“All my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so so good with every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.” God has been so good to me and has poured out his mercy upon me and my children. This post is intended to be about how the Lord lifted me out of my fog and enabled me to start back up on working on my blog post and cooking again. It is who I am, I am a woman who absolutely loves to cook. I ought to start this post telling you and explaining why Honeycrisp apples are my absolute favorite from the crisp crunch and delightful sweetness with just the right amount of tartness, it’s my go to apple for baking. Of course, Granny Smiths, McIntosh are right up there too, indeed they are phenomenal for baking. But, first I must start with my beloved son Benjamin Josiah.
Benjamin, we call him Ben was born in a horrid hospital that shall remain nameless in Torrance, California. I say horrid because my birth story was traumatic to say the least. But, I digress. From the time early on, Ben was quieter than his two older siblings. He was different. I just knew it when I held him in my arms. They say a mother has an instinct, perhaps that’s a gift and a curse from God. Perhaps it’s the Spirits way of preparing a mother’s heart for what’s to come. Benjamin was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old. I was devastated but eager to advocate and get Ben the help that he was entitled to under the law. This new role led me down a painful and rocky valley that was sometimes dark, confusing and infuriating. Advocating for someone who has special needs can be exhausting with glimmers of hope and grace along the way.
School for Benjamin was difficult, with moments of happiness but he was often misunderstood by his peers, administration, therapists and even me! This has been a huge learning process and I can honestly say that I have learned so much about myself and others. This has been a process and a journey full of sorrow and joy. Thankfully, this is a season of joy, hope and a new beginning for Benjamin. We won our case and he will now attend a brand new school for kids like him. I believe that he will receive the care, support and education that he needs to succeed and reach his maximum potential. I know that my advocacy for my son has not ended and will continue. But, this is still a cause to celebrate. Who doesn’t love a celebration! A party! I sure do and there is a party baking in my oven right now. Sweet, delicious honey crisp apple bars to be exact.
I was encouraged to bake these when I heard they were trending. Apples are my favorite fall fruit so instead of making pie crust, which can be intimidating to me I decided to divulge in a crumb topping. I was inspired by @thekolleekitchen. I find that other food bloggers, food enthusiasts, foodies and chefs really inspired me this season to get back into the kitchen. Funks can be debilitating but maybe necessary for growth. Enough already! Okay, let me get to the point, it is all about the food.
For this recipe you will need the following
Ingredients(For The filling)
- 2 lbs of apples medium diced (firm, crisp and tart that doesn’t fall apart when baking)
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- Juice of half an orange or lemon
- 3 tsp of cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp of granulated sugar
Ingredients(For The Topping)
- 3 cups of quick cooking oats
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1⁄2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 1⁄4 cup of melted unsalted butter
Directions
Preheat the oven for 350 degrees.
Prepare a 9/13 baking dish by greasing it with a smear of butter and place one piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Peel and dice apples into a medium dice. Combine juice, I used orange because it’s what I had on hand, cornstarch and sugar. Toss and set aside.
In a separate bowl combine flour, cooking oats, cinnamon and melted butter. Combine thoroughly. Place about a hefty cup of the mixture in the bottom of the baking dish, press down firmly to cover the bottom of the pan. Pour all the apple mixture on top then top with the remaining oat mixture. This is going to be good.
Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until the apples are thoroughly cooked and topping is golden brown.
Bon Appetit