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.
Elbert
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You deserve to be in top ten. I know what can help you,
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Claire
Would I be able to throw some cranberries into the mix and cook them the same way with the apples?
joythebaker
Yes! That would be amazing!
Linda
I made these tonight, on a whim. We had friends drop by unexpectedly so I shared with them. HUGE hit. We just ate them straight and have made plans for a repeat performance soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Bet
I love these!! I have made them probably 6 times in the last month. My one-year-old gobbles them up! If I’m making them mostly for her, I decrease or omit the sugar. I’ve also made them without the butter when I didn’t realize I was out. So easy and delicious!
SGL
This came out wonderfully. I used 2/3 the butter (same amount of butter on 1 1/2 size the recipe) and it was still tasty. Thank you!
Cynthia
Wow… that is incredible. Might try something like this with peaches and pears as they come into season here in Texas.
Nightstand? I know there’s one by the bed somewhere….
Aline
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!
AmberLeigh
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.
bebe
Dear Joy, I made these (more than) delicious apples, but now I find myself addicted. Thank you
TheOthersideofB
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.
Lucy
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!
Lindsay
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!!
Katie
“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. :)
Katie
…and yes, the potato chips and m&m’s were my breakfast. :P
Cerrissa
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!
Diana
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.
joythebaker
Dang!! Expensive ticket. I must learn from you!
Lorie
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.
Corey Sanchez
I love eating anything with cinnamon!! I better ask my mom to do this for me to avoid making mistakes. Yummy!! :)
A&G
love your stories and can relate completely…
just curious – were you talking about cupcakes and cashmere’s nightstand??
Anila C.
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!
joythebaker
Major! These apples are mega!
Samantha
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!!
Whitney
I made these last night! So yummy!
http://instagr.am/p/Safet/
Loren
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…
joythebaker
cornstarch helps thicken the juices that are released. you can try it without the cornstarch for sure.
Erika - The Teenage Taste
This idea is genius. Genius, I say! The ooey, gooey, cinnamon apples are definitely the best part of apple pie. Without. A. Doubt! :)
Jesse
This is such a better idea that applesauce, I need to try this out!
Megan
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!!!
The Flying Quiche
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.
margaret
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!
margaret
p.s. you know that I am joking about the “styling.” I know you know that.
Maia
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.
Joy Smith
I don’t even own a nightstand.
joythebaker
it’s all relative, i suppose.
kathy t
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 “-)
Deena@StayatHomeFOODIE
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???
joythebaker
be nice!
Emily carrere
Amen to that. Love your blog and your witty writing!
Baking Holly
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.
Courtney @Bake.Eat.Repeat.
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. :)
Lucia
We all are messy, Joy. In different ways, but we are. And we all need warm cinnamon apples.
Missy Ann Roberts
YUMMILICIOUS!!!
okay i just picked apples from the neighbors orchard yesterday perfect timing!!!
thanks for sharing a great recipe
Melissa from Naches, WA
From California with Love
Made them yesterday. They are delicious!! Thx, Joy and have a spooky Hallowe’en! :)
katy from dining with dusty
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.
Michelle Sexton
these look amazing. i think i just may have to try these and I’m definitely all about the house smelling like apples. yes.
Sage
every time i read your blog, it gives me the overwhelming sense that everything is all right.
Mindy
me too
bebe
double ditto!
Jenni
Oh, delicious! I became addicted to roasted apples when I started making my own baby food – these would be so good!!
Mama Maria
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!
Stephanie
I like to chop up an apple into our oatmeal, but this… this would turn that like into love. Big time love.
sarah j
To quote my mother, “A clean house is the sign of a sick mind”. I’m juuust sayin’.
Anna
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!
Cupcake Kat
Oh Joy we all know its your imperfections that make you so wonderful. I am so going to make these apples
Naina @ chow bella
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.
Katherine
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}
Danae (The Busty Baker)
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.)
edna murga
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…
Heather
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!
Kendall
I TOTALLY thought that while reading Cupcakes and Cashmere. And not just about her nightstand, either. Sigh.
joythebaker
but i so so soooo love cupcakes and cashmere. it just makes me feel bad about my nightstand. that’s all.
miss stacy
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,
Misty
I absolutely love everything about this post!
Caroline @ Pink Basil
Are you by chance referring to a photo from Cupcakes and Cashmere?? Cause if you are, I saw it too and thought the EXACT. SAME. THING.
joythebaker
yes. and i LOVE that site. LOVE!! it just makes me feel bad about my whole nightstand sitch.
Ellen
I want these. Like now. Though I am a crust fiend, some fillings are good enough to be in a bowl by themselves.
And I’m so NOT together I haven’t even managed to acquire a nightstand for my place which I just moved into…two years ago…
Dalai Lina
I’m cracking up…once you convert the boyfriend into a husband, you’ll fantasize about them cleaning up after themselves….
Elizabeth T
This sounds so simple and delicious, and, dare I say it, EASIER than pie!
Jenna
I’m really bad about keeping glasses filled with water on my nightstand…too many filled with old water. And a book I have been reading also since about April.
Question for anyone who knows, I just went apple picking and so now I have about 50 Rome apples, could those be used for this recipe? They are baking apples.
Ashley
Your blog is amazing! What a way to write, and I would really like Jules Stevens to be my new best friend – asap. I love your candid writing, as I see many others do too. Thanks for the great recipes and life stories.
Stephanie@MrandMeatless
At least you had a nightstand. I have a pile on the floor: about seventeen books I have started reading and not gotten into quickly enough, lip gloss (not designer), hand lotion, lavendar pillow mist, and a half-eaten package of saltines from….ugh, like three weeks ago (in my defense, I was gone on my honeymoon for two of those weeks!). Sooo NOT together either. :)
Amanda (onceuponarecipe)
Oh Joy…I can relate to your ex-boyfriend daydreaming fantasy…I too dream of running into my ex (who suddenly threw me away after we lived together for 3 years and talked about marriage) and in one way or another making him insanely jealous. *sigh* Love is so complicated. But these apples aren’t, and that’s why I’m so going to make them to make me feel better. ;)
Katie
Joy, not a person in the world really has it all together. I struggle with comparing myself to girls who seem to have it all figured out… But they have stuff under the surface they don’t want anyone to know. One of your gifts is your authenticity, and we don’t want you to have a perfect nightstand. This way we know you’re human. Besides, you make kick-ass desserts that have never failed me.
That’s real life :)
Seanna Lea
My ‘nightstand’ is Victor’s crate. It has at least 3 books, my pjs (which might be folded, but probably not), at least 1 cat toy, and a lamp. There is probably more there, but that is what I remember.
Definitely not a perfect designer lipgloss.
katie
A blog is a blog is a blog, UNTIL I read you had cat hair on your lip gloss. Oh my gosh, someone I can relate to! Who can relate to the night stand in perfect order? In my dreams, maybe? I now have a reason to look forward to reading your blog every time it hits my in-box, not just because of the great recipe ideas, but because you are one of US! Love love love it! katie
Jennifer
My nightstand usually has at least one cat on it. They work well as an alarm clock.
Kate
If anyone is taking a picture of their nightstand and then putting it on the Internet… I bet they have taken the time to place everything perfectly. Plus, who doesn’t have dusty books on their nightstand??? Only a bore! I have a glass of water from a week ago on my nightstand… Totally not boring.
Lisanne
Thank you. Yes. Truth.
Stacy
I have an old boyfriend who is a college president now and everytime his picture is in the paper I just say real loud that, “I bet he can’y make cute cupcakes and I can TOTALLY make cute cupcakes!”
Kelley
I am reading this in the car. In the drive thru. Promise to launch phone after posting…
Michelle W.
Joy,
I don’t have my act together either, and I think we could be nightstand twins. (much to my husband’s chagrin, but, oh well!) I think you seem to have it together. Perfection is not necessarily a measure of togetherness. Perfect is boring, and besides, not everyone can cook. :)
Bakerkat
Those apples look so good!
glasgefluester
I never thought, somebody would have the same problem with writing/driving ;-)
You are so wonderful! Thanks for writing, what I think, but just in a more funny way!
christina @ ovenadventures
oh my nightstand is a disaster there is a lamp, magazines, books, an empty day planner and some (lots) of cat hair. lol
these apples look fabulous I wanna smell them in my house now.
dana828
Joy, we are perfect in our imperfections. Perfect is boring…and too much work. And I’m totally with you on the texting & driving. Oprah would not be proud.
Kristen @Slender Kitchen
Yum – I love baked apples – I think I may have to make some and may need some homemade whipped cream as well. Thanks!
Hana
Oh Joy, my nightstand is exactly like yours, don’t worry .) And these apples are amazing, we have a lot of them this year, so they are perfect with ice cream or plain yoghurt (as breakfast). Take care xxx
Emily Anne
I’m with you, Joy. I’m messy and texty, too. Let it be!
Sally
Oh my word, do those look delicious – I have dibs on the gooey pieces that are blackened on the tips!
amd
Maybe her nightstand is perfect cuz she knew she was going to post a picture of it on the Internets.
I don’t care. You make me happy, Joy. You somehow remind me–sullen, cynical me–that happiness is in the details and that imperfection is beautiful.
I’m sure a large percentage of your readers would be willing to totally TP your ex-boyfriend’s house if you asked us to.
Glory
Oh, Joy, you are truly a girl after my own disheveled heart! I have no nightstand; I have less than a foot of space between my side of the bed and the wall. On the floor is a small phone (not cordless), a health magazine, and various others toss-asides. And, I truly own nothing designer. And I have now added the your roasted apples to my Thanksgiving menu. It’s so perfect I don’t even think about nightstands! Luvs, Glory
Monica
I bet my nightstand would make yours look neat as a pin!!! Can’t wait to try the apples, they sound amazing =D
Super Anonymous
I wonder Ms. Perfect Nightstand keeps her lube….?
Oh no I didn’t!
Oh yes I did!
just me
hah nice one.
Anne
I was just thinking I wanted a light but tasty dessert for tonight! I’m definitely making this.
And I am so the same with the nightstand! My husband’s looks perfect and holds only his cell phone and the book he is currently reading. On my nightstand (counting the books alone), I currently have 2 cookbooks, a children’s book (for myself, nothing wrong with that), a theology book, a George Washington biography and a mystery. I feel as if I should be ashamed but I’m totally not.
Gen
Great autumn recipe! The taste must be delicious!
Becca
Looks great.. easy and healthy! I bet it’d be great with honeycrisp apples too!
Helene
my nightstand is a mess as well: books are reaching heaven {well almost} and magazines are surrounding it. i don’t have fancy lip gloss or designer things on it. i want a stylish nightstand… managing this is almost unthinkable… BUT what i really wanted to say/write: the roasted apples sound HEAVENLY delicious!!! have to make them! like now… or maybe tomorrow…
little t
Now I am analyzing my nightstand. I would take a few things off before taking a picture, but then I would be happy with it. The things I would take off are the mug of old tea, empty water bottle, used face wipe, chocolate wrapper and tissue box.
Sarah
Dear Joy,
If you can stand over the sheet pan with a fork to eat the apples and your mother is not yelling at you for it, you have your act together. If you are honest enough to say that your lip gloss is not designer, you have your act together. And if you dream of a haha moment with your old boyfriend, we are obviously twins. Except i mostly console myself with dreaming of Justin Bieber- totally not my fault. Tonight i plan on dreaming of him again- if these apples don’t push him outta the way.
Sarah
P.S.- I just voted for you on the Shape Magazine 2011 Blogger Awards :)
Anne
Looks amazingly good:) :)
Sarah McD
Dear Joy,
I don’t come here every morning and spend time reading your words because you’re perfect. I come here every morning, read your posts and feel like we’d totally be BFFs in real life because you’re perfectly imperfect. My nightstand? A super-smart philosophical book I’m trying to get through since April (and only 1/4 of the way there), a textbook about how to write literature reviews for scholarly articles I was supposed to have read a month ago, and the glass I was drinking a whiskey and coke from last night while I watched Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix in bed. There’s bits of orange plastic all over my carpet from a dog chew toy I still haven’t vacuumed up, I have a first draft of a 20 page paper I haven’t started due in a week and I’m avoiding a guy in my Masters program because he hits on me and he’s very attractive and I’m not going anywhere near temptation to cheat on my long-distance boyfriend.
My point? You’re not the only one whose life isn’t perfectly put together. And I can’t speak for your other readers, but I read Joy the Baker because you’re honest about the messy details. If I wanted perfect, I’d open a magazine. But you remind me every day that it’s okay if life is messy. You remind me that there’s no reason for me to beat myself up over not being perfect. Because you know what? I can make a mean Pan Dulce now thanks to you. (My boyfriend thanks you for that, by the way)
Olga
both of you are so inspiring!
and Joy, it’s always a pleasure to read your stories and relate to them…
my nightstand also has a bunch of dusted books on it, perhaps it’s the destiny of all nightstands?
Jennifer
You might not think you have your life together, but your life is definitely more together than mine, and I definitely look up to you for life together-ness.
gabriella
Joy – your candid and hilarious posts make it possible for the rest of us to feel fantastic even if we don’t have our acts together either. Way to speak for the real people! Dusty books, spilled nail polish, butter and chocolate, badly behaving kittens…? Yes, this is the stuff of real life. Living right. :)
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit
Haha your lipgloss with cat hair made me laugh. Just this morning, I found an old tube of lipgloss in my car and was absolutely thrilled over the find! I opened it, smeared some on my lips, THEN noticed it was covered in dog hair. Awesome.
Jen of My Tiny Oven
Those apples look crazy amazing, I need them in my tummy right now.
Don’t worry about your nightstand, mine is a horror show too!
Laura Adams
I don’t have a nightstand. Haha! But that’s mostly because my Ikea bed has drawers on the bottom.
These apples look gorgeous. And Fuji apples are the bomb.
ChasingOm
I have the same IKEA bed and no nightstand either. But I do have a pile of Food Network and Yoga Journal magazines stacked haphazardly next to the bed. And Carmex. :-)
Jennifer L.
I know how you feel… I so don’t have my act together, either.
I did something similar with apples, butternut squash, and onions (with a little less sugar, plus a tiny bit of curry). I wanted to sit and eat it and nothing else.
Mary Beth
Just to share, my nightstand has a Hello Kitty alarm clock and some books I haven’t even bothered to read in months. I don’t think it will ever be put together.
What I do think is that I need these apples. Right now.
Nicole
This is a dream.
Carrie
Joy, you are hilarious! I have the same dream, only since I don’t have any ex-boyfriends, I imagine running into my husband’s (size 0!) ex-girlfriend and looking totally hot, and she looks dreadful… yeah, I have issues! He totally loves me, we have 3 kids together, married for 8 wonderful years, and… I still am jealous!
And, who says the crust is the best part of apple pie?? Um, no offense to anyone, but that is the dumbest thing I ever heard! :) Thank you so much for this recipe… I am making it tomorrow for breakfast!
Sylvia
My night stand is currently the box my vacuum cleaner came in, topped with a mess of wires from various charging apparatuses, papers I can’t seem to find the motivation to file away, a lamp and the alarm clock. It’s not very attractive at all…but that’s life sometimes! I too eat things straight out of the baking sheet. Who needs an extra dish to wash?
Erin
Sigh. I just posted about this…my pit of a house. What it really looks like…
http://citymouseinacountryhouse.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-mess.html
I think it’s time for some happy apples!
Leslie
Hilarious – I totally relate! I would have noticed the perfect lip gloss and felt crazed because of it too…glad (sort-of?) to hear you are just hanging on with the blog/life/work/boy obsession balance, makes the rest of us feel human too!
anna
ohhhh dear what a nice post, you are just adorable. i would also LOVE to run in to an ex with the best boyfriend!!
Jemofthesouth
Beautiful post. I wish I could say I don’t compare myself to others but I do more than I should. :-) I’m not perfect either and sometimes I wonder if my blogging is for the birds. Thanks for sharing your encouraging words and this wonderfully simple apple recipe.
Tort[e]s
I once brought my new boyfriend along to a dinner where I knew my ex-boyfriend would be. It was awkward. But I secretly enjoyed it. Bad!
Luci
Roasted apples look fantastic! I plan on baking these this weekend but also wanted to share another delicious way to roast them. I do this when camping quite a bit.
Peel and core the apple, then stuff the core with cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and butter. Roll the apple in a litte flour or leave plain then wrap in aluminum foil and bake it or throw it in the campfire. It’s done when soft.
Serve it with vanilla icecream (if you aren’t camping) or plain it’s so delicious!
Cookie and Kate
I like this idea. Yes, I like it a lot!
Natasha
This is just what I don’t need, but I’m making it anyway. And my husband and I will eat it all ourselves standing over the pan with a fork!
Janelle
Joy, you are so right. The crust is definitely NOT the best part of an apple pie.
Payal
Joy, if it helps any, whenever I read your blog, I compare myself to you and your quirky ramblings, that make me smile without fail. To me, your posts and pictures are perfection, and I only wish I could write and take picture like you. You are my personal idol! Well…you and Zoe Deschanel, who I must admit is awesome incarnate.
liz
i can totally relate – cat hair covers my life!!!!
Katie of Cabbage Ranch
Nightstand: cluttered. Books, lotions, kleenex (new ones only, thanks to extreme self discipline), lamp with dusty shade, phone, charger, baby monitor. And dust. Not gonna make it into any home magazines. BUT if I was going to post it on a blog, I might fake-organize it… or not. Perfection is not interesting.
Rachael
I hate that spas are overwhelmingly drenched in lavendar. I think seasonal smells would be much better – i.e. roasted apples or pumpkin in the fall, burning wood with the slightest hint of cinnamon for the winter, floral anything and that morning dew smell for spring, and coconut and lime for summer.
Also, Joy – don’t worry about your nightstand. Who really buys designer chapstick and what kind of person who can afford designer chapstick doesn’t have a designer dog/cat that sheds all over said nightstand? Trust me Joy, we like you way better than designer chapstick nightstand lady. :)
Brenda the Barefootcookingirl
I love your site! It’s like you’re inside my head :) …..My nightstand is currently covered in dust and about 8 books…..and I’m sure there’s cat hair too. Dust is good! that’s what I say and I’m sticking to it! Apple strudel is on my plans for this weekend…..
Rebecca @ Miss Magnolia Munches & Moves
Hilarious! No one is perfect, even if there nightstand may be. We all have a touch of neurosis, especially when it comes to exes! I’m loving that apples are in season and I can’t get away from them…not that I want to.
j.cro
“I love eating these apples, piping hot, standing over the sheet pan with a fork.”
I love this statement and I can’t wait to make this dish and do the exact same thing.
Lori Lynn
Every morning I look at my dusty, cluttered night stand with dusty books, notebooks, pens, random mis-matched jewelry and the occasional tuft of dog hair and I chide myself for not being tidy in the way my mother would approve. Then I read this and I am gloriously set free to be like just about every other woman out there, and enjoy it! ; )
jen @ the baked life
Why don’t spas smell like apple pie? I hate that over powering herbal smell that spas smell like. I also hate the tea they serve.
The place should smell like cookies and they should give you wine and kittens. That would be relaxing.
Rachael B
Can we do vodka tonics and puppies too?
Kelly
This post made my day…thank you!
sherri lynn @ life of a wife
These look delicious! I hate the hassle of a pie crust. We picked 20 pounds of apples over the weekend so when I’m out of other ideas I’m going to make these!
Kath
{Smacking my forehead with my hand} Why didn’t I think of this? Roasted apples are a genius idea…thanks for sharing it! :D
Chris
No nightstand here either but I get around that because I DO have a headboard. I have this bag with pockets that I hang on my side to hold all possible important nighttime items: phone, flashlight, memo pad and pen, etc. Must be something about that saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention” I guess. Still, the dust accumulates…..
I made crock pot chunky applesauce earlier this week and have been pigging it every day since. I think your roasted apples will be my next selfish pig-out apple project! Thanks! Seriously, my butt doesn’t need the crust anyway…..
Amy @ The Savvy Kitchen
Yum! These look good! I recently made stuffed baked apples that required only four ingredients, but I’d love to try these sometime soon!
Sarah
You’re the second person on my blog feed to talk about roasting apples! Maybe it’s a sign…
As for the nightstand: Mine is so covered in jewelry, jewelry box, lamp, alarm clock, and water glass that I have about a six inch by four inch rectangle where my lip balm, keys, glasses, and cell phone reside at night. And that jewelry and jewelry box and lamp are covered in dust. So DON’T FEEL BAD! Not everyone is perfect. In fact, I wrote a whole blog post on it (here it is if anyone cares: http://farmhousemagazine.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/on-not-being-perfect-why-perseverance-counts/)
16 bean soup and frukt suppe tonight, so maybe roasted apples will have to wait, but I will make them!
sarah
oh yum now I know what to do with all the apples I have from friends trees mmmmmm thanks Joy
Kelsey
Was there a drawer on this perfect nightstand? Because she totally just shoved all the stuff that was on top of the nightstand into the drawer to take the picture…or it’s in a pile just out of frame.
Stephanie
Joy, I am one of those people who has a “perfect” nightstand. (However, my life is far from perfect) I am happy to share the “perfect” nightstand secret. Buy one with a really big drawer. The top gets messy at night when I am using it but in the morning everything is pushed right in the drawer.
The apples look delicious !
Megan
Hey Joy, These look like an amazing apply dreamboat. And well, I don’t have room for a nightstand in my room, and my boyfriend is also super-tall. Cheers!
P.S. I think I might need to start throwing my phone in the back also. Good call. Way to be. Holla.
Fredda
I’m thinking a bowl of these with some whipped cream would be wonderful!
Katie
Um. I know what blog you’re talking about. And I have the same feeling. You enter this downward spiral of “how come everyone else has everything perfectly placed in their home, clear skin, beautiful hair, and a creative, glittery outfit on and I can only manage to pull off half of one of these things a day?” It’s like facebook envy. Not good. I wonder if those people know they have that power over others. I wonder if they enjoy it….The downward spiral continues…
Mags
But the pie crust IS the best part! Oh alright Joy, I’ll give this a chance. Just for you
tj
…Oh Miss Joy, you know those nightstand photos are staged, right? Let it go. No one is perfect. It’s so easy to put up a perfect lil’ facade for everyone to see but when it comes right down to it, no one is perfect. No one. Simple, schmimple. :o)
…Okay, apples. Baked. Butter. Brown sugar. Cinnamon. Love. Gratitude. Seriously Joy, thank you for sharing dees’ recipe ’causeh I’ma gonna makeh dees’ tooday! ;o)
…Awesome photos too btw! Enjoy your weekend dear!
…Blessings
Heather (Heather's Dish)
i’m all about the simplicity of roasting fruit…we all know that’s where the flavor is anyway :)
Meg H.
Oh, Joy. I’d say we were separated at birth but there would be 15+ years in between the actual births! My nightstand is a jumble of books, alarms, my St. Margaret Mary Alacoque card, bills, running watches, and an old glass of water. And probably some hairbands from one of my 3 daughters. And I totally understand about the old boyfriend thing – I secretly want to send pictures of my wonderful hubby to them.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
I love a good roasted apple. These look lovely!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet
I’ve barely got it together either. I’d never dare to post photos of my apartment on the blog! I love simple roasted apples. Delicious.
Lys
The best part of the pie is totally the inside. I’m always one to scrape out the filling and leave the crust behind like a wounded soldier.
My mother has questioned if we’re truly related.
These roasted apples remind me of my years in Ireland, where my friend’s mother would go into her “garage” (but it totally looked like the picture perfect greenhouse, complete with kumquat tree), snatch a couple baking apples from one of the barrels and bake a bunch; topping it with custard, nuts and dried fruits.
Swoon.
Thanks for making me re-live a special time in my life! Aw….nevermind, moment has passed! Haha.
Alexis
I feel the same way. Just barely holding it all together, what a mess. Just pretend that you’re Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and some boy will fall in love with your mess.
Emma
Lovely! I can just imagine the warm spicy apples and cold ice cream.
I am always comparing my cluttered, book filled, dustyish, messyish, sentimental, filled-with-old-furniture flat with other people’s lovely, minimalistic homes. Then I just figure they’re showing off on the internet and I feel better.
;)
Alicia @ Treble Tart
Aww Joy! Don’t worry, my nightstand is a giant mess of dusty clutter and books and cat (and dog) hair too! I don’t even know if I own lip gloss. But I do know that I love apples, so I’m thinking I might just have to make these.
Also, I totally have to lock my phone in the glovebox when I drive. We are awful. XOXO!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
The apples look wonderful.
And I love the picture of them unbaked…with those lovely hunks of butter. That butter just POPS and makes me want to dig in even more. I bet your house smelled Amazing!! while these were baking!
Danni
We still love you Joy.
If it’s any consolation my bed-side table has a pile of old rocks on it [I kid you not, this is 'sentimentality' at it's most extreme] and a used make-up wipe.
Classy bird.
x
Hannah @ Sparrow + Spark!
Oh yum! I regularly do this to have with yogurt for breakfast. I must check out your recipe!
Cathy
I think you should leave out the posts from FB as they can be rude and intrusive. I enjoy the comments made by Joy’s regular readers. We all love you and your quirkyness. When I tell someone about your blog, I always exclaim how much your photography means to your recipes. It really gives us a lot to work with. I know, I know, it is all about social media, networking all that phoney baloney, but I still pen notes and letters to my friends some of whom still do not use a computer, much less social media. But I really think people post outrageous comments just to see their name in print and know that many other people will too. Big ego trippers. It is 4:40 am and I have been awakened by a stomach ache at 2:30 because I went out to dinner last night with a friend and ate shrimp sauteed in butter with wonderful bread croutons then to a yogurt bar for dessert. I guess I deserved the interrupted sleep, but now I am grumpy and reading that comment from Susanna about your apples really set me on edge. I see she is from some High School, is she 16, hence the rudeness? I’m going to have another cup of freshly brewed coffee and pumpkin spice creamer and feel better. Thanks for listening.
booboo
ehrrm, uhm, I think Susanna was referring to the staged nightstand picture, not the staged apples. I think her point was to tell joy not to feel bad about her nightstand.
but on the other hand, it is lovely to read how many chicks you have here who would fight for you. I would. totally. all the way from europe. but not with Susanna. she is cool, people.
movita beaucoup
Agreed. Susanna was defending you. 16 year-olds are the bomb. Also, I think we should form some sort of nefarious street gang. We could wear pink glittery jackets with a huge cat head embroidered on the back. Also, leather wrist bands and purple nail polish. And our terrycloth headbands would read: Joy the Baker. And we’d dance. Like in West Side Story. Lots of snapping and fan kicks.
Who’s in?
Sophia Vojta
I’m in, I am SO in!
booboo
I’m in! Everything but the cat head. I am a dog person myself. maybe I can embroider a dog that looks bit like cat but only we know it is a dog really? it would put my mind at rest.
Elizabeth
Susanna was talking about the nightstand photograph, not Joy’s photographs. We love Joy. We are not going to come into her kitchen and home and say smack about her. No way!
Leni
Cathy, relax girrrrl
joythebaker
Cathy! I sure do appreciate how quick you are to defend me. That’s really lovely. It makes my heart feel warm. I think that Susanna was referring to the staged nightstand that I poke of in the post. Most people come here to say nice things. This is a happy place. Trust.
monica
awsome.
I’m trying reallly hard not to jump up right now and go baking some apples.
Sigh. I know resistance is futile.
helena
I love you. I love that you are brilliant and crazy and amazing and EXACTLY the kind of woman that I am. In every single way. I love that you get anxious and have real feelings and are not just a perfect magic shell. You’re a beautiful, flawed, REAL person and you still manage to do amazing things in the kitchen AND take gorgeous pictures of them AND write beautifully about it all.
Thank you. For being you, and for sharing that with the rest of us.
Kathryn
I thought I was the only person who compared my nightstand with other people’s. I hate hate hate that mine is so cluttered but I feel powerless to do anything about it. Also people with amazingly pretty nightstands never seem to have a box of tissues by their bed and I don’t think I would last long without one.
These apples look awesome.
Jessica Ann
You read my mind. Last night I fried apple rings in butter and cinnamon and ate them with a spoon with cream.
My nightstand is a horrible disaster. I think it shows you are living right.
Jess
Becky | Becky Bakes
Oh my…making treats such as this exonerates you from having a clean nightstand! They look beautiful AND delicious!
Nic
Just bear in mind that those layers of perfect might well be staged for the photograph. Most people, me included, would not want to inflict images of their messiness on the general public…
Blog is the New Black
Um, LOVE LOVE LOVE this!
Ann P.
What a crazy awesome idea– apple pie filling without the crust!! I would totally make these and make all my neighbors jealous from the sweet fumes wafting from my window… :) great job, Joy. And for the record, perfect people are boring! I like you much better. :)
Marie Baars
I love that you posted this at like..11:45 pm.
I wish I could take a picture of my nightstand and show you right now…It would comfort you. Dusty books – check, random jewelry/hair ties/bobby pins – check, hair – check, dust – double check.
PS. These apples are totally going to be breakfast.
PSS. My husband is snoring..computers are banned in bed…I waited till he was sleeping….shhhh : )
Shushmi
Hey! Have you been looking at my nightstand? Lol. totally the same stuff. and I dont know why I have so many hair pins and bits of jewellery scattered around (gathering dust as you said) when I have perfectly lovely jewellery boxes standing empty…*sigh*