Mom's Apple Pie

It's officially fall here in Boston. Over the weekend temperatures dropped from high 70's into the low 50's. Thankfully I was able to enjoy the warmth while it lasted over the holiday weekend. On Friday, Dylan and I went apple picking at an orchard one hour outside the city. The leaves were beautiful driving through the countryside and it made me feel a little closer to home. When we arrived the orchard workers directed us to a line of disappointing green apples, but we found a secret field wayyy in the back and picked ourselves a bag of pretty, miscellaneous red apples! It involved some piggy-backing and tree climbing, but all the effort made it more rewarding.

And on Columbus Day, we took a day trip to Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire and went on a fantastic 4-mile hike. Ever since my trip to Alaska I have been itching for the outdoors, and it was a great day to escape the city. Not to mention my awesome treat at the top of the summit! PB&J has never tasted so good.

Of course, what else does one do with a bag of freshly picked apples besides bake them in something delicious? I decided to finally tackle my mom's famous apple pie. Every year for Thanksgiving she makes two apple pies and the morning after, we all wake up and have a slice of pie for breakfast. One year she tried a different recipe from Ina Garten and the whole family complained it didn't compare. Now this pie is on the list of family traditions that we don't mess with. For another great family recipe, take a look at my Grandma's Apple Cake.

Mom's Apple Pie
Makes: 1 pie  Prep: 30 minutes  Total: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup and 2 tbs Crisco (preferably the yellow, butter-flavored variety)
1/4 cup water
6-7 cups sliced apples
1 cup sugar
3 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs butter

Directions
Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with two knives until fine particles. Add water and mix well, but don't overwork it or else the dough will be tough. Form into a ball, cut in half and roll out each crust.
In a large bowl, toss sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon. Lay down the bottom crust in a greased pie tin and cover with sugared apples. Cut butter into 1/4" cubes and sprinkle on top of apples. Cover with top pie crust and pinch edges together. Cut four large slits in the top of the pie and bake at 450 for 50 minutes. Remove, sprinkle with sugar and let cool.