Two-Crust Apple Pie

Apple Pie is the most requested dessert in our home, so, I tend to experiment a lot with this dessert. This time I used brown sugar to get a more rustic taste and 'sandwiched' the apples in flaky pie crust! We all loved it!

What You'll Need
Pie Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2/3 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsps cold water

Apple Filling

• 6 small apples (use 12 apples for a thicker pie), cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 T cinnamon

How To Do It 

Apple Pie Filling

1.  Peel, core and slice the apples.

2.  Throw in the sugars and the cinnamon. Mix well.

Pie Crust

Pre-heat oven at 350 F.

1.   Mix flour,butter vanilla and salt together. Cut in the flour into the butter using a pastry blender or 2-knives until coarse-meal textured is achieved.

2.  Add the cold water while kneading the dough. Knead the dough until all comes together in a ball.

3.  Refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes.

4.  Knead the dough and cut into 2 parts. Using a roller, make 2 circles enough to cover your pie plate. Leave some 1/2 inch to be able to fold the crust and seal your pie.

5.  Gently put the lower crust on the pie plate. Put in the apple-pie filling. Cover with the 2nd pie crust. Using the 1/2 inch allowance, press down the sides with a fork or fold them to seal.

6. Make 4 slits on the top crust to allow steam from pie to escape while baking.

7. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

8. Cover the sides of the pie with foil paper (to avoid burning the sides) and bake again for another 45 minutes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe definitely has 1 million and one variations but I always do mine this way- with cream cheese,mushrooms and PAPRIKA, my secret ingredient!

What you need:

• 4 pcs chicken breasts, tenderized
• 1/2 of a lemon 
• 4 tablespoons cream cheese
• 1 can of sliced button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon Spanish paprika
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• several toothpicks

For the gravy:

•  2 tablespoons flour
• leftover liquid of canned mushroom
• a chicken bouillon
• 1 cup 2% milk

How to do it:

1. Tenderize the chicken breasts. Squeeze the lemon on them and set aside.
2. Beat the 2 eggs in a bowl and set aside. Mix flour,paprika, salt and pepper together, set aside.
3. Spread out the chicken breasts and spread a tablespoon of cream cheese on each one. Divide the sliced mushrooms into 4 and put them on top of the cream cheese.
4. Roll each breast and secure with toothpicks.
5. Heat the olive oil and the butter.
6. Dredge each breast with the flour mixture, then dip into the beaten egg.Fry the breasts until brown on all sides.
For the Gravy:
1. After frying all the breasts, reserve the oil.
2. Mix the flour, milk and mushroom liquid in a bowl until the flour has dissolved.
3. Pour the milk mixture into the oil slowly.
4. Pulverize the bouillon cube and sprinkle on the flour mixture.
5. Stir the milk mixture until thick.
6. Spread on top of the chicken breasts!
Enjoy!