A Gorgeous Summer Sky, Cinnamon Rolls AND Cherry Pie!

Happy Sunday night everyone!  It's gorgeous out there, and I took a photo as I got out of my car around 9:15 pm to capture the beautiful summer night sky.

OK, on to baking:  I promised my sister-in-law Lynn that I'd re-post my recipe for cinnamon rolls, and it's right here,  where it's always been (!).  Just click and it's yours.

Cinnamon Rolls, as requested!

Now, about that cherry pie!  Katie made one today, after buying cherries for $1.98 lb. at Hannaford, and it was dessert to her dinner of home made (and fantastic) chicken enchiladas.  I know, it doesn't seem to go together at all, but I don't care what's served for dinner, if it's followed by cherry pie, it goes!!!

I tried to retain each facet of her pie making today, and I have it here for you.  She used her America's Test Kitchen cook book (one of her old reliables) and the pie was fantastic!!!  You're supposed to wait 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven....That did NOT happen!  Nope, my slice of hot cherry pie melted my Stewart's Philly Vanilla ice cream beautifully!  So, first the recipe, then a collage of photos to show you just how beautiful a pie can be (surpassed only by how unbelievably delicious it was!)...

CHERRY PIE
(memorized from watching Katie as she used her America's Test Kitchen Cookbook)
Preheated oven 425 degrees for 1st half  hour; 325 degrees for 2nd half hour)

Pie crust for a 2-crust pie
6 cups pitted and halved fresh cherries
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
dash salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Line pie plate with bottom crust.

Mix together cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and almond extract.  Let mixture sit for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, pour into pie shell.  Top with top crust.  (Katie used Pillsbury pie crusts, and made a lattice of the top crust).  Crimp edges.  Spritz top with water and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake pie on cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.  Turn oven down to 325 degrees F and bake an additional half hour.  Remove from oven, and let sit 20 minutes for the juices to thicken (we did NOT do this!).

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, and be thankful for simple pleasures!!!

Katie's cherry pie!

and finally, to get the new week off to a good start,  here are a couple of my favorite guys:

My boys...(my loves)

Cherry Pie!

My friend Sydney is known as much for her pies as she is for her quilts.  She makes a killer cherry pie.  I love pies.  I love the movie Michael because pies are featured so prominently.  The movie even has a song about pie, sung horribly and happily by Andie McDowell.  Pie is happy food.  What's better than a luscious fruit filling nestled between layers of tender crust?  Nothing, I say. Unless of course it's a cream pie, which I might, on occasion, choose over the most beautiful fruit pie.  I love chocolate cream pie and banana cream pie and coconut custard pie and...  Sorry, I got away from myself!  Since Sydney's last pie was cherry, I'm giving  you a recipe for cherry pie from allrecipes.com, a terrific Web resource for great food, with ratings so you know what you're getting into!

CHERRY PIE (from allrecipes.com)

" If you 've never eaten a fresh cherry pie, you 're in for a treat with this recipe. It 's a bit of work to pit the cherries, but once this is done, there 's not much left to do: mix the cherries with almond and vanilla extracts, sugar and tapioca"

Ingredients:

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie 4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup white sugar

4 cups pitted cherries 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Place bottom crust in piepan. Set top crust aside, covered.
2.	In a large mixing bowl combine tapioca, salt, sugar, cherries and extracts. Let stand 15 minutes. Turn out into bottom crust and dot with butter. Cover with top crust, flute edges and cut vents in top. Place pie on a foil lined cookie sheet --- in case of drips!
3.	Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Photo credit: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=1G1ACGW_ENUS356&q=cherry%20pie&aql=&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi