anticipation...

between awaiting the arrival of a much-needed new computer for the studio and the near-hourly inspection to see if any of our seedlings have reared their heads (they have not), the air tingles with great anticipation here at casa gnu. on top of that, the temperature has suddenly jumped above freezing, the snow/ice is melting, and the steady increase in daylight hours has even the kitties growing restless in anticipation of... anything. just, please, happen right now!!! 

i decided to seek distraction with yummy things. seriously. i had to find something to do, so i made a batch of stewed apples. it was either that or make soap. soap-making is fun, but... seriously... given the choice to stew apples and eat them in many different ways or make soap and use it to bathe...?  exactly. stewed apples win every single time, some of which i am presently enjoying parfait style. 

i used a total of six Granny Smiths. while it is one of my least favorite apples for eating out of hand, the Granny Smith is a go-to apple for use in cooked dishes (second only to the Winesap, which is, in my humble opinion, the gold medal standard for all-around-appleiness). due to the relatively high level of tartness in the Granny Smith, i usually skip the step of adding a splash of lemon juice (to brighten the flavor and, more importantly, to prevent browning). it is plenty bright on its own and, as for the latter concern, i employ a little bit of magic to keep the apple slices from going off-color. 

the trick to reducing browning in cut apples is to limit the exposure of the cut surfaces to the oxidizing element in the air. it really is that simple. i do this in two steps. firstly, unless it is a dish where the apple skin will get in the way, i do not peel the apples. the fewer cut surfaces, the less landscape for potential browning. beyond that, the skin is the most flavorful part of the fruit, so it seems wrong on so many levels to toss it away. secondly, i cut each apple in half, remove the core with a melon-baller, then store the pieces cut-side-down until i have all of the apple halves ready for slicing. 

once all of the coring was done, i melted a tablespoon (or so... did not measure) of unsalted butter in a skillet set over a low heat. the objective at this point is not to begin to cook the apples, but to get the slices into the pan and tossed in the melted butter before oxidation has a chance to set in. as each half was sliced, the pieces were deposited into the pan and stirred/tossed lightly to spread the insulating layer of buttery goodness. relax. it was like one tablespoon of butter and six large apples, so it is not nearly as decadent as it sounds, but that thin coating was enough to do the job. i also broke a cinnamon stick in half and added the pieces to the pan. 

the flesh of the apples stayed quite white, even as the skin was losing some of its characteristic bright-greenness.

but that did not last too long. i turned the heat up to medium and added a quarter-cup of sugar to the pan. brown is the default type of sugar around here, so the apples did pick up some of that caramel color. 

i also added a generous shake of ground cinnamon and ground ginger. 

doneness is a matter of personal-preference, as some folks like their apples to be crisp, while others prefer something along the lines of applesauce. i aim for something slightly left of center, closer to the crisp end of the scale, so i cooked the apples (uncovered) over medium heat for about seven(ish) minutes, stirring frequently (and carefully), then i covered the pan and removed it from the heat and let it sit (still covered) for another fifteen minutes or so. not gonna lie... i ate a small bowl of still-warm apples as soon as the resting period was over. the remainder was left to cool to room temperature before being transferred to a bowl and stored in the refrigerator. 

so, what does one do with a batch of stewed apples? i am glad you asked. you eat it!!! as is, over a bowl of oatmeal, atop a short stack of pancakes (if your world permits the consumption of such wonderful things), warmed with a scoop of ice cream, as a pastry filling, alongside slices of roasted meat (i maintain that this would make a far better accompaniment to turkey than the traditional cranberry sauce), or...

grab a cup, glass, bowl, whatever (we have a growing collection of these cups as there is usually one included with each box of our default bagged black tea)...

add a dollop of yogurt and a dash of granola...

spoon on some of the stewed apples...

and top with more yogurt and a garnish of granola. it is a perfect breakfast or dessert and makes for a wonderful pick-me-up when you are craving a touch of sweetness, but trying to resist eating the last of the chocolates that you hid in the pantry behind packages of dried goods. how do i know this? sorry... i am far too busy licking this spoon to answer that question. 

i have also been watching a bunch of making-stuff type videos on the You Tubes and checking out a few (new to me) blogs. full disclosure: despite my ever-mounting fascination with the making/doing lifestyle, i generally avoid blogs on the subject, unless i happen to come across them when looking for instructions or advice on a specific topic. moving on.

the first channel that caught my attention was Cold Antler Farm (here is her blog, which i love even more than her videos). she is a (sometimes) graphic designer who writes books, raises animals (for meat and fiber, so look away if you got problems with either of those things), and is the kind of all around bad-a** i hope to be when i grow up. 

then there was WayOutWest Blowinblog, an Irish vlog that left me in stitches after watching a few of their videos, so i had to hit the "subscribe" button. the narration makes you feel like you are back in childhood, listening to a favorite story. seriously, just listen to this video where she talks about giving the horse a haircut. give me a blanket and i am ready for nap time!

but the best is yet to come!!!

so, there i was watching videos about making charcoal—i really wish i could explain the thought process that leads me to need to look at such things at like midnight, but there is not enough time in the universe for all of that—when auto-play introduced me to my new favorite channel. it is called Primitive Technology (there is also a blog) and it is, simply put, experimental anthropology porn, and i feel no shame for being instantly hooked. 

this one comes all the way from the wilderness of Queensland, but there is no need to break out the Aussie-to-English dictionary, as he never talks. he just builds stuff. incredible stuff that reminds us of the ridiculous resourceful, inventiveness of primitive (hu)man. there was a hut of thatched palm, a hut of wattle and daub, then he fashioned a tiled roof hut using only rocks, wood, and the dirt/clay underfoot... and it was heated!!! as my favorite animator put it, he is all three pigs rolled into one. there i was, all proud of myself for recycling brown paper into a few plant pots, then he pretty much builds a combination lighter-drill from a rock and a twig. clearly i need to step up my game.