Top Ten Uses for an Apron (other than Cooking!):

I get this all the time.  Someone tells me they love, love love our aprons, but they just don’t see themselves using one since the closest they come to cooking is popping a frozen pizza in the oven.  Well I am here to tell you that I use my aprons for MUCH more than cooking, and a few of these just might surprise you!

10) Kitchen décor: Nothing gives a kitchen that “serious cook lives here” look as economically as a color-coordinated apron casually draped over a hook or hanging from the corner of a baker’s rack.  It can really pull the room together as well.

9) That favorite gift:  What inspired me to start swankyaprons.com in the first place were the reactions I received over a period of several months when I started giving aprons as gifts.   At showers and birthdays, they always inspired the most excitement and outpouring of thanks from the recipient over even much more expensive gifts.

8) A bib for kids (and sometimes adults!) Long after the age when my eldest decided she was too old to wear a bib, I’ve been protecting her clothing by having her don an apron before especially messy meals.  Not only is she more than happy to do so, aprons actually provide much more coverage than a typical bib.  It worked so well I actually threw away my toddler’s bibs and started putting them on her as well!

7) Recruitment tool:  Speaking of children, mine have never been happier to help me in the kitchen than when they’re wearing their “uniforms”.  Pull out the apron, and my 7 year old who was just refusing to set the table suddenly wants to help toss the salad.

6) Motivational tool:  Aprons don’t just motivate children.  If I’m just not in the mood to clean or do laundry (again), all I have to do is dip into my apron stash to get my homemaker mojo flowing again.

5) Fashion Accessory:  The vintage housewife look is all the rage these days.

4) Stain concealer:  At least once I have thrown on an apron when the doorbell rang just as my toddler decided to try out her new marker set on my t-shirt while sitting on my lap.  Instant clothes change!

3) Impromptu cleaning rag. Sometimes messes just happen and you have to use what’s on hand.

2) Image booster:  Want to impress that new date with your kitchen prowess?  He’ll be more likely to judge even less-than-stellar cooking as spectacular when he sees what a serious cook you are.

1) A marriage enhancer:  Men love our lacy aprons especially, and a common search phrase for aprons I see is “apron and panties”.  Enough said. 

Sassy July Giveaway

This month we’re giving away one of our best sellers, the Sassy Black Apron!

There are three ways you to enter (you can enter all three ways):

• 1) Follow Swanky Aprons on Twitter and Tweet the following: Cook Swanky! RT & follow @swanky_aprons for a chance to win a Sassy Black Apron! Offer ends 7/31. See http://swankyaprons.wordpress.com.

2) Become a fan of Swanky Aprons on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swanky-Aprons/162652980980

• 3) Subscribe to this blog (see the right side of the screen under Recent Tweets)

This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada. All entries must be in by midnight, July 31, 2010.

Good luck!

Looking for another way to win?  Give us your feedback and enter to win a $35 gift certificate to swankyaprons.com! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/33CSG5W

Apple Pie ala…Milk?

Without exception, when my family is asked if there is a particular dessert they would like me to cook for them, a loud chorus replies, “Apple Pie”!  That exclamation is usually followed by my eldest daughter’s best sweet-as-syrup voice adding, “Nothing is better than my mama’s apple pie.”  What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with this all-American treat?

My family has always had a soft spot in their hearts for homemade apple pie.  Each fall when the Transparent apples ripened, the women in my family would take a road trip to a nearby orchard to pick a bushel or 2, then head back home to spend an entire day in the kitchen cooking enough homemade applesauce and pies to full their cabinets and freezers for the winter.

Now there are a few things you should probably know about this recipe before proceeding.  There are a few differences that make this version unique to my family and are based on taste alone, and not whether or not making apple pie this way conforms to any other culinary standards out there. 

• No top crust.  It just takes away from the flavor and creates extra work.  Better to spend that extra time making another pie.
• Your choice of apple is crucial.  My family will normally use nothing but Transparent Apples.  However, there are a few problems with Transparents.  First, they are often only available for a very brief time in August (and are increasingly hard to find at all).  Second, unless fully cooked, they are extremely sour.  Therefore I recommend Granny Smith Apples as a viable substitute.
• Forget the ice cream.  That’s right, ala mode smalamode.  How about ala milk?  I know it seems strange, but a slice of apple pie served in a bowl covered in milk is amazing.  trust me.
• The more caramelized, the better.  If prepared correctly, a nice caramelly layer will form at the bottom of the pie, and is my favorite part of the whole apple pie eating experience. 

So without further ado, let’s bake some apple pie.

1)      Prepare the crust

2)      Gather ingredients for the filling:

1. ¾ cup sugar
2. ¼ cup flour
3. 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4. ½ teaspoon nutmeg
5. 6 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
6. 3 tablespoons butter
7. 2 tablespoons water

3)      Heat oven to 425°.

4)      Stir together all ingredients except apples, butter and water.

5)      Pour 2/3 to ¾ of the mixture into the bottom of the pie shell.

6)      Add apples and sprinkle rest of dry mixture on top.

7)      Dot with butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of water

8)      Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn oven down to 350° and bake for 15 more minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-30 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

9)      Allow to cool and serve in a bowl with milk poured over the top – yum!

Happy Fourth Everyone!