“Pale” is never good. You’ve never heard someone compliment you on how pale you look. “Did you see Margie yesterday, she looked great. So pale and vibrant. I think she’s seeing someone new” See? It doesn’t work. There I was, looking at the jars of Mott’s applesauce on the grocery shelf, thinking of how pale and lifeless they looked. Applesauce is a holiday tradition for us. Odd, because any other time of year, it’s completely forgotten. For whatever reason, when the calendar hits Christmas or Thanksgiving, then there’s the applesauce, sitting at the table like it’s supposed to be there.

Then I read the ingredients. It should say something along the lines of “apples and other good stuff”, but instead it’s got science terms and latin. Suddenly (defined as roughly 20 years), it occurs to me that applesauce, likely, can be made at home. Made from good things I can buy, feel and pronounce. Ok. I’m in. Turns out that it’s incredibly easy to make a homemade applesauce and, hold on to your winter hat, it tastes like little angels made it. I know, I’m easy to entertain. It makes me a nice date according to Angie. In any case, I found a recipe rattling around in an old book, made a few adaptations based on a proven pie recipe we’ve been making for years and, voila (four years of high school French-thank you Mrs. Kindle), I rocked the applesauce. This homemade applesauce recipe is sweet, with a hint of tartness from the Granny Smith apples, while the spices add an apple pie vibe. We served it with roast beef, but it would compliment poultry just as well. Blow a few minds and surprise a few taste buds at your own table with a really easy, super-high-on-the-gratification-scale-recipe and you’ll forego the pale, lifeless jars at the grocery store for good. I guarantee it. Once again, I have to remind you that my guarantee is completely empty and you don’t get anything if I’m wrong, but I’m never wrong so, seriously, make your own applesauce.

Yields: 6-8 Servings. Time: 10 minutes to peel, shop and prep, 15-20 minutes to cook and mash. Let’s say, about 1/2 an hour.

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Soundtrack: This Christmas, Josh gifted me a record player. A real live, vinyl playing, no-downloading record player…..needless to say I’m thrilled. I carried a box of records around for years after Angie and I got married, hoping that someday the demise of the CD would finally come to pass. Then came downloaded music…then came a basement flood. My hopes and dreams were shattered on the ground like a Double Live Kiss Album flung from an ex-girlfriend’s apartment window along with all my clothes. Today, I am once again, in all my caveman glory, complete. In honor of this glorious revival, Im’ recommending The Beatles, Abbey Road (the other part of a great gift)…on vinyl. May your music be deep, rich, thick and eventually skip unless you put a couple of quarters on the needle arm.

Ingredients:
3 organic Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1″ pieces
3 organic Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1″ pieces
3/4 Cups organic, granulated sugar
1 Cup water
1 Tsp. fresh grated cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Directions:
Place everything in a large, heavy saucepan and toss to coat the apples. Cook over medium heat, uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the apples are soft enough to mash (should slide off of a fork when pierced). Set aside to cool for 20 minutes, then mash and serve. We added the leftovers to steel cut oatmeal the next morning…amazing

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