Apple pie time!

Well, now that we have had the first frost, it is time to think of what I am going to do with all those apples that are living in my yard before they hit the ground and rot. Last year I froze in a bunch of pie fillings that have been touted as the best apple pies EVER so here is my tried and true kick booty apple pie recipe.

Freezer Apple Pie Filling (yield 1)

In a large zipper freezer bag put:

3/4 cup white sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix it up by shaking gently.

In a large bowl (2+ Litres) put

1 tbsp lemon juice
1 L water

Add to that
6 tart apples - peeled, cored & sliced (about 4 cups)

Swirl the apples around in the lemon juice solution, this is to help prevent browning somewhat.

Take the apples out with a slotted spoon to get rid of the excess water, put in the freezer bag with the flour mixture. Press the air out of the bag and smoosh it around to mix well. Put it in the freezer to make pie later!

Tip: To make many of these (mass produce), I would reuse the lemon juice solution for the apples until it changed colour, at which point the lemon juice is no longer working to prevent the apples from browning, just make a fresh one. Best way to freeze them is flat on one another to save on space.

To make the pie you will need:

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (I use the Tenderflake Deep Dish frozen ones)
1 freezer apple pie filling, thawed fully
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp minute tapioca
2 tbsp Canadian Club whiskey (or whatever you have on hand)
1 egg white
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 450 F.
Pour pie filling in to bottom pie shell.
Sprinkle with minute tapioca, this will absorb some of the excess liquid.
Dot the apple pie filling with butter
Sprinkle the whiskey over all.
Put top pastry on and flute edges.
Brush top pastry with egg white, sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Put pie on a foil lined cookie sheet in case it boils over. Cut vents in top pastry.
Bake in centre of oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for 40 minutes more.

Voila, my most awesome pie recipe! Serve it warm a la mode (with vanilla or maple walnut ice cream) or with caramel sauce (yum!!)

Thoughts of 9/11 (better late than never)

So September 11th has come and gone, and with that date, and the reminders of the media, my thoughts turn back to that fateful day when so many lives were changed. Where were you on that day in 2001 when the Twin Towers in New York fell?

I remember that morning very vividly as Connor was 1 1/2 and we had just gotten back from the Maritimes less than a month previously. At the end of August, I had shaved my head for a Kids with Cancer fundraiser so I looked like Uncle Fester. I was laying in bed, listening to the radio, half asleep when they announced that a passenger plane had crashed in to one of the World Trade Center Towers. It sounded like a navigation error originally so I told my husband, Tim, when he came out of the shower what had happened. I jumped in the shower myself, did my usual morning thing, getting Connor ready for his day home as I had to get to work and made it downstairs in time to see the second tower get hit. The realization that this was not a navigational error put both Tim and I in shock. I was working at WestJet at the time, as a Travel Agency Accounting person and although I knew that this was not affecting our airline immediately, that there would be some sort of hubbub that day.

I proceeded to drop Connor off at his day home and commuted to work, about a 20 minute drive from our home in Airdrie. The accounting department (fondly called and labelled "Bean Land") was abuzz with the news. A co-worker was watching streaming video and there was a cluster of us watching, transfixed with what was happening. News came that there were other planes en route to other strategic locations and the skies were being shut down with all flights diverted to the nearest airport that could accommodate them. It was then that the company wide call came out. The emergency action plan was to set up an outbound call centre to contact guests about cancelled and redirected flights. Anyone that had call centre experience that was not on call centre duty was called in to help. As both Lisa and myself both dealt with inbound calls with Travel Agency, and I did an 8 month stint in the Call Centre when I started my career at WestJet, we answered that call. I think it was 5 or 6 days before the skies opened again. It was surreal, seeing all these planes on the ground, tip to tail on the runways, where ever there was space. Some people were upset to have their travel plans disrupted, some were stranded in foreign countries and there was absolutely nothing we could do to help them except to contact them and update them as and when we could. It was a crazy time. Then all the new security protocols came down when the skies were opened again. It changed the industry forever. I don't think it has fully recovered since then.

So that is my memory of September 11, 2001. When they show all the different conspiracy theory shows, survivor shows and just revisit that devastating day I think of that terrible loss of life, the great stories of heroism and survival and the war on terror that followed and wonder where we would be now had it never happened.

Girl Day!

If you are the only woman living in a house FULL of males, you know what I'm saying here when I say Girl Day! Initially today was allocated as retail therapy day, going shopping for my cousin's baby shower on Sunday. Needless to say, it was dreary outside and my girlfriend Nicole and I had discussed having coffee on more than one occassion so as I was driving her home from our respective workouts this morning, I said, "How about coming to my house for a chick flick Girl Day?"

Thank goodness she was all for it... saved me from shopping for another day!! I made my Grandma Cowley's Best Rhubarb Cake, sans wheat flour... replaced with Bulk Barn's Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and it turned out great! We went for lunch here in Devon at the Iris Cafe then came back to Casa Filtz to watch "Sweet Home Alabama" which is definitely a chick flick (Reese Witherspoon is so adorable). After that, we had some coffee and cake and chatted for a bit. It was fun to have just us and no other boys (with the exception of my two pugs that is). It was great.

Tonight is the Meet the Creature, er... I mean, Teacher night at Connor's school. I don't have to cook!! BBQ Burgers on the menu tonight!! Good thing I did that core class this morning!! I also cleaned and fired up the gas fireplace on the main floor after Nicole left, sadly, 'tis the season for that as well.

Tomorrow bodes to be a somewhat busy one... I don't work out on Fridays so I will most likely clean the basement fireplace and get it going, do chores around the house so I don't have to do them on the weekend, get the guest room ready for mom and her BFF Sue Fraser and maybe go shopping, or maybe not. Saturday I have a Metabolic Mover class, if I am awake before it, I may even do the spin class Saturday as well. We'll see how I am doing the day of. Sunday is the baby shower in Mayerthorpe that mom and I will be attending so it's another busy weekend for me.

First Week of School, still no free time!!

Here in Devon, Alberta, school started on September 1 -- a half day to start, orient the kids with their teacher and family group, then a full day on Thursday the 2nd. Connor is in Mrs. Macdonald's grade 5 class and from an undisclosed source, I am happy he is in her class as she does have lots of special ed training and a focus on literacy. I spoke to her briefly on day 1 about Connor's laptop and she is all over that program which is great. It is nice coming in to a situation knowing that the teacher is knowledgable and is aware of the IPP. No homework Thursday night, but there was Friday night... which I asked Connor about and he told me there was nothing. More on this topic later. All in all, Connor was pretty excited about starting at Riverview Middle School, having his own locker with a combination lock and some sweet new school supplies to kick off the new year. I don't think that he can wait until junior high... still two more years to go buddy!

We had an extraordinarily busy weekend, having the Howden clan visit from Calgary. Greg, Amanda, Natasha, Jacqueline and Dallan showed up Friday night, with their Brazilian exchange student Rafa (he doesn't like to be called Raphael because he is only called that when he is in trouble!! Ha ha!!). We installed airbeds and floor camp out for the kids and mom and dad got the guest room.

Saturday morning, at 7:50 a.m. the phone rings... "Hi Shauna, it's Chris from Merriott Fitness. I have you registered for this mornings spin class... are you coming??"

After contemplating a few choice words, I know I did NOT register for a Saturday morning class, I threw on my cycling togs, grabbed Amanda (she wanted to check it out if I was going) and we went and sweated our brains out. We came back, had breakfast and the guys left to set up the Kites Over Callingwood Festival. We dilly dallied a bit, then headed in to Edmonton to check out the festival.

It was raining off and on, scattered showers and the like on the way in but no major deluge so it actually wasn't too terribly bad of a day for the kite festival. The kids had a blast in the jumpy things and the Adventure Bus. I had to blast off to pick up a payment from one of my wedding clients over in Bonnie Doon. On the way back I stopped in at the Italian Centre Shop on 51st Ave and picked up a dozen cannoli's to share with everyone and a sandwich for Connor and I to share. On the way back to the west end via the Anthony Henday, I of course got stuck in traffic... this time from a car accident, for about 45 minutes. Connor was "starving!!!" When I finally showed up, he was able to finally eat and was very happy I had brought cannoli's... they are one of his favourites!!

We get together with the Howden's every year for the Labour Day long weekend and the Kites Over Callingwood Festival. This year Greg has amassed a number of parafoils and purchased a kite buggy. He was hoping to get it out and about but the winds and the amount of people were not favourable for him to partake in his favourite pastime. Instead, he flew some of his smaller foils and let both my husband Tim and his BFF Ken Mueller fly. Boys and their toys... that is all I am going to say about that!!

After that, at around 4:30 or so, the festival was winding down and it started to rain. We packed up the kites, chairs and whatever else we had hauled on to the field, loaded up my van and I took Amanda and the kids back to my house to let the dogs out to do their business. Tim, Greg and Rafa followed at around 6 p.m. to freshen up and then we went back to Edmonton to meet our kiting friends at a restaurant (Moshi Moshi). They offered really reasonably priced delicious Japanese and Filipino cuisine. Tim and I had sushi combos, mixed tempura and Connor had tempura shrimp and rice. Other members of our party suggested we try the Halo Halo dessert. It was very interesting and delicious. I won't spoil it for you except to say that it is a great treat to have on a hot day. We drove back home then went to bed as we were TIRED!

Sunday morning was looking like a fairly nice one, quite windy though. I made Angel Honey Waffles for breakfast. A single batch was enough for the Howden's and the Filtz's but Rafa slept in and had to have cereal. Poor Rafa!! The kids played, Mario Cart on the Wii for the most part, and Amanda and I ran in to Leduc to visit the Bulk Barn as she hadn't been before. I stocked up on Gluten Free Flour and gluten free Lentil Chips and Snap Pea chips for watching movies later in the afternoon. Amanda got lots of stuff! We came home, had snacks and then started to watch the original Nanny McPhee. Super cute movie, we enjoyed it immensely. For supper, Amanda and I went and got a few more supplies and made BBQ chicken breasts, chicken rice (just cooked in chicken broth) and a raw kale salad (loaded with fruits and nuts). Amanda made an amazing raw dessert that was mangoes, raspberries with a nut crumble topping. We ate it ALL!! The kids wanted to play more video games so we let them and we just took it easy. It was a great day!

Monday morning I got up and made 2 dozen Cinnamon Spice Gluten Free Muffins (from an Only Oats mix from Planet Organic) and I thought it wouldn't be enough for the gang so I also made 2 dozen gluten free Pecan Muffins. I am now out of muffin papers and I have a dozen overcooked Pecan Muffins that will most likely wind up in the garbage. It was all tasty though. The kids were up around the same time and Dallan was chasing the dogs, Gus and Bart, around. As he is not light of foot (read: stomps around like an elephant), I told him to step lighter or sit down as to not wake up his mom and dad. What does the little turkey do? Opens the gate and goes downstairs to wake them up. I swear, if he was mine, I would have... oh, never mind. I couldn't believe he was such a turkey! Amanda and Greg did get up anyhow, we had breakfast then Greg wanted to take Rafa to West Edmonton Mall for a few hours. I called up my friend Karen to see if we could come and take a rhubarb plant off her hands. Karen called me back and said come on down but bring Connor, I let her know that Connor couldn't come without all the other kids and they would stay outside and Karen agreed that would be okay.  Amanda and I packed up the kids and the puppies and headed for the Gartel's acreage. Upon arrival, the puppies chased Leo, the black lab and Dallan thought they were trying to run away so he followed them around. Connor and Jonah were finally reunited (they hadn't seen each other since before we left on holiday). The kids took off to check out the acreage. Amanda met Karen and Ron, and we trekked out to the garden to select a rhubarb plant and pick some for freezing/cooking. Ron manned the shovel while I stripped the rhubarb plant down to small leaves and we loaded the rhubarb root into a cardboard box lined with a garbage bag. Amanda had also picked some rhubarb and put it in the box. Karen then offered up some of her enormous zucchini's. Amanda is in to eating more raw and was thrilled to receive three of those whoppers. Karen also gave her a couple of her huge acorn squash. The box was now quite heavy so I loaded it in the back of the van. Karen showed the kids where the trampoline was at and they were happy as can be. Karen then gave Amanda a tour of the little crooked farmhouse. We returned to Casa Filtz plus one (Jonah came home with us) to await the arrival of the guys from the mall. While we waited, we watched Nanny McPhee: The Big Bang. Amanda's kids had seen it but Connor, Jonah, Tim and I hadn't so it was fun to watch. Greg and Rafa returned around 5 p.m. and it was time for the Howden's to head home! The puppies were exhausted. We ordered in pizza as I did not feel like cooking and we just relaxed for the rest of the evening. Connor and I prepared his lunch for school and then went to bed.

Tuesday morning, Tim and I come downstairs and Connor is working on his homework. Uh, what??? His teacher told him not to do it until Monday and he forgot... so here he was frantically getting it together. What a guy! Tim was mad at him for not doing it on Friday and they fought about it which was really stupid. As long as he got it done, what did it really matter? I spun it as an opportunity to learn... LOL! And that was that!