Fall Time Fun! And an AWESOME recipe!

Oookay, lots to check off of my fall bucket list!

We had a busy day today, we went to a pumpkin patch (checked off my fall bucket list!)

 which is an hour and a half away. Thanks to the Marine Corps, we live in the middle of the

Mojave Desert and there isn't much around here...lol.

(My loves at the pumpkin patch... acting silly and mocking Cole's new photo pose)

We were bit disappointed because their apple trees were bare

and we couldn't go apple picking. But I'll check if off the list since we tried.

Their hay ride line was super long, so we passed that. I'll check it off the list too though..haha.

To top it off, they didn't have the corn maze ready! I love corn mazes and was pretty sad

their website said it was up and running and after we drive all that way, it's closed.

Well, guess what? Checking it off the list too!! hah

We did buy apples from another farm, already picked. I made my first ever,

homemade apple pie. It's AH-MAZING! (Recipe at the end of this post)

(Before being cooked up)

(After being cooked... oozing with delicious-ness!)

That's another check off my fall bucket list. 

Then we painted and carved our pumpkins... 

(I <3 this picture... my youngest chicken nugget showing me his painted finger.)

CHECK!

I will also add, the hubbs and I went on one date. I didn't get a picture, and we need

one more date (haunted house at the end of this month with some friends)

and I'll have my two date nights checked off the list too.

And for my fancy coffee drink... took this picture the other day with my yummy

pumpkin spice latte (with an extra espresso shot, of course)

and our amazing weather! It's been nice to be out of the 120's.

(Please excuse my yucky cuticles... I really should stop biting them.)

And as promised... the apple pie recipe!

Old Fashioned Apple Pie Recipe

1. Prep time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

1. Cook time: 55 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Crust Ingredients

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2. 1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour (can substitute 1/2 cup flour if you don't have almonds)
3. 16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled in freezer for at least 15 minutes
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
6. 3 to 6 Tbsp water, very cold

Filling Ingredients

1. 2/3 cup sugar
2. 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3. 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4. 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
5. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6. 3 pounds of 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices of peeled and cored good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious
7. 1 1/2 tablespoons brandy (I got an airplane bottle at a local liquor store)
8. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg Wash

1. 1 large egg yolk
2. 1 Tbsp cream

METHOD

1 In a food processor, combine flour, almonds, salt and brown sugar, pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again.

Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully shape into 2 discs. Do not over-knead the dough! You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These bits of butter are what will allow the result crust to be flaky. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2 Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F.

3 Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated, then add brandy and vanilla extract.

4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Gently fold in half. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.

5 Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.

6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently turn over onto the top of the apples in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

7 Stir yolk and cream in small bowl to blend. Brush over top of pie. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake pie until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F. Tent the rims with aluminum foil or a pie protector if the edges are browning too quickly. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, anywhere from an additional 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the type of apples you are using. Transfer to rack; let stand 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

Yield: Serves 8.

Thanks to simplyrecipes.com for this awesome recipe!