Apple Pie Contest!!! The first entry is in! Thanks, Aunt Sarah

So I put the call out for an Apple Pie Recipe Contest. The idea is:

1. All of you darling relatives send me your apple pie recipes.
2. I bake them.
3. They are judged by an "objective" panel of tasters (like my kids or neighbors).
4. We see which recipe wins.
5. Will there be a prize? Yes. I don't know what. It won't $10,000 or a trip to Hawaii, but it will be something.

And I get to learn a lot more about making various kinds of apple pies, in the process. As an aside but on the subject, on my way back from visiting friends in Kalamazoo, Michigan this weekend I stopped at an MI orchard and bought a really, really yummy deep dish apple-peach pie, all crispy and chewy with brown sugar and really crusty. I like really crusty, if it's good enough. I don't think I will be entering this contest, since it seems that would be sort of unfair since I'm more or less running the baking and the judging. But if I were, I think I would try to replicate that pie.

So -- the first entry is in! Yeah, Aunt Sarah! We should devise some award to you for being timely.

Carmel Apple Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9-inch double crust deep-dish pie
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups thinly sliced apples
2/3 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
20 caramels, halved
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make the taffy: In a small bowl combine brown sugar, melted butter or margarine, and 1/3 cup flour. Mix well and set aside.

To make the apple filling: Place apples in a large bowl. Add white sugar, three tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Toss until all ingredients are mixed well and apples are thoroughly coated.

Spoon half of apple filling into pastry-lined deep-dish pan. Top with half of caramels and half of taffy mixture. Repeat process with remaining apple filling and caramels and taffy mixture.

Place top pastry over filling and seal well (this is very important - if edges are not sealed caramel will leak all over). Cut steam vents and brush top crust with milk or light cream.
Cover pie with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil from pie and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until crust is golden. Serve warm.

Easy Avacado-Chicken Salad

From Aunt Janey

This recipe isn't Italian but it is delicious. The dressing is good on sandwiches - maybe even a tossed salad. The son of our good friends, who are our age but were moving to a nursing home, served it to us. He, like your Brother Bill and you, is a great cook. You all chops like a professional. I didn't ask him about the roasted red pepper but think since we were drop-in visitors (brought a six pack to share) may have used pimentos. Not sure. Aren't pimentos roasted red peppers?

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. chicken breast - season and grill or broil, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

1/3 cup fresh cilantro - chopped
1/3 cup roasted red pepper, diced
15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (quality brand)
15 oz. can black beans, drained

Dressing:
1/2 cup Mayo
1 cup plain yogurt
Chipolte sauce
Combine to desired taste.

Mix all together and divide into individual servings, spooning the salad over 1/2 large avocado for each person.