Topsy Turvy

"To appreciate the wild and sharp flavors of these October fruits, it is necessary that you be breathing the sharp October or November air" ~ Henry David Thoreau

We are moving and I am busy packing, my entire household is topsy turvy, so what better time to post this Topsy Turvy Pie? I will be checking on everyone's blogs as often as I can, but this will be my last post for the next little while until we get settled in our new place.

Topsy Turvy Pie

Glaze:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
Pecan halves

Filling:

2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
6 apples, cored and sliced

In a pie pan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup and butter, mix well. Spread evenly over bottom of pan and arrange pecans halves over top.

Prepare pastry for two-crust pie. Place bottom pastry over the mixture in bottom of pie pan. Press lightly to fit pan. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Arrange apple slices in pastry lined pan and sprinkle sugar mixture over top.

Place remaining pastry over top and fold edge under. Press and flute edges. Brush lightly with egg wash and cut slits in top.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 8 minutes. Turn oven to 325 degrees and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

**Using oven mitts, invert pie onto serving plate. Please be sure to use oven mitts, pie must be flipped hot out of the oven. Put your serving plate over top of pie and gently turn over.

Oatmeal Pie Crust Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup cold butter, cut in small bits
1 cup whole oats
6 to 8 Tbsp. cold water

Combine dry ingredients, cut in butter till mixture is crumbly. Add water and stir till dough comes together. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Divide in half, roll each half out on a floured board.

Rustic Pizza

"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins" ~ Laurie Colwin

This rustic pizza is filled with fresh, market produce. The peppers were roasted to give a nice smokey taste to the dish. Seasonings include salt, pepper, basil and oregano which were also purchased from the Spicehound at my market.

Unlike a traditional pizza that has the tomato sauce on the bottom, this has the cheese on the bottom and maters on top.

Roll out the dough to about a 14-inch circle, spread a layer of cheese, roasted red peppers, sliced tomatoes, leaving about a 2 inch border. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over maters and season.

Fold the dough over, brush with egg wash. Bake in a 375 degree oven 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown.

Let sit for about 5 minutes and slice.

Dough:

1 pkg. active yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup warm water

Mix yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and sugar, let proof. Add oil and 1 cup of water to yeast mixture, stir. Combine flours and salt, add to yeast mixture. Knead on dough hook for 5 minutes, or by hand for 10. Cover and set in warm place till dough doubles in bulk. Punch down, divide in half. Put other half of dough in freezer bag and freeze for later use.

Roll out dough on a well floured surface. I use parchment paper, it is easier to transfer the pizza to a pan after you have assembled it.

Filling:

Mozzarella cheese
Gorgonzola cheese
Ricotta cheese
Basil
Oregano
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Roasted red pepper, peeled and sliced
Tomatoes, sliced thin
Olive oil

Harvest Muffins

“The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched” ~ Henry David Thoreau

It is apple season, and I love to celebrate it with delicious desserts. Now I don't know about you, but I like lots of fruit and nuts in my muffins. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your taste. The mashed bananas are in lieu of oil, lowering the fat content.

Harvest Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
4 Apples, peeled and grated
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 cup Raisins
1 cup chopped Pecans
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten

Combine dry ingredients. Add apples, carrots, raisins and pecans and mix well. Add mashed banana, milk, vanilla, eggs; stir well. Fill paper-lined or greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Glaze:

Combine equal amounts of butter and honey, brush still-warm muffins

Saying Goodbye

And God asked the feline spirit

Are you ready to come home?
Oh, yes, quite so, replied the precious soul
And, as a cat, you know I am most able
To decide anything for myself.

Are you coming then? asked God.
Soon, replied the whiskered angel
But I must come slowly
For my human friends are troubled
For you see, they need me, quite certainly.

But don't they understand? asked God
That you'll never leave them?
That your souls are intertwined. For all eternity?
That nothing is created or destroyed?
It just is....forever and ever and ever.

Eventually they will understand,
Replied the glorious cat
For I will whisper into their hearts
That I am always with them
I just am....forever and ever and ever.

Author Unknown