The Apple Of My Eye

Even though I've had this blog for almost two years, I am just now realizing how much I can benefit from the world of social media. Over the past month or so, through Pinterest, StumbleUpon, and other blogs, I have discovered (too) many recipes, DIY projects, and ideas for the home that I am anxious to try. It's incredible how much information is at our fingertips these days. I'm grateful for these resources as I'm trying to learn new skills and accomplish different things without breaking the bank. Without further ado, one of my somewhat successful attempts...

I rarely get creative in the kitchen. I'd venture to say that the most creative I've ever gotten with food is making "spider cookies" with my residents. Scary, huh?

In addition to rarely getting creative in the kitchen, it's even more rare that I make dessert. Unless I've signed up to make something for a bake sale or a birthday party, the only dessert you'll see me eating is frozen yogurt from one of our favorite fro-yo spots. But I wanted to mix it up on this particular November evening. I found a recipe for "Stuffed Apple Crisp" and couldn't pass it up when I saw that it called for oats, caramel, and apples. Mmm, yes please. I tend to look for recipes that require the least number of ingredients and the least number of detailed steps as possible. That being said, I had to step out of my comfort (lazy cook) zone for this one, considering the first two steps instructed me to core and gut the apples. But if I was going to do more than your average slice and bake Pillsbury cookies, I might as well go the distance, right?

And here it is... my variation of "Stuffed Apple Crisp":

I made sure to take a totally posed picture of the dessert before Firas and I chowed down, as any serious food blogger would do. That festive fall pumpkin just happened to be sitting by the corner of the plate, I swear.

Here's the recipe (which I found to be extremely confusing, not to mention annoying as the writer put a smiley face after each step that she found to be entertaining... I would remove them, but now I think it's rather funny):

Stuffed Apple Crisp

I love the smell of baked apples, cinnamon, oatmeal and caramel

To make them I cut out the insides of the apples,

and didn’t even worry if there were holes in the bottom of the apples.

I cored the apples first then took a knife with a thin blade about 6 inches long and cut about 1/4 inch inside the apple edge and then made slices from the center out to make the pieces manageable to get out. It only took a few minutes, looks harder than it was, really

I diced up the apple minus the core

added a cup of oatmeal,

a tablespoon butter,

two tablespoons brown sugar,

one teaspoon cinnamon

and 6 caramels I diced up (unwrapped of course)

Mixed it all together, then baked them at 350 for 20 minutes.

There you have it! A somewhat scattered recipe for "Stuffed Apple Crisp". This is why I had to make up my own variation, but as long as you use the same ingredients, you should be just fine. And if you're smart, unlike me, you'll have a big gallon of vanilla ice cream in your freezer just waiting to be scooped and placed on top of this delicious dessert. It really was the perfect nightcap for a crisp November evening (who am I kidding? It was probably 90 degrees in Texas that night). Enjoy!