The House Smells Like Applesauce!

I LOVE the smell of apples in the fall! Actually, who am I kidding? I love the smell of apples ALL year round! :) Right now I am in heaven because I just finished making three batches of homemade applesauce with Kevin and the boys, and now the house couldn't smell any better! I doubled the recipe of my traditional applesauce recipe, and then I tried a new one that called for cranberry juice and red hots. It sounded like an interesting combination so I figured I'd give it a try. We were not disappointed! The traditional sauce is sweeter, but the cranberry sauce was a bit tangy and mildly spicy. One nice benefit of the cranberry applesauce is that it boasts extra antioxidants (concentrated in the apple skins) and antibacterial activity (in the cranberry juice). Can't beat that, right?

I've included the recipe below, in case anyone else care to give it a try. I'd love to hear how you like the results.








Cranberry Applesauce

3 pounds cooking apples (about 8-9 medium)
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
2/3 cup red hot cinnamon candies

Peel apples and place peels in a food processor. Blend until peels are finely chopped. Core and slice apples. Combine apples, peels, juice and red hots in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often. When apples are soft and broken down to desired consistency, remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve warm or cold.

Yields: 10 servings