Pandemics and Pies: What They Teach Us About Life

When the coronavirus pandemic first began weaving its way through American society, it sent people scurrying to the supermarkets, filling their carts with everything they needed and didn’t need in preparation for a life of quarantine, locked down and hunkered down for an undetermined period of time. At the checkout counter, behind roll after roll after roll of toilet paper swiftly gliding down the conveyor, sat bags of flour. It wasn’t long before the only flour left on store shelves was the white powdery residue that had spilled out, marking where they once stood. People sought comfort in returning to the basics of baking. Soon kitchens across the country were wafting of fresh baked breads, cookies, and pies, harkening back to simpler times.

It was the work of a microscopic organism that forced people from the bustling streets and over-scheduled schedules to shelter in place, to slow down, spend time with family, relax, stay in touch with friends on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, google recipes, and to breathe, breathe in the aromas emanating from their ovens. A wave of soothing calmness soon washed throughout the land.

Recipes calling for nature’s own ingredients: apples, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, honey, lemon, butter, and of course, flour, burst with flavor, tantalizing pallets, filling stomachs, and satisfying souls. Minus the additives and fillers, excessive sugar, and hair-raising doses of sodium, the all-natural, home baked recipes not only tasted good but didn’t threaten one’s health. Relying on old trusted recipes and sometimes altering them with a little of this and a little of that from pantry shelves, gave birth to new variations and new flavors. Perhaps there’s a deeper underlying lesson in this. Maybe we can learn something from that simple apple pie recipe and experimenting with it.

Whirling through life at a dizzying pace, grabbing for processed, chemically laden foods and filling houses and closets with mass-produced goods ultimately leaves one empty and even sick. Like the pie, the ingredients in life that are most enriching are naturally derived from what mother earth has given us. Taking the time to enjoy each forkful, fills not only the stomach but also the spirit. It’s time to take stock of what is in your pantry of life, fill your shelves with fortifying pursuits and don’t be afraid to be creative and experiment, adding your own twist of flavor.

Here’s is my apple pie recipe. Don’t be afraid to experiment with it but keep it all natural!

Nancy’s Naturally Delicious Apple Pie

 This delicious apple pie recipe, naturally sweetened with honey and mother nature’s own spices, bursts with flavor! You won’t believe absolutely no refined sugar is used. I prefer only organic ingredients, as they don’t contain pesticides and tend to be more flavorful. Let’s get started!

Filling Ingredients

Granny Smith Apples – 7 or 8, depending on size

¾ cup Honey

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon Nutmeg

teaspoon Ground Cloves  

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed)

3 + tablespoons Unbleached White Flour

Note: I use heaping measurements of spices and go heavy on the cinnamon. You can alter amounts according to taste.

Crust Ingredients

2 ½ cups Unbleached White Flour

1 cup Butter (unsalted) (2 sticks)

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

4 to 8 Tablespoons Cold Water 

Don’t fear the crust!

Making your own is easy as, well, pie. Here’s how:

1 – Soften 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter. Be sure not to over soften.

2 – Put 2 ½ cups of flour in a large mixing bowl

3 – Mix in 1 teaspoon of salt

4 – Put the softened butter in the flour and begin pinching it into the flour with your fingers until it is well mixed but not overly so

5 – Add just enough cold water to form a doughy consistency

6 – Form a flatted ball with the dough and divide in half

7 – Roll out one half of the dough for the bottom crust on a lightly floured surface and place it into a 9-10 inch pie plate and set aside.

Filling

1 – Peel, core and slice the apples and place in a large mixing bowl

2 – Mix all the spices and lemon juice in with the honey so there’s even distribution throughout

3 – Stir the mixture in with the apples

4 – Add at least 3 tablespoons of flour to thicken the filling

5 – Pour into prepared pie plate

Finishing Touches

1 – Roll out top crust and place over pie. Pinch the edges together with a fork.

2 – Poke decorative holes and designs into the top crust to allow steam to escape

3 – Place aluminum foil around the crust’s edges so they don’t burn

4 – Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature down to 375 degrees and bake for 40 or so minutes more until the crust is a golden brown.

5 – Set pie aside to cool

6 – EAT slowly and enjoy each bite!