Baked apples and a midterm

Today is my first day writing about my cooking. Frankly, I love to cook, and with my own kitchen (shared with my roommates, of course), I am happy to be able to cook every meal for myself. I am a college junior, and have made a serious effort to live simply, and eat in a way that is both healthy for the environment and healthy for my body. Last semester, I struggled to cook in an apartment with 6 roommates, and a tiny kitchen. Though it was possible (barely), I was constantly frustrated with cooking and my commitment to cooking was not very strong. However, I am now living in the garden unit, and enjoy a slightly larger kitchen that is only shared with two other roommates.

I feel revitalized with every meal.

I am fortunate to have a roommate that also loves to cook. Jill and I cook together frequently, and have loved to experiment with new recipes. I spontaneously decided to start this blog, today. It will be exciting to be able to document my recipes, both successful and failed.

This is my journal and my thoughts. My cookbook and my life. And here it begins!

Tonight, I ate a rather basic meal: rice and toast. I had a bit of an upset stomach and am busy finishing a midterm paper that is due tomorrow. I am a bit of a procrastinator these days. But for dessert! I made some baked apples. They were just wonderful. Here is the recipe, simple yet delightful!

Simple-yet-delightful Baked Apples for Two

Two apples (you can choose which type you like!)

Brown sugar

Walnuts, just a couple

Dried fruit of your choice (I used dried cranberries)

Butter

Cinnamon

Vanilla

Apple juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the core of the apples, but leave the bottom of the apple intact. This creates a little well, for the rest of the delicious ingredients to sit. Throw the apple core into your compost bin. (I hope you have one! Good food comes from good soil, and good soil comes from good food scraps)

2. Spoon brown sugar into the well of the apple. Then, place a walnut on top of the brown sugar, and press it down, to pack the brown sugar down. Add some dried fruit to the top, and place a small butter patty on top. Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon and a bit of vanilla.

3. Place in an oven safe dish, and pour apple juice over the apples and in the bottom of the pan, so there is just about 1/4" of juice on the bottom of the pan.

4. Bake for about 30-45 minutes. Enjoy!

These are so simple, and taste delightful. You can make as many or as few as you want, and I have never met someone who didn't like a good baked apple.

For now, this is all. Happy eating!