Skeptickle

Apple pies always remind me of summer and I definitely need some reminding on this cool and overcast day. This was my first attempt at baking apple pie and I’m delighted that it turned out so well. The process was much easier than I thought so I wanted to share the recipe I used.

Gourmet Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 9-inch pie pan (I used nonstick)
• 2 10-inch layers of pie crust, either homemade or store bought.
• About 2 1/2 lbs of tart and sturdy apples like Granny Smiths (I used Braeburns)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1-2 tablespoons chilled butter
• sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 425℉. Prepare bottom crust in pie pan. Peel, cut and core apples. Toss apples with sugars, flour, spices, salt, vanilla, and milk or cream. Fill bottom crust with this mixture. Cut the butter into small squares and place pieces evenly over the apple mixture. Place the top crust over apples and pinch the edges of the crusts together tightly*.  Brush the top of the crust with cream or milk and sprinkle with sugar. Make a few slits on the crust to help steam escape. 

Place on the lowest rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 325 and continue to bake for 50-60 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let pie cool for 45 minutes before serving. 

*As you can see in the pictures, I failed to crimp the two crusts together very well and it resulted in the filling bubbling out from in between. 

I hope that you enjoy this recipe!

I didn’t know that buying from local independent stores would help stimulate our economy better than if we buy from large chains. I’m all for supporting local communities so this might be something that I’m willing to try. Here is the website  for this project.

 Goal #3: Stay within budget!

The U.S. average cost of a wedding last year was 30k. The average cost of a wedding in the Bay Area was 40-45k (depending on the source). We worked within that range (U.S. AND Bay Area averages) just so we’re realistic about the cost. I can happily say that we successfully worked within our budget and even came out on top. I know that’s a lot of money anyway and that’s not to be taken lightly in this economy but both Rob and I agree wholeheartedly that it was worth it.

Rob’s mom generously helped us out for most of it, so we did not go into much debt at all. I was able to cut out a lot of the cost by DIYing things and negotiating with our venders to get the most value out of the money we spent. That said, the two things I’m glad we splurged on so far are our photographer Junshien and our venue Nestldown. We hired a videographer at the last minute and he may be part of this list but I won’t know until we get our wedding video. The one indispensable book I found to help save me money on the wedding was the Bridal Bargains book by Denise and Alan Fields. Here is their website. I recommend this book to anyone who has a budget to stick to but don’t want to serve turkey sandwiches at their reception (unless that’s your thing *shrugs*). I wish I found it early on in our planning because we could’ve saved even more!  

Goal #2: Say our “I do’s” at Nestldown.

We first started looking at venues shortly after we got engaged. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stand a long engagement but many of the best venues book up very quickly, sometimes two years in advance. I didn’t know where to start so I just made appointments to view venues that have been recommended on Yelp! and Here Comes the Guide. We had wanted to get married during a three day weekend so that guests from out of town can fly in on Saturday, attend the wedding on Sunday, and then fly back on Monday. We decided on Memorial Day weekend of this year and crossed our fingers that the venue that we end up choosing will have that day free. Our first venue visit was Nestldown, which was highly recommended on Yelp!. It was both a good and bad thing that we went to Nestldown first. It was good that we got to see it with fresh eyes and that we found it at all. Nestldown doesn’t advertise and is only heard about through word of mouth (thanks Yelp!) The bad thing (at the time) was that I fell in love with it right away and every other venue we visited thereafter paled in comparison. It was absolutely perfect and words really can’t describe it. There is a barn large enough for dancing, a mini-train that runs during cocktail hour, the ceremony area is surrounded with giant redwood trees, and they even had a small fairy-tale cottage! Here are some pics from our first visit. Sorry if they’re a bit blurry, we used an iPhone.

Phenomenal landscaping.

Deluxe-sized treehouse

Pond near the Barn

The tulips were abloom! Butterfly bench in the distance.

Continue reading Miss to Mrs: Wedding Goals, Pt. 2

After we got engaged, Rob and I set goals for our wedding so that we can keep it real when things get crazy or uncontrollable. Getting married is an obvious goal so I’m not going to mention it on our list. After all, we planned on getting married whether or not we were going to have a wedding. 

Our top three goals for our wedding were as follows:

1. Make sure this wedding is truly about us first and reflect us as a couple. 

2. Say our “I do’s” at Nestldown.

3. Stay within budget.

Goal #1: Make sure this wedding is truly about us and reflect us accurately as a couple. 

There nothing like a wedding that runs away from what the the bride and groom actually wants. Say what you will about the Sex and the City Movie, I think there’s still a lesson to be learned there. Carrie and Mr. Big were just fine planning a simple courthouse wedding. That was more “them”. But then other people got excited about their special day and projected their wants and desires into the plans. Carrie found it hard to put her foot down and firmly refuse everyone that contributed to this growing accumulation of obligations. It very quickly got out of control and she realized too late that all that time she spent on making other people happy should have gone into making her and Mr. Big happy. 

Continue reading From Miss to Mrs: Wedding Goals, Pt.1