Moving to Oregon also resulted in us buying a house. (Woohoo!!) While the house is beautiful and totally "move in ready" (not like the charming fixer upper I tried taking my husband into), I have so many ideas, projects and diys to make this house a home. 

Along with a new house, I decided it was time to give my blog a bit of an update as well (coming soon!). I have lots of new recipes that I'm excited to share with you, as well as all of the projects I'm working on, and fun things you can do too!

I won't say that I've completely got a handle on things (I've accepted that probably won't happen for another 20 years or so), but I am learning to roll with the punches. With two little boys running around, things are pretty crazy most of the time whenever they're awake. That can be a huge challenge when you want things neat and tidy and organized all the time. Don't worry though- I'm searching for the secret and I'll let you know when I find it! As well as any little hacks I find that make life easier. Because momming is seriously hard and we've got to support each other!

So to kick things off, here's a fantastic recipe for Browned Butter Apple Pie with a Cheddar Cheese Crust.  My Grandma always used to serve apple pie with a slice of sharp cheddar.  I decided to skip a step and just add the cheese to the pie, and I'm glad I did!

Try it!  Let me know what you think!  And don't forget to stop back soon to check out the first of many projects around the house here... my new Farmhouse Dining Table!

Browned Butter Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust

Crust

• 4 c. Flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 c. Crisco
• 3/4 c. Salted Butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 c. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Ice Water
• 9-inch pie pan

Filling

• 8 apples (I used 5 Granny Smith and 3 Ambrosia)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more for slicing apples
• 3/4 c. Dark brown Sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• Pinch of cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 c. browned butter

Instructions
Mix the flour, salt, Crisco and butter together until mixture resembles a coarse meal, with a few pea-sized lumps throughout.  Mix in the grated cheese until fully incorporated.  Put mixture into the fridge or freezer to chill while you prep the apples.

Brown 1/4 c salted butter.  Set aside and allow to cool.  Sift together Dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, and flour.

Peel, core, and slice the apples thinly.  (I have one of those fancy peeler/corer/slicer gadgets, and I love it! Cut an hour's worth of slicing apples down to 5 minutes!) While cutting apples, place slices in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice.

Drain apples.  Stir in 2 Tbsp lemon juice, then stir in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Pour the browned butter over and mix in.  Mix well, to coat all the apples.  Dump apples into a sieve placed over a medium saucepan.  Set aside to drain off any juice.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  While apples are resting, pull out the crust mixture and scoop two heaping cups into a mixing bowl.  Drizzle in the ice water, about 1/4 cup, and gently mix back and forth.  Add more if necessary, a Tablespoon at a time, until it just comes together.  Don't over mix or the dough will be tough.  Gather together into a disk, tear in half and stack one on top of the other twice.  Re-form into a disk.

Roll dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick.  Gently fold in half and place in pie pan.  Pour apples into crust, packing them in as tightly as you can.  Heat the juice that drained off the apples over med-high heat.  Bring to a boil and simmer 1-3 minutes, until thickened.  (Should be similar to the consistency of gravy)  Pour over the apples.

Following the instructions above, mix together another 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups crust mixture and ice water.  Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.  You may end up needing more if you do a lattice top.  I always do.  Cut into strips if making a lattice top.  If doing a solid top, cut a few slits with a knife to allow steam to escape (you can make a fancy pattern with them if you'd like).  Brush a little water around the edges of the bottom pie crust. Gently fold top in half and place over the pie.  Cut off any excess, and pinch edges together.  Check out this post for a tutorial on making a lattice top!

Place pie on a baking sheet and put on the lowest rack in the oven.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Watch the top - you may need to tent some foil over it so it doesn't over-brown (burn!).  Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake for another 30 minutes, or until apples are soft and crust is golden brown.

Allow to cool at least 1 hour!  Seriously, don't skip this part!  You'll burn your mouth, and the filling won't set up properly.  Wait an hour.  The pie will be perfectly warm and you can top it off with some vanilla ice cream or freshly made whipped cream!