Fall~Fun~Fear

Brandy-Apple Mini Pies with Cornmeal Crust.

Fall is my favorite season by far! Vibrant fiery colors blanketing the slopes, crisp air, jackets. I love jackets.

I also love all the "fall activities"...hay rides, apple picking, corn mazes. Ever been through a corn maze? Oh, you should! Although I must say, I had a little toughening up to do the first time we tried it.

Roller Derby Pies

Blue Ridge Roller Girls, Oatmeal Cream Pies, and a GIVEAWAY Winner.

What was your favorite childhood treat? Swiss Cake Rolls, Twinkies, Ding Dongs? I was a Oatmeal Cream Pie kind of girl.

How long has it been since you had one??? Sadly, they may not be quite what you remembered. Maybe we've matured beyond heavily preserved, factory processed baked goods.

Nostalgia isn't quite what it used to be. ~Peter De Vries

Apples for All!

Curried Apple Turnovers.

My family always looks forward to apple picking this time of year. The kids enjoy climbing up on daddy's broad shoulders to reach for juicy autumn orbs tucked beneath leafy branches. They get even more excited about all the other glorious things you find at an apple orchard...farm animals to feed, hay rides, play areas, and decedent apple treats!

Too Late for Blueberry Pie?

Of course not! That's the beauty of living in the mountains--we still have wild blueberries growing all over the slopes!

A couple weeks ago, we took our kids up to a wonderful little spot along the Blue Ridge Parkway called Graveyard Fields. It's a popular stop for casual (kid friendly) hiking and berry picking. Acres of wild blueberry varieties grow in nearly every direction. So when one of my oldest, dearest friends came to visit last week with her family, we headed up the parkway again for more blueberries!

Crostata Or Galette?

Mixed Berry Crostata with Lemon-Honey Ricotta Cream.

I get confused...is it a galette, crostata, free-form pie, flat tart, what? I'm pretty sure the only difference between ALL of these, is where you live. For the French, it's a galette. For the Italians, it's a crostata. For Americans...well, we Americans like to use multiple names for the same thing! I've even heard of this being called a Lazy Pie. Whatever it is--it's amazingly delectable and simple to make!