pureed stuff

The boys love SpongeBob Squarepants, but I must admit I sometimes get a kick out of it too. Sort of a modern take on Ren & Stimpy that I used to love. One of my favourite SpongeBob episodes has to be about boating school. SpongeBob repeatedly fails his boat driving test. The poor instructor is quite sick of him!
Ryan's lunch: Thermos of potato leek soup; a pickle; cucumber slices; dried apricots; Corn Nuts & soy cheese "Boating School" sign; baby carrots; apple slices.

Nate's preschool
snack: a chocolate
chip cookie; vegetable
crackers; soy cheese;
cucumber slices.

This little Keroppi
snack container easily
fits in the palm of my
hand. It's about 2-3
inches in length.

I'm always surprised when someone asks for my "applesauce recipe". Really, there's nothing to making applesauce, it's just smooshed apples! Yet I am biased because I admit that my applesauce tastes very different than everyone else's. I really can't stand storebought applesauce; I only get it when I need something non-perishable for a trip or a recipe calls for it as an ingredient.

What do I do differently? I dunno.
- I always use fresh local apples, even in winter I buy apples that were grown in the next state or closer.
- I add a bit of lemon juice, though nothing special, just the stuff that comes presqueezed in a bottle.
- I don't add sugar unless I'm using a tart variety of apple or "wild" apples that I usually pick before they're ripe (fewer worms).
- I almost always add a handful of strawberries, always organic, usually the really sweet local ones from our farm. They not only give the applesauce a delicious flavour that reminds be of Spree candy (LOL), but they impart a beautiful pale pink colour.

Because I rarely buy applesauce for straight consumption, the kids are always thrilled when they smell applesauce cooking on the stove. We eat it for a snack or after dinner treat, warm and pureed til very smooth. It's more like warm apple pudding, yet the recipe couldn't be more basic.

Applesauce Hooray!

6-8 large apples, peeled
and cored
1 T. lemon juice
6-12 strawberries (frozen
are fine, about 1/2 cup)

Peel, core and chop
apples into big chunks.
Place in a medium
saucepan with lemon
juice over low heat.
Cover, stirring occasionally
until apples begin to boil
and bubble. Remove
cover and add straw-
berries. Cook until apples
are reasonably soft, but they don't need to be total mush.
Remove from heat and allow to cool until not dangerous to handle. Move cooked apples to a food processor (it may take 2 batches depending on the size of your machine). Puree until very smooth (I use a Magic Bullet because it creates a super-smooth consistency in a matter of seconds). Eat while still warm, or cool for later. Great in a sealed container for a lunchbox!