Under no circumstances do I want you to come to this blog, read it, and leave with the sense that I have my act together. I don’t have my act together. If it looks for a moment like I have my act together… I’m just barely holding on. Hear these words.
I was reading a website last week, and the writer posted a picture of her nightstand. Perfectly mundane. Perfectly innocent. Except… the nightstand had three things on it. Something fancy made by Steve Jobs, something that probably smelled like roses in heaven, and a perfectly placed tube of designer lip gloss. Perfect layered on perfect, with a dash of perfect. Maybe I freaked out a little on the inside. Maybe my nightstand is a dusty clutter of books that I’m currently ignoring. Maybe I can’t find my lip gloss… and if I could it surely would not be designer… and it surely would have cat hair on it.
I’m not much for comparing myself with others… but I am for comparing nightstands apparently.
Mine is not put together.
Also… while we’re here… you should also know that I have to throw my phone in the back seat of my car to keep myself from texting and driving. All the way in the back. Otherwise I can’t help myself.
Oh. Sometimes I daydream about running into the boy I used to date earlier this year. In my fantasy, I look fantastic… like fatally fantastic. I’m also with my new (majorly amazingly tall) new boyfriend…. thus making this dummy dude feel like a total shrimp. I so so so wish for that to happen.
See? I’m fickle, and messy, and texty… AND I CAN TOTALLY COOK SOME APPLES!!!! So there…
Apples are just bonkers right now. I say we take advantage of this!
What follows is the most simple recipe for warm, soft, cinnamon-y apples. I started with crisp Fujis.
Essentially, what we’re going to create is the inside of an apple pie… without all the hassle of pie crust.
One might argue that the crust is the best part of an apple pie. Fair enough. Fine. You’re not entirely wrong.
But pulling these apples out of the oven might change your mind.
You might also consider baking these apples instead of lighting a scented candle . Your house will smell exactly like heaven.
Why don’t spas smell like warm cinnamon apples? Someone really should take this into consideration.
I love these apples on yogurt with granola. I love these warm apples on cold ice cream. I love these apples on breakfast oatmeal. I love eating these apples, piping hot, standing over the sheet pan with a fork.
Some things are just simple and delicious.
Super Simple Roasted Apples
makes 4 small servings
4 Fuji apples, peeled and sliced thin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons cornstarch
sprinkling of ground all spice
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread sliced apples across the baking sheet. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, all spice, and salt. Toss with fingers. Top with cubes of butter and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbly to your desired doneness. Remove from oven. Allow to cool slightly and serve on top of ice cream or oatmeal. Store in an airtight container for up to up to 3 days. Reheat in a small pan over low heat on the stovetop.
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Miss Joy
please don’t text and drive. You are too precious to be the cause of a horrible car wreck.
thank you and love,
I TOTALLY thought that while reading Cupcakes and Cashmere. And not just about her nightstand, either. Sigh.
but i so so soooo love cupcakes and cashmere. it just makes me feel bad about my nightstand. that’s all.
on the topic of nightstands, mine is currently holding a lamp, my day-planner, post-it notes, a pile of pens, my knitting, a book for class, delicates wash, a brain-sucker stuffed animal, my cell phone, its charger, and the empty bowl from my delicious modified version of your apples.
I didn’t have most of the ingredients and I’m not supposed to have refined sugar or butter for the month (I’m doing an allergy test thing… it is torture). So I used maple syrup, coconut oil instead of butter and I added some almonds half way through to give it crunch, and cooked it all in a toaster oven. So delish! Now my whole res room smells like coconut, cinnamon, and apples!
JOY!!! i love your blog for so many reasons but the one that keeps me coming back for more JOY is that you keep it real…i enjoy your messy, quirky, funny, endearing not perfect but REAL Self…I connect wit you cause iam that way too…Please don’t change anything otherwise i’ll have to say (with sorrow) goodbye Miss Perfect nightstand…i’ll bet you Joy i don’t have Miss Perfect nightstand, on my favorites list…
My nightstand actually has almost nothing on it. But that’s not to say it’s perfect.. Far from it. If you look on the floor right below it, you’ll find laundry I haven’t put away, books I still haven’t read, some cat toys, a lot of cat hair, and a whole mess of things sneaking out from under my bed. And we don’t even talk about the desk on the opposite side. So thanks for keeping it real! Oh and the running into your ex fantasy? Have that all the time. Except my fantasy is to run into him when I have a ring on my finger so I can be like, “Oh this? Yeah. That’s an engagement ring. Cause I’m engaged.” (I’m not yet. But that’s a whole other fantasy.)
Your posts always make me laugh, and they always brighten my day! On the ex-boyfriend fantasy….I used to have almost the exact same one….until one day I actually did run into my ex, we were both single, we got back together, and now we’re married!! Funny how life takes you by surprise :)
(oh, and it sounds like my nightstand is exactly like yours)
~Katherine {Pasta and Peonies}
cooked apples are amazing. also, take heart, my nightstand currently has a bag of crackers, an empty can of diet Coke, one earring (not sure where the other one is) and a spoon on it.
Oh Joy we all know its your imperfections that make you so wonderful. I am so going to make these apples
Can I be the 100th person to say: Perfect lives are BORING!! Messy, real lives are far more interesting–and delicious, if they include these roasted apples :) I can totally relate to the dusty books/missing lipgloss/ cat-hair-on-everything scenario far more than the nightstand from the Restoration Hardware catalog!
To quote my mother, “A clean house is the sign of a sick mind”. I’m juuust sayin’.
I like to chop up an apple into our oatmeal, but this… this would turn that like into love. Big time love.
Joy~
Do you want to know why I read your amazing food blog?
I come here everyday because you are REAL! And I freaking LOVE your recipes & photos! :)
I think I may have to use your method for not texting.
Throw that phone in the back of the car! GREAT idea.
My nightstand? Let’s not talk about it. ;)
Have a great weekend, Joy!
Oh, delicious! I became addicted to roasted apples when I started making my own baby food – these would be so good!!
every time i read your blog, it gives me the overwhelming sense that everything is all right.
me too
double ditto!
these look amazing. i think i just may have to try these and I’m definitely all about the house smelling like apples. yes.
Making these apples is the definition of being together–of being *seasonally* together. And also of being baking-/kitchen-savvy. That’s better than designer lip gloss.
Made them yesterday. They are delicious!! Thx, Joy and have a spooky Hallowe’en! :)
YUMMILICIOUS!!!
okay i just picked apples from the neighbors orchard yesterday perfect timing!!!
thanks for sharing a great recipe
Melissa from Naches, WA
We all are messy, Joy. In different ways, but we are. And we all need warm cinnamon apples.
My nightstand currently has a novel I haven’t read in at least two weeks, 3 used water glasses because I’m too lazy to carry them back downstairs, a few hair clips and assorted head bands, a dying cell phone, tissues, and a tipped over bottle of lotion. I don’t think you need to worry. :)
Joy. You have the ability to take something simple as an apple and turn it into something magical. Thanks for NOT having it all together, you’re the best.
Amen to that. Love your blog and your witty writing!
Anyone with a perfect nightstand is
a) OCD … which can come in handy sometimes, but not very functional in real life
b) just moved in / redid her bedroom and is very proud
c) has no life outside of keeping her nightstand perfectly perfect.
But I’m not judgmental or anything…
Who wants a nice and neat nightstand anyway… and why was her lipstick there???
be nice!
I just discovered your blog through Happy Tulip , she feasured these apples –Your posts are a stitch! and your photos are devine, and this recipe looks heavenly , I’ll be making this week Whoot!
and there is perfectly nothing wrong with some dusty books “-)
I don’t even own a nightstand.
it’s all relative, i suppose.
Looks way tastier than a baked apple – having to poke through that wrinkly skin is always something of a let down.
And thanks for your honesty about the nightstand (among other things). I bet that girl with the perfect one has drawers full of unpaid bills tucked neatly out of sight. :) Nobody truly has their act together. I feel like everyone in the universe needs a little pocket-sized-personal-assistant.
Could you please show us a pict of your nightstand? I think it would be fitting. (Mine is dusty too, with stuff on it that I keep meaning to throw away, like an old fabric sample. I am now thinking that it could use a little “styling.” I’ll work on that.) Oh…I went apple picking and I really needed this recipe. There are apples everywhere in my house (not on my nightstand, though). Thanks Joy!
p.s. you know that I am joking about the “styling.” I know you know that.
My nightstand is a corner of my dresser and it’s piled high with half-used tissues, 2 tubes of chapstick, melatonin, 2 books and some cold sore ointment. Glamorous.
I knew excatly whose nightstand you were speaking of!! Wow, I don’t even have a nightstand, but my bathroom counter is always a hot mess of cosmetics and (yes) baking soda!!!
This is such a better idea that applesauce, I need to try this out!
This idea is genius. Genius, I say! The ooey, gooey, cinnamon apples are definitely the best part of apple pie. Without. A. Doubt! :)
What is the purpose of the cornstarch? I want to make these, but I don’t really want to buy cornstarch because I can never use all of it…
cornstarch helps thicken the juices that are released. you can try it without the cornstarch for sure.
I made these last night! So yummy!
http://instagr.am/p/Safet/
You are simply fantastic. And I little crazy but I love it! The boyfriend fantasy, I think about that all the time!
Love this recipe, I hate pie crust, to much carbs. Eating this is perfect and I dont feel guilty, love it!!
Joy,
Ever since you posted this I’ve been dreaming (quite literally) and drooling over these apples! So tonight I made them! And ohhh my goooodnesssss! They were AMAZING! Before this I was totally one of those people who preferred the crust over the actual apples in a pie…but now? I think you’ve changed my mind, just like you predicted!
Major! These apples are mega!
love your stories and can relate completely…
just curious – were you talking about cupcakes and cashmere’s nightstand??
I love eating anything with cinnamon!! I better ask my mom to do this for me to avoid making mistakes. Yummy!! :)
My nightstand looks pretty good right now, but my ceiling fan has a 1/2 inch layer of dust.
And yes, you totally can cook some apples. I concur.
Dude. After I got a $170 ticket for texting (technically I was tweeting) while driving last spring, I had to lock my phone in my trunk for an entire month until I’d trained myself not to look at it. I still get urges. Horrible urges.
I should totes channel those urges into making sassy roasted apples for my yogurt now that blueberries are out of season and $4.00 a carton. That would be a good plan. Mmmhmm.
Dang!! Expensive ticket. I must learn from you!
Who knew looking for an apple recipe online would lead me to such a lovely blog! I love your honesty, and your recipe looks delicious. Going to give it a try!
“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” – Voltaire
Thank you for this. I felt compelled to get on my Google reader (which is all food blogs) after eating potato chips and m&m’s this morning. This was what I picked out of the bunch to make, they’re sitting on my counter cooling off, and I feel like a much more proper grown-up now. Thank you. :)
…and yes, the potato chips and m&m’s were my breakfast. :P
Roasted apples next to me right as I’m typing this. The aroma in the house is to wonderful to describe. I know I won’t be going to bed until I have a proper serving of deliciousness. Thanks Joy!!
Must cook these apples…I love apples with oatmeal and usually just chop some up in the oatmeal while cooking, but these would be so much better. And on the topic of nightstands, my husband’s looks pretty austere as you described…one flower arrangement and a charger for his phone. That’s it. Mine, however, has a lamp, two different stacks of books, 3 framed photos, lip balm, hand lotion and whatever else happens to be in my hand when I go to bed. Different personalities!
I just made this. The only problem? I wished I made more!! This was delicious and easy. the house smells awesome!! I added some vanilla and chopped walnuts and used honey instead of the sugar. Also I used earth balance instead of butter.
Dear Joy, I made these (more than) delicious apples, but now I find myself addicted. Thank you
Gonna love making these…. still have a few apples left from the farmer’s market.
Speaking of night stands though…mine is a trunk… inside filled with papers I should prolly sort and file but have stashed and ignored, and piled a heap of magazines, books (reading and cooking), notepad, pen, lotion 2 varieties, bible, and a couple cds…just shows you got substance…your life is full of variety.
whenever I have a down day I just come and catch up on the website, and smile. My two cats nap, I smile, and it’s that simple sometimes.
Simple, delicious and very fun to make! When I forget to buy maple syrups for pancakes and french toast, I make this and put it on top of my pancakes/french toast instead. Thank you, Joy!
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