foodie fridays

[image via: Cooking Light]

I was hooked on apple butter for quite some time. It went especially well with toast and some peanut butter. I haven't had it in awhile, but I stumbled upon a recipe for it on Cooking Light. Looks like I may get hooked again...

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground mace
• 10 medium apples, peeled and cut into large chunks (about 2 1/2 pounds) 

 Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 10 hours or until apples are very tender.
2. Place a large fine-mesh sieve over a bowl; spoon one-third of apple mixture into sieve. Press mixture through sieve using the back of a spoon or ladle. Discard pulp. Repeat procedure with remaining apple mixture. Return apple mixture to slow cooker. Cook, uncovered, on high 1 1/2 hours or until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon into a bowl; cover and chill up to a week.
3. Stovetop variation: Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 1 hour or until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally. Strain through a sieve as recipe instructs in Step 2. Return mixture to pan. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently.