I have a confession to make… I have not been out to play in the snow once in the past 48 hours.
No snowmen, snowballs, sledding… nothin’. Ive been torn between enjoying the nostalgia of this weather and staying cozy and warm, inside with my fuzzy blankets and plaid pajamas. Cozy and warm has been winning out.
So basically, my being a complete homebody for the past 48 has given me an excuse to catch up on some much-needed sleep, watch an absurd amount of TV, listen to my favorite music on loop, bake a loaf of English Muffin Bread, and eat a lot of Lipton Noodle Soup (a byproduct of being sick on Thursday/ Friday).
It’s been a pretty nice weekend, overall.
On Thursday night, around 9:30, one of my roommates and I headed over to the supermarket to restock because we had essentially run out of food at that point… and we wanted to prepare for the snowpocalypse.
Our last-minute planning translated to snagging the last shopping cart and the last tomato. Literally. (It was a straight-up brawl for those commodities… only kidding. We’re not the brawling kind.) Aside from stocking up on pantry staples like pasta, tomato sauce, bread, and cereal, I also made sure to stock up on yogurt, which I have been absolutely obsessing over for the past month. (Specifically, Müller yogurt… this stuff is dreamy. Chobani Flip is a close second.) Also recent obsession: Golden Girl Granola. Major fan of the Creative Cranberry, and even bigger fan of supporting a local Massachusetts company. You go, Golden Girl!
(I would also just like to take a moment to note that none of the products mentioned in this post are paid endorsements… I honestly enjoy these quality products on a daily basis and wanted to share them with you!)
One other item that’s big in my apartment is green apples. We eat them like there’s no tomorrow. When we went to the supermarket on Thursday, apples were one item that weren’t overly picked out… so we stocked up. Lots! Perhaps I’ll spend the rest of the day continuing to enjoy some music, crappy reality TV (I admit it!), and some warm baked apples that remind me of homemade apple pie.
These apples are simple, tart and sweet, and offer that familiar spicy earthiness of cinnamon and nutmeg. They pair wonderfully with some fresh whipped cream, Greek yogurt, vanilla ice cream, granola, and are also great as is.
Enjoy! Stay safe and warm, everyone!
Baked Apples {Apple Pie Minus the Crust}
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
– 1 ½ lbs. granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8ths
– 1 ½ lbs. Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8ths
– 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
– 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
– 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
– 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
– ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
– ¼ tsp. kosher salt
– 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
– 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease an 8”x12” baking sheet with butter. Layer in apples, flour, brown and granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice. Toss together until apples are evenly coated. Dot the top of the apples with the 1 Tbsp. of butter. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and give apples a toss. Continue to bake for another 10 – 20 minutes, depending on desired doneness of apples. (I like mine to have a bit of texture, so I went with 10 minutes; if you prefer them softer, bake them for 20. Be sure to give the apples another toss after the first 10 minutes uncovered to keep sugars from burning).
Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, Greek yogurt and maple syrup, or granola if desired.
The Moonlight Baker 