it's better with cheddar

I already made an apple pie (with raisins and rum, it was a good time); and, I like to be original; but, I have become not just a little obsessed with the whole cheese in the crust of fruit pie thing.  I am blaming those of you suggesting the cheddar and apple pairing in response to my Gruyere and pear pairing last week.  Because of your suggestions, I made my usual apple pie recipe from Joy of Cooking with the Pate Brisee crust--with the cheddar, don't forget the cheddar.  Thank you.

After thinking of all the ways to add cheddar to an apple pie (chunks mixed with filling? slices on top of the bottom crust before putting in the apples?), I came to the conclusion that I didn't want cheese floating around in my apple pie filling, it just seemed weird and incongruous.  So I did the same thing as last week and grated the cheese (maybe 3-4 ounces worth?) into my pate brisee dough.  I used sharp cheddar, I think I will go with extra sharp cheddar next time; but, this is still the best apple pie I have ever eaten.  It was incredible.

Clearly, I am never making apple pie without a cheddar crust again.  Because seriously, it was amazing.

You know what else is amazing?  When people tell you that you make their day.  Apparently, I make a lot of you smile, and that makes me smile.  Thank you Opal, Haley, Lisa, Kirsten, Tiennie,  Rangsiwan, and Rachel.  I am glad that I make your days; but, is it me or the pies?  I wish I could send you all your own personal pies, I really do.

I was thinking of just letting this go by without any sort of public acknowledgment on my part; but it seemed a good opportunity to share some blogs that you might want to be reading if you aren't already.  It was hard to crunch this down into a list of ten or less, so I decided to list the last ten blogs I have had a conversation about with someone who  isn't involved in knitblogging or blogging in general.  Or as a friend of mine would say, "real" people, as opposed to  us unreal people who blog.  Right.

Adam of Adam Knits.  I am trying to convince Special K that he wants to knit, I frequently refer to Adam and his knitting (and dyeing) skills as an argument for why engineers should knit.  Adam is an engineer who knits, Special K is an engineer who does not knit.  I recognize that my argument would be a lot more persuasive if my husband actually knew Adam or read his blog.  Details.

Diana, aka Ms. Bestitched.  She knits she sews and her posts always make me smile.  Diana is one of the first people to leave a comment on my blog and she has one of the cutest little girls in blogland, I heart LL and Diana hearts Little Sir (seriously, she sent him maracas, if that isn't love, what is?!).  I frequently find myself talking about Diana and LL in normal conversation with local friends who ask about how I met them.  "Well, I haven't met them...really.  I know them through blogging..."  This is usually where I get the look that seems to say "oh, she is talking about her imaginary friends again."

Kirsten,  who goes Through the Loops on a daily basis.  Kirsten is talented as all get out (you have probably knit one of her patterns, or you might have one of her patterns queued up to knit, if not go peruse and add one), but her kids are really talented and impressive too.  Her teenagers sound so extraordinary and likable, and I have to be honest, teenagers kind of scare me (despite the fact I have a child, children in general scare me, but there you are).

Christy who claims that she is Neither Hip Nor Funky, but who is, in reality, both.  Her brand of wit and humor is something I totally subscribe to.  Also, we both got spinning wheels at the same time, and it's been fun watching her progress, maybe sometime, I will show you mine.

Leslie, who is a good Friend to Knit With.  She is a skilled knitter and everything, but she bakes too.  I bake pies every week, she bakes cookies every week.  I have recently been told that defending a pie baking habit by using a knit-blogging cookie baker as your sole defense is a weak argument.  That person now gets no pie.

Ashley who is dogged.  Because I still want to be like Ashley when I grow up.  She knits, she quilts and she does these activities with such wit, style and flair.  She is one cool cookie.

Parikha who lives at 617 awesomeville.  She knits, and her photography skills are pretty amazing and I have a special place in my heart for people who get excited about cooking, baking and chocolate truffle making.

Stacey who hearts orange.  This is not a knitting blog, it is more pictures and anecdotes about everyday life.  Stacey is actually a "real" person to me.  We studied to be archivists together at library school.  My very first conversation with her was about the evils of addiction to caffeinated beverages which contain vanilla.  She just got back from doing humanitarian work in Africa and she was stuck in line with a crazy person talking about vanilla flavored cola.  I am so glad she never held this against me.  Stacey is, without a doubt, the coolest person I know (she climbs mountains and zip lines through trees in countries she doesn't actually live in.  That's cool.).  She also has an amazing talent for gift-giving.  She always knows the perfect thing to gift.  That is talent, people.

Do you know Mo of Mo Rocca 180?   Maybe it's an acquired taste thing; but, I love Mo Rocca.  That's right, I said it.  I love Mo Rocca.  Don't worry, Special K knows all about it.

And last, but certainly not least, Rangsiwan who is also known as YaiAnn.  I am pretty sure that Rangsiwan and I are somehow related.  I find inspiration on her blog all the time.  We talk baking, quilting and sewing quite a bit, and I have very few friends who are as enthusiastic about these things as I am besides her.  She knit me a sock that I plan on knitting the mate to this month.  It's red.

You are probably aware of a good number of these bloggers, but if not, please do go get acquainted, you'll be glad you did!

And to end, here is something I am glad about.  I am glad that when I decide to try to make something new for a friend, I make a "prototype" for myself first. 

Practice makes perfect, right?  It's a little on the small side, but it will hold a sock project.

More about this tomorrow.  I have gone on for too long, and you are probably tired of reading.  So tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel.

Comments

[tiennie]

It is you! (and Little Sir, and your crafts, and your pie!) You deserve the award. Love the bag!

[Kirsten]

I agree with Tiennie! You totally deserve the award for more reasons than just the pie!! Besides, I've been reading this blog since before the pie thing started.

That said, I am totally going to bake an apple pie with cheddar! Mmmmmmmm.

Bravo on the bag. It is very, very cool and I love your little tag!

Oh, and thanks. :)

[Stella]

Ok, you just get cuter and funnier by the post, Ms. Nova. So it's definitely not just the pie.

That said? YUM. I am ALL FOR cheddar on/in apple pies. I will order a slice of apple pie with a slice of cheddar on the side, or melted on top. It's just that necessary. In the crust is a new one on me, and it looks awful promising.

[SpiderWomanKnits]

Congrats! You certainly make my day!

Love the little bag. I finally had a heart to heart with my sewing machine and actually made something this weekend although I still can't manage to sew in a straight line?!!

[katie]

that pie sound so darn good. I ma going to have to try this. cheese and apples go over well in this house!
love your knitting bag. that fabric is great!

[margene]

Love your blog, too! You do so many fun and interesting things. PEAR...I said apple..oops, but both pies sound heavenly!
Love the little bag, too!

[Heather]

Hmmm très delicious...and that lil cube action is too adorable!!

[Brenda]

Great looking pie! But I come to hear from you not ogle the pie. You made banana cream pie, and I hate, hate, hate bananas and dislike cream pies, but I came back.

Great bag! I really love your Nova made label. Did you make it or have it made? If you made it, how? If your bought it, where?

[Fuji Mama]

Love love love the prototype. The bee really is the cherry on the cake.

[Oiyi]

I should know better than to go blog trolling at night. The apple pies are making me hungry! I should be trying to catch some ZZZ'ss before the baby wakes up for her next feeding.

[Lisa]

I'm drooling over the pie and the little cube. CUTE! Love the little bee on the handle.

[yaiAnn]

You are way way waaaaaaaaaay tooo sweet! But first thing's first.. you have to tell me, do you mix the cheese in when you cut the butter into the flour or when you press the dough together before you shape and chill it?

[Emily]

Love that bag. Thinking of selling them?

[Nora]

I love the wasp honeycomb fabric - and the bag is so, so sweet!

[stacey]

mmm - to me, you add cheddar and how could it not be better? (and I love that cheddar rhymes with better!!)

[Diana]

Yum, I need to make a pie. The Cracker Barrel Extra sharp Vermont White is the best cheese but you might want the yellow color for the pie.
You surely use your time wisely. I don't know how you do it all!
Ingenious little bag!!!!

[Ashley]

Dammit, I was just going to name you in my Make My Day Round 2! You totally beat me to it. But thank you, and also, right back at ya times 1000.

I heartily endorse cheddar with your apple pie. Try it new-england style too: straight up apple pie, but with a slab of extra-sharp white cheddar on top instead of ice cream. The happiest.

[Jennifer]

My mouth is watering! I had never heard of pairing the two until I went off to college. I remember my roommate saying "apple pie without cheese is like a hug without a squeeze!"

[leslie]

awww! you are too sweet miss nova! thank you!
you certainly make my day too.
you know i save you for my morning coffee. so i can enjoy your pie with coffee. but like i said......more cheese.......with a white wine! perfect.
i am SO making a an apple pie with cheese.
love the little bag. it is great!

[lolly]

lovely list and thoughtful descriptions of several of my fave blogs too ;) your cube is wonderful!

[Kelly]

That pie looks so good......I had to stop myself from licking the screen. Mmmmmm......fuit and cheese makes me smile.

Love the bag it's super cute!

[Amy]

Hoooraaaaaay for apple cheddar pie!!

(You like the Joy crust, eh?)

[Opal]

Oh my. That pie looks absolutely decadent. Cheddar in the crust? YUM!

Yes, you've totally made my day. :)

[brooke]

Love the boxy shape of the nova tote. You always have so much good stuff here - thanks for "making my day". :)

[AJ]

Sounds delicious. I'm afraid I'm one of the contributors that pushed the cheddar and apple pie. And I'm glad you did because now you've inspired me to make one this weekend!