Apple Pie - 9" (Greta Cousins)

Filling:

5 to 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except butter.  Set aside until crust is prepared.

Pie Crust:

2 cups flour (she uses Gold Medal)
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
5 Tbsp. cold water

Cut first three ingredients together using a pastry blender (or two dinner knives).  Add water and mix with fork until dough forms a ball. 

Divide dough ball in two.  Roll out bottom crust, put in 9" pie plate, and put in filling.

Dot filling with butter.

Roll out top crust and put on pie.  Trim, turn edge under, and crimp edge.

Moisten top slightly with water, sprinkle lightly with sugar (about 1 tsp.).  Make about 5 one-inch slits around top of pie.

Bake at 435 degrees for 1 hour, then turn to 450 degrees for 10 minutes longer.  Test apples with fork to see if tender.  (In California, bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour.)

Banan Cream Pie (Our Best Bites)

1 4-serving size box of instant chocolate or vanilla pudding

1 c. cold water

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 cookie crusts. You can use anything–graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, shortbread, even Oreo.

Lots of bananas

1 pint whipping cream

1/3 c. powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, cold water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix well and place in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes. In another bowl, whip 1 c. of whipping cream until soft peaks form.

Slice the bananas (probably 4 small bananas or 2 large bananas) and layer them on the bottom of the crusts. Be sure and save the plastic domes that come with the pie crusts–you’ll need them later!

Set aside. Remove pudding from the fridge and gently dollop the whipped cream on top of the pudding. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until well-combined.

Now divide the mixture between the two pies.

Prepare sweetened whipped cream with the remaining whipping cream and 1/3 c. of powdered sugar and spread it on top of the two pies. Place the clear plastic shells back on the pies and allow to chill for several hours. This is actually really important–I tried eating it right away once and the pie wasn’t banana-y at all and the moisture hadn’t absorbed into the crust, so the crust just fell apart.
And there you have it–the best AND the easiest banana cream pie you’ll ever have or need!