They’ve surprised us with sacks of free plums, occasional peaches, asparagus and rhubarb; taken in packages, helped with freecycling, and (this is the best part) invited us over for dinner.

Tonight’s menu was spinach salad with feta, red onion and cherry tomatoes with homemade vinaigrette, spanish tortilla (in the pic above – recipe forthcoming), and peach, blueberry & rhubarb pie (inspired by my own peach-blueberry recipe – whee!).

Big things have been heralding the arrival of fall as well: kids once flying around the neighborhood on skateboards and bicycles now encumbered by backpacks and school uniforms, the return of kickball to Marie Reed, and the Vogue Fall Fashion issue.

My personal favorite fall herald are apples. If I had to choose a single scent that defined fall and winter, it would be the thick, warm smell of baking apples and cinnamon. I am a complete sucker for recipes that involve apples and will choose apple pie over even the most decadent chocolate lava cake every time.

Stewed apples is a recipe I’ve watched my grandmother make a thousand times. It’s quite easy to make, highly customizable, and only really requires a few ingredients. Truthfully, I rarely measure anything so it’s a bit hard to quantify those ingredients – I thoroughly encourage you to experiment with the spices and amounts you like best.

Ingredients

• 3 apples, peeled and sliced about 1/4″ thick
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• small pieces of lemon rind
• 2/3 cup of water
• optional: 1 tbsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp of ginger, walnuts, raisins, etc.

Preparation

1. Peel and slice the apples. Hard apples suitable for baking are ideal but you can use any apple, really – a softer apple will cook faster.
2. Place the apple slices in a saucepan and add spices, lemon rind and anything else you wish. Add water and stir well to evenly distribute the spices. Cover the saucepan and cook over a low flame for about 20 minutes (check your apples periodically for consistency). If the water cooks down too quickly, add some more.
3. The final consistency should be somewhat less liquid-y than apple pie filling. Slices should be cooked but not completely falling apart. If you wish to reduce/thicken the liquid, remove the lid and increase the heat to medium and cook the apples for a few minutes uncovered.
4. Serve with ice cream, yogurt, whipped cream, sprinkled with granola or enjoy as-is. I prefer them warm but you may like them chilled. Keeps in the fridge for about a week.

Commercial break: If you’re too lazy/busy/etc. to make these on your own, hit up the Florida Avenue Grill sometime for breakfast. You can get apples as a side to their main breakfast courses. Granted, they’re fried but that just ups the addiction factor (for me, anyway).

Camera notes: Canon EOS 5D 1/80 sec @ f/6.7, ISO 200. Canon 580 EXII bounced off back wall at 1/32nd power. Canon 580 EXII zoomed to 105mm & gridded at 1/16th power. Tinfoil draped over a cardboard box for the reflector.

Like a pack of clean, smiling protagonists in a Mentos ad, they appear out of nowhere, rampage wildly through the vicinity, and just as suddenly disappear, leaving behind a wake of refreshing crisp cool air that seems to last as long* as your average Mento. (What is the singular form of Mentos anyway?? Post your theories in the comments..)

*Unless you’re one of those people who can actually resist the urge to chomp down and just-get-on-to-the-chewy-already!