Evoking Fall




Apple Crisp

1 cup oatmeal
¾ cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup butter, softened

Mix first four ingredients and then add butter. Mix with a fork (or your hands if you want) until crumbly.


3 to 4 baking apples (your choice)

Slice apples and place in a buttered 8” pie plate or 8x8 glass pan. Cover with topping and bake at 350˚ for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Lasts several days when refrigerated.




In mid-October our family would head out on our yearly trip to the local pumpkin/apple farm. There we’d watch apples being pressed for cider, pick out our pumpkins for Halloween, and buy a bushel of fresh ripe apples. The day was always sunny but with that distinctive chill and the first cup of cider off the press magical.


Hours after getting home the heavenly aroma of cinnamon and apple would waft out from the kitchen, the anticipation would build, and my brothers and I would jostle for a spot in front of the oven (because that would speed the baking process). Once out of the oven someone (one of my brothers, not me) would try and pull a bit of crust off and burn their finger. Every. Time. With magical mother timing the crisp would cool slightly while we ate dinner but would still be warm and luscious in time for dessert.


So, build a fire, pour a glass of ice cold milk or brew a pot of Earl Grey, put on your most comfortable clothes, find escapist reading material. Slice a generous piece of crisp, curl up, and savor the crunchy cinnamony crust and textured taste of perfectly cooked apples unadorned by anything other than their own juice.  Settle into fall.





Comments

  1. I am absolutely making this sometime this week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Food is always intertwined with my memories too, now I'm not sure if apple pie is my autumn flavour or freshly picked blackberries! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved the story and the recipe! Apple crisp is definitely a huge part of fall (but I always found watching cider being pressed the coolest).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the comments everyone! I have to admit as I was writing the post I was thinking 'do we have any apples?". So quick and easy and so yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Catherine....no fair, I'm dying for apple crisp now. What a lovely memory. This is making me want to burrow in the house wearing flannel PJs until spring.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yum! I need to make this soon! It definitely evokes fall for me.

    When we lived in Rochester, I remember going to an apple farm and getting fresh cider. I think that was the first time I realized how food came from a farm or had to be grown.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a good idea to put a recipe in the middle of your post!

    Clever girl!

    Thank you for visiting me at my place.

    I know I had a weird twist on autumn memories. I definitely have my own truth there. Thank you for your kind words.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love that you went for food here- it absolutely brings it all "home," doesn't it?

    I also really liked the fast paced movement towards the cozy- perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  9. In my part of the world tomorrow is a public holiday, that means i have the whole day to try out this! I think i can smell it already...:) I am a new follower, stopping by from the blog hop. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great take on the prompt! I'll have apples in a few days and try it :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. My stomach is grumbling...I'm craving apple foods in a big way!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

No other way around it- I LOVE hearing from you!