Skillet Apple Pie

Trisha Yearwood made this pie on Trisha’s Southern Cooking this morning.  And since I just blogged about how a piece of pie and cup of coffee gives me pleasure,  I’m thinking, “To heck with healthy eating for a meal," I’m going to make this pie and have a piece!”  

Of course I don’t have a 9” iron skillet, mine is 10.5, and she say’s that’s too big, because you want a deep dish pie, so I’m either going to have to add more pie filling if I use the 10.5”  iron skillet, or I suppose I could use a 9” cake pan, that would work, but there is just something about cast iron, I love cooking in it, much more in my old(er) age than when I was younger.  Mother always used cast iron, and of course I had to break away from it and become an independent cook, but life does come full circle and I’m once again enamored with cast iron, it runs a close second to Ball Mason Jars.  So the thought of making this pie in a cake pan just doesn’t do it for me.  Maybe WalMart has a 9” Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, it’s worth a try.

So, I posted the recipe on Jan CAN Cook, if it intrigues you as well, check it out.  It takes 5-10 minutes to make, you start by melting a stick of butter and a cup of brown sugar in the bottom of your skillet, and then start building the pie.  What’s not to love, this has to be good.  I may make chili to go with it, too.  I’ll update you when I make it...

Here’s a quick link to the recipe on Jan CAN Cook

Happiness Vs. Pleasure

  

I’ve often talked about happiness being fleeting moments in time but inner peace is what I strive for.  Then I read an article about happiness vs. pleasure and it made me step back and think about what gives me pleasure.  It’s not revelations, yet reaffirmations of what I already know.  At this age, I know myself pretty well, warts and all, and most important, I accept who I am.  And if you read me regularly, you can pretty much figure out what gives me pleasure, but I may throw a curve ball at you, so here goes...

• The obvious, family, grandchildren, a simple phone call is all it takes to give me great joy.  FaceTime takes it to a whole new level and actually makes me giddy.
• A furry little body sitting by my side, silently warming my soul.
• Walking to the window with my morning coffee, in the summer stepping outside to feel the wind on my face, observing the wonders of Mother Nature is the most calming thing in my world.
• Accomplshment.  My mother always said “Never let a day go by without accomplishing something” and as usual Ma was right, even doing a little job that I’ve procrastinated about gives me pleasure when I actually do it.
• A smile, whether it be from a loved one or a stranger, just the interaction with people is uplifting.
• A good hair day, yes dear hearts, I’m a vain woman and there is nothing like a good hair day to perk me right up.
• Oh, I can’t forget cutting the tags off of new clothes.  I don’t know if it’s the clothes themselves that give me such pleasure, or if it’s cutting the tag off something that actually fits without going up a size.  I’m sure you can relate.
• A touch, a hug, human kindness.  We need more of it in our world.
• Giggling, happy children.  It always sends my pleasure endorphins into overdrive..
• A loaf of warm crusty bread, a rarity in these days, preferably shared with my boys who are both bread lovers like their mom.
• Date night, no surprise here, but nothing gives me more pleasure than Friday nights out with hubby.  
• Pine trees after a rain, nothing more fragrant, the smells of nature are a wondrous thing.
• Food, doesn’t it give us all pleasure?  A piece of homemade pie with a cup of coffee, a plate of pasta, takeeoutee chinese eaten in front of the television, homemade candy, preferably caramels or fudge,  all the things that give me pleasure, and the very things I deny myself 95% of the time. 
• Clean sheets, I haven’t had line dried ones in years, but there is nothing better.
• Occasional solitude.  I’ve discovered I really do like my own company.
• Those in my life who love me in spite of my transgressions.  We’re all human, doing the best we can, living the best life we can.  

I could go on and on, actually no big surprises here, what about you?  Think about what gives you pleasure and make it happen… Today!

I've aways loved to read...

"If you’re a reader, you may remember the book that took you down. The one that hooked you, that made you realize: I love to read."

I saw this quote and I knew immediately which one it was.   I was back in elementary school reading a little book I had gotten at the annual school book fair, and the name of it was The Trolley Car Family.

Here’s a synopsis:

This is a feel good story about a family of 6 and a once grouchy neighbor in the mid twentieth century.

The father is a trolley car driver who feels lost and upset when the trolley cars are suddenly replaced by busses. He not only refuses to drive a bus, but takes his trolley car instead of severence pay. During a family meeting to brainstorm their options grouchy neighbor Mr. Jefferson, who delivers milk in the wee morning hours and is usually unable to sleep due to all the noise, comes over to see why it is so quiet next door.

Thanks to contributions from all, the family decides to live in the car out in the country. And, the adventure begins . . . The new neighbors they meet there, the spring, the cherry trees, the curiosity, the changes some of them make . . . all make for a wonderful, warm reading experience.

I read this book over and over again.  I loved it so much that hubby bought it for me a few years ago on eBay and I read it again.  I tried to interest Abby in it last year with no luck, I’m hoping that in a few more years I may be able to entice her to read it with me.

I was also a Bobbsey Twin fan and as I got older I think I read everything Zane Grey ever wrote.

 

I remember being in the third grade, and every day after lunch we would have rest time.  We would put our heads on our desks, and Mrs. Wageneck would read us chapters of books.  One in particular was so fascinating, it was the story of children who lived in adjoining large castle like homes, they were forbidden to play together and so they dug an underground tunnel from one home to the next.  I’ve tried in vain to find out the name of the book, with no luck at all, but I remember it being a wonderful story.

 

And then our 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Wilson, read us Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It horrifying and frightening, I was not a fan!

 

And so it goes, a little literary trek down memory lane on this cool Tuesday afternoon in Heavensville...

 

Look who's having a birthday today!

Lexi’s Daddy!  He is having such a good time with his little pumpkin, and LC and I are really enjoying watching him interact with her.  He loves her so much it makes me teary eyed.

So Happy, Happy  Birthday to John, my firstborn, what a special birthday this is for him..

Joan River's Favorite Recipe

 This is pretty funny ladies.  A little giggle for a Monday morning.  ~ Jan

Just some quotes to get you in an Autumnal mood...