Much Like Grandma's Applesauce

After I sadly went and said 'goodbye' to my sweet grandma, after she was diagnosed with cancer, I realized something awful....I hadn't asked her for her applesauce and blackberry pie recipes!!  So, what did I do?  I texted my cousin who was with her at that time and asked her to get it from her.  The problem was grandma made everything without a recipe.   (Now that I am older, I see where I get it from...)  She said to make applesauce you just put water in a bunch of apples and let it cook and then mash it up with some sugar and cinnamon.  Well, at the time, I figured "yeah right it is that easy....I don't even know how much to put in of anything."  So, figuring nothing compared to Grandma's applesauce, I didn't even attempt it...until last night.

We had dinner with some friends, Carl and Laurie Ralston, the founders of Remember Nhu the night before.  Laurie had made us the amazing dinner, that was impressively Caleb-diet approved.  And in it, she included homemade applesauce!  And it was sooooo good.

So last night I decided to try it, since she said it was so easy.  And it turned out great! And to be honest, it was healthier than Grandma's.

Literally, all I did was cut four large (peeled) apples, added just under a cup of water, and throw them in a crock pot for about 2 hours.   By then, they were softened up and my spoon literally mashed them! It was sooo easy!!!  They tasted great!  I didn't even have to add sugar or cinnamon....although sometimes that may be a nice treat.  I used Jazz apples.  The night before, Laurie used Gala...I think I liked that better.  And she also mentioned you can use Jonathan.  My friend Jana also mentioned Gravenstein.  Oh, and when I looked online, you can also do this stove top and it is quick....like 15-20 minutes with a lid over your cover.  But I wanted the smell through the house longer from the crock pot. :)  The only thing that would have made it easier was if I had an apple peeler instead of a regular one...that took the most time.

Well, I had enough people asking how I did it, so I thought I would blog about it.  Although it does feel funny blogging about something so simple.  I will definitely do this again!!  And during the fall, while it is apple season here, I may just attempt to can them too!  (Thanks to Barbara who gave me so many mason jars!!)

Awe, I miss Grandma.  Somehow I have to figure out how she made her blackberry pie now.....