Happy Father's Day, Pop

Hi Dad! As usual, I waited too long to put a card in the mail. But this year, instead of my usual last-second computer card, I decided to do something different. I baked you a pie! This pie, and this blog post, are my Father's Day greeting to you.

The pie is apple and it has grated sharp cheddar cheese rolled into the top crust. Yeah. . . I thought you might like that. I used a couple of different kinds of apples - Granny Smiths, Cameos, and Galas - because they all bake down differently. I like that partly mushy, partly well-formed apple thing. The filling is apples, sugar, a bit of flour, some cinnamon, some nutmeg and a dash of salt.

For this crust, I used all butter. That's the only thing that I do differently from Mom, because I know she's a Crisco gal. She makes great pie crust, so I learned from the best; but as you know, I'm a little ornery and I have to do things my way! I cut the cold butter (including that extra glob beyond what the recipe calls for) into the flour and used a fork to mix in the water to make the dough. I rolled out the two crusts with the precious old wooden rolling pin that I got as a wedding present so many years ago.

(My goodness, Dad. Do you remember how you and I waited in that back room of the church to walk down the aisle together at Kurt's and my wedding? I was so nervous! I never stopped to wonder until now if you were nervous, too. I was, after all, the first daughter that you had to "give away"!)

Once the filling was in the pan, I grated that cheese and rolled it into the top crust so it was pressed in. Then I laid the top crust over the apples with the cheese side up, sealed it, and baked it. IT SMELLED SO GOOD! And it didn't taste half-bad either!

So consider this your coupon - your chit - your ticket. Next time I come to visit you and Mom, I will bake this apple pie with cheddar cheese in the crust for you. I will do this because you deserve it for putting up with me through all of my goofy, sullen, cranky, bossy, weepy, argumentative years. And I will do this for you because you are a good and generous man and a wonderful Dad. Thanks, Pop. With love, your Rascal.