Upside Down Apple Pie

Apparently it takes me a whole week to post recipes for a single dinner. How do people post everything before or on the actual day? How? Do you test everything in advance? Or maybe it's pictures from previous years? Or perhaps you are superwoman/man? Whatever the method...color me impressed. But I will be content with bringing up the rear. Bringing up the rear with pies, even!

At our turkey day dinner...there is always pie. Pies. Plural. The dinner is NOT complete without at least a Pumpkin pie and a Pecan pie. At. Least. There is usually at least one more pie...and occasionally even another type of dessert thrown in. This year we ended up with 4 pies.

Grandma already said she was bringing the pumpkin and pecan...so I was left coming up with the alternate. Many years that ends up being a Bourbon Sweet Potato pie...which is a favorite or Apple w/ a Cheddar crust, a favorite as well...but this year, when I was blog surfing, I happened upon a scrumptious looking beauty from Ingrid over at 3 B's! I knew the minute I saw it that this would be the one to try this year. Ingrid's pie called for a store-bought Pillsbury pie crust. While I usually like to make my own pie crust, I'm not averse to using store-bought ones. Sometimes convenience is key.

Simply... Cookies.

Not long ago, I was contacted by Katie Grien on behalf of Pillsbury with an offer to try Pillsbury's new Simply... line of refrigerated cookie dough. Now, I've been known to buy refrigerated cookie dough from time to time. I mean, I love to make homemade cookies and I have great memories of baking cookies at my grandma's house when I was young...they are actually some of my earliest baking memories. But, there's just something about having some refrigerated cookie dough on hand. I mean, remember those cookie dough cupcakes! I'm also guilty of eating it straight from the roll (these aren't in a roll, but you know the ones I mean). In high school, my friend Michelle and I used to walk to the market and buy a log of cookie dough. We'd rip it in half...how, I don't remember, because I know we'd eat it while walking home...and each of us would take out half and eat from the ripped end. Um....good thing I don't do that anymore. Often. The really awesome thing about Pillsbury Simply... cookie dough is that it is made with "simple, wholesome ingredients." The list is actually pretty short- wheat flour bleached, brown sugar, semisweet chocolate chips, vegetable shortening, water, eggs, baking powder, salt & vanilla extract. Nice, right? Zero grams trans fat, no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. It is available in either chocolate chip or peanut butter. Do I even need to say that I said "YES!! I'll try them...I mean, I suppose...wink wink." Not long after, I received a box with a reusable cotton canvas bags, a media kit and 2 free coupons to try Simply... refrigerated cookie dough. Have I mentioned that I am a bag-a-holic? I have a ridiculous number of reusable bags. So...perfect for me.

Place & bake! Looks yummy like this, doesn't it?

Dunk, bite, repeat.But are they tasty? MMmmmMMMmm...yup! I've only shown you the chocolate chip, but I tried the peanut butter, too and they are both delicious. How can you not love the taste of just out of the oven cookies? I do not know.

Okay, I actually received 4...Yes, 4 reusable bags and 8 Free coupons...so that I can share some with you! If you would like to try Pillsbury Simply... refrigerated cookie dough & have a nice, new reusable bag...simply (ha ha) leave me a comment letting me know that you'd like to try them! That's it. You can have an extra entry if you tweet about the giveaway and let me know...or an extra by mentioning it on your blog and linking back (and letting me know). ***important stuff....1) this giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only. Sorry to my other friends, but these coupons are only good in the U.S., so it wouldn't be much fun for you anyway:( 2) Please enter by noon on Thursday August 6th (Eastern time)...winners announced sometime over that following weekend.

I would also like to give a few shout-outs to some awesome people who have passed me these awards recently.

The super sweet from Kristen at Whatcha Eatin? passed me this Kreativ Blogger award...thank you so much Kristin! I recently posted the 7 "things about me" here if you'd like to know what I wrote.

Thanks so much to the amazing Frieda of Lovin' from the Oven for passing the Lemonade Stand Gratitude award to me. I am supposed to nominate at least 10 blogs who show an attitude of gratitude. 10! Yikes...I've done this in the past and am going to be an outlaw today and not pass it on again just yet...but I will...in the future ;)

Frieda has inspired me to get in the kitchen and start baking that homemade bread that I so adore! Thank you, Frieda.

I would also like to thank Kim from Stirring the Pot for passing this One Lovely Blog award to me. Kim is a fellow Tyler lover, a source of inspiration and just a plain old sweetheart...go visit her and these other great ladies if you don't already! Good eats :D