For Grandma

I've been MIA for a while, mostly because the last two weeks have been full of surprises. About 3 weeks ago my Grandma was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and last Monday she passed away. Last November my grandpa passed away, and Grandma expressed to us after being diagnosed with cancer that she was simply ready to be with her husband and to be with the Lord.

Nonetheless, I will always remember my grandma as the healthiest woman that ever was. Her mom lived to be 96, and we just assumed Grandma would do the same. As an 86 year old woman, she had yet to go completely gray! Every day she walked a few miles, did her weights, ate sensibly, and finished the New York Times crossword puzzle. She was sharp as a whip! She also recycled and reused EVERYTHING. I remember when visiting her I asked for a plastic ziploc bag - she pointed to a drawer filled with mismatched washed and reused ziploc bags she had collected over the years. I immediately thought of the 20 ziplock bag cartons I had from Costco in my pantry. What a waste! What a nation of consumers and waste creators we are now!

It was Grandma I turned to when my passion for food - more specifically food sources - began to "grow." She and my grandpa raised their own cattle, chickens, and always ate from their own garden in their younger years. Grandma gave me the low-down on how to work the soil, and how to compost. I will always remember Grandma's famous meal she would make for us when we went to visit in Oklahoma: Fried Chicken, okra, and Cherry Pie.

Anyway, last year Grandma framed her famous Apple Crisp recipe for me as a Christmas Gift. When fresh apples arrived from CSA last Tuesday, I knew what had to be done.

Without further ado... for you, Grandma:

Betty's Apple Crisp

4-5 apples

3/4 Cup Quick Cooking Oatmeal

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Flour

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 cup Butter (softened)

Walnuts (optional)

Peel and slice the apples, then place in the bottom of a baking dish.

Combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon and then cut in the butter.

(I added walnuts)

Sprinkle over the apples, and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

What was left of it...