Herbal Rice Side Dish
1 lb long grain rice (I like half wild rice or brown rice)
1 Tablespoon dried tarragon
1 Tablespoon ground celery
1 Tablespoon dried chives
1/3 cup dried minced onion
1/3 cup dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all together and store in an airtight jar.
Bring 1 1/3 cup water to a boil. Add ½ cup rice mixture to boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve
“Brown Bag” French Apple Pie
—————————-FOR THE PIE——————–
1 1/2 c All-Purpose Flour
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Shortening
5 tb ICE Water
8 c Apples [peeled & sliced]
1/4 c Granulated Sugar
2 tb All-Purpose Flour
1/2 ts Nutmeg, Ground
2 tb Lemon Juice
1 ts Cinnamon, Ground
——————————FOR THE TOPPING——————————
1/2 c Granulated Sugar
1/2 c All-Purpose Flour
1/3 c Butter
1 lg Paper Bag
Vanilla Ice Cream
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
To make the pie: 1) Combine the first measure of flour, salt and shortening
using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then stir
in the water a little at a time, using a fork, and form the dough into a
ball.
2) Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured board. Roll to an 11″ or
12″ diameter and fit into a 9″ pie pan fluting the edges.
3) Combine the sugar, the second measure of flour, the cinnamon, the nutmeg
and the lemon juice in a large bowl then toss the apple slices in the
mixture and arrange them in the pie crust.
To make the topping: 4) Combine the sugar and flour in a bowl and cut in
the butter using a pastry cutter then sprinkle the topping over the apple
filling.
5) Place the pie in the LARGE paper bag and place the paper bag on a baking
sheet and loosely fold the open end of the bag under. Bake until the apples
are tender (50-60 minutes).
6) Carefully remove the pie from the bag ~ CAUTION: WATCH OUT FOR THE STEAM
COMING OUT OF THE BAG!
7) Serve warm with generous portions of vanilla ice cream. …. Yumm! 
Share with lots of people so everyone gets a small portion and less fat each! Simply savor each tiny morsel of flavor .
Apples
These marvels of nature deserve their reputation for keeping the doctor away when you eat one a day. And now, it seems, they can help you melt the fat away, too.
First of all, they elevate your blood glucose (sugar) levels in a safe, gentle manner and keep them up longer than most foods. The practical effect of this is to leave you feeling satisfied longer, say researchers.
Secondly, they’re one of the richest sources of soluble fiber in the supermarket. This type of fiber prevents hunger pangs by guarding against dangerous swings or drops in your blood sugar level, says Dr. James Anderson of the University of Kentucky’s School of Medicine.
An average size apple provides only 81 calories and has no sodium, saturated fat or cholesterol. You’ll also get the added health benefits of lowering the level of cholesterol already in your blood as well as lowering your blood pressure.