You've heard me whine about my dual-fuel Jenn-Air range for six years...the gas stove always worked but the electric oven would die on a regular basis - wouldn't hold a temperature to save my buns! In all the years that we had that range, never once did any of the dozen or so repairmen pull it out away from the wall to work on it - nope, they would just open the oven door and replace the thermostat or the elements...had they pulled the range from the wall they would have seen the CAUSE OF it's bi-annual burn-outs...the cause of my frustration and my routine rants about Jenn-Air and the piece of crap oven that I had...
Do not judge me about the gross side of the range...spills happen and who pulls out their range to clean between the side and the wall?!?!
Take a gander at the "PLUG"...I mean the LACK OF A PLUG!!! The IDIOT guy who installed this range for us CUT the plug off of the range and hard-wired it to the wall. I imagine he did so because that's what was there originally...but six years ago hard-wiring anything in a house was NOT up to ANY code. The guy took a shortcut that then shortcut the life of our range...every time there was a power surge the thermostat in the oven would blow - had there been a plug this would not have happened.
The Jenn-Air was not an expensive range - about $2,200...but it should have lasted us much longer than six years! Had it been PLUGGED into the wall, it would still be working...we wouldn't be out the cost of a new stove and an electrician's bill. I'm through with my rant now. And I humbly apologize to Jenn-Air for blaming them for my oven's issues...but, but, but, if THEIR repairman had pulled the range out from the wall they could have seen the REAL problem!
When the mister saw what the idiot guy had done, he was livid...he wanted to call him up and demand some satisfaction! Just so you know, it's illegal in our city, and I assume yours, to have a range hard-wired to the wall. Illegal and dangerous and stupid! Sorry, I thought I was through ranting, but I am now. So here's my new range:
She's a thing of beauty, no? It's the GE Cafe Series and by buying a range with the knobs on the front, instead of on the top, I gained 6-inches of cook space! I was limited to a 30-inch range - unless I took out cabinets, but alas, I have none to spare so I stayed with the same size. New back-splash coming next week...so we're almost done!
It will be nice to have an oven that works all the time, especially for PIE SEASON! Speaking of Pie Season, last week was the 2nd Annual Pie Making Day for the Scouts...and it was a huge success!
Ten boys came with their mixing bowls ready to make a different kind of pie...instead of making and rolling out pie dough, the boys made a crumble-crust that is pressed into the pie plate, so easy they all did it without help! The crusts were filled with apples and the rest of the crumble was spread on top. This Dutch Apple Crumble Pie tastes kind of like it has an oatmeal cookie crust - it's yummy, as in dang, dang, dang, dang, dang yummy! That's right, roll out the ol' Dang Meter and ring it five times - this one is a keeper! It's also worthy of a spot on your Thanksgiving dessert table!
Eli, Davis, Jace, Michael, Alex, Ethan, Cameron, Matthew, Casey and Thompson - all nice boys who now know the main reason for making pies...girls like pie.
Dutch Apple Crumble Pie - Pots and Pins
For the Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
¾ cup butter, melted
½ cup oats
For the Filling:
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Instant Tapioca
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons boiled cider or regular cider **
Pinch of salt
7 to 8 medium Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced
**I order Boiled Cider from King Arthur Flour, it comes in a 10 oz. bottle for $10. (It can be used in every apple recipe, it really ramps up the flavor.) You can make your own boiled cider by putting 2 cups of cider in a saucepan and boiling it down until you have ½ cup – it will be almost syrupy and will have a concentrated cider flavor. But you can also just use regular cider, it won’t have as much flavor but will still be equally as yummy.
Make crust: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, butter and oats. Mix well. Measure out 1 cup of the mixture and set aside for later; press remaining crumb mixture into a deep-dish, 9-inch ungreased pie pan. Set aside.
Make filling: In a large bowl, combine sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, boiled cider and salt. Mix well and stir in sliced apples, stirring until all are coated. Spoon apple slices into pie plate, mounding up in the center.
Sprinkle reserved crumb topping over top of apples. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Makes one 9-inch pie, serves 8.
You can freeze the pie after making, before baking; wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil and freeze for up to one month. To bake, put frozen pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 1 hour and about 45 minutes.
