Sunday Selections

Long, long ago, in days of yore...Kim of Frog Ponds Rock, (who no longer blogs), dreamed up a meme called Sunday Selections. A place where those who were willing could put up photos they wanted to share, new, old, good, bad or indifferent, any photos you please. Nothing rude or vulgar though.
The meme is now continued by Elephant's Child and I occasionally join in as do a few others. Drop in to Elephant's Child and have a look. 

A few weeks ago, Joanne, from Cup on the Bus, mentioned Swedish Apple Pie, which sounds delicious and she included the recipe, which I immediately copied and printed. The next weekend I made Swedish Apple Pie.

 A few problems were immediately apparent, the first being that my pie dish is way too small and couldn't possibly hold the eight apples the recipe called for. So I used five. 
Second problem, the topping seemed to be quite stiff and not easy to spread over the apples in the dish, I plopped it on in spoonfuls and spread it around via the backs of two spoons, which worked quite well. 
Problem three was waiting for it to bake, with the delicious aroma in my kitchen I could hardly wait to try it.

so here it is, 

baking in the oven while I wait impatiently in the background, washing up the prep dishes.

the crust was browned and crusty too soon I thought, so I covered it with foil and put it back in, maybe you can tell here the crust is actually quite hard, similar to the "baked clay" dough wrapped around chicken in a recipe that I can't quite recall. 

under that hard crust though, is a softer cake texture, made even more delicious by the addition of the chopped pecans to the mix.


first serving was eaten with a dollop of cream and after that I really wanted to just dive into the pie and eat my way out, like a cartoon character. 
Thank you, Joanne

Several months ago, maybe even a couple of years, I promised to show developments on the block next to our "Community Centre" after the ramshackle house was torn down. 
I missed getting photos of the beginning but here are photos I took a few weeks ago:

two, two storey townhouses, partially constructed. The block is not wide, but it is quite deep,

so the townhouses are long and take up most of the block. The picture of the finished houses on the front of the block shows they are not pretty, just boxes sitting on boxes. 

here is the view from the driveway,

and a bit closer. Behind the top story framing you can see the house continues towards the end of the block, so they will be quite large when finished.

This enormous white cedar tree, fairly close to my back porch, which causes much Hayfever grief, has a secret.

a hole in the trunk, larger than it looks here, is home to a bee hive.

here is a side view, you may be able to see a few of the bees that were coming and going, not a full swarm such as Elephant's Child showed a couple of weeks ago, these bees were busy working the nearby flower beds.

I zoomed in for a better view for you while the bees buzzed all around me, wondering what I was up to. I just stood very still and they realised I wasn't going to harm them.

one last photo, then I left so they could keep doing their work in peace. 













Comments

  1. That pie looks wonderful. I hope you enjoyed it to the last morsel.
    I went back and checked out 'my' bees. They have also moved deeper into the tree trunk, where I hope they survive and thrive. I must have been there at just the right time to see the swarm.

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    Replies
    1. Elephant's Child; apart from the dryness of the very edge of the crust, I licked that pie plate clean.
      I also hope 'your' bee hive thrives, there are so many areas now in desperate need of bees and if this hive is close enough, you'll get them visiting your wonderful garden to feast on your flowers.

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  2. You have me drooling here! Can I come over?
    A bee hive! Wonderful! No bees, no apple pie! Or... anything...

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    Replies
    1. Iris Flavia; sorry, the pie is all gone and I won't be making another for quite some time. I already eat too much. I hope 'my' bees get to stay here, the flowers need them and they need the flowers.

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    2. Also sad it´s such a long way... But I´d bring vanilla ice cream!

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  3. The pie looks great and you did some nifty adjustments. So glad you have a healthy hive. Bees are becoming endangered and we would be pretty hungry without them to do our pollinating for us.

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    1. Arkansas Patti; I'm pretty good at nifty adjustments. I hope the bee hive stays healthy and productive, it has been removed several times in the past by a tenant who claims to be allergic to bees, but the bees keep coming back to this particular tree, so I'm hopeful. Many of us put out dishes of water for the local cats and birds and I think the bees appreciate the water too.

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  4. The pie looks delicious, River. But it will have to wait until winter arrives if I intend to make it.

    I'm not cooking anything...it's been, and still is too hot to even think about cooking. My whole little cabin would become even more of an oven if I began baking. From last night's weather reports, it looked like you're in for a very hot day today, too...down your way. I can't stand the heat...and the past few days were horrendous here.

    How wonderful to have the bees about...terrific little creatures they are.

    I hope you have a good week ahead, River...take care...stay cool if you can...cuddles to the lovely Lady Lola. :)

    .

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    Replies
    1. Lee; yes, winter is a better time for making it, since it needs to bake for quite some time. today is a heatwave day for us, with a cooler change some time tomorrow, so I watered early and am staying inside where it's cooler for the rest of the day. Lola says meow to Remy and Shama.

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  5. The pie looks nice.

    It's always interesting to watch a building go up although once the walls are built, you don't see what is happening inside.

    How interesting to have bees to watch and see them coming and going from their home.

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    Replies
    1. Andrew; I wish I could see the bees from my home, but the tree is a little way back along the driveway here, in front of another block of flats, but I pass it now and again and always stop to watch the bees.
      I love watching buildings go up, construction seems to be part of my soul.
      The pie was very delicious.

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  6. You certainly strung me out! I kept thinking, Oh, No. She doesn't like it! Yes, I had to spread the crust around, too. I've made it twice. I shared the first time.
    Glad you have a hive on hand, and I hope the "authorities" don't interfer.

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    Replies
    1. Joanne; I'm so sorry, I meant to post about it sooner, but I've just been so terribly lazy lately.
      The gardens here are community property, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for the hive, but if too many people complain, something will be done to remove it as has happened in the past.

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  7. Mmm...pie. I'm not much of a dessert-maker, but both my grandmas turned out excellent pies. My husband's favorite was blackberry cobbler. We'd pick blackberries from our barn field, and deliver them in hopes of reaping a cobbler benefit, always providing more berries than needed for one cobbler.

    That's a good view of the bees. I'm wondering what the inside of their hive looks like, imagining the sides covered with combs and honey. No, I'm not suggesting that you shove your phone or camera inside for a photo!

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    1. Val; I don't make pie nearly as often as I used to. I remember one year when I had to make several all at once because my older son had bragged to mates at work about how good they were and they all wanted one. That was before I learned about this Swedish Apple Pie. The pies I made back then had pastry surrounding top and bottom. I've never had cobbler.
      I'm definitely NOT shoving my camera inside a tree.

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  8. Pie! We need pie more often.

    It's great to have honeybees near but not too near.

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    Replies
    1. messymimi; I don't think I need pie more often, I'm quite fat enough already. But it is extremely yummy.
      I love walking under the flowering trees and hearing the bees humming as they work.

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  9. The pie looks delicious, rather like a hard crust on top myself.
    Gee lots of bees there, no bees here at home in my lavender yet - hoping they will turn up.

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    Replies
    1. Margaret-whiteangel; the crust is only crusty right on top, pnce you break through there's a cakey layer, very nice.

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  10. It been ages since I did a pie. Hope you can keep us up progress on town house, sound costly.

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    Replies
    1. peppylady (Dora); all houses here are costly, some more than others, many builders do townhouses so they can fit two or three on a big block that used to hold just one house with a garage and lots of garden space. Of course the town houses don't have hardly any garden space, just a bit out the front. I'll take more photos in a week or two.

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  11. Now I really do need to make this pie too! I smiled at your comment about jumping in and eating your way out.

    Hope the bees can keep their home this time around.

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    1. jenny_o; it really was a lot tastier than I thought it would be. I hope the bees can stay too, the lady who usually has them removed seems to have not noticed them yet.

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  12. You have been as 'busy' as those bees in the trunk of the trees! I am sure that pie was worth the wait!
    I have been watching the building of a new house in our neighborhood. I wish I had taken pictures of the progress. It would have made a good "Sunday Selection" post. The house was started lasted May and still isn't done.
    I have posted that I have been without Internet Service .... so have a lot of catching up.

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