How Bout Dem Apples

We have an apple problem.

Well, not really, since both apple trees that are invading (welcomely!) our back yard are owned by two different neighbors. But when the wind blows, the apples fall. Let me show you:

Unfortunately the birds and raccoons and opossums and such get to most of them before we do, but the ones we get to salvage are SO tasty. However, even if every member of this household, including the pets, ate an apple a day, we couldn't keep up with the apples that fall over the fence. So I had to cook.
Here was my critieria: I want to be able to eat a lot of it, and not blow my diet. I want it to be sweet. I want to eat it for breakfast. BOOM: Slow cooker spiced apple sauce. Win.

Slow Cooker Spiced Cider Apple Sauce
0 WW PP+ woot woot


Ingredients

• 5-7 apples depending on size, washed, cored, and sliced with skins still on
• lemon wedge
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 whole all spice thingies
• 1/4 c. spiced cider

Instructions

• Place all apples in the slow cooker - fill it to the brim!
• Squeeze lemon over the top and rub around to keep top apples from going brown too fast
• Add in cinnamon in both forms, allspice, cloves, and pour over cider
• HOT TIP: remember how many all spices and cloves you put in so when you dig em out later you know how many to look for!! If you've watched enough Top Chef or Chopped, you now what a di-sas-ter it is to let someone bite in to a clove or all spice thingy.
• Cover for 8 hours on low heat or 4 hours on high heat
• Let cool and dig out cloves, all spice, and cinnamon stick
• Keep in the fridge for a week or so!

I have eaten this twice in less than 14 hours now. Once with oatmeal - I didn't even need to sweeten my oats! And once plain, warmed up, as dessert. It would be great as a spread on toast, or with a cheese pairing (i.e. bleu or camembert or something stinky and soft). It was great alone, too! Hot or cold, it's delicious. And I know where it was grown and what went in to it. Isn't it weird how applesauce in a jar is so light in color when this applesauce is so dark brown? That's not all just because of the cinnamon, people. Strannngggeeee.

Go steal some apples from your neighbors and make yourself a crock pot full of applesauce.