Apple Pie with Oat Crust

I am sure many of you have noticed the over abundance of apples this season.

It is like Mother Nature is making up for last years lack of fruit do to the bitter cold previous winter.

We have two little apple trees the owners before us planted.

They both were loaded to the point where I was ready to prop up the branches.

These boxes are just from one tree!

I canned 10 or so jars of Candy Apple Jelly.

A batch of apple butter and a  tried a new recipe for

Caramel Apple Butter.

Love apple butter stirred into my morning oatmeal!

I froze about 10 pints of  apple pie filling for a winter treat.

And of course quite a few pints of apple sauce for the grandson!

Yesterday I noticed a few apple stragglers still hanging around on the counter.

(My son had some huge Granny Smiths on his tree too!)

I might as well put them to some good use.

I remembered a recipe that was printed in the September/October issue of my Grit magazine.

It kind of sounded like a cross between an apple crisp and a apple pie.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Crust:

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup uncooked oats, quick or old fashioned

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt. Add butter, water and vanilla and mix well.

Press mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9 inch glass pie plate, forming 1/4 inch rim around edge.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until light golden brown, cool.

Filling

1 carton (8 ounces) sour cream

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

4 egg whites, slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 ground nutmeg

4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples

Combine sour cream, brown sugar, flour, egg whites, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Add apples toss to coat.

Arrange over cooled crust.

Topping

1/4 cup uncooked oats, quick or old fashioned

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Combine oats, brown sugar, and flour; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle over filling.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center

comes out clean.

I really like the oatmeal cookie tasting crust!

Even better with a scoop of ice cream on top!

Here is the whole recipe from the Grit magazine!

Apple Pie with Oat Crust

Linking up with Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop

49 things to do before I turn the big 5-0

 I turned 49 a week ago. UGH!  I have to admit I am not looking forward to 50. I know, age is just a number.  I thought I would put together a do-able list that would make the journey a little bit more fun! 

1. Finish that damn quilt!
   
2. Clean out the basement. (slowly working on that)
3. Walk 49 miles a month. (thats only a couple of miles a day)
4. Find my biceps and triceps!
   
   When I saw this pic I asked the hubby, why didn’t you tell me my arms were fat!
5. Run a 5k. ( I really want to run this one at Lambeau Field next July)
   
6. Buy a compost barrel.
7. Buy some new jeans. ( I think its been over 2 years since I bought any.)
8. Get fitted for the proper bra!
9. Oh what the heck buy some new underwear too!
10. Re-read To Kill a Mockingbird. (I just finished it)
11. Read Harper Lees newly published novel (on waiting list at library)
12. Read 1 non-fiction book a month
13. Buy myself a pretty new teacup
14. Drink green tea at 3.
15. Visit the Morton Arboretum
    
16. Refinish the chairs in my basement
17. Remove all pictures from my old cell phone
18. Develop all of Gunners picture/put in photo album
19. Make a prayer box.
    
20. Memorize 49 Bible verses
21. Donate more to one of my favorite groups.Cup of Cold Water Ministries
    
22. Step out in  my faith/witness to others
23. Make a souffle’
24. Make something once a month from my pinterest crafty board.
25. Buy folders/sort my magazines/create my own pinterest folders
26. Write down ALL internet passwords/put in safe place. (Remember safe place)
27. Develop a business plan for a flower farming business 
    
    I grow most of these all ready. Why not expand and sell!
28. Buy a violet for the house. (My grandma had over 50 violets in her home)
29. Raise and butcher our own meat birds.
30. Have 3 active bee hives.
31. Learn to make soap from beeswax.
32. Take a cheesemaking class.
33. Have a family portrait with all the kids.
34. Memorize the words to Zou Bisou
35. Donate some time to our local nursing home
36. Get a massage
37. Go to a concert
38. Be a bleacher bum.
    
39. Hike the canyon at Starved Rock all 4 seasons.
    
40. Have drinks at the Signature Room, 95th floor of the Hancock Building in Chicago.
    
41. Eat oysters at the Acme Oyster House in New Orleans
    
42. Have lunch with just my mom and I.
43. Do a cleanse
44. Visit the dermatologist.
45. Reconnect with an old high school GF who is turning 50 too!
46. Sew my own apron
47. Buy a bike
48. Ride the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier
    
49. Raise turkeys

This is my list!

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Oh My Zucchini ( Yogurt Multigrain Zucchini Muffins)

What do most people have on their counter tops this time of summer?

An over abundance of zucchinis of course!

I myself never plant any in the garden.

I have enough friends and neighbors that share!

This morning knew I had to start the task of grating and freezing.

A pile for me

some scraps for the chickens.

It didn't take long to grate a pan full.

The grandson was here so I thought lets make some muffins.

Do you know how hard it is to find a good zucchini recipe that doesn't call for a LOT of sugar?

I finally found one that sounded good.

Plus I had all of the ingredients on hand.

Zucchini Yogurt Mulitgrain Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans(optional)
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 24 muffin cups.
2. In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the zucchini, carrots, pecans, and raisins. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.

I omitted the pecans and raisins.

Little man really likes to help!

They make the kitchen smell divine!

I like how much they plump up.

But the biggest test is if the grandson likes them.

I think they passed the taste test!

I froze the rest of my grated zucchini for baking this winter.

Thats one zucchini down and a few more to go.

These guys showed up at the door shortly after taking the 

muffins out.

How did they know I had a treat waiting for them?

Enjoy your zucchinies!

Liz

Farm field Skies

One great thing about living in Northern Illinois

surrounded by nothing but fields,

is the spectacular view.

Let me tell you I could sit and spend hours looking at 

Gods great handiwork.

He sure puts on one heck of a display!

LIZ

One of those summers

    Yep it has been one of those summers.

                           A summer I am ready to be done with.  

A summer where nothing has gone as planned.

My first OH NO, happened with the bees.

My bees didn't survive the winter.

                                     

We had ordered another swarm in December with hopes of starting another hive this spring.

The new swarm went into the old hive.

But the queen was dead when I went to release her after a few days.

I spent a whole day scrambling to find another queen.

She arrived a few days later in all of her glory.

Thats her in the little cage

It wasn't long after her introduction into the hive I knew something wasn't right.

The bees didn't like their new queen.

The bees left.

I got my garden planted probably the earliest I ever have.

Things were growing good!

Then the rains came.

My poor little garden was flooded out at least 3 times.

What did grow the deer decided to munch on.

Then the weeds took over again!

I mowed most of it over yesterday.

Just a few tomato plants and peppers remain.

The pipeliner is still working out of town.

I spend a lot of time driving between home and the camper.

On one of my stays at the camper I forgot to put my new sour dough starter in the fridge.

Sadly when I returned home it had become a big jar of green mold!

YUCK!

Of course there has been a lot of fun summer time too!

The grandson loves camper time.

We go to the beach almost everyday he is here.

That other furry thing in the picture is our new addition to the family.

We brought Red home June 14th.

He is a fox red labrador.

Oh what was I thinking with a 2 year old trying to potty train 

plus a dog!

Thankfully he likes to travel.

He will make a great pipeline puppy!

And he is growing fast!

He has already found his favorite spot to sit

Between rains storms,

I even managed to get some strawberries and cherries picked for jam.

Hoping thats enough to get us through the winter.

Even though this wasn't the summer I had imagined 

last winter,

a bountiful garden, garden canned veggies lining the shelves, 

and an endless supply of honey to slather on fresh baked bread.

It could always be a whole lot worse, right?

That is why I have made this my motto for the rest of my summer,

There is always so much to be thankful for!

Liz

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