Criss Cross Applesauce

When I first toured my home, I fell in love with the yard. One of my favorite parts of the yard is the apple tree, right in front of the house. Growing up, apples were a big part of my life. Initially, I was allergic to apples. I always felt a little left out when I watched my siblings bite into a fresh, crisp apple, while I snacked on a harmless banana. Eventually, I out-grew my allergy and was able to enjoy them, too! My father grew apple trees as a hobby and the kitchen in my childhood home has an apple themed decor. There are numerous orchards in the sounds towns and throughout the state. No fall is complete without a trip to an orchard for an afternoon of apple picking.

I was excited to tell my Dad about the apple tree in front of my new house. He was very pleased to see the tree and the variety of apple, a Northern Spy. Apparently, it's a nice sturdy apple, late to ripen and it has a long life in proper storage. Late, one warm October morning, my father came to pick the apples off of the tree for me. I helped him and we divided the pickings between us. We both decided to make apple sauce. He used a very different technique than I, but mine comes from how I was taught years before. One day, when I was in the third grade, my teacher brought in homemade applesauce. Up until then, I thought it was something that you could only get in the store. She told us how she did it, and I went home, that day, and made my own apple sauce.

Not the prettiest apples, but perfect for cooking!

I gathered an armful of apples from my stash and peeled them. Then, I cut out any bad parts. I used a handy tool that cores and slices the apples, all at once!

After all of the apples were peeled, cored and sliced I placed them in a saucepan and added enough water to cover the apples. Basically, I cooked them like I do potatoes, when I want to make mashed potatoes. However, it takes far less time to boil apples than it does to boil potatoes. When the apples were fork tender, I removed them from heat. It only took about 5 minutes.

Peeled, cored, sliced and ready to boil.

After draining the water from the apples, I added cinnamon (a few shakes) and a pinch of nutmeg. Then, I added a tablespoon of honey and I added a tablespoon of butter, after which, I whipped the apples with a hand mixer. It's best to use a hand masher, first, before you use the mixer. You could also use a food processor to really blend the sauce. The apples can be blended as long as you prefer, depending on how smooth you like your sauce. The end result was smooth, thick, applesauce with a few random chunks of apple. So tasty! The recipe that was taught to me when I was 8 years old, still holds as a great lesson. It was a wonderful way to learn a tradition and to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I really need to make some more. 

Until next time~ Toodahloo!