apples and more apples!

i got into quite the apple kick this fall.  i began thinking about the many recipes containing apples that i would like to make - apple crisp, applesauce, baked apples, and apple dumplings.  making these recipes has a bit nostalgic for me.  i can remember making applesauce and apple dumplings with my grandma hahn when i was young.  my favorite part of helping her was peeling and coring the apples.  some might think this is the worst part, but grandma had the nifty device that peeled and cored the apples for you.

when i began compiling the recipes that i would make, i also started to search for the gadget that grandma once used.  i found it many places and started to read the reviews of which was better.  (as i've mentioned before, i like kitchen gadgets.)  i purchased my apple peeler/corer from sur la table, using an old gift card i had still failed to use.

though we weren't able to make the indiana orchard trip we had hoped for, i was able to find some delicious apples from our favorite produce market.  the first recipe i made was baked apples.  they were tasty, but i could have done without so much clove and nutmeg.  next i made teresa's famous apple crisp which was delicious, as usual.  finally i made applesauce.

apple corer/peeler at work

wow!  boy, was it good!  and super easy!  i have now made several batches of applesauce with plans to make more to freeze.  here's how i make my applesauce:

6 apples (honeycrisp, gala, or other good cooking apple), peeled and cored
juice of one lemon
2-3 strips of lemon peel
3 cinnamon sticks
1 cup of water
1/4 c. dark brown sugar (optional)
bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.  
remove the cinnamon sticks and lemon peel.  mash with a potato masher.

g loves this applesauce as do i.  it definitely beats any store-bought applesauce for sure!  i still hope to make grandma hahn's apple dumplings in the near future!  i'd also like to make a trip to michigan to get some apples from an orchard there.