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Apple-sauciness!

It doesn’t get any more domestic than four female friends cooking together in the kitchen—making homemade applesauce, nonetheless.

But leave it our Cathy Idzerda to arrange such a night.

Recently a few of us reporters gathered at her house to turn the apples from the tree in her yard into delicious applesauce. It proved to be an educational, fun experience.

For me, applesauce has always been in little cups from the grocery store, so I was slightly surprised at how easy it was to make at home.

Here’s sort of a pictorial step-by-step of the night. Apparently you don’t need the best looking apples in the world for such treats, as the outside of the apples weren’t very inviting.

After peeling 24 cups worth of cut-up apples, you just add 1 cup of honey to the big pot on the stove. If you’re planning to freeze or can the sauce, add up to a half cup of lemon juice.

“The lemon juice is crucial if you plan to can it,” Cathy says. “Otherwise, just add it to taste.”

Let it bubble and boil until you have a mushy mess to mash (say that five times fast), but be to sure to stir so the apples don’t burn. Spice up your masterpiece with whatever you’d like—cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger or allspice. Kayla and I dumped quite a bit of spices in, so our bubbling brew smelled of apple pie. Mmmm.

Kayla and I preferred our applesauce to be of the finer consistency like you buy in the store, so we sent our batches through a Foley Food Mill. Then eat or pour it in jars for canning or freezing. This recipe made about four quarts.