Yesterday, I made some really delicious sweet and sour pork with noodles. I've experimented a lot with Asian style food over the years and I think I'm getting the hang of it!
The day before, I made a really yummy apple pie, with apples that came from our neighbour's tree so it cost almost nothing. (LOL, I asked first, that doesn't sound good does it?)
By the way, as for pie-making tips: When making apple pie, using brown sugar instead of white gives more flavour. And don't skimp on the cinnamon. For the pie crust, use lard. Nothing else is the same! And it must be chilled. Here is the recipe I use:
Easy Pie Pastry
In a large bowl, combine 5 1/2 cups unbleached flour with 2 tsp salt. With a pastry blender, cut in 1 lb (1 package) of chilled lard until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
In a glass measuring cup, beat 1 large egg with 1 tbsp white vinegar. Add enough cold water to make 1 cup. Drizzle into flour mixture a bit at a time, mixing with a fork, until dough looks evenly moistened and holds together when pressed between fingers.
Press dough gently together and then divide into 6 equal balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and and pat into 4-inch (10 cm) discs. Chill for at least 30 minutes before using. Dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Put any dough you won't be using right now into the freezer; it will keep for up to 2 months. (Note: I've probably used dough that was more like 3 months old, and it was fine!)
Roll on lightly floured surface. Each disc rolls to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Hint: roll on floured waxed paper, place the pie plate upside down on the dough, then flip the whole thing over to avoid having to pick up the rolled dough.
This recipe makes 6 single crust or 3 double crust pies. Or, you could make 2 big deep-dish pies in a 10-inch pie plate.
It's important not to overbake the pie if you want a tender crust. So, it's best not to use really hard apples (like granny smith) unless they are sliced very thin. Otherwise you'll have to bake the pie until the crust is too brown, just to soften the apples.