Today is my birthday, so it’s going to be a mellow day.

I’ve been working many hours night and day including weekends, so today I’m taking a day for myself.

I share a birthday with a couple famous musicians:

• Elvis Presley – East Tupelo, Mississippi, USA
• David Bowie – Brixton, London, England, UK

I think it completely rocks that I share a birthday with “the king of rock and roll” and also David Bowie.

Speaking of David Bowie, what is he considered in the music world?

As an added bonus, there are also some World famous events that have taken place on this day in different years as well:

1790 – George Washington delivers the first “State of the Union Address” address in New York City.

1958 – Fourteen-year-old Bobby Fischer wins the United States Chess Championship.

1973 – Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of placing bugs in Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.

1977 – Soviet space mission Luna 21 is launched.

1982 – AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions.

1987 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 8.30 to close at 2,002.25 which was The Dow’s first close above 2,000.

So there you go, my annual “happy birthday to me” post with some added value for my trivia friends and readers… and now off to eat cake!

This time of year we all like warm and tasty deserts, so I figured it was time to share my family secret recipe for apple pie and homemade crust.

As a time saver you can use a pre-made pie crust.

Also, a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of warm pie is always a welcomed addition.

Needed Ingredients For The Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups white flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, broken into small pieces
• 5 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
• 8 tablespoons ice water

Crust Preparation:

Measure the flour, sugar and salt together. Stir to combine.

Add the chilled butter pieces and shortening to the bowl. Cut them in with a pastry cutter or knife. Don’t over mix them.

Add the ice water. Mix until the dough holds together (add a bit more water, if necessary).

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it together, then divide in half.

Flatten each half into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least half an hour.

Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until you have a circle that’s about 12 inches in diameter.

Put the circle in a 9″ pie plate, trimming any extra dough from the edges with a sharp knife. Return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to make the pie.

Add filling (see below).

Roll out the second ball of dough and cover top. Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together. Cut a couple slits in the top.

Needed Ingredients For Filling:

• 1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 8 medium sized apples (a medium apple = about 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons margarine

Filling Preparation:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core and slice the apples. Try to keep the size of the slices even.

Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Stir in apples. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with margarine.

Cover with top crust and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top.

OPTIONAL: Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent too much browning. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Independence Day celebrates the birthday of the United States of America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America is celebrating it’s 230th birthday this year.

The 4th of July is a time for the Red White and Blue. A time for Picnics, Parades and Marching Bands. A time for Beaches, BBQs and “Bombs Bursting in Air”.

To celebrate the upcoming 4th of July, I’m out of town for the next few days spending time with family, friends and trying to stay away from the computer for a couple of days. I will be checking email at least once a day and maybe posting too. I’m actually posting this message from over 400+ miles away from my home. Yay laptops and technology.

Anyway, I hope my fellow Americans have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend. I’ll post more about my weekend plans later and now to go play with my RC truck and car…