One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies is from “Good Will Hunting,” and it’s when Matt Damon’s character, Will, tells off a snotty university student by saying, “How you like them apples?” Ahhh! Classic.
Speaking of apples, I popped into TJ’s yesterday and it was all apple everything. I grabbed the Harvest Apple Salad Kit (the dressing is super yummy; I add chopped hard boiled eggs for extra protein), a jar of the Apple Cider Fruit Spread and a bottle of the Honey Crisp Apple Cider.
I came this close to buying a box of the Apple Hand Pies in the bakery section, but I told myself that I needed to chill because I’m making it my mission to finally bake an apple pie from scratch.
Pies are so intimidating to me! There’s so many steps, right? You’ve got to make the crust, and then the filling. Then you have to assemble it, and bake it, and then wait forever and a day for the pie to cool so you can actually cut it without it falling apart… I don’t know, it just seems so much harder compared to cakes, cupcakes or brownies.
Anyway, it’s time for me to embark upon a pie quest, so I’ve been researching various apple pie recipes. All this to say, if you have a solid apple pie recipe, please pass it along, and put me out of my misery. I really need to bake this pie and get it out of my system, LOL!
OK, from apples to oranges… I’m still on the hunt for a new favorite mascara, and I recently tried one by bareMinerals called Maximist which uses orange peel fibers to add volume. Interesting! The brush is crazy-town – way too big!
If you’re looking for big lashes, this mascara holds the curl, doesn’t flake or smudge, lengthens, removes easily… Basically, the whole shebang! The brush messes things up, though. It picks up way too much product, and unless I’m really good about removing the excess, the mascara ends up clumpy and messy. Too bad. It could’ve been great. The search continues.
Have a great rest of your Wednesday.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hi Karen! Always love your recommendations from TJ’s! What’s the lip and blush colors you’re wearing in the pic? Super pretty on you!
Karen, I, too, had fear of pie making… BUT I overcame it with help of guru Kate McDermott! She is fab at de-terrifying the whole process. Check her YouTube “How to Make and Roll Pie Dough!” Also has a web site Art of the Pie and tons of resources. You will no longer fear the pie. Promise! Another pro to check out is Melissa Clark at NYT. Take it from a former pie weenie: YOU CAN DO THIS, gurlfriend!
Hi Karen,
I do not have a recipe for you but I do have some suggestions to narrow your search and perhaps make your life easier (at least the part of your life where you make an apple pie)!
Would you consider using a store bought crust? I always use them and have never made my own crust.
Would you like a crumbly crisp type topping as opposed to a lattice topping? I find that tastier and easier.
With those modifications making an apple pie is pretty easy!
Hi Rachel,
I would definitely consider using a store bought version! I’ve used them in the past, but have yet to find one that I like. Which one do you use?
I have heard that Trader Joe’s has good frozen pie crust but I can’t vouch for that because I don’t have one in my area. I usually use whatever I can find at Walmart whether it’s their store brand or Pillsbury.
Where is your shirt from? Love it!
Joy of Cooking has the easiest and best crust recipe. After a few times, you can make it in your sleep.
Sad about the mascara, but there are lots of winners out there!
Thanks, Amy! I’m wearing a cardigan (it has pockets!) from a local Hawaiian brand called Fighting Eel. You can see the entire piece in this post.
I second the recommendation for the Joy of Cooking pie crust recipe.
But to be honest I haven’t made an apple pie in quite some time. I’ve been partial to apple tarts lately.
I just went back to Diorshow Iconic Overcurl and Iconic Overcurl waterproof. I’ve given up on the Chantecaille mascara and finally tossed it. It was too gloopy and clumping my lashes together and the brush was just too much. I’d end up with sections of lashes I’d have to comb through to separate them and more mascara on my upper lid than on my lashes. And the rose fragrance in it would make my eyes water and itch. Sigh.
OK, printing out that Joy of Cookie pie crust recipe ASAP!
I used to use OG Diorshow back in the day… I still remember when it first launched! I went to Sephora (back when it was in the old Apple store in Union Square) and when the salesperson showed me the brush, we both oohed and ahhhed at it. At the time the oversized brush was so revolutionary. Good times! Anywho, I’ll have to try the Overcurl again. It’s been a few years, but I remember liking it… Hopefully it’ll stop me from being so annoyed by mascara. LOL
If you ever stop being annoyed by mascara let me know how you did it! I find mascara to be the hardest makeup item to apply. If I don’t take my time with it (and even if I do) I end up getting mascara on my upper lids, on my nose, poking myself in the eye and if I blink too soon it gets under my eyes, too. Not to mention it getting clumpy and gloopy and gluing all my lashes together so I get a uni-lash look. Clearly I need someone to demonstrate how to apply mascara correctly to my hooded eyes.
Your skin looks beautiful! And that touch of blue shadow or liner (?) is subtle but so nice.
I’m very intimidated by pie crust. Maybe I’ll tackle it one of these days.
My favorite recent TJ’s find is the maple sea salt popcorn. Perfect mix of salty/sweet. I may just have to go back this weekend for another bag.
Hi Megan!
Thanks for your nice compliment about the liner. It’s two Urban Decay pencils — LSD layered on top of Sabbath. You could probably get away with using the shade LSD on top of any brown or black liner that you like.
I love a salty and sweet mix, so I’m putting that maple popcorn on my list!
My favorite pie and crust recipe is peach pie from an old Williams Sonoma cookbook. I’m sure you can find the recipe online. It is so delicious! I prefer apples in apple crisp form and ina garten’s recipe is fab! I double the crisp part of the recipe because I like lots of crunchy, oaty, brown sugar bits!
Have you tried using a different mascara wand from an old tube? I sometimes do that when the brush is horrible, but the mascara is great. You need to desinfect it beforehand obviously.
I’ve been so into apples! My jaw strength is still not all there, so I have to peel and slice the local apples I’ve been eating. I went to a farm last week with my SIL, 5 of her grandkids (age 2 to 8), and one of my adult nieces and her husband, and we got to have cider, fresh cider donuts, and picked our own pumpkins, it was really fun. (Also bought a pie). Cider donuts are SO good, and they were so fresh it was almost like eating a churro.
Sad that the mascara didn’t work out!
Re: pie… I always make apple crisp with a recipe from King Arthur flour, so no help on that, but I do want to attempt pastry. We’re getting a new oven (the one in our new house is 30+ years old) and I’m excited to put it to work.