Confession: I'm not an apple pie girl. I'm not a vanilla ice cream girl. I have been known to cry in the past when these were being served for dessert (true story, ask my mom). However, I make them for Luke frequently, and I have even eaten them. I even enjoy vanilla bean ice cream now. I know. Shocking. I think I'm now officially a mature grown up. ;-)

But THIS pie. I can honestly say it was amazing. I don't even like caramel on it's own. Together somehow though, the apples and the caramel are perfect together, and it's topped with a spiced streusel. I can't take credit for the recipe, although I did say last week when we were planning the menu, "What about caramel apple pie?" to Luke and he said "Yeah!" and then I did a search on epicurious.com. So there you have it. CLICK HERE to get the recipe for yourself.

A few more confessions/tips for this recipe. I did not make the pie crust. I've been making my own crust for a while but lately I haven't liked it at all. It's too tough, and making it by hand (i.e., no food processor) I think has something to do with it. So I bought a crust. And it was perfect. And easy. Also, I never ever have pumpkin pie spice. I think it's ridiculous, especially when you already have all the spices to make it on hand. I used a mix of cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves to make a total of the teaspoon it calls for. And lastly, do not be daunted by making the caramel. It took a total of 5 minutes for me. Take it off when it's amber, and BE CAREFUL when you add the water & butter. It definitely does bubble vigorously. When you add it to the apples it will instantly harden. Stir as best you can and try to distribute it but don't worry about it too much. It will soften to a caramel sauce when you bake it. Yum.

Ok, if you managed to read all that, now you get a bonus: an easy vanilla ice cream recipe that goes perfectly with your pie.

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

1 c. whole milk
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla

Whisk it smooth, freeze in your ice cream maker. The end.

This recipe is actually a remix of one of my mom's, Broccoli & Ham Quiche. Believe it or not, I haven't actually made the original...the first time I made it I made Bacon & Onion Quiche, then the next time we discovered Campbell's Nacho soup instead of the Cheddar Cheese soup and a new idea was born (thanks to Luke!). I'm posting the original recipe and then my revised version, as well as a basic pie dough recipe.

Mom's Broccoli & Ham Quiche
4 eggs
1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/2 c. cream
1 c. shredded cheddar or Jack cheese
1/2 c. diced hap
1/2 c. cooked chopped broccoli
1/4 c. chopped onion
Pie crust (recipe below)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs until foamy. Add soup and cream. Mix in remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake for about 1 hour, until center is set.

Mexican Chicken Quiche
4 eggs
1 can Campbell's Nacho Soup
1/2 c. cream
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. chopped onion (optional)
2 chicken breasts, cubed and sauteed in butter and Tapatio hot sauce
Pie crust (recipe below)


Follow the same steps as the above recipe. To saute the chicken, melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat and when it's hot, drop the cubed chicken pieces in and saute until cooked through. Dash Tapatio hot sauce (or other sauce of choice) over, stir and then turn off the skillet. Mix up the other ingredients while the chicken is cooling and put it in last.

Basic Pie Dough (From Everyday Food Magazine)
2 1/2 c. flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for rolling
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4-1/2 c. ice water


In a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar; pulse briefly. Add butter, pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 1/4 c. ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. If necessary, add up to 1/4 c. more water, a tablespoon at a time.

By hand, mix dry ingredients, then add butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to make into a coarse meal. Sprinkle in the water, mix until crumbly but holds together when squeezed. If necessary, add up to 1/4 c. more water, a tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough in half, turn out onto two large pieces of plastic wrap. Wrap, then press into rounds 3/4" thick. I refrigerate one for the quiche for an hour before using, and freeze the other one in a ziplock freezer bag for later.

This meal isn't just for breakfast! We love it for dinner and we love trying variations of this recipe. It's easy to mix up with different fillers and cheeses! Spinach is always a great companion to quiche...so are meats like ham and bacon. Sausage would be great too! Tell me what you try!




Download both quiche recipes!

Downloadable pie dough recipe