I had an extra pie crust!

I've decided my pictures are in the same vein as the Domino's campaign. They post real pictures, sent in from pizza consumers [if we believe what they tell us], on their commercials. That way you know what you're really getting. As much as I would love a fancy camera, and a nicely arranged plate of food, that's just not what happens in reality. You make a dish, and you barely have time to step away from the pan before the boy in your life pops out of nowhere to devour it. Oh, well, that's my reality anyways.

But let's get to the pie!

I had an extra pie crust left over from making a quiche a few weeks ago. Yes, I will tell you all about the quiche in my own time. Focus on the pie, people. I don't know about you, but I normally make pies that have a top and bottom crust. So I was unsure of what to do. Luckily, I have a cobbler that I frequently make, and it is usually a huge hit. I decided it was time for a pie adaptation.

Cranberries. Apples. Cinnamon. Streusel. Pie crust. Heaven?

In case you are squirming in your seat, yes, that combination is heavenly.

The boyfriend positively jumped in excitement when I told him that I use his opinion of the food on this quite-unknown blog [I guess now we know he needs more excitement in his life, poor guy]. His opinion of this pie, and I quote: "neither fruit overpowers the other", and "the texture of flavors all combine to make it wonderful experience in my mouth." How poetic.

In my own opinion, as my biggest critic of course, I need to work on my streusel recipe. Perhaps I needed less, or maybe I need more butter [I vote this option!] because the top layer of the streusel was still dusty and not completely crisped over. Don't worry, once you mix it in with the fruit it still tastes fantastic.


Cranberry Apple Streusel Pie
adapted from a cobbler recipe that I'm pretty sure is from Pampered Chef

1 pie crust
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely sliced
1 can WHOLE cranberry sauce [make sure its not just the jelly stuff!]
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 heaping tablespoons flour

Streusel:
1/3 cup flour
1 cup oats
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice [you could also use nutmeg if you have that]
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt [I normally never use salt, but this helps cut down on the sweetness]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place pie crust in pie pan, fluting the edges if you desire. It probably won't matter what it looks like, as the pie ingredients will reach pretty high on the crust. Spiral apple slices on top of the pie crust.

Mix cranberry sauce, brown sugar, and flour together, and pour on top of the apples. Make sure every apple piece is covered in at least a little cranberry.

Because the ingredients mixed in with the cranberries were all safe, you can just rinse that bowl out and pat dry, and make the streusel in it. This cuts down on the dishes to wash! Once the streusel is made, pour evenly over the top, in the amount that you desire.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. If your pie crust is peeking out and starts getting too brown, cover the edges in foil and keep baking.