Amazing Pumple Pie Recipe

So, my mom's version of this pie is extremely easy... You take a deep dish pie pan and put a pie crust in it. Take a can of apple pie filling and layer it in the bottom. Top it off with pumpkin pie filling and bake like a pumpkin pie. Easy, right? I grew up on this recipe and it is quite good.

My version is a little more complicated, but the texture is much improved by making the filling from scratch. I say "make the filling from scratch" because I can't make pie crust to save my life, so I use Pillsbury's prepared pie crust, or Marie Calendar's pie crust (this one comes with the pie pan and is found in the freezer section). If you have a favorite pie crust recipe and have the talent for making it from scratch, feel free to do so. Another alteration I made to the recipe is to make it egg-free because of my egg allergy. I can eat some baked goods that include eggs (cakes, cookies, etc), but pretty much anything that is custard-based causes me to itch.

So, to make everything from scratch, it takes several hours (I won't lie to you). You must start with the pumpkin. I used The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Pumpkin Puree. The only deviation I made to it was to use my stick blender to puree the pumpkin after it was roasted (tried mashing it first, but the texture was too chunky). The good thing about this website is the exact step-by-step instructions that she gives (and the permission not to be thorough). It also comes with recipes for Roasted Pumpkins Seeds (Pepitas) and awesome Pumpkin Butter (another post for another time).

Once the pumpkin puree was prepared (and set aside to drain as it was rather moist), I started on the apples. The canned apples are rather slimy, but they are pre-cooked, which helps the texture of the pie. I found a recipe for a pre-cooked apple pie filling in my Joy of Cooking cookbook, but it needs some modifications before I can use it in the pie (primarily, a reduction in quantities). So, here's what I do for one pie:

• Peel, core, and chop 4 apples (Braeburn, Fuji, or a mix of the two)

• Saute the apples in 2 Tbsp. butter for about 4 minutes.

• Add about 1/4 cup of brown sugar and about 1/4 tsp. of Pumpkin Pie Spice, and a dash of salt.

• Continue cooking the apples until the sauce thickens, then remove from the heat and spread the apples in a thin layer on a baking sheet (or glass cake pan) to cool.

While the apples cool, the pumpkin pie filling can be prepared with the drained pumpkin puree. I found a recipe for an egg-less pumpkin pie filling Cooks.com.  The comments on this recipe claim that it makes a very liquidy filling batter, but I found that it was about the same as when I make pumpkin pie the old way. I followed this recipe pretty closely, but I did use lactose-free milk, pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, and vanilla instead of lemon extract.

To make the pie, layer apples (without a lot of the sauce from the apples) in the bottom of the pie pan. Top off the pie with the pumpkin pie filling. IMPORTANT - Put the pie pan on a baking sheet before baking - the apples will bubble up and it will make a mess of your oven if you skip this step. Bake the pie according to the pumpkin pie recipe. When done, let cool.

I make the pie the day before I want to eat it, but this is primarily because I don't have time to make it on the day I make a big feast. It doesn't need to be refrigerated (at least, my family has never refrigerated the pie, we just let it sit on the counter with a clean cloth over top.. I've never gotten sick, but if you worry about it, feel free to refrigerate it)

Serve with your favorite whipped topping :) In my experience, those that do not like apple pie (like myself) and those that do not like pumpkin pie (like Aaron) enjoy the combo in this pie. And it does make a difference to make it from scratch. You can make a very good pie by using canned pumpkin and canned apple, but the texture and flavor of ingredients from scratch make the pie PHENOMENAL! Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the pie, but I will when I make it again for Christmas :)

Some success, some failure

So, I'm a little late in writing this blog post, but I'm in "whatever" mode at the moment... Not to be rude, just realistic (I'm tired, cranky, and overworked)...
Thanksgiving Dinner had some levels of success and some (epic) failures... I will post the recipes that were flat out AWESOME in a later post (read: I need to go home and find where I put the recipes), but I wanted to mention what went wrong...

The worst thing that everyone dreads while cooking any poultry happened - my turkey was still pretty raw (even after I double-checked the temperature with a thermometer... which shall be promptly replaced before I make another turkey). I put the turkey back in the oven. It took an additional 3 hours to cook... Not sure that my oven is working properly either... Hmmm... After it was (thoroughly) cooked, it was AWESOME because of the brining and seasonings, so I guess this one wasn't SO bad after all, we just didn't get to eat it FOR Thanksgiving Dinner...

I tried making homemade rolls... they sucked... I'm going to stick to Rhodes Freezer Rolls from now on... I know I can't mess those up...

Brussels sprouts weren't good either... I had one, Aaron "tasted" one (spit it out, so I'm not saying he "ate" it), and our guest abstained... Oh well, at least I used them in the meal...

Everything else came out good. The boys wouldn't stop talking about the stuffing/dressing. The pie was the best I have ever made - and that is saying something! I will definitely post the process at a later date (a combination of several recipes that is quite time consuming, but the results are SO WORTH IT).

Can't mess up potatoes and gravy... The gravy was good enough to make my rock-like dinner rolls somewhat edible (but I was the only one "brave" enough to try them).

I think I'm going to make Roast Beef for Christmas dinner... I KNOW I won't mess that up!

A rare treat!

As any pilot's wife will tell you, holidays spent with pilots are few and far between. I do have to say that, over the almost 12 years that Aaron and I have been married, we have spent most of the holidays together. The last few years, however, have quickly been lumped into the "missing pilot" file. His schedule has been one where he missed pretty much every holiday for the last couple of years. This year, he is home for Thanksgiving and will be home for Christmas! What can I say, I'm feeling rather spoiled at the moment.

So, since we aren't moving (like we have over past Thanksgiving holidays) and he is home, I'm going "all-out" for Thanksgiving dinner. We have invited some stranded pilots that live in the area (can't make it back home for T-giving) and I am making a feast! This is not without its challenges, however.... Do you know how many years it has been since I have made a full turkey? Um, let's see.... I think it has been at least a decade, give or take a year or two... In fact, the last time I remember roasting a full bird was the first Thanksgiving we spent in our house when we were first married. If I remember right, I thought it was too much work for just two people to eat, so I decided not to do it anymore... Every Thanksgiving since then has been spent either moving, apart, or at someone else's house. If I made anything at all, it was a Jenny-O Turkey Loaf and a box of Stove-Top.

Anyway, here is my plan for Thanksgiving:

Apple-Brined Turkey (that I picked up today at the store for about $10 - would have been $35, but they were running a special - my original dinner plan involved a Brined Turkey Breast, not a whole bird... I figure that I can use the leftovers during the week)

Sausage Stuffing/Dressing (Aaron calls it "stuffing," but since I won't actually be stuffing the bird with it, it is technically "dressing")

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy (it is not Thanksgiving in my house without it!)

Asparagus w/ Bacon-Gouda Sauce (I haven't decided if I'm going to grill them or steam them... I guess I'll make that decision on Thursday based on the availability of my broiler)

Grilled Brussels Sprouts (only because I'm getting these in my produce box this week... they are a last minute addition to my menu and the first time I will be using a recipe to grill them... I hope they are tasty)


Cranberry Sauce (the jellied kind - Aaron's favorite)

Fresh Rolls w/ Sweet Cream Butter

Pumple Pie ("Pumpkin/Apple Pie" - old family recipe with a few modifications to accommodate my egg allergy and using REAL PUMPKINS, which I ordered, thinking I wouldn't find a good egg-free pumpkin pie recipe so I was going to make a Pumpkin-Apple Crisp so I could still get my favorite combo for dessert)

That's it, so far... But I keep adding to the menu... Maybe, if I get ambitious enough, I may take pictures of the meal before it is devoured... And since it is such a "special" occasion for me, I might even dress up a little... But, then again, with such an ambitious menu, maybe not...

How to deal with your pilot...

When your pilot is away for some time (like mine is for two-weeks at a time), integrating him into the daily household routine is difficult, usually causing arguments and nastiness the longer he is home. Looking at both sides of the issue:

The person who is home all the time is used to doing things one way and she has to alter her routine to fit the pilot back into it. When the pilot comes home, the person who is always home is looking for some help and understanding after dealing with all of the household issues that came up while he was gone and her own professional responsibilities. What she usually gets is frustration and more stress.

The pilot comes home after working long, stressful shifts and is looking for a break. He takes his time, relaxing and focusing on his projects that have been sitting for two weeks. He does not appreciate the nagging wife. He feels unwelcome at times in his own home.

So, this seems like a big problem, doesn't it... How do these two people have their individual needs met, while making sure that the other person is seen to as well? What is the correct answer? Is there a correct answer? 

How do dogs fit in with homework?

 

Like this, apparently...

And so it begins...

School started for me again yesterday... Already, I have one assignment completed and I have started my outline for my paper due this week... Hopefully, I will be able to keep it up!

On the plus side, I woke up to a blue-sky morning today. I haven't seen blue sky for several weeks. It is cool outside, so it is a nice, cool, autumn day. The sunshine is nice, though. It's amazing what a little sunshine will do for your mood.

A bad case of the "What Ifs"

I have taken my time with this topic, but I feel I must share it with other pilot wives. It is something that most (if not all) of us will need to handle at some point in time.

As the wife of a pilot, different scenarios are always in the back of my mind. I tend to let everyday life distract me from these thoughts, but sometimes, everyday life brings them forward...

A good friend of my husband died the other day as the result of a mid air collision. Due to the circumstances surrounding the crash, Aaron was the second person on site and identified the airplane as the one his friend was flying that day. He is, understandably, upset.

As a wife, I was grateful that he wasn't involved and that he is OK. As a wife, I suffer because I can't be with him to comfort him. All I can do is listen over the phone as I hear him grieve for his friend. I can offer comfort through my words as he deals with the helplessness he feels about being on scene and not being able to do anything to help his friend or the other pilot involved. I cry with him because of the personal relationship we had with his friend...

As a wife, I also feel my own helplessness about the situation. Helplessness that the only thing I can do is talk on the phone when all I want to do is hold him close. The nagging thoughts in the back of my head are screaming "What If?" I know these thoughts are not worthwhile, but after an incident such as this, it is hard to turn that voice off...