When the temperature drops and the leaves turn red and gold, I think Thanksgiving—family and friends round the table, good food, recounting our blessings by a warm fire, and thanking the One from Whom all those blessings flow.  What a gift there is in Thanksgiving!

One of my family’s favorite recipes was also the favorite of Colonel Wakefield, a character found in my latest novel, Band of Sisters.  It’s best in a deep dish with plenty of room for apples—an extra one or two won’t hurt.  Not too sweet, but rich, warm and delicious—a Thanksgiving treat!

Ingredients:

• 5 large apples or 7-8 medium apples

• ½  cup sugar (raw, preferred)

• Pinch of salt

• ¼  teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼  teaspoon allspice

• 2 Tablespoons flour

• 2 Tablespoons melted butter

• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

• Prepare pie shell.

• Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice and flour in a large bowl.

• Peel, core, and slice apples thinly. Toss with dry ingredients until well coated.

• Combine melted butter and lemon juice, and stir into apples.

• Pour apples into prepared pie shell.

Topping Instructions:

• Combine 1/3 stick butter, ½  cup brown sugar, and ½  cup flour and mix thoroughly.

Crumble topping over apples in pie shell.

• Bake pie at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue

baking for 45 minutes or until apples are soft and top is golden brown.

Served warm or cold, with vanilla ice cream or butter pecan ice cream, this is culinary autumn in all its glory!

What are some of your Thanksgiving favorites?

May God bless and keep you as you gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving.  May you rejoice in every blessing, remember God’s faithfulness from years gone by, and look forward to all that is to come.

Looking forward to seeing you next week, here in the garden.

God’s rich blessings for you,