Back from vacation!

Hello everyone!

Sorry for just disappearing! I actually went on vacation for a week to see my family and friends in Connecticut. I only get one chance per year, so I was pretty excited this time around I might get to see some autumn. Eternal Summer is wonderful, but after awhile you begin to forget how much you hated driving in snow or chipping your way into your car after a nice freezing rain. I had an excellent time.

  Naturally, I ate my way across the state. We're missing out on a lot of "mainland" goodness, so I had to soak in as much as possible in six days. Needless to say, I was totally okay with the five pounds I gained from my week of gluttony.

 One of the first things I did on my trip was visiting a local orchard and picking fresh apples with my family. There is something magical about picking your own right off the trees, trying a bite to see if it's what you want, and eating an apple warmed by the sun on a crisp autumn day. I was pretty excited with the prospect of finally making an apple pie i've been eyeing for a few months now. I'm not a huge crust person, but I have been CRAVING apple pie for a while now. Weird, huh? Must be my internal clock signaling fall. I was pretty pleased with how it came out, considering this is my first full pie. (By full, I mean my first double crusted pie. I've made dozens of pumpkin and other variations.) Right now i'm looking for volunteers to feed pie to, and then I will happily share the recipe with you.

  I should be back up to speed and sharing recipes with you in a day or two! Half of me is still in EST, so my sleep schedule is super wonky.