sprinklefingers

first of all i should explain that this morning i ate three sticky buns. about thirty minutes after eating said sticky buns i went to the gym for a workout. at this workout i was tied to a partner with a stretchy band. while wearing said stretchy band around my waist i had to crawl like a bear, swing a kettlebell, jump like a trackstar and do this crazy pulling move with my arms.

the good news is that i managed to keep the sticky buns down. the bad news? i want more sticky buns.

possibly the strangest thing about all of this (aside from the fact that i ate three sticky buns in one sitting and then went to the gym) is that the sticky buns really made me want to eat apples. the gooey caramel of the sticky buns would be PERFECT with apples.

which leads me to this: i think EVERYTHING would taste good with an apple right now. EVERYTHING. i can’t really explain how it happened (aside from the fact that it’s apple season,) but i’m craaazy for them.

here’s a timeline of how my obsession has gotten to the point that even sticky buns make me want to eat apples:

• late, late august: as soon as beautiful and crunchy honeycrisp apples hit the market, i bought as many as i could fit in a cart. average number of apples eaten in one day: four.
• early september: i started making toffee sauce and i couldn’t stop dipping apples in it. average number of apples eaten in one day: five.
• early october: i bought a trunk-load of apples to turn into wedding favors. i also bought a bushel of apples separate from wedding apples to turn into applesauce. average number of apples eaten in one day: five.
• and now, today, i cannot seem to eat too many cortland apples. cannot get enough of them. cannot. sliced, caramelized and scooped into a bowl of baked oatmeal (or ice cream!) - they’re complete heaven. today i ate six apples (and three sticky buns.)

i feel it’s only fair to let you in on my obsession.

caramelized cortland apples

you need:

• 6 cortland apples, peeled and sliced into 6ths.
• 6 T salted butter
• 6 T vanilla sugar
• dash of cinnamon

to make the apples:

1. melt butter and sugar over medium high heat.
2. add apples and cinnamon and cook until golden and caramelized. watch that the caramel doesn’t start to burn, but make sure you get the butter/sugar to the point where it is actually caramelly.

these apples are delicious with baked oatmeal, ice cream, yogurt, toast, turkey sandwiches or simply on a spoon…they’re also delicious warmed a bit with a splash of milk poured over top.