Fried Apples

Sometimes despite our best intentions, we all end up with fruit and veggies sitting around at the end of the week.  The three main items that I find most often are apples, bananas, and lettuce.  Now that smoothies are a breakfast staple around here, I have finally won the war with the bananas, they are peeled, chunked, and frozen.  If I get a stockpile in the freezer, then it is simply time to make banana bread or muffins, and I can tell you that it never seems to bother anyone around here when that happens.  The lettuce/salad mix situation got much better after I tried the trick of putting a folded up paper towel in the container or bag of greens.  It is not a perfect solution, but that open bag stays fresh and crisp so much longer with that little towel in there to soak up the moisture.

That leave the apples.  Apples are more forgiving in their lifespan than the other two, but every once in a while, I look over at the end of the week and I find myself with a bag of apples getting wrinkly and sad looking.  This doesn't worry me, not even a little bit, because there are few things I love to more than fried apples.  They are heavenly, not only in taste, but in smell, that wonderful cinnamon smell that starts to waft through the house while they are cooking, you just can't beat it.  Those apples are an invitation, you can either go savory and have them alongside some quick fried pork chops and a salad, or go the breakfast for supper or "brupper" route as I did here, they are the perfect side along with sausages and french toast.  If you have any leftover, then toss them on top of some oatmeal the next morning.

I try to keep the sugar pretty light here, and don't skip the lemon juice, you need that little touch of brightness here.  I usually have galas or red delicious sitting around, so sometime they need  a little extra kick. You'll notice I didn't peel the apples, if peels don't appeal to you (get it, yeah, I know), go ahead and peel the apples, it shouldn't affect the recipe.   Just taste test as you go along here, and see where you are at with your sweetness, and adjust accordingly.

• 5-6 Apples Cored and Sliced, any variety
• 2Tbsp Butter (unsalted or salted, whatever you have on hand)
• 1Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice

In a non-stick skillet that can hold all of the apples, melt the butter over medium heat, being careful not to get it brown.

Once the butter is melted, add the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Cover and continue cooking the apples, stirring occasionally over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until they are beginning to soften and carmelize.

Add the lemon juice, and continue to cook until the apples are cooked to your desired consistency, I like them really soft, so I usually go another 5 minutes or so.  Remove from heat and serve.