Peace, warmth, and an apple

I have been on a search for things that make my heart and mind calm.  There is little in this world today, as many of you can attest, that fit this description. It is sad but true.  So I have decided to not look outside of my own home for this and to look at what our hands have wrought.  Gardening continues to be the balm in Gilead. Right now the topic of conversation in our home often centers around apples.

You read that correctly.  Apples.

Not politics.  Not religion.  Not family.

Apples.

Apples are dripping from the tree in the yard.  

We have had to prop the branches up with poles this year.

I found myself staring down pounds of apples on my kitchen counter recently.

There was only one answer. It was time for our version of baked apples.

This is simple and requires only a few ingredients. This can also be easily made with your kiddos. Just remember that you do the cutting of the apples and they can do the measuring and mixing.

You will need...

5 pounds of an apple of your choice.  Wash, cut into cubes, and place in a mixing bowl.
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of cane or white sugar
2 teaspoons of Baking spice or even just a mix of cinnamon and ginger of your liking
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
The juice if 1/2 of a lemon
The juice of 1/2 of an orange
1/2 cup of raisins slightly rehydrated in hot water and then drained
1 cup of old fashioned oats


Whipping cream or ice cream to top a bowl full when it is all done.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a baking pan with high sides or a simple 8x8 aluminum pan would work.

Mix all of the ingredients, except the cream, together in a bowl and then place into the baking pan.  Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the mixture is slightly bubbly and hot.  Here is how lovely it looks when it comes out of the oven...

I highly recommend a cup of tea while you wait.  You can just see mine in the corner.

Now here are some tips...

1. We buy baking spice from Penzeys Spices.

2. We also make our own vanilla extract, but use what you have! If you want to know how to make your own vanilla extract click here.

3. Some of you may want to have this bubble in a similar way as an apple crisp, but this is not intended to be the same. There is no flour or cornstarch in this recipe.  In fact, depending on the oats you buy, this could be gluten free!

4. Feel free to add nuts and even change the type of dried fruit in the recipe.

Last but not least, try talking about apples.  You will be surprised what this brings up in the memories of those you know and love and it just might be the peace you need in this very crazy world.

Auntie Cheena