Easy Apple Crisp With Oats

Years of Loving Apples

Ahhh. A story from long ago.

I had a friend when I was a young bride, a young mom who was new to the community and invited me over. She was sweet, humble, faithful, and about my age. I didn’t have kids yet. Her husband worked a lot of hours and we became good friends, most of our time spent watching her tiny son learn to walk, etc.  They were renting an older farmhouse down the road, and the floors weren’t level. The toys and balls often rolled to a certain corner. Crazy what you remember, right?

I was a sheltered girl from Georgia, and she was the wife of an iron worker, transplanted here from upstate New York, many miles from her family and her past. I always marveled at her ability to manage her life, and loved hearing the stories of her childhood. Her house was drafty, and as a person from “up north” she was more than prepared.  She always had wooly scarves and socks for herself and her baby when it was cold. 

 Wait. What was I saying? Oh, yes…

Yummy Apples As A Snack

She was the first person who delighted me with the combination of sharp cheddar cheese and fresh apples. We ate this from a wood cutting board at her worn kitchen table, and talked about all those things young wives talk about. Eating those two things together would never have occurred to me, and to this day I love the combination. The cheese tastes cheesier, and the apple tastes… well, apple-ier. Count on me to be the last to know these things!

And I always think of her when I enjoy apples with sharp cheese.

And that, my friends, is the gateway drug to apple crisp.

Fresh apples are delicious, and when you want an indulgence few things can rival the taste of toasted oats, melted butter, and brown sugar over fruit, topped with a river of melting vanilla ice cream.