Apple Corer/Peeler/Slicer

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 285: Today, I am grateful for the apple corer/peeler/slicer. 

Pampered Chef has so many great tools for the Kitchen, it is hard to pick a favorite. This one makes the top 10 and it is probably #1 for seasonal use (although you can use this to make curly fries). My dear and forever friend, Kelly, posted this morning about it. I knew I had to steal the images and the reminder of my love for this tool. (I might need a new one.) 

There are other brands. The one Kelly has pictured is the cream-of-the-crop as we say in the USA. It is the equivalent of a Kitchen Aid Mixer in quality. Kelly's is a beautiful red. (Thanks for sharing, Kelly.)

Back in the day, we would gather with grandmothers and aunts to take on harvest work. From green bean and tomato season, through the sweet corn harvest, and on to the apples in the fall. Oh the memories of days in the kitchens we knew best. Today, with working and full schedules, a tool like the apple corer/peeler/slicer is a game changer. We can do the tasks that used to be shared. 

Honestly, I am not sure that is a true win. I miss kitchen gatherings and making memories with the ones most important to us. It is at those kitchen gatherings I learned so much about food being a way to love our families, our friends, and the needy... as the surplus was often shared. In those kitchens, I learned that flour sack 100% cotton dish towels are the best towel ever! In those kitchens, I heard family stories that I should have written down. 

This apple corer/peeler/slicer is the best when making applesauce, apple pie, and apple cobbler with an oatmeal crumble topping. Apples baking is a scent of the season. Inhale the comfort and the cozy. We love Granny Smith apples around this house. We like firm, tart apples... and they are the best for baking. Of course, Honeycrisp is always a great choice for eating. 

This scripture is true, and it speaks of apples:

"Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket." -Proverbs 25:11

I rarely recommend a purchase, but if you love apples, you might invest in this tool. I waste so much of the fruit when I peel it by hand. The peels can be simmered on the stove with cinnamon and other fall spices. 

Today, I am grateful for the apple corer/peeler/slicer. 

Just the topping from Emeril Lagasse:

• 6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3⁄4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Directions: Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and coarse. 

• Combine