Muriel's Apple Pie

I am not a pie maker, although I did make my grandmother Muriel's pecan pies last year that were amazing!!! My brother loves her apple pie, and since I had all these apples left over, I decided to make him one as a special treat.

Ingredients:
6-7 Apples (I used 6 and probably should have used 7)
1 cup Sugar
Cinnamon
Pre-made Pie Crusts (2)
2 Tbsp Butter


First, peel your apples and cut into slices. 

Next, in a bowl, add 1/2 cup of sugar, a couple Tbsp of Cinnamon, and stir. Once you get the mixture stirred, add another 1/2 cup of sugar and mix well.

Next, open up your pre-made pie crusts and put into a greased pie plate.

Preheat your oven for 400 degrees. The pie will take 50 minutes.

Pour the apples into the pie crust.

And on top, take 2 Tbsp of butter and cut it into thin slices, and place on top before adding the top pie crust.

I decided to try a fancy, old fashioned way to place the top crust on. I rolled out the pie crust and cut it into strips, and then wove the strips on top. I think next time I will just place the whole crust on top, cutting in a few holes for ventilation.

Make sure to pinch the edges to stick the crusts together, and make it look pretty!

My grandmother does not cover the pie with foil, but I did cover just the edges with foil, as my crust was starting to get really brown. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, check the pie and remove the foil, and let bake for an additional 5 minutes to really brown the crust. Take out of the oven and let it cool down enough to where it has set and is warm but not hot. Serve with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate indulgence!

So simple and easy - I guess that's why they say "It's as easy as pie!" My grandmother would love for me to tell you that this is also how you make cherry pie. Just substitute 1 can of cherries for the apples. Hope you enjoy!

Dessert, Drinks, and Details

For my 30th, as you may remember from the invite on this post, I kept things simple by serving dessert and drinks only. So I made a list of some of my favorite desserts, and here's what I came up with:

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes (recipe here)

Bauman Brownies:

For those of you who don't know what these are, my maiden name is Bauman and this family "secret" recipe is really a box brownie that we doctor up with different and added ingredients. Legal ingredients.

Classic Cookies, both sugar with thick icing and chocolate chip, both from Publix. They really make some of the best cookies:

I know since the first picture that you were wondering... those are, in fact, Krispy Kreme doughnuts:

And yes, they were delicious! I has one of each dessert on the table. It was, after all, MY birthday.

And for the setup, I used a table provided by the St. Pete Shuffleboard Club and my green table cloth that I purchased years ago at TJMaxx for about $10. The food flags I found at Joann Fabrics by Martha Stewart for $3.99 (plus 40% off coupon!), and I covered the stands with colored scrapbooking paper, also from Joann's. The (former) accessory/shoe stands were freebies from an Ann Taylor that was closing next door to where my husband works. He snagged them before they made it to the dumpster. Other than being extremely heavy, they have so many uses!! I can't wait to use them at upcoming events!

As for drinks, we had a keg of beer, since nothing seems to be more refreshing on a HOT night than a cold cup of beer. I found the most PERFECT cups at one of my favorite shops Swoozies (no longer brick and mortar stores, but a great online shop here). While I'm pretty sure that they were supposed to be for tennis, they work for the shuffle courts too! For other beverages, we did have some wine, sodas, and bottled water. I also picked up some Archer Farms Italian Soda, in both the Peach Mango and Blood Orange flavors, from Target. I just love their large glass bottles and tangy flavors. I will definitely be using these again for other events, maybe spiked with a little champagne!

I picked up some cute napkins and plates from One Kings Lane. If you do not get their daily e-mails, you are missing out! Click here to subscribe. I ordered 48 paper plates (many to be used at a future event) and 2 sets of napkins for $12.00. They would have been double this from the party store, and the quality and cuteness of these was so much better than anything I found in town.

So that's the run down for the food and drinks and details. Sometimes, it is best to keep things simple, especially when you are hosting your own birthday party. Check back tomorrow for more party details!