Oh what can be more fun than an entire day devoted to apple pie? Gather your elderly loved one, her home care provider and a few close family members to enjoy an apple pie celebration with you. If the day is warm enough, have a spring barbecue in your yard. If it turns out to be cool or rainy, you’ll have to take everyone inside. Warm up the kitchen with some good old-fashioned home-made apple pies cooking in the oven!

An old saying states that there’s nothing more American than apple pie. The history of the apple pie actually goes back to other countries, each with their own cultural twist on it. Johnny Appleseed was the person who we can thank for the growth in popularity and the Americanization of the apple pie.

Original apple pie recipes didn’t call for sugar, an expensive and hard to find commodity. Instead they relied on a mixture of sweet fruits including dates which are known to have a high content of natural sugars.

Favorite Old-Fashioned Apple Pie Recipe

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

½ cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup water

½ cup white sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

8 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour till it forms a paste. Add the shite sugar, brown sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the temperature and let it simmer.

Place the bottom crust into your pie pan. Fill it with the apple slices and mound it slightly. Cover with a lattice crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Ensure you pour slowly so it doesn’t have a chance to run off before it soaks in.

Bake 15 minutes in a preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. continue baking the pie for 35 to 45 minutes or until the apples are soft and crust is golden.

The advantages of making your own apple pie is that you can control the amount of sugar. You can also add a sprinkle of cinnamon if you’d like. The pie doesn’t need anything else at all as a side but you can feel free to add a spoonful of whipped cream or a dollop of ice cream if you would like.

Enjoy the pies with your family after a nice home-cooked meal. Spending time visiting and socializing with family is good for caregiver and elderly adult alike. Not only does it help to build stronger family ties, it also recharges your physical and mental health and well-being.