HAPPY JULY 4TH

It's Independence Day here in the good ole USA!  In honor of this wonderful holiday, I'd like to share some thoughts on what it means to be independent...here is what some famous people have to say...

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.  ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Liberty is the possibility of doubting, of making a mistake,... of searching and experimenting,... of saying No to any authority - literary, artistic, philosophical, religious, social, and even political.  ~Ignazio Silone,The God That Failed, 1950

 Liberty: One of Imagination's most precious possessions.  ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

(The above quotes were found online at Quotegarden.com)

To me liberty is having the ability to have the freedom to live a safe, secure, happy life.  It means that no one can tell me what I can and can't do to my body.  It means that I am entitled to the same responsibilities as all people in my community.  It means having the freedom of living the faith I choose, as long as that does not hurt anyone else.  Freedom means I can have a say in my government and have choices  in how I live.  It means I can live with whom I want and love whomever I fall in love with.  Freedom means that I can have the choice of when to have children and how many children to have.  It means I have the responsibility of bringing that child/children up to the best of my ability in a loving, safe environment.  It also means I can think for myself and I have to respect the thoughts of others.

I am glad that there is a day in my country that allows me to celebrate having all of these things.  And in honor of The 4th of July, here is a recipe for apple pie! I have not tried this recipe yet, but hope to soon, so if you make it, please share your thoughts with the rest of us! I hope you enjoy it!



Honey Apple Pie With Orange Lattice Crust
=========================================
Bon Appétit | March 1998

Main ingredients
Honey, Cherry, Orange, Peach, Apricot, Apple

Cuisine
American

Type
Pie/Tart

Yield: Makes 8 servings

"Using orange juice instead of water in the crust enhances the fruit flavors in the filling. To prevent the dough from sticking, lightly flour the work surface and the dough, sprinkling with more flour as needed; also, roll just to the edges of the dough, not over them, rotating the dough often."

Ingredients:

For crust:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 to 7 tablespoons chilled orange juice

For filling:

2 generous tablespoons coarsely chopped dried tart cherries
2 generous tablespoons finely chopped dried apricots
2 generous tablespoons finely chopped dried peaches
2 tablespoons orange juice
2-1/2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
3-1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Preparation:

Make crust:

{Step One} Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl; add butter.
Using fingertips, rub in butter until pieces range in size from rice
grains to peas. Add shortening; rub in until pieces are size of small
peas. Sprinkle 5 tablespoons juice over, tossing gently with fork to
blend. Continue adding enough juice 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing
with a fork, to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; divide into
2 parts, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten dough onto disks.
Wrap in plastic; chill 1 1/2 hours or up to 1 day.

Make filling: Mix cherries, apricots, peaches and orange juice in large
bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Mix in apples, flour, cinnamon and
cardamom; then mix in honey, butter and orange peel.

Position rack in bottom third of oven, and preheat to 425°F.

Roll out larger dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round.
Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhand to 1/2
inch. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch
round. Using fluted pastry wheel or knife, cut dough into 1/2-inch-wide
strips. Spoon filling into bottom crust.
{Step Two} Arrange 6 pastry strips evenly atop filling. Arrange 6 more
strips at right angles, forming lattice. Fold under ends of strips with
overhanging dough.

{Step Three} Crimp crust edge decoratively.

Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until
apples are tender and juices bubble thickly around edge, about 1 hour
10 minutes longer. Transfer pie to rack. Cool 1 hour.