Apple-icious

Fall. Yum. Delicious weather, delicious food, and what a beautiful world! I can't get over how lovely the fall colors on the trees are this time of year, yes, even here in Northern California. Simply stunning, especially contrasting against a vivid blue sky. Amazing. To quote Truman Burkank's best friend Marlon in "The Truman Show" (one of my favorite films): "The big guy... quite a paintbrush he's got."

Fall is also great because it's apple season. If you're from this area, you know all about Apple Hill. It's an area just east of Placerville just off Highway 50 headed toward Lake Tahoe, where the hills are covered with apple orchards. You can go spend the day picking apples, taking in the local festivities, or just sitting around enjoying the atmosphere while eating apple cake, apple pie, caramel apples, fudge, etc... and drinking THE MOST delicious fresh-pressed apple cider on the planet. It's pure heaven!

Here's my favorite recipe for Apple Crisp. It's simple, lovely, and especially comforting and delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

APPLE CRISP
8 cups peeled & sliced apples (Granny Smith or Golden Delicious)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Topping:
1 cup light-brown sugar, packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash ground ginger
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine peeled & sliced apples with the 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour; place into a buttered 9x13-inch pan. Combine remaining ingredients and mix until crumbly; spread evenly over apples. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until apples are tender and top is golden. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." —Martin Luther