THE "WRITE" STUFF: fallen trees

i'm a sucker for trees.

not surprisingly, these limited-edition handcrafted recipe boxes from rifle paper co. really whet my whistle.

salvaged from destined-for-landfill trees, each is eco-friendly, gorgeously designed + one-of-a-kind. plus, these charming recipe cards are throwback + fun.

i think it's the perfect wedding/holiday gift. by stocking the box with collected family recipes, it becomes an instant heirloom...definitely the "write" stuff in my book.

to wit, charlie (my son who "schooled" me in the ways of an old-fashioned apple peeler/corer, my latest obsession from williams-sonoma) made this single-crust beauty. a snap to make - even if you're 4 years old!

just goes to show you that fallen trees are as fabulous as apples fallen from trees....nourishment for the body + soul.

note it:

"american pie" by don mclean

charlie's "4-step" apple pie

(closely adapted from "mustards grill napa valley cookbook")

~ 8 or so large apples - peeled, cored, sliced about 1/4" thick (i like a mix of mostly granny smith with a few honeycrisp or fuji thrown in for good measure. my tip: place the apples in cold water spiked with lemon juice to prevent them from browning.)

~ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

~ 2 teaspoons penzey's madagascar or mexican vanilla

~ 1 cup sugar

~ 1 teaspoon of penzey's apple pie spice (or cinnamon, if you prefer)

~ 1/4 teaspoon salt

~ 2 tablespoons flour

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~ 1 pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, taken out of refrigerator to soften 15 minutes prior to assembling pie

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~ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

step 1 - preheat oven to 425 degrees. make the filling by combining top (7) ingredients + toss to evenly mix.

step 2 - place pie crust in 9-inch pie dish, crimp the edges by hand. pile the filling into the pie dish.

step 3 - dot the pie with butter + place in freezer for 15 minutes to "set" the butter (otherwise, it gets too greasy when cooked).

step 4 - bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. then lower temperature to 375 degrees + bake for 40-45 minutes or so longer. (start checking at 40 minutes + remove from oven when filling is bubbly + apples soft when poked with a toothpick.) serve at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

(photo credits: box, cards+tag/rifle paper co.; charlie+pie/lissa lowe; box close-ups/design*sponge)