Simple Baked Apples

Baked Apples

Cinnamon and butter and apples - it's like pie filling without the crust. It's so simple it hardly needs a recipe. It reminds me of dinners at home when I was little; there were always green beans and baked apples on our table. Sometimes the apples were homegrown, from my dad's miniature orchard (where there are also peaches, pears and plums). Sometimes the apples were from the mountains when apple season was in full swing.

Serve them with fried chicken, country-style steak and gravy or a homey casserole. Serve them over pound cake, with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve them over oatmeal on a cold, winter morning. Serve them over ice cream in the heat of summer (or whenever a craving hits!) Or simply eat them alone - they're good that way, too. They're a simple pleasure.

Simple Baked Apples: Peel, core and slice apples of your choice. (Prepare enough to feed number of people around your dinner table, but you can also make one apple just for yourself!) Place slices in greased glass or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar, and dot with butter. Bake at 350* until the tips are brown and the apples are fork-tender. Serve and enjoy.