In 1975, an ad first appeared that has stuck with those of us "of a certain age" (shall we politely say?). I can still sing the little ditty about baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet... but since I don't sing well, you'll have to watch the ad here rather than my performing publicly.

Now there are new ads, featuring Justin Verlander and Prince Fielder singing tidbits of the song which is older than they are.

And so, since Justin, Prince, and the rest of the Detroit Tigers are proudly representing the American League - and the city of Detroit - in the World Series tonight, it seemed only fitting to serve hot dogs for the game, and to finish off my meal with a good ol'-fashioned apple pie. I even drive a Chevrolet, to complete the set!

Good Ol'-Fashioned Apple Pie

Filling:
1 3-pound bag of Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup brown sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter

Place the apple pieces, cinnamon, 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan; cover, bring to a boil, and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.

Stir together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Uncover saucepan, stir in cornstarch mixture, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in butter, then let cool to room temperature.

Crust:
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup shortening, at room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
5 tablespoons ice water

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. With a fork, blend in the shortening and the butter until the mixture appears mealy. Add the water and mix with the fork until the dough starts to form a ball.

Pie: 1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Divide the pie crust into two even pieces, setting one aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first piece of dough into 12-inch circle. Fold dough in half, and then in half again, to make it easier to place into a 9-inch pie pan. Unfold the crust, and press into the pan. Place the cooled apple filling into the pie crust.

Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch circle; fold in the same manner as the first piece, and carefully place the dough over the filling. Trim excess dough from the perimeter of the pie pan, then press the top and bottom crusts together with a fork. Cut a few slits into the top of the pie to let steam escape.

Combine the egg and water, then brush a bit over the crust. Bake the pie for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden.

Makes 1 pie.

Mary Bilyeu writes for AnnArbor.com on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, telling about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests, meeting new friends ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions, comments, or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

Go visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — where she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related; and look for her monthly articles in the Washtenaw Jewish News. "Like" her on Facebook, or send a tweet on Twitter, too.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.