Apple Pie

Carl Sagan once noted: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe".  This recipe doesn't require anything quite so grand. In fact, it's a rather simple recipe, but it produces something so wonderful that you can't help but be grateful that someone did in fact make the universe and then populated a small portion of that universe with apples. In case you were wondering, the best slice of pie is the one you have the Friday morning after Thanksgiving for breakfast.
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 6 cups of thinly sliced / pared tart apples (Granny Smith) - about 5 apples
  • 2 Tbsp Butter
  • 2 nine inch pie crusts
  • Vanilla Ice-Cream
  
Preheat the oven to 425
Directions
1. Peel the apples and slice them thinly. Use a mandolin to do this, just watch your thumb. Even better, get someone else to do this, promising them a slice of pie later.
2. Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, sugar, and salt.
3. Stir in the apples.
4. Turn all this into an unbaked pie crust.
5. Dot the top of the pie with butter.
6. Cover with top crust that has slits in it. 
7. If you are feeling fancy you can cut out a little bit of pie crust with some sort of fall shape and place it in the middle like you are Martha Stuart. If you are feeling really fancy, you can cut the pie crust into strips and do some sort of fancy interwoven lace thing like you are Joanna Gaines. But trust me, sometimes, less is more.
8. Seal and flute (That's when you press the edges of the pie crust together with a fork).
9. Bake until the curst is brown and juice bubbles through it. About 40-50 minutes.
10. Remove from over, let it cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve with an ice cream. The ice cream will start to melt immediately, and your brain will rejoice as you take your first bite. 

as american as Apple Pie

When the colonists first arrived in America, they started to distance themselves from all things British.  The good old Dutch and German immigrants introduced them to a flaky crust which they promptly filled with apples and spices. This recipe quickly caught on and when the first anthology of American recipes was printed in 1796 (American Cookery), it included a recipe for apple pie.  Since that time, the association of apple pie with all things patriotic grew and grew.  In World Ward II, when American servicemen were asked why they enlisted, the common answer was: "For mom and apple pie". So when you make apple pie for Thanksgiving or the 4th of July, just remember to give thanks for your mom, the soldiers that sacrificed their lives for this great country, and the freedom you have to enjoy this time with your family eating delicious apple pie.