Cheryl - I suppose you could drain it, at least part of it. Keep in mind the canned apples are cooked now so they won't contain anywhere near the moisture the moisture a fresh apple sliced for a pie would. All the liquid is now in the canning liquid so you'd want some of it at least I think. We like all the goo so when we open the jars wife dumps them into a pan re-heats it all and stirs in the cornstarch or tapioca we prefer for thickening then into the pie shell for baking. It looks just like the canned apple pie filling you would buy only tastes better. Dave

I grated the apples with my food processor once. I don't recall having the shreds float any worse than the chopped apples. My old food processor makes really big or really small shreds not the in between size I get if I hand grate. I used the larger size. I decided I like chopped better but it wasn't a huge difference. I haven't tried chopping them with the regular blade in the food processor. The old one chopped very unevenly. I haven't had my new kitchenaid one very long but it does seem to chop more evenly. I might try it.

One of the first KT gatherings was here in B'ham. Country Bumpkin brought two of these and very tasty! Quick & Easy Peanut Butter Pie 1 graham cracker crust 1/3 cup peanut butter 1 cup confectioner's sugar 4 oz. softened cream cheese 8 oz. Cool Whip chopped peanuts (optional) Mix all ingredients, except peanuts, until well blended. Pour into graham cracker crust and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Chill about 2 hours before serving.

I just tried this one and I liked it a lot, although the girls didn't care for the "custardy" middle part. It's from Cook's Illustrated but is not as picky and tedious as some of their recipes tend to be. I did not have Granny Smith apples so I used Jonathan, and it turned out fine but I think something like MacIntosh would turn to mush in the microwave. FRENCH APPLE CAKE (serves 8 to 10) 1-1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges and sliced 1/8 inch thick crosswise 1 Tablespoon Calvados 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour 1 Cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large egg plus 2 large yolks 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Confectioner�s sugar Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch spingform pan with vegetable oil spray. Place prepared pan on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminun foil. Place apple slices into a microwave safe pie plate and cover, then mircrowave until apples are pliable and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Toss apple slices with Calvados and lemon juice and let cool for 15 minutes. Whisk one cup flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Whisk egg, oil, milk, and vanilla together in a second bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Transfer one cup batter to a separate bowl and set aside. Add the two egg yolks to remaining batter and whisk to combine. Using a spatula, gently fold in cooled apples. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using an offset spatula, spread batter evenly to pan edges, gently pressing on apples to create an even, compact layer and smooth surface. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons of flour into reserved batter. Pour over batter in pan and spread evenly to edges and smooth surface. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar evenly over batter. Bake until center of cake is set and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Top should be golden brown, bake about 1-1/4 hours total. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen and let cool completely, 2 to 3 hours. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar, cut into wedges and serve. Annie