About Ellie

What is Ellie Apland doing when she's not managing Green Lake Fitness? Quite a lot. A graduate of the University of Illinois with an honors degree in Art History, she keeps her creative side going by sewing, cooking, gardening, making art, and visiting Europe (where she has been three times). Living in a log home north of Princeton with her family and pets, she's as busy as ever this year with one kid in college, a kid doing virtual school, and a kid being homeschooled. 

Ellie became interested in fitness when she noticed that her strength and mobility were suffering due to age and inactivity.* She saw Green Lake Fitness as the place to go any time of the day or year--especially important in wintery Wisconsin--to work on those things and more. Once she started discovering that being at the gym also improved her mood, balance, flexibility, and metabolism, she was ALL IN, and today is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. Ellie says she especially loves the atmosphere and people in Green Lake Fitness.

*Editor's note: Age? Inactivity? I guess everything's a matter of perspective.

PIE FILLING

You will need:

• 8-10 Cups Tart Apples, such as Granny Smith (the tartness is important for the flavor of the pie), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

• 1 Cup Sugar

• 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour

• 1 Tsp. Nutmeg

• 1.1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon

• 1/4 Tsp. Salt

PASTRY FOR A 10-INCH PIE PAN

You will need:

• 2 2/3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

• 1 Tsp. Salt

• 3/4 Cup Lard (Ellie uses lard rendered from Stack Farms pasture-raised pork)

• 1/4 Cup Butter (In place of lard and butter, you can use 1 cup of shortening)

Making the Dish:

For the Filling

1. For the pie filling, mix the sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Pour over the apples and stir to coat.

For the Crust

1. Measure flour, salt, lard and butter into a bowl. Cut in shortening.

2. Add 7-8 tablespoons COLD water and mix lightly until a ball starts to form. Do not add too much water or overwork it or the dough will be tough.

3. Divide the dough into two halves.

4. With flour over and under the dough, roll out each half gently until the dough is 2-inches larger than an inverted pie pan.

5. Place one half in the bottom of a pie pan. Trim the edges of the dough.

6. Roll out the second half of the dough.

To Assemble the Pie:

1. Pour the coated apples into the pastry-lined pie pan. "Really cram them in there. Too much is not enough."

2. Dot with two tablespoons of butter.

3. Cover with the remaining crust. Trim the excess dough.

4. Pinch the edges of the two crusts together to seal them.

5. Crimp the edges of the crust using the thumb and pointer finger of one hand and the thumb of your other hand.

6. Cut slits or shapes in the top of the crust so it can vent.

7. Cover the edges of the crust with tin foil or a metal crust protector

8. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through the crust.