Early fall yields the best crop of apples, so there is no better time than right now to go apple picking! If you’re planning an orchard getaway with friends, here’s your handy guide to some of the most popular types of apples (did you know some varieties make better pies than others?), and our foolproof recipe for sweet and crunchy apple crisp!

Macintosh- very sweet with a tart afterbite. Smaller apples, best used for apple sauce.

Gala- a supreme dessert apple that’s ideal for baking in pies.

Red Delicious- the best apple to bite right into! Their juicy texture does not bake as well as other varieties.

Granny Smith- crisp and tart, use the green queens for sprucing up dinner dishes.

Empire- Red Delicious too sweet? Macintosh too tart? You’ll get the perfect blend from their offspring, the Empire!

Jonagold- a larger apple that does well in sauces, pies, and yes–apple crisp!

The Recipe: Apple Crisp a la Mode!

Apple crisp  a la mode is truly a dessert for the senses: it combines sweet and savory, crunchy and chewy, fresh-oven warmth and refreshing ice cream. Plus, it’s easy to make and the perfect accompaniment to a Fall movie night with the girls. Wipe off the drool from your keyboard and get baking! Read More »

So, after last week’s steamy, scream-at-the-tv episode, it’s only fair to give the GG writers a break this week. Sure, tonight’s ep was full of underage drinking, fights, and Rufus trying to send Little J to jail, but it wasn’t as nail-biting as some of its predecessors. Of course, this only means that tonight’s episode was a vehicle to set up some MAJOR dramz next week and the week after.

Blair is still hell-bent on going to Yale, even though her little tiff with S. a couple of weeks ago may have maimed her chances. The solution? Serena gets Blair to babysit the Dean’s niece to earn brownie points. Only problem (and who didn’t see this one coming?) is that little Emma is on a mission to lose her virginity.

Gossip Girl put it quite poetically: Lady B…outsoxed by a young fox. Because, of course, if there’s a young, horny virgin on the prowl, she’s bound to get intercepted by the one and only Chuck Bass.

Favorite line of the night, courtesy of Mr. Bass: “The only thing I like aged is my scotch.” LOVE it.

However, Mr. Bass laments to Blair that he holds very few things sacred, and one of those things is humping in the back of a limo. How sweet, in a pervy Chuck Bass kind of way. Needless to say, the jailbait bounced and hit up a club in search of Mr. Right Now.

Meanwhile, Little J. is planning her big, risque fashion debut… at a charity gala being thrown in honor of Lily and Bart. Like that doesn’t have “disaster” written all over it. She pulls the “Do you care about me?” card with Nate…isn’t it a little early to try to whip your new boy toy, Little J.? Nonetheless, Nate takes the bait and the next thing we know, GG is loading Jenny and Nate’s second kiss into an RSS feed. Read More »

It’s Fall, and few things make me drool harder than homemade applesauce (in case you were wondering what else could possibly trump applesauce on the list see: the cast of Ocean’s 11, dental work, and a good nap).

I digress. Homemade applesauce is surprisingly easy to make and cooks up really fast. It’s a great way to use apples that are starting to get mushy, or a fun way to make use of your haul after a visit to the orchard. Plus, it’s a lot less work than making a pie.

For your consideration, here’s my really simple recipe.

3 Pounds of apples – That’s 6-8 apples for those you without food scales. (Any variety will do but Gala, Red Delicious, Fuji, Macintosh and Honeycrisp work really well.)

¾ – 1 Cup of Sugar

½ Cup of Water

2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon (more to taste if that’s what you’re into)

The juice of half a lemon Read More »