Mother's Apple Pie

When I was hired at my job, one of the things I told them was I cook and I tend to bring in the food to work with me. They hired me, more than likely because several of them love food! This was the first thing I brought in and has been requested every year since. I usually bring in 4 pies throughout the fall during apple season. My mother made this for the family every year, and now I've taken over that responsibility for holidays.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 sticks butter or margarine (trans-fat free!)
• 2 Tbs. cinnamon (or more to taste)
• 10 16oz style apples, peeled and sliced
• 2 sets (top & bottom) of Pillsbury Pie crust, room temp.(or recipe)

DIRECTIONS

Mix sugar and cinnamon together. If it looks like there is too much cinnamon, then add some sugar. Vice versa as well. I always store any extra cinnamon sugar anyway, so making too much isn't an issue.

Place bottom pie crusts into two 9in dishes. Sprinkle a layer of cinnamon sugar into empty crust. Slice the apples and place the bottom layer of apples in formation so that pieces of touching but not crowded. Sprinkle more sugar mixture over placed apple slices. Repeat until a layer rises above the pan about a centimeter. Sprinkle sugar each time, including the last layer. Put small leftover bits of apple in crevices to keep up top crust. Put 4-5 tablespoon slices of stick butter in circle around top layer.

Cover with crust, fold in and pinch edges to seal, use thumbs to create pinch pattern around edge. Cut out 4 inverted elongated raindrop holes on top of crust. Sprinkle with more sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Use fork to test apple firmness through one of the holes. Apple slice should be firm, but relent to some pressure. Do not wait until apple is soft.

There is a balance to the whole ordeal. You have to slice fast enough so the apples do not brown but not so fast that you make your slices too thin/thick. I usually slice my apples so there are 5-7 nice slices per apple. This gives the pie a very hearty thickness to it. The apples will bake, and people like tender baked apples.

Apple pie served best when cooled, not hot and fresh.