I have discovered the Ultimate in comfort food. Home-made apple sauce. Simple. Healthy. Delicious. AND it’s a one-pot wonder, which makes my dishwashing-averse self even happier.

We’ve been eating it by the spoonful straight from the jar, heated up at night as dessert, or loaded on granola for breakfast.

I was inspired to attempt apple sauce when a friend (Winds of Change blogger Dawn Johnson) gave me a bag of apples from her backyard tree. (Thanks Dawn!) Plus, this time of year, I find the best antidote for the long winter nights is to start chopping and simmering and stewing delicious things on the stove.

Ingredients:

1 dozen apples (peeled, cored and chopped into chunks.)  This is the only part of this recipe that even vaguely resembles work, and if you have a nifty apple peeler and corer, like this one from Lee Valley (Santa? Are you listening?), even that will be ridiculously fun.

1/2 cup to 1 cup brown sugar (Adjust to your taste and sugar addict/discipline requirements.)

1 tbs cinnamon

dash of salt

dash of pure vanilla (Splurge on the good stuff, locally made at Pemberton Distillery, and boost your Zero Mile bragging rights.)

Put in a heavy bottomed saucepan and cover apples with enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan.

Heat on medium-high with the lid on to tenderize, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom.

Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 30-40 minutes, before mashing with a potato peeler.

Makes 2 large (quart-sized) mason jars.

(Do a bigger batch and squirrel some away into the freezer, in large recycled yogurt containers.)