Welcoming the Fall

September 23rd can't come soon enough for me. Autumn is my favorite season by far. The weather is perfect, the air is crisp and clean and its just cold enough for a sweater, and can't you tell I LOVE sweater weather! But more than that, this is when I truly see the beauty in God's earthly creation. The colors of the maple leaves are truly spectacular, and the whole world seems wrapped in a blanket of beauty and plenty. And part of the plenty is the bounty of apples. This is the simplest and quickest recipe in the world and brings in the true-tested combination of apples, cinnamon, and sugar.

Ingredients

• 2 tart green apples
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tsp crushed nuts (I used pecans)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Scoop out the core from top of the apple, leaving a well. Do not cut all the way through. Stuff each apple with 1 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/2 tablespoon butter. Place in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with the nuts.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until sugar begins to caramelize and apples are tender.

Note: This is such a basic recipe that you can add whatever you want to the centre of the apples like: raisins, orange zest, and in my case, dried cranberries