I have always made applesauce on the stove top.  It really doesn’t take all that long and usually while it’s going I’m doing something else in the kitchen so I can keep an eye on it.  I came across a recipe for applesauce in the crockpot and thought I would give that a try.  I do love my crockpot and the ability to just put food in there and leave it for a bit.

Quarter, core and peel the apples.

I prepared the apples the same way as I always do and followed the recipe which was pretty close to the way I do it on the stove top.  The big difference is that you leave it for four hours.  On this particular day that was perfect.  I needed to walk the dog and do a few errands and I thought it would be great to come home to a nice smelling kitchen and some applesauce for the kids when they got home from school.

Three pints of applesauce.

I used 12 apples and got three pints of applesauce.  This applesauce is too runny for my taste.  We like our applesauce a little chunky.  That being said, the 15 yo girl really enjoyed it and ate almost half of one of these jars after school.  The rest (including me) didn’t really care for it.  I see more applesauce cake in my future.

I’m not sure what I did wrong.  Maybe the apples were left a little too long in the slow cooker?  Maybe I used the immersion blender a little too vigorously?  I don’t know, but I think I’ll stick to the stove top.  I like the way the sauce comes out and I really don’t mind watching over it.

Our family loves brussels sprouts.  Usually I just toss them with olive oil and a little salt and pop them into the oven, but this Brussels Sprouts Gratin recipe from Skinnytaste found it’s way into my email inbox and I had to give it a try.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

I think this is one of the only recipes I have ever made where the end product looks like the photo from the recipe.  This was simply delicious and easy to make.  My husband and every single one of my kids enjoyed this dish.  A complete win!