for my sweetie pie

i have always been drawn to the idea of baking pies.

the whole act just exudes charm & neighborly love.

warmth. sweetness. hospitality.

just overflow from a warm pie dish.

with this adoration, i have always had a bit of hesitation.

i've been a little afraid to actually try to bake a pie.

until i finally thought,

i can't be afraid of a pie.

a little ol' pie.

and so today was the day.

i shook {very floury} hands with pie making 101.

i decided it was safe to use ina garten's deep dish apple pie recipe,

as i have never met an ina recipe that i did not love.

and so the tradition continues.

oh. my. heavens.

i am in love with my little pie.

my warm, bubbly, flaky, buttery, sugary, apple pie

has completely and utterly stolen my heart.

it is a good thing it takes a lot of time and energy to bake this little pie,

or i would be eating one for dessert daily. 

let me tell you about my very first adventure with pie baking.

i only have a teeny tiny four cup food processor,

and so, as you can imagine, my first go at making the crust 

ended with a wintery white christmas scene in my kitchen.

flour everywhere. 

a desperate call to mom,

and my lovie dashed over to grab her bigger food processor

{thank goodness for my sweetie pie}

the second go around was a much greater success.

i sliced & diced my very cold butter.

and made the pie dough.

i placed the dough in the fridge while i prepared the pie filling.

picked out my best lookin' apples.

and my prettiest, ruffled pie dish.

peeled, cored, sliced.

added the spices.

cinnamon. all spice. fresh ground nutmeg.

added the lemon zest & orang zest.

then i took the dough out of the fridge

and rolled it into two large pie shells.

i loved using my rolling pin. it was my first time.

i gently laid the first shell down on the bottom of the pie dish.

and filled the dish to the brim with the spiced apples.

then topped off the pie with the second shell.

the recipe calls for a pinch of sugar sprinkled on top,

but i kicked it up a notch and used vanilla sugar.

the hour of bake time felt like i waiting for christmas morning.

i had to use self control and not check the oven every five minutes,

and it was oh-so tempting.

the house smelled glorious. absolutely glorious.

all i wanted was to see my browned & bubbling pie.

sweetie pie success.

{the three little dishes in the back are little breakfast treats. i placed the extra spiced apples in the bottom. added a spoonful of old fashioned oatmeal. a sprinkle of brown sugar. a tiny bit of butter. and then baked them. sunday breakfast for my lovie and me}

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