Cure for What Ails Me

That's a grandmother phrase, I think. "What ails you?" she might ask. I was sitting here this morning at my desk trying to get things done but feeling restless and unproductive. My legs were cramping up, my back was sore. What ails me can be cured by a change of scene.

So I took off for the afternoon with my family: husband, kids, parents, grandparents, brother's family. We all went to Ricker Hill Orchards and picked apples. In fact, we picked sixty pounds of apples. Then the kids picked out pumpkins, got lost in a corn maze, and played in the hay. Then we came home and made applesauce. It's a lot easier to go back to work when I've taken a little time to play!

Applesauce
3 to 4 lbs apples, peeled, cored & sliced
different varieties (about 8 to 12 large apples)
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar, depending on how sour the apples are!
1 to 2 tsp cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup water

Put all ingredients into a big pot, cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick if you've used one, then use a potato masher to smooth out the bigger apple chunks. Serve hot or cold, over ice cream, with yogurt and granola, whatever you like. Also can be frozen for up to a year.