Quick Apple Crisp

Picking apples in the fall with the family is a time honored family activity here where I live.
Our local apple orchard is not far from my home and when my kids were young we traveled that short distance to get some of the best of the best apples.
The orchards has so many varieties and this place has been around since I was a kid and before that.
It just so happens that the orchard is out in the back of the high school that serves what we call the "tri-town"; the towns of Chester, Deep River and Essex.

I am an advocate of bringing kids in the kitchen to help with food preparation and setting the dinner table.  Depending on the ages of your children you will have to determine the ways in which they can help.  This is an avenue for fun, quality family time.

This recipe doesn't  take long to make or bake and is a nice dessert for the colder months.  Fall is the best time of year as well for crisp and tasty apples.  So if you have ventured out for apple picking on the weekend take some of those beauties and make an apple crisp to enjoy for dessert.  The following recipe makes a 1 1/2 quart casserole that will easily feed 6-8 people.  It fits right into cooking on a budget.  You probably have most of the components in your pantry.  Although nuts are on the expensive side, left over nuts stored in the refrigerator or freezer last a long time.

 If you want to, you could take this recipe and substitute nice fall pears in place of the apples or do a combination of both fruits.

• 6 medium sized apples - empire, macoun, or granny smith             
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 stick cold butter or margarine - sliced into tablespoon size  
• 1/3 cup each pecans and walnuts or 2/3 cup of one of them
• 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon + some for sprinkling on the apples
• Cooking spray

1. Spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with a cooking spray.
2. Peel, core and slice the apples about 1/2 or less inch thick. Add the apples to the casserole dish and sprinkle with some cinnamon and mix.
3. In a food processor pulse the nuts and the cold butter or margarine to the texture you like.
4. In a bowl combine the nut and butter mixture with the oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and add this to the top of the apples.
5. Bake, covered in a 350°oven for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes just until you can insert a knife into the apples and top has crisped up.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.  Store any left overs in the refrigerator once they have cooled down properly.