Crumb topped apple pie

A few weeks back, my mom and I rode on the annual Boland, Iowa, bike ride and we were treated to pie at the finish. I picked the crumb topped apple pie and loved it so much I wanted to make it at home.

Pie after our Boland bike ride

I clipped a recipe for crumb topped apple pie from Taste of Home a couple years ago. I loved the back story behind the pie: The 80 year old pie baker from West Des Moines makes dozens of apple pies each fall for her son's business clients. Sounds like her recipe is a keeper!

My apple pie didn't turn out as pretty as the recipe photo, but it tastes terrific. I used MacIntosh apples from Center Grove Orchard near Cambridge, Iowa.

Click here for a link to the recipe, if you want to give it a try: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Crumb-Topped-Apple-Pie

Strawberry freezer sauce

Just one more strawberry recipe to share with you.  I've made an overabundance of strawberry jam, so I thought it would be fun to make a strawberry sauce that I could freeze for later use (over ice cream, of course).

I found this recipe for strawberry sauce on the Our Best Bites website.  I used a food mill instead of a food processor, but otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly.  It turned out great!  I froze the leftover sauce in plastic freezer bags laid flat on a cookie sheet so I could stack them neatly in the freezer.

I bought another 4-pound carton of strawberries last weekend because they were on sale for $4.99.  Strawberry season is short, so I'm buying up the inexpensive berries as long as I can.

What's your favorite way to eat strawberries?  I love strawberries over ice cream.  Nothing better, in my opinion.