I’ve wanted to share this recipe for a long time, but it seems like every time I make Apple Crisp I take to a party or luncheon, I come home with an empty baking dish.  The final photo eludes me.

Yesterday several friends and I got together for an afternoon of zipper pouch making.  My food contribution to the afternoon was an Apple Crisp made from apples grown here in my hometown by my favorite fruit growers, Rachel and Roger Bennett of S & R Fruit.   They’ve just picked Honey Crisps, one of my favorite eating apples, yesterday and I can’t wait to drop in to pick up a basket.

But for the dessert yesterday, I used Jonathan apples.  They are a nice, sweet-tart apple that makes my favorite applesauce in the world.  They are also wonderful in a Crisp or Pie (even better if you add one tart Granny Smith to the batch).

Apple Crisp has always been one of my favorite Autumn desserts.  Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved how it tastes- tart and sweet and crunchy, served hot with melting vanilla ice cream.  I love it even more now because of how fast and easy it is to make.

Peel, core, and slice 6 apples.  If my apples are small, I add one more.  Cut the apples in to nice bite sized slices.

In a mixing bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Add the apples into the mixing bowl and toss together until the apples are well coated.

Spread the apple mixture out evenly into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

For the topping, add 1 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon table salt, 2/3 cup rolled oats, and 1/2 cup cold butter that has been cut into small pieces into a mixing bowl.  I love my Pyrex 8-Cup Measuring Bowl, for when I use my pastry cutter, since it gives me a handle to hold onto while I work.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter.  When the butter pieces are the size of small peas you are done.

Pour the topping evenly over the apples.  And bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Your crisp will be golden brown.

My family was so happy there was enough left yesterday after our sewing afternoon for them to have dessert last evening.  And I was happy to finally be able to take that final photo, so I could share this easy delicious recipe here.

Apple Crisp is best served warm with vanilla ice cream.

I was really hoping there might be some leftovers for breakfast, but my family kissed the cook last night.

Here’s the recipe:

Apple Crisp

6 baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Add apples and toss until apples are well coated.  Pour evenly into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

For the topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

2/3 rolled oats

1/2 cup (1 cube) cold butter, cut into pieces

Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry cutter until butter is the size of small peas.  Crumble topping evenly over apple mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

A few weeks ago my mom delivered the Gee’s Bend inspired quilt that we designed together and made for my son, Ben.  She picked it up from being quilted by my very talented Aunt Karen, just in time for his birthday and delivered it to me with the binding almost finished.  Yeah!

This quilt was such a long time in the making.  I started it over two years ago.  The blocks were inspired by this quilt from The Quilts Of Gee’s Bend which my mom and I turned into a design for a twin bed.  The bright color theme was chosen by son (along with his bright green walls).  I purchased some of the fabrics, but many of them came from the stash.

The quilt was coming together nicely when I discovered that I hadn’t bought enough fabric for the sashing and borders.  That’s the pitfalls when you are designing as you go.  After searching high and low with no luck, I put the unfinished pieces of the quilt in a box, away on the shelf until I could come up with a solution.  Since the sashing was a solid denim color, and I felt that the design of the quilt would be all ruined if I threw in another fabric, and I am definitely too frugal to buy a whole new fabric.  I just couldn’t picture a way to solve the problem.

The fact that a Gee’s Bend Quilt had been the inspiration for the quilt should have been the first clue that it was time to make it do.  I’m quite sure the talented Gee’s Bend quilter, who inspired the quilt, would have cut up some old jeans and her quilt would have been done.

The solution wound up being one of my favorite things about the quilt.  I found a soft brushed fabric for the top and bottom borders.  It makes the quilt less predictable and much more interesting.  With some careful piecing, we were able to make the rest of the lightweight denim work for the sashing and side borders.

The new quilt really makes his room feel completed and more grown up.  It’s a quilt perfect for my almost-as-tall-as-me, 12 year old kiddo.