J loves apple pie. Actually, I do too.

Cutting the apples does take forever.  But man is it worth it!  They key to a great apple pie is, for me, 90% about the crust.  I use AllRecipes' Basic Flaky Pie Crust but substitute butter for shortening.  The key to a good crust is to keep it COLD.  It gets it's tender, flaky texture because, if kept cold, the better doesn't melt it all into one blob.  Also, try not to work pie crust dough too much, as this builds the gluten, which will make the dough chewy.  NEVER use bread flour for pie dough.

Oh, and here's a great tip (thanks D): before baking, brush the dough with a mixture of butter and sugar.  This not only makes it taste better, but gives it a shiny, golden finish.

Unbelievable Roast Chicken. Oh, and it's thrifty, too.

This beautiful bird cost me around $3.  And, thanks to Julia Child, it was incredibly easy.  All you do is brush it with butter and then cook 15 minutes at 425.  After that, decrease temp to 350 and baste every 10 minutes.  A three pound bird takes around 1hr15.  I added carrots, onion, and celery to the pan and after cooking in the juices, they were wonderful.  I also seasoned all with dill.

And believe me; this poulet roti tasted just as good as it looked.  

Also, I saved the bones and made about 6 cups of delicious, healthy, homemade stock. 

Welcome. Have some bread.

This is Susan's Farmhouse White Bread, which I modified to be mostly whole wheat (and added some flaxseed).  Julia Child, food genius, says that American methods for making bread involve too much yeast and heat, which causes the yeast to produce rancid gases, thereby tainting the taste of the loaf. 

 

What I like about Susan's Farmhouse bread (you can find it at Farmgirl Fare) is that she uses very little yeast and does a much slower rise (slow because of the lack of heat).  This allows the flavors of the grains to come through.  Yum!