Waiting for the weather to get crispy!

When  I was a child, I always wondered why people wanted the air to get crisp! According to my grown up people, it meant it was getting cooler. From then on, everything time I heard 'crisp', I thought of cold . . . even when crunching down on crisp potato chips. It is funny what and how we take things from our childhood!

Anyway, even in California, we have hopes for crisp weather which means apple season. We have a favorite grove where we buy interesting types of apples and then spend the next few months scenting the house with all things apple. One of my fast recipes that goes well with just about anything is chunky applesauce. It goes with pork. It is tasty instead of syrup on waffles or pancakes. It is fun over a scoop of ice cream. I even like to have a small dish of it to finish off a sandwich lunch at home.

Homemade applesauce begins with six to eight apples, peeled, cored and chopped coarsely. Green apples work best but using a combination of different varieties makes a unique and equally delicious applesauce. If you are like most busy mothers, the contents of your cupboard don’t always reflect what you might want or need come meal preparation time. Combine the prepared apples in a saucepan with the juice and zest of one lemon, ½ cup water, 1/4 to ½ cup sugar, tablespoon of brandy (if you have it), one generous teaspoon of cinnamon, dash of powdered cloves and a bit of nutmeg. Simmer gently on low flame until apples soften. Stir ever so often to prevent scorching. Also makes a good snack by itself

Apples!

One of my favorite cooking ingredients is apples. I love to made fresh apple sauce with pork, incorporate them into muffins, make pies, and fresh cookies. Again, I'm sharing a favorite recipe. It is a rather dense but delicious cake that goes well about mid afternoon between lunchtime and the start of dinner preparation. You know, the time you need to regroup and reenergize? A cup of coffee wouldn't go amiss, either!

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups thinly sliced apples
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375̊.

In a large bowl, mix first seven ingredients and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in apples and walnuts until just blended.

Spread batter evenly in lightly greased 13" by 9" baking pan. Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Place cake on cooling rack.

When barely warm, drizzle lemon icing over it. Combine one cup of powder sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thin glaze.