Recently, a friend of ours shared some of the apples from her apple tree with us.  She doesn’t know what variety they are, but they remind me of a Jonagold.  I’m not an apple expert, so that’s only a guess, but the apples are tasty no matter which variety.

I chopped up as many apples as I could fit in my biggest pot. I cooked the apples with the peels on, but I threw away the core before cooking. Once the pot was filled to the brim, I added water. I usually add enough water so that it fills about half of the pot. I really hate it when the apples scorch and stick to the bottom, so I always make sure I have plenty of water.  I added a few shakes of cinnamon, just so the house would smell good while they were cooking.

I put the lid on and simmered the apples for about half an hour. I always use a food mill to make my applesauce. My grandma and mom always did it that way, so I do too. We put the cooked apples into the food mill and start stirring and smooshing.  This was a pretty big batch, so we added about a quarter cup of sugar and a few teaspoons of cinnamon.  I hate it when recipes say, “Add such-and-such to taste.”  That doesn’t help me figure out how much I need!  But, applesauce is really one of those things that you need to add to-taste.  Everyone likes their applesauce differently.

When my kids were younger, we’d have applesauce with graham crackers.  These days, it’s usually just a side dish or an after school snack… and if it’s an after school snack, I’ll find the dirty bowl in the living room the following day. #momlife

Happy cooking!