Fried Pies

Every once in a while I have a flashback to certain Texas foods, and yesterday it was fried pies that I thought about.  Yes, ooooeeyy pie filling, wrapped lovingly in a flaky pie crust, then crimped into a half moon shape, sealed with a dab of water and a squeeze.  Then lightly fried until golden and piping hot.  Once removed from the oil, immediately sprinkle generously with cinnamon suger, yum yum!
As lots of my inspiration comes from what I happen to have on hand that may spoil if not used, this recipe started out as leftover granny smith apples from a party.  There they sat, on my kitchen table, staring at me as if they already knew their fate.  Just waiting long enough to grow some brown spots and ease my conscious for throwing them out.  Not this time, though!  I gathered them up and dunked them into a bowlful of water, then peeled, cored, and sliced them into a pan.  Adding some water, a handful each of white and brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon, I brought them to a gentle simmer.  The whole house smelled wonderful and for that alone I was grateful that these beautiful fruit did not end up in the garbage, like so many perishables that I neglect until it is too late, sometimes waaaayyyy too late!
Once I cooled this mixture down, tasted it for the right amount of sweetness, I ladled about 3 cups into the center of a flat circle of purchased pie crust.  I pulled up the edges of the crust and just sort of pinched them around the edges.  Looked pretty country style, but baked it for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees and it came out brown and crusty and delicious, especially when topped with ice cream.
Since I had some leftover filling, I decided to do the fried pie as well, and let me tell you, it was just like I remembered.  All of the Texas bakeries when I was growing up had fresh fried pies and the fond memories of them come flooding back in that first bite.  Funny how food can have that effect on us.

Thursday Supper

Yesterday afternoon I soaked some Navy Beans, then put them into the crockpot to cook overnight with some diced ham (just lunch meat), 1/2 chopped onion, one shredded carrot and some salt and pepper.  This morning we woke up to that awesome smell of Navy Bean soup.  So, that's whats for lunch.  If I were going off to work, some would have gone into a container with some crackers, but since I work at home, I'll just run up at lunchtime and have myself a bowl.  There is just something about hot soup on a cold day and I am getting better at making it at home.  There are a couple of tricks I have learned, though, that make it easier and tastier!
First of all, always saute (lightly fry) the vegies that you are going to use for your soup.  Second, add the meat last, as it will usually cook right into the broth if you leave it simmering too long.  Third, don't leave out the salt, and use a really good cooking stock that you can buy at any grocery store.
Enough about that, now on to dinner.  I was going to do a chicken stir fry over rice, but I remembered that I just bought some beautiful country style pork ribs the other day.  So, I think that I will have my husband smoke them outside on the pit (even if the high today is only 41 degrees), then I'll slow cook them in the oven for a few hours.  Along with that I will make some pinto beans and fresh potato salad.  It will be like summer in my house for a minute, anyway.
I will have the grandkids for the weekend, while their parents are away on a little hiatus, so I will try to put up a couple of recipes that are kid friendly, if anyone is interested.
TTFN