Monday, October 20, 2008

Bookmark this recipe for Sour Cream Apple Pie . . .

Sunday was my mother's 88th birthday. I made a sour cream apple pie instead of a cake and it was absolutely delicious. I have new respect for food bloggers. I wouldn't last a week if I had to cook something imaginative every day and then photograph it for the web. It's not that easy! And forget photographing the dish while you are preparing it.

Sour Cream Apple Pie
(Alicia Paulson's recipe)
Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
Filling:
1 1/3 c. sour cream
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 or 5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced. I used Golden Delicious because that was what I had on hand.
Pie crust ~ you can make your own, or use a pre-made one from the refrigerator section of the market fitted into a deep-dish 9" or 10" pie plate and chilled. I did not have the deep dish crusts...just regular...so it ran over in the oven but I knew this was going to happen. I had a pan underneath; the overflow was delicious.
To make the topping ~ in a bowl blend the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and flour until the mixture is combined well. Cover and chill the topping.
To make the filling ~ whisk together the sour cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and flour until the mixture is smooth. Add the peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples and stir the filling and apples together. Spoon the filling into the chilled shell and crumble the topping evenly over it. Bake the pie on a baking sheet in the middle of a pre-heated 350-degree oven, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (You might need to put a bit of tinfoil on top of the pie during the last 15 minutes to prevent the top from burning.) Transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely.

I have a gas oven and had to cook my pie a little longer. Adjust cooking time according to your oven. I think this would be delicious without the crust. One day I shall make it in deep baking dish.



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Saturday, October 18, 2008

High Tension Fun or the REAL reason for power surges . . .

JUMPING CABLES or WHAT THE POWER COMPANY DOESN'T TELL US

I think this happens quite often when nobody's looking. It's the real reason for power surges and mild earth tremors.

Friday, October 17, 2008

WORLD ANIMAL DAY . . .





World Animal Day was October 4th. THE BIG PICTURE has 38 of the most stunning photos you will ever want to see showing recent photos of animals from around the world.

Head over there so you can see them all. The five photos I am showing above are just a tiny preview. Plus mine are miniature versions. The Big Picture site from The Boston Globe has giant photos...guess that's how they came up with their name.

It is my favorite site of all. Always informative with fabulous photos.



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Free Download ~ Old Man Halloween Mask . . .

Halloween is two weeks from today and I found a great Old Man Face Mask for you to download and print. I did not design it...another Rosemary did. Print a whole bunch and wear them at the office, in school, at home; have some fun.

You will need one sheet of card stock for each mask, scissors, and 2 pieces of string (or elastic). Mess up your hair or wear a wig, pull your pants up high, and you are ready to answer the door when the trick or treaters come calling. Make sure you don't run out of candy!

Free download here.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Credit Crunch ~ Timely Quote . . .

Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.
Ellen Goodman American journalist (1941 - )

American Presidential Wrestling 2008 . . .

Heavyweight Championship
The White House ~ November 4, 2008

It has never been more important to vote. See you at the polls.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Gandhi Poverty Quote for Blog Action Day . . .




Free Medical, Dental & Vision to poor in America and third world countries . . .

Today is Blog Action Day and those of us who registered have agreed to blog about one subject POVERTY. I just clicked on the banner at the bottom of this post and saw that 9,376 bloggers had signed up (at 7:45 pm the night before) and their posts will reach 10,430,874 readers. Very impressive numbers that are still growing. I am happy to add my voice. (Update...7pm in New Jersey...10/15...12,205 bloggers participating; reaching 13,079,246 readers.)

I would like to call attention to Remote Area Medical® (RAM) Volunteer Corps. A non-profit, volunteer, airborne relief corps dedicated to serving mankind by providing free clinics for health care, dental care, eye care, veterinary services, and technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States and the world.

Please give their website the attention it deserves. Click on every link and consider making a donation of your money, your services, supplies, or your time. I mailed a large check today...10/16/2008. It felt so good just writing it!!! Plus I know it will be put to such good use.

Founded in 1985, Remote Area Medical® is a publicly supported all-volunteer charitable organization. Volunteer doctors, nurses, pilots, veterinarians and support workers participate in expeditions (at their own expense) in some of the world's most remote and places. Medical supplies, medicines, facilities and vehicles are donated.

I first learned about them on March 20, 2008 when CBS 60 Minutes ran a segment about a weekend in poverty stricken rural Tennessee where huge crowds gathered days before the event to get free medical assistance. Hundreds were turned away at the end due to lack of time.

Luckily, I found a shortened version of the segment on YouTube.
Please watch...it is very inspiring.
You won't be sorry.



RAM FREE CLINICS will be at the following locations between now and Election Day (the next three weeks).

Oct. 18-19
McCreary County, Kentucky & Scott County, Tennessee
at Scott Appalachian Industries (SAI), Huntsville, TN
(Dental, Vision, Medical)

Oct. 25-Nov. 2
Honduras - Seguatepeque (South America)
(Dental, Vision, Medical)

Nov. 1-2
Grundy County, Tennessee
(Dental, Vision, Medical)

See full 2008 schedule. See full 2009 schedule.

Remote Area Medical Foundation
1834 Beech Street
Knoxville, TN 37920
865-579-1530

Thank you for visiting my blog on this important
day.

DON'T FORGET TO WATCH THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE TONIGHT!





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