CHOCOLATE, CRANBERRY APPLESAUCE

Can’t think, brain numb, inspiration won’t come. My destiny for today.

I worked apples yesterday, putting up bags of apples in the freezer for later use. Since I had a bag of frozen cranberries I thought I’d make cranberry sauce. With a sink full of apples, the combination intrigued me so I put them together and found it very tasty. After dinner, I thought about the ways I’d used cranberries. I remember putting them still frozen in the brownie mix  just before putting them in the oven.  A huge success. In the market, cranberries, cherries, ginger, nuts of all kinds and pomegranate seeds are paired with chocolate.  I decided to have a dish of warmed cranberry applesauce with chocolate.  It was okay. Not great, just okay. I guess I could experiment with the amount and type of chocolate and come up with a better result. A chocolate sauce instead of grated. Or perhaps chocolate chips. Maybe a bit of brandy? You know, somethings are just best left alone. I like chocolate and I liked the sauce.   Nuff said.

SOOTHING FALL

California transitions into fall. The days are shorter, darker. Then, thud. You get a cold day, an even colder night, and suddenly its time to put on the wool blanket, close the windows, and make soup. It doesn’t test your courage to turn on the oven. Yesterday, my neighbor and I baked an apple pie with the skins on. Grated in the food processor, you’d never know you didn’t have to peel. for me from my own apples.
This morning I started the applesauce. We had applesauce for breakfast and more to tuck in the freezer. No sugar needed with these galas.

Some trees are just beginning to show color, a tinge of orange and yellow.Its soothing to me when the weather changes and signals a new season, even if it signals rain and cold to come. I’m tired of the heat and welcome the chance to tuck in, read more, do less yard work and more slow cooking, applesauce and beans and stews. And, home made pie from the oven.