Before Fall Is Over Apple Crisp

I don't know if you've noticed, but Christmas has moved up from being a holiday after Thanksgiving to a holiday after Halloween. Where did Fall go? I think it was here two weeks before the Christmas craze started. I refuse to give in, however. I going to carry on like it's still Fall and Christmas really is two months away. Except for being half way through my Christmas shopping already, I'm going to hold to my guns. Seriously!

Here is my solution for stretching out Fall a bit longer. A different slant on the usual Apple Crisp. This recipe uses orange juice and the taste has made this dessert one of my new favorites. I have to tell you, though, that when I brought it out of the oven I thought it looked unappetizing. But after that first spoonful, I was hooked. I hope it does the same for you!

Apple Crisp with Orange Juice

4 cups sliced (or cut into large pieces) pared tart apples

1/4 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash of salt

1/3 cup butter

Layer apples in a buttered glass baking dish and pour orange juice over them. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is crisp. Serve warm with cream.

Recipe given by Mrs. Barbara Bush, The White House, Washington, D.C.

"Autumn wins you best by this, its mute Appeal to sympathy for its decay."
-Robert Browning

"Ever since Eve gave Adam the apple, there has been a misunderstanding between the sexes about gifts."
-Nan Robertson