Good, Wholesome Fun

Last weekend we took a trip out to Afton, MN for a little applepicking. My husband calls this type of wife-originated activity a "bullshit hayride" after an Onion article he read a few years ago. Although I can't do it justice, it was something to the effect of how the girlfriend was always dragging the poor guy to all these lame things like the apple orchard to go on a hayride. But having a kid gives you a free pass, right?

We went on the hayride and all three of us enjoyed every minute of it. Grant mostly liked the big tractor, and I enjoyed not carrying 400 pounds of apples two miles back to our car in the 80 degree heat. And so far the apples have proven a good side benefit -- I made applesauce, an apple almond tart and yesterday, cracked out a recipe for applesauce squash muffins from out of the Deceptively Delicious Cookbook. Er.......WHA? Yes, I have found in my posession something I never thought I would, mostly because no one else wanted it and I stood there as the hot potato was passed, going "what's so bad about it?"

It's actually not a bad cookbook, it's just that the premise is pretty lame. The premise is if your kids hate vegetables, HIDE them in the food. Are you kidding me? I have no comment here, except to say that I will be using the cookbook, and if I want to HIDE vegetables on anyone, it won't be my kid, it will be my husband, and all it will need is a copious amount of cheese.

So anyway, I'm still not sick of apples. Next I want to make some caramel apples. Got any good recipes/instructions for that? I don't feel like unwrapping all those damn caramels!