on the size of the slice.

* If you do not want that extra cinnamon flavor on the pie just use plain white or raw sugar for the dusting on top.