Apple Crisp

It is really beginning to feel like fall outside and of course, in my world, along with fall comes apple cider, apple dumplings, and apple crisp.

It's funny, when I was a kid and they would serve us apple crisp in elementary school, it was one of my least favorite desserts. I'm not sure how they made it but I'm guessing that in their crisp portion they must have had oats and maybe even nuts. (would they have been able to do that thirty something years ago?) I can remember picking through it to try to 'save' the apples, but wanting with all of my heart to avoid getting any of the crisp.

At home, well, that was a different story. My aunt gave had a recipe for apple crisp, that I can only describe as satisfyingly simple and wonderfully delicious. There are five ingredients - apples, flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon. The topping is very similar to what you would receive on top of a crumb pie.

It is a family favorite for my kids too. Even my coworkers request it special from time to time - 'not just for my birthday' said one coworker.

I don't use a specific type of apple when I make it, in fact, I generally prefer to mix it up and use at least two varieties of apples when I do. I have even been known to substitute in a couple of peaches for an apple and peach crisp.

Apple Crisp
8 Apples, peeled and diced

1/2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
6 T butter
Cinnamon

Place diced apples in a square baking dish.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Crumble together the flour, sugar and butter. Distribute evenly across the apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Enjoy! I prefer it served warm and typically reheat it if I am having some later.

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Spiced Apples & Apple Enchiladas

Recently, we had the opportunity to participate in an Iron Chef Dinner Party, where one of the ingredients was apples. I bought a bag of apples at the local orchard and there were a lot more apples in the bag than I thought there were. I have been making other things using apple to use some of them up (we already had a bag of "eating" apples). When we go out to dinner, the kids always like to get spiced apples. I decided that would be a nice way to use up some apples. I figured, they can't be too difficult to make and so I set out to make them. I like how the brown sugar does a little bit of caramelizing when you cook it in the butter, giving the sauce a little something extra.

Spiced Apples
4 Apples
1/4 c Butter
1/4 c Brown Sugar
1/4 c Sugar
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Nutmeg
1 c Apple Juice (or water)
1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Cut the apples into chunks (I left the peel on, but you could peel the apples first). Melt butter in skillet. Add apples, stirring often. Allow the apples to soften. Add the sugar and cinnamon, continuing to stir. Cook for a few minutes.

Stir the cornstarch into the juice (or water). Add to the apples and bring to a boil, stirring often. When sauce thickens, remove from the heat.

Serve warm.

Then, the other day, we had a picnic with friends and I was looking to make a dessert. I decided on Apple Enchiladas and decided that the Spiced Apples would be a perfect fit for the dish.

Apple Enchiladas
Spiced Apples
5 - Burrito Size Flour Tortillas

Fill the tortillas with the spiced apples. Wrap like a burrito and place in a greased baking dish, seam side down. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

We cut them in half, getting 10 servings.

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