Short cut to Apple Pie

I'm happy to report another baking success :) Actually, I'm pretty excited about my most recent adventure. I baked "Spicy Apple Twists" (see recipe below) and they were sooo good. I brought them to my friend, Sarah's b-day party. They were a hit :) They basically are like little pieces of apple pie, but they are so much easier and quicker to make than pie. It takes me over two hours start to finish to make Apple Pie, but this recipe was no more than an hour and a half. The only thing I would change for next time is to not put as much water around the twists in the hope that the apple pieces will be more crispy. They're rather mushy, but yummy. This is definately something I'll have to do again when I pick apples, which will be in the next couple of weeks.

Spicy Apple Twists
2 lg. apples sliced into 8ths
1.5 cups sifted four
1 tsp. salt
5 tbsps cold water
½ cup melted butter
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¾ cup water

Instructions:
Form dough into ball. Flatten to ½ inch thickness. Roll out on floured surface to 16 by 10 inch rectangle. Cut into 16 by 10 inch by 1 inch strips. Wrap one strip around each apple wedge. Arrange in large glass pan. Brush with butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Pour water around pastries. Bake in oven at 450 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.

The history

How this all began:

A year ago, very close to my birthday, if not actually on my birthday, I discovered my mother's recipes at my sister's Vicki's house in the basement. It was actually what I consider my best "birthday gift" last year. I think I went down cellar to flip on the furnace and saw the boxes of recipes close by. I found two boxes stuffed with recipes..."stuffed" is not an exaggeration for one box considering I can't even close the box. I was thrilled and touched. I felt like it was a gift from her for that particular birthday. Anyway, it was great to have two full boxes. I had been bugging Vicki to get me her Swedish meatballs recipe for a while and now I had not only that recipe, but a few hundred more! Thank God, what a invaluable blessing! So I made the Swedish Meatballs in the next few weeks. They were okay, but as "they" say "practice makes perfect." So, I also made a Raspberry Coconut Crisp, too. By now I think I have made it five times. People always love it! I have tried two recipes recently: Oatmeal Macaroons and Coffee Cake

The macaroons were good but kinda feel apart. The Coffee Cake included corn flakes as part of the topping which made for an interesting cake. I learned after the fact that separating eggs means that you don't include the yolks...oooops. I made a mental note! I think I'll drizzle a buttery brown sugar syrup on top of the cornflakes to make it a little better. We'll see. So, that's it. I have made a total of four of her recipes. My hope is to make a new recipe each week. I will most likely bring it to a dinner I go to every Monday. I figure that way I will have people with whom to share it which is exciting and therefore I will not be the only one eating the deliciousness :) Optimistic...I am. Anyway, So what's next you ask? I am going to bake "Spicy Apple Twists" which basically are apple pieces with cinnamon and sugar on them wrapped in strips of dough and baked. I am going to pick the apples, too :) It should be fun. I hope you enjoy my blog. Feedback is welcome...I'm a rookie :)