Genesee Valley Apple Crumb Pie (Revised)

Filling: 6 unpared sliced apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt

Crumb topping: 1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour

Filling: 1.Fill the crust with apples
2.Sprinkle salt, sugar and
cinnamon.

Crumb Topping: 1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Spoon mixture on top of pie.
3. Place in preheated oven(450 F)for 10 min. Then reduce heat to
350 F for 30 minutes.

Crust: Buy one!


Recipe courtesy of Applehood and Motherpie by the Junior League of Rochester
copyright 1981

September 21 was the first day of fall. Fall makes me want to plant hundreds of bulbs. Tulips, daffodils, alliums, lilies to name a few. I think it is survival. The thought of winter daunts me every year that I live in North America. Planting spring flowers makes me look forward to the blooms and when the temperature dips to minus 0, I think of the garden in the spring. If I didn't, I think I would be very unhappy all the winter months.
Many times, I think about moving south, but spring flowers keep me in the northern region.I actually like four season gardening. It is chilly today. My nose and feet are cold.I feel winter coming.Hopefully I will survive another one.

Peanut Butter and Jelly on Wheat

On two pieces of wheat bread,
spread one side with your favorite type of PB(crunchy, extra crunchy or creamy)
On the other side, some grape jelly or your choice of jelly, mine being grape.
Slap together and eat at your leisure.

When experiencing a harried week like mine has been, my answer to a healthy lunch is PB and J on wheat.
The wheat provides the necessary roughage, the PB- protein and jelly to satisfy the sweet tooth in me.

My supposedly 25 minutes of duty free lunch is most often never so.
My students are to be downstairs in the lunch line at 12:00 sharp and they should have gone through by 12:02 as that is the designated time for the next class to come through.
Many times, technology lets us down and the lunch cards cannot be scanned ( they have to be handwritten and entered at a later time when said computer is up and running again) or the younger grades are running late, therefore backing subsequent lunch eaters.
When such things happen, I whip out my PB and J and start eating because even if I am still monitoring my kids; my "duty-free" lunch minutes are ticking away.
There have been times that 7 minutes is all I've gotten and I've barely had time to chew my food. It is getting better though as our school year approaches its 5th week.
When is our next holiday?

Grilled Nuttella

Slather on butter on two pieces of bread while a frying pan is preheating.
On the unbuttered side of both pieces of bread, slather on Nuttella.
Lay the buttered side down in the hot pan and cook until a golden brown.
Eat immediately.

I called Mommy in San Mateo today to greet her on her birthday.
She sounded upbeat and happy.
Thinking about elderly parents making the 12000 (?) mile trip Down Under,
makes me realize that it is quite a spunky thing to do.
I hope the trip is good and they have a good time.

Fudge

Nothing is simpler to make than fudge if you have the right ingredients.
(recipe to follow)
Eating fudge equates to happiness depending on the circumstances.

Yesterday, after speaking to both our children, we realized that at that moment in time, both our kids were happy and satisfied with their lives.
Our son, from having played successfully in a winning football game and the yankees being number 1 in the league
Our daughter, despite the poverty she is experiencing because of her year of service, is realizing what a great program she is in and what great life experiences she is gaining.

It is gratifying as a parent to know that their children are happy.

Green Eggs and Ham

Crack open two organic eggs.
add some milk and scramble together with bits of ham.
Squeeze green food coloring into the mixture.
Salt and cracked pepper to taste.
cook over medium heat.

When I was a preschool teacher, on Dr. Seuss's birthday, I would prepare green eggs and ham for my students.
The preparation itself was a math lesson because we weighed the eggs and measured out milk.
Eye- hand coordination was practiced when cutting the ham using child safe utensils and turning the pepper grinder.
Cooking these ingredients together and observing the changes that take place is a science lesson.
This simple recipe is like life.
There are multiple lessons in simple experiences and they are ones that we remember the most.

Raw Eggs and Rice

Break an egg over hot steaming rice.
Add salt to taste and mix together.

Food is one of the three basic necessities of life. It is needed to survive.
As a child, I was told to eat everything that I put on my plate.
Choice of entrees was not an option except if it was raw egg and rice.

If I did not feel like eating the food that was prepared, the choice was not to eat or have raw egg and rice. Now I realize, that I had choices after all.
I never felt like I had choices growing up. Good to know.