There are very few things in my life that I get to see through to completion. I see patients come and then leave (in better shape than when they arrived), yes. But let's face it - closure is really hard to come by in my line of business. So, I've been experimenting with different "hobbies" if you will, to see what keeps my attention and what doesn't.

First off, I work out on a consistent basis and have discovered that it is most definitely a chore, not a hobby. I do love to knit, but often I find that too long of a commitment and I do (gasp) get a little tired of my projects toward the end. I enjoy reading, and it does fairly often bring closure, but it isn't a social activity. So, I have found baking to be my time (and tummy) filler of choice. And, yes, there is a difference between baking and cooking... at least for me. And I love baking & enjoying the finished product with my friends the very most.

For a while I was on a cake kick... tunnel of fudge cake, angel food with a citrus twist, almond and walnut cakes. Oh my, I am in love! It was earlier this summer that I decided I needed to turn this baking experiment into more of a project: a MN state fair themed project, if you will. The original plan was to perfect the sugar cookie and submit that to the state fair for judging, but that was so labor intensive and making a batch of sugar cookies is really an all day commitment. So, I decided on the pie baking category because, really, what says "State Fair" more than an apple pie?! You got it - nothing.

My mom has been so helpful in the research phase of this project - collecting recipes, finding food blogs, giving me resources that discuss everything from gluten chains in the flour to the importance of keeping the pH of your crust between a 5 and 6 (ps. baking is science, people!), etc etc. I paid extra attention to the tips on crust making, as I felt this would be my greatest challenge and decided to use a recipe from Cooks Illustrated for my first go round. And it was 97% perfect. The filling has some work to be done, and I'd like the crust to have more of a butter flavor (because I lalalove butter!!)... But, for a first timer, I was pretty thrilled with how it all baked out.

So, the plan for apple pie 2.0: more butter, softer apples, more balanced spices, and as always... maintain flakiness!! I'll let you know how it goes!