Breakfast Sausage Apple Pie

I'm pretty sure that every family has an infamous, guilty-pleasure-riddled meal that they enjoy every once in a while.  A meal that is so bad for you, so laden with fat and calories, so lacking in any nutritional value, but so loaded in yummy goodness flavor-wise that you just can't bring yourself not to make it every once in a while.

Breakfast Sausage Apple Pie is that meal for the Madsens.  (Well, for Lance and I.  I can't speak for the children because every time I serve it a different child decides they don't like it.  They are then teased and ridiculed mercilessly because this stuff is good.)

For my wedding I received a cookbook titled "The Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars".  In addition to the fact that the title does not use the Oxford Comma (a definite pet peeve of mine), it also had no pictures of the recipes inside, making it very hard for me to want try any of them.  Does anyone else have that problem?  If there's no picture, there's a 90% chance I won't be making that recipe.

Anywho, I was tired of all of my other cookbooks (this was before food blogging got big so there wasn't much out there) ((I know, I'm ancient)) and decided to flip through this particular book.  A phrase along the lines of "Pie for breakfast?! Yes!!" caught my eye and I read the recipe.

At first glance I thought "Erlack.  No thanks."  And then started to look at other recipes.

But I kept thinking about it.  I went back and thought "No way.  I cannot make this for dinner!  We'd die of heart attacks!" (I honestly cannot remember the first time I made it - it was either before Spencer was born or just after.  Definitely before Josh's time.  I think...)

But I kept thinking about it. And I knew Lance would love it.  And I thought I would love it, too.

So I made it.  And we didn't die of heart attacks.  Instead, we fell in love with a deliciously sinful dinner that I can only bring myself to make once or twice a year.

Even though we're not really into fall yet, the weather was such this  morning (grey, drizzly) that it kind of felt like fall.  And then I saw the frozen apple pie filling in the freezer.  And realized I had sausage in the fridge (a rare thing).  And knew it was time to grace our table once again with its heart-stopping goodness.

The cookbook is long gone from our home, but I still have the recipe in my own cookbook.  I must note that I know I have tweaked the recipe just a little, but I can't remember how.  Sorry, original cookbook chefs.

BREAKFAST SAUSAGE APPLE PIE

1# pork sausage

2 packages Jiffy pie mix

1# homemade apple pie filling

Several slices American cheese 

1/2 C packed brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cook sausage and drain.
3. Mix 1/2 of the pie crust mix and prepare for pie pan. Prick and bake for 8 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to 375.
5. Pour apples into crust.  Top with sausage, then cheese.
6. Mix remaining crust with brown sugar, sprinkle on top of cheese.
7. Bake 25-35 minutes until crust is brown.

First you have to do the bottom crust.  Notice that I don't even bother rolling out the dough.  And I use a deep-dish pie pan.  I've just found that this recipe is better with the less work you put into it!

Then the apple pie filling.  I make 2-3 batches of apple pie filling each year and then stick 'em in the freezer.  It works great.  (I use the Joy of Cooking recipe, in case you're wondering.  It's never let me down.  Also, if I can ever get a decent crop of Granny Smith's off of my tree, my pie filling will be SPECTACULAR I tell you!  Dang storms and birds and whatnot destroying my crop... growl growl...)

The the sausage.  I think I may have overcooked the sausage just a tad this time; it was kinda dry and extra salty.  Sad. (But still delicious overall.)

Then the cheese.  I know.  I KNOW.  I am not a fan of American cheese - except sometimes in grilled cheese sandwiches and in this pie.  It is delicious.  I am pretty sure a sharp cheddar would take it to a whole other level, but then Lance would be very sad.  And he's one of the main reasons why I make this dish.

Then sprinkle it with the pie mix and brown sugar.  This is getting ridiculous.

And then bake to golden perfection.  It's best to wait a good 20 minutes or so, but sometimes we can't help but dig in sooner.  (Then our burnt tongues regret it.)

I specifically took note of making this today because 1) it was fun, and 2) I wanted to capture my kids' reaction to me serving pie for dinner.  Because, c'mon, it's pie.  What's not to love?

Things played out as I suspected.  Spencer was willing to try it, and at first said he liked it.  Then changed his mind.  Weirdo.

This boy loved the apple and crust parts, but not the sausage and cheese.  I'll take that as a win.

Josh made fake barfing noises and aced like he was going to die.  This came as no surprise, as he is at his punkiest at the dinner table.

And Tess picked at hers and then declared she didn't like it.  Then she picked at her yogurt and declared she didn't like it.  Then she ate about a 1/3 of a banana.  I suspect she'll be in here within the hour, begging for a snack.

So the kiddos didn't exactly love it this time.  Perhaps by next year their palates will have matured enough to appreciate the glory that is this meal.