Mmmmm... Apples!

I bought a bag of apples at the store a little while ago, and I've been trying to decide what to do with them because after I got them home, I realized I really wasn't in the mood for apple pie.

Today was apple day - I needed to deal with them before they began to rot.

For lunch, I took an acorn squash and halved it, scooped out the seeds and set them aside to dry and toast later.

In a small bowl, I chopped up an apple, threw in a handful of raisins, a handful of walnuts, a 1/4 C of brown sugar, and a healthy dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. I mixed everything up and then loaded up the squash, added a few well-placed dabs of butter. Into the oven it went at 350F for about an hour.

That was lunch. Yum!

One apple down, the remaining 3 pounds to go!

While I was waiting for lunch, I went on-line and found a few recipes for apple crisp, and I came up with my own based on those. The crips is in the oven now - it smells so good in the apartment.

I'm feeling good about myself because I usually am so attached to recipes, and lately I've been trying to trust my instincts in the kitchen, and not obsess over following the recipes so closely. My mother always said that if a person can read, then she/he can cook. I've proven this is true; however, if I want to cook like my mother, I need to put the recipe aside. That's where the magic happens.