My New Toy

I stayed at Chateau May (mom & dad's house) last Saturday night. Sunday morning, I made myself cinnamon toast with applesauce - a childhood favorite. It was inspiring. So much so that I bought my very own toaster. I know - strange to live without a toaster for over 7 years. But such is life - I never really wanted one before. If I wanted toast, I either heated up a frying pan or turned on the oven. But I finally decided to give in to the convenience.

I also decided to try my hand at homemade applesauce. Yes, I know buying it in the jar is easier. But I grew up on homemade applesauce, and it's so much better. I found a great recipe:
Ingredients:
3 - 4 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
juice from one lemon
four strips of lemon peel
3" cinnamon stick
dash of salt
1 cup of water
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (my new favorite baking ingredient!)
Directions: Throw everything in a large pot. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The recipe also called for 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, but I thought that would make it entirely too sweet. So far, it's the best applesauce I've ever had.