Apple Pie--Simple Pleasures

As I was returning from the walk to the mailbox, the thought occurred to me that I needed to make an apple pie from the apples that were now falling from our tree. Even though I have backed off about 90% on the gardening/growing from my former life, I still get a kick out of walking in the yard and picking fresh blackberries, asparagus, or, in this case, apples.
These apples are tart; what type are they? No idea. Greenish-yellow. How's that for a botanical description? The happy news was that they weren't too faulty, i.e. buggy/wormy so I picked a dozen of them and headed to the house.
I'm a lot like my mom in the idea that I don't like eating crunchy apple pie; like those apples soft and a little bit caramelized. So, after dicing them up, into the pan they went on the stove along with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The smell was wonderful as everything slowly heated. I tasted them along the way (one of the many joys of cooking) and decided that they were really absorbing the spices, so a bit more sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg was applied. I also have my mom's habit of not measuring on things like this, but, if pressed, I'd say I added 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 t. of cinnamon, and 1/2 t. nutmeg. (A little nutmeg goes a long way.)
As far as the crust was involved for today, I skimped and used the Pillsbury frozen rolled up crusts...they're actually really good and handy to use. Sometimes I get the notion and use either my mom's or Julia Child's pie crust recipe--sometimes. I must admit I've become spoiled by the Pillsbury crust.

I always like to use a lattice crust topping so air can circulate and it looks pretty. It's not at all hard to do, but just remember when you're dealing with hot apples, the lattice strips will melt if left sitting too long and then they'll stretch and lose their shape.

Once the pie was ready, I added some dots of butter to the top and then put into a slow 325 degree oven. It seems that most pie recipes want you to start out at high heat and then turn it down; my mom and I agree that this isn't necessary...the 325 degrees work just fine...and you don't have to remember to turn it down.

The pie usually takes around an hour to bake. Once it's brought out, it needs to rest and cool a bit or it will collapse. 

And that's that...add a dollop of whipped topping or some good vanilla ice cream and all is well with the world--enjoy!