Finally, we're back to our regularly scheduled Tuesday programming: What's for Dinner. Though today's recipes, as is often our wont, aren't exactly the meat-and-potatoes type. It's the height of apple season, and we recently found ourselves with a surplus of rapidly softening and somewhat mealy apples. Not because we'd gone on any picturesque romp through an orchard, mind you, but because we had picked up a bag of apples at the grocery store and chosen poorly. But on a chilly afternoon, if you have a surfeit of apples, you can make some pretty yummy snacks and make your house smell amazing, all in one fell swoop. So that's what we did! Apples, two ridiculously easy ways.

Super Chunky & Apple-y Apple Sauce

Makes 2 small servings

Recipe by Once & Future Home

First up - some apple sauce. I love me some apple sauce, when it's real and chunky and appletastic. To boost the essence of apple, if you will, we used apple cider instead of your standard water in this recipe. I used no sugar at all - I think it's unnecessary - but Lou wasn't that big a fan of this stuff (as compared to the pureed stuff that comes in the pouches), so if you like, add some sugar to taste, a tablespoon at a time.

Ingredients

• 5-6 small or 3-4 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until apples are soft and falling apart. If desired, mash with a fork or potato masher to your preferred consistency. We just left the mash as-is.

Spiced Up Apple Crisp

Makes 4-6 servings

Recipe by Once & Future Home

I like my apple crisp pretty spicy, which is to say with plenty of cinnamon, some ginger, and occasionally, some cloves (though there are none here). For how easy it is to make, and how ridiculously delicious it is topped with high quality vanilla ice cream, Apple Crisp, not pie, should be our national dessert.

And one more thing: although apples are delicious, the real draw of a crisp, for me, is the buttery, sugary oat concoction topping. So that's a bit on the heavy side here. In a good way. Oh, and our apples were already on the sweet side. If you're working with very tart apples, you might up the granulated sugar by a tablespoon, but the topping is quite sweet, so only do that if necessary.

Ingredients

• 5-6 small apples, cored, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons raisins (optional)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter (4 tablespoons or half a stick), cold, cut into pieces

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss the apples and raisins with the granulated sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Transfer to an 8" x 8" baking dish or 4-6 individual baking dishes, depending on size.

2. In the same bowl, combine the remaining ingredients with two forks or a pastry blender.

3. Sprinkle topping mixture liberally over apples.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your baking dishes, or until the tops are golden brown and the apples in the center are fork tender. Serve with vanilla ice cream.