The Everlasting apple pie!

Is there anyone out there in the United States of America that does not like apple pie?  Well I am
sure there may be someone, but as far as I know,
apple pie says home!  But what kind of apple pie?The good old fashioned, golden two crust pie. The scumptious vanilla ice cream on top kind. The  cinnamony, sweet, juicy pie we all know and love. 

Pies are something that come in all flavors of sweet
and savory foods. Everyone has a favorite.  But
today the apple pie is the one I will feature here.

Did you every notice the apple pie war silently
going on with Mom and Grandma and friend an
neighbor or anyone obssesed with the fact that they make the best tasting, best looking and the biggest
apple pie of all. For some reason the apple pie becomes the test of baking and competition to all avid
home bakers and maybe professional bakers too.  What is it about the apple pie that stirs this innate
primal competition to bake, and rebake to prove that "our pie is better than yours"?  Is it the fact that
the apple was the fruit that Eve took the first bite from and offered it to Adam. Hence the forbidden
fruit, therefore the obsession of making it into the best pie to win over the next Adam? I don't think
so, actually how primitive and maybe should I say how 1950's is that. 
Well whatever the reason, you never see anyone competing over the best rhubarb pie, yuk in my book.
(sorry to all you rhubarb lovers).  Well you all know the saying "As American as Apple Pie". So
let's get baking and see if your competitive spirit breaks free
Let's start with that golden brown crust. Who can make a crust that comes out perfect? Maybe our grandmothers or great grandmothers?  Well not today, I know so many of you are afraid of the "made
from scratch pie crust", but I have a recipe that is so easy, once you try it you will never buy a pre-made
crust again.
Following is the recipe for this fabulously, flaky crust and lucious apple pie. I hope you like it!

FABULOUSLY FLAKY PIE CRUST
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
16 TBS (2 sticks) cold butter
4-6 TBS cold water

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder. Cut butter into tablespoon size squares and add
to flour. Coat with the flour mixture. Mix with a pastry cutter or two forks till very crumbly. Add the water
tablespoon by tablespoon to keep it moist, so that the mixture can form into a ball.
Cut the dough ball into two pieces and flatten each one to a round disc, wrap each one in saran wrap
and refrigerate at least one hour.
On a floured surface or on a large piece of saran wrap place one of the dough discs, cover with either
flour or saran whichever you choose to roll the dough on.  I have just started rolling on the saran wrap
because it is mess free and easier to place in the pie plate.
Roll with a rolling pin in one direction but in a outward circular motion around the disc to flatten it and make it about 1 inch larger than the pie plate. Roll consecutively around the disc until it is the desired size. Example,
roll it like you are rolling out to each number on the clock, clockwise until it is the right size.
Now remove the top layer of saran wrap, and gently lift the bottom saran wrap, lifting the pie dough at
the same time. Lay the dough on top of the pie plate and remove the saran wrap. Gently fit the dough
into the pie plate to fit, pressing the edges onto the edge of the plate. You can use either your fingers
or a fork to press the edge onto the plate to form to the pie plate.

For the Apple Pie filling:
10-12 Cooking apples (I like Empire, but you can use Granny Smith,  or Ida Red or what you like)
1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of flour
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp of ground allspice
1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp of salt
3-4 TBS of butter
3TBS of melted butter
1TBS sugar
Peel and cut apples into thin slices. Place in a very large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix well.
In another small bowl mix together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt then add to
the apple and sugar mixture and mix together well till apples are coated with the spice and flour mixture.
Pour the apples into the pie plate with the prepared bottom crust. Place the 3-4 TBS of butter on the apples
in 3 or 4 different spots.
Go back to your second dough disc and roll out like described above.
Place that crust on top of the apple filling. Seal the two crust together around
the edge of the pie plate using your fingers or a fork to make a decorative edge.
Cut slits into the top of the crust with a sharp knife about an inch long in three or four places.
Melt the extra 3TBS of butter and brush along the edge of the crust and the top of the pie.
Place the pie on a large baking sheet to protect your oven from spills. Cover the edge of the pie crust
with foil for the first 25 minutes of baking.
Bake in a 350* oven for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes more until golden and
bubbly.
Yummy!!! Hope you love it!!!