6th Annual Apple Pie Bake Off!

Six years ago, my friend Ashleigh challenged me to an apple pie bake-off.  It was a blast.  Andrew burned down one of my old basketball trophies (took the shooter's ball and turned it into a pie) and it grew from there.  Now the tradition is that if you win, you host.  Last year Jenny Oliver won and she was our hostess this year.  She did a wonderful job.  We had pumpkin carving, two kinds of chili, pumpkin spice lattes, and some delicious apple desserts.  I eventually will share everyone's recipes, but I don't have them right now.  I'll share mine tonight, and then we'll start off with the winner of the Sixth Annual Apple Pie Bake-Off......

We couldn't wait to hear the winner!!!  And the winner is...

 Josie Hackworth!!!!

We were so happy for her...

Congrats Josie!  :)  She said she had a hard time making homemade crust, and she had a lot of coaching from her mom over the phone.  But she pulled it off and made a delicious pie.  There was only one slice left when the night was over. 

I also can't wait to share with you Jenny's recipe for Pumpkin Chili!!

We had a great time and it is always fun to be around such a good group of friends.  For those who couldn't make it, you were missed.  There's always next year.  :)  Today was a good day for the Mark family.  We had a nice time at church and everyone had a good nap before we went to Dan and Jenny's.  We have this next week to prepare for Emilie's birthday party.  We've unpacked a lot of boxes this weekend and hung a lot of pictures.  I love how the house is finally coming together.  Congrats to my mom who ran her first 10k this morning in El Paso!  She was first in her age division!  Way to go mom!  I'll leave you all with my entry for the bake-off this year.  The rules were anything apple and my mom made a delicious apple cake when she was here one time.  So I decided to make cupcakes and put little apples on top.  I bought the red frosting at Kroger and then used sour gummy worms and cut them up to make the stems.  I knew the kids would at least enjoy having a cupcake.  :)  Love to all!

Raw Apple Cake

from mom

Mix together:
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Then Add:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
and stir in 3 cups of grated apples (about 3 medium apples) and 1/2 cup of chopped nuts.

Bake at 375 in greased and floured oblong pan for 40-45 minutes or do 3-8" round pans for 35 minutes.  OR for cupcakes do them for about 20 minutes. 

Cream Cheese Frosting
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Blend together until smooth, gradually adding the sugar. Pin It Now!