Autumn aromas filled the air this Tuesday! The smell of apple cinnamon transports me back to a time when my dad struggled to get his 8 daughters to get along.

Everyday, for at least 3 months, he made us wake up 3 hours before school to get ready for the day. Eight girls sharing 2 bathrooms (I wonder how he did it sometimes). Groomed and ready for the bus, we'd form an assembly line in the kitchen and get to peeling, coring, slicing, and dicing. While baking, we'd sit at the breakfast table and read a chapter of scripture and discuss our interpretations.

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One time, we swapped out the apples for fresh boss pears from the tree on the front lawn; it was just as delicious!

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Why is this recipe grouped under the "mental health" category you ask? You can get a little back story from this week's Storytime. Also, with the amount of butter and sugar we added to these apples, it's the only way I could get away with using the word "health". More importantly, it reminds me of a time when I learned to value working together. Can you guess how many of my sisters helped me? Count the different hands...

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‍Step One:

Peel, core, and slice apples then set aside. In a smaller bowl, add brown sugar, salt, cornstarch, and spices and set aside. In a large pan, turn heat to medium and add a stick of butter. Let butter melt slowly so as not to brown. Turn to high heat and add sliced apples.

If you've got an additional hour of time, skip pre-cooking and toss the sliced apples with the sugar and spice and everything nice mix + 2 T cornstarch, complete steps two - four, then slow bake to perfection (it's worth the extra time).

‍Step Two:

Stir gently until soft. Add brown sugar mix and stir thoroughly. Pour apples into a 3 qt casserole dish (drain extra liquid). Let sit while we prepare the crumble.

‍Step Three:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut frozen butter into small cubes. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar then add flour, oats, and spices. Lastly, add coconut flakes if preferred.

‍Step Four:

Add a generous amount of crumble on top of the apples. Bake for 40 min. (or 1.5 hours if you skipped the pre-cook). Let cool to room temperature before serving. Enjoy my trip down memory lane!

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Find your starter grocery list here...

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