I love applesauce. I eat it at almost every meal, and my habit has rubbed off onto my husband. He loves it, too. We pile large spoonfuls of it onto our plate at suppertime, and I find myself unable to keep enough of it on hand.
Why? Because we eat nearly 2 gallons of applesauce every month, spending over $30 on our favorite side dish / condiment. Applesauce is serious business, folks.
In an effort to save money, to avoid high fructose corn syrup, to avoid unnecessary sugars, and to have an easy stand-by that our son could taste, today I decided to experiment with making my OWN applesauce. And I decided that it'd just be mashed apples. Nothing else.
Forget pealing or coring. Who has time for that? I wanted something quick, easy, and painless. So, I turned to my dear friend and best friend in the kitchen: The Crock Pot. And I felt immediately inspired.
Here's what I did:
1. Painstakingly remove stickers from apples.
2. Carefully rinse apples with water that is exactly 71 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Precision-chop apples into exact quarters with edges of 90 degrees.
4. With perfect aim, toss into crock pot.
Just kidding.The steps really went like this:
1. Remove stickers.
2. Rinse apples.
3. Chop into quarters.
4. Toss into crock pot.
I used six apples and cooked them on low for eight hours or until they looked squishy and mushy.
Then I pounded them with a potato masher, and the skins immediately loosened their grip, making for easy removal with just a fork. Just lift 'em out.
The end result: Lisa's Lazy Applesauce.
It tastes amazing, and I can vary the taste by choosing different types of apples or even adding hints of other fruits, like a cup of orange juice.
If you decide to give this a try, let me know how you like it! MichaelAndLisaGoddard@gmail.com
