It's in the Bag.

In an effort to help the environment, I purchased a few reusable shopping bags from Wal-Mart. It's a disaster. The cashiers seemed peeved about the inconvenience. My clerk the other day packed my things in plastic bags and then put them in the sacks. Going green has not hit Podunk, West Virginia yet.

Remember the old days, when the question was "Paper or plastic?" And either way, there were bad and good to whatever choice.

So what has happened to paper? Bad choice or not, you can make a paper vest with the kids, you can wrap a present with it, you can bake a pie with it.

Bake a pie with it? Of course.

I don't know the reasoning behind it, but when you put that apple pie in that bag, that crust is flaky, that top is buttery. Your kitchen smells toasty. (The toasty smell is that paper bag - is it releasing harmful toxins into your kitchen? Probably, but it is totally worth it.)

Now, for all you worry-warts out there that share the same line of thought as Farmer Brown, I know you are wondering if the paper will catch on fire. But as a past high school English teacher, I taught Fahrenheit 451. As you recall, if you were forced to read that book, you remember that the title comes from......? (I'm not going to tell you. If you want to know, you can Google it. Even better, you could read the book. That makes the English teacher in me, very happy to know that people may be out there reading some of the classics.)

Superb Apple Pie

Crust: 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. oil

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

2 Tbs. cold milk

Combine all the ingredients and pat into the bottom and sides of a deep dish pie pan. No rolling! (I mix all the ingredients in the pie pan, and then just press it in.)

Filling: 4 c. sliced apples (I used Golden Delicious - they originated in WV!)

2 Tb. flour

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Toss together and put into crust. Sprinkle with topping.

Topping:

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

Crumble together.

Place in a paper bag and fold to seal. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. No Peeking!