Gingery Apple Crumb Pie

From November's issue of "Real Simple." Very easy and very good!

1 piecrust, store-bought or homemade fitted into a 9-inch pie plate
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 lbs. apples (about 5; such as Granny Smith, Braeburn or Empire) peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Set an oven rack in the lowest position and heat oven to 375. Place the pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a food processor, pulse the butter, 3/4 cup of the flour, and 1/4 cup of the sugar until large clumps appear. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. In a large bowl, toss the apples, ginger, cinnamon, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. of flour. Transfer the apple mixture to the crust, sprinkle with the crumb topping, and bake until the top is golden and the apples are tender, about 55 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: I used Granny Smith apples, and I didn't have fresh ginger, so I substituted 1/4 tsp. ground ginger, but you can add more if you want it more gingery. I also heard that adding Apple Pie Spice is good, but my store was out of it, so I didn't add it. I also made it the day ahead and covered it loosely with foil and stored it on the counter.

Beef Burgandy

Yesterday I tried this recipe and it was really good! It's definitely a keeper! It's a great recipe for Sunday, you make it before church, stick it in the oven, and it's done when you get home.

2 lb. bottom round steak meat, cut into 1-inch cubes (you can probably also use "stew meat" from the grocery store)
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
2 medium stalks celery, sliced
1 8-oz. can mushrooms, drained
1 8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup water
1 16-oz. can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 cup red wine (1 cup beef broth can be substituted for the wine, but if you do this, omit the 1 tsp. salt)
About 3 small beef buillion cubes

Mix beef, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and water chestnuts in a 4-qt. casserole dish. Mix flour, salt, thyme, mustard and pepper; stir into beef mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Break up tomatoes with a fork. Cover and bake at 325 until beef is tender and stew is thickened, about 4 hours. Serves 8.

I served mine with garlic mashed potatoes and salad, it was very good!

Where'd everybody go?

From Real Simple. This soup is absolutely delicious! I also like to add zucchini and a handful of macaroni. It's a very nutrient rich soup, can be frozen, and my 16 month old devours it!

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 40m

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 14.5-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 pound green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)
1 cup chopped broccoli
freshly grated Parmesan
1 baguette, sliced and toasted (optional)
1 cup water

Directions
Warm the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth, water, potatoes, thyme, and salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, beans, and broccoli and cook 5 to 10 minutes more or until all the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve with toasted baguette slices if desired.