Apple-y Recipe

Get yourself some apples. Preferably sweet, cooking type apples. Or, like me, get a variety of sweet, cooking type apples...Gala, Golden Delicious, and Empire.

Get yourself one of these handy little gadgets:

or spend a little more and get one of these

cuz the cheapy one will break from overuse, right in the middle of what you're doing, and you'll have to get another one anyway! You also won't knock your knuckles or fingers as much (ask me how I know all this.)

Then, fill up a crockpot of your choice -- in the 3-1/2 - 4 qt range -- with lots (about 10 -14, depending on size) of chunked apples.

Add a couple, three tablespoons lemon juice, a bit of apple cider (about a 1/4 cup,) and a teaspoon each of cinnamon and vanilla; stir. Put the lid on, turn it to high, and let 'er rip! Three hours or so later, give it all a whiz with a handy-dandy stick/immersion blender or a regular ol' potato masher (careful, it's hotter than that place down yonder) and you'll have yourself the most delicious, sugar-free applesauce ever!

Let it cool and have with dinner, or if you're squirrely like me, repeat 4 times and put your 16 pint jars in the freezer... right beside your 14 bags of sliced apples, 4 bags of sauteed apples, 5 jars of apple jam, and two loaves of pumpkin-apple bread. Then you'll be set for winter. Oh, and don't forget to finish that apple crisp you baked. Then decide what you're going to make with the 20 or so apples you still have (note to self: next year a bushel will be more than enough!)

I do believe I'm appled out.