Appleing

We still have apples. But we've made a huge dent in them. I said I would share how we're using them. And I'm feeling guilty in my heart that I haven't.

1. Eat them. Plain. We all love 'em this way. And Josie especially loves the ones that are getting a bit mushy. And I love that she loves them mushy. Mushy apples can't be eaten in my mouth.

2. Applesauce. We chop 'em up with the peels on and keep it pretty chunky. That's right. Chunky Sauce.   

Cook it low and slow. And we add tons of cinnamon, because I have obsession with cinnamon.  If it isn't brown, there's not enough. No sugar in this sauce. These apples were sweet enough! 

Freezer bag applesauce. It didn't seem very practical to drive to Grandma Foote's house to bottle it. I don't know how to preserve food in bottles, unless it's at her house. 

 We'll be enjoying this sauce in the upcoming fall and winter months.

3. Frozen. I chopped and sliced a few bags full and just stuck them straight into the freezer. I planned to make more applesauce, but Josie was no longer entertained by the water in the sink.

I'm hoping I'll be able to throw these into baked goods.

 4. Apple crisp. This is the favorite way to eat apples right now. It is a great way to use up the mushy ones.

Chop 8-10 apples, with the peel on. Throw them into a 9x13  pan.

Now, chop a bit of caramel and throw that in with the apples. That is where the magic is. The caramel melts and creates a sweet, sticky sauce for the apples to bathe in. They absorb the caramel goodness and then share that goodness with you in every bite. I'm telling you. It is totally magic.

What? You don't have a huge block of caramel in your pantry? Go buy one at Gygi's. Still don't have one and you want to make a magic crisp? Make a magic crisp topping.

For the topping, I usually add about a cup of oats, a few tablespoons wheat flour, three tablespoons ground cinnamon, a teaspoon nutmeg, and half a stick of softened butter. Mix it all together and crumble over the apples.

Bake for 30 or so minutes at 350 degrees. You'll know it's done when the apples are soft.

Serve with ice cream, if you have it. Or eat it plain. It is magic either way.

I don't have a picture of apple crisp. It gets eaten too fast.

We decided against dehydrating apples in the oven. It didn't seem to be a very time effective way of preserving. Several hours in the oven to preserve two apples? No thanks.

I'll just make a few more magic apple crisps. That ought to finish 'em off.