Apple Cinnamon Sauce

This morning I was helping my daughter pack her lunch to expedite the process.  She is a tweener.  That really should be all I need to say for you Mothers out there that understand the life of living with a tween. Sometimes she is my best friend and sometimes her evil twin takes over and she is anything but a friend.  She is a vegetarian and now and her BFF is allergic to peanut butter.  That makes finding healthy, satisfying food difficult to find.  So I said that to her this morning as I told her what else could we find for her lunch that would hold her over her whole day plus play practice after school or even a snack that she could have to tide her over until dinner.  So she lays this comment on me, curt and sarcastic.  I look at her with shock.  I said I was trying to help you understand what it is like for me in trying to come up with things for you to eat. Then I lost it. Not as in yelling but rather crying because no matter how hard I try to help them, sometimes it feels like it is never enough.  No it most often feels like it is never enough. I think that is one of the hardest things for me as a Mom. I left the room and calmly said, "you can finish packing your lunch then." No apologies for her curt comments and lately there have been a lot of them directed at all of us, really.  She left the house never even saying goodbye. Sigh.

I think I meant to tell you about these months ago.  They just got buried in the pool of stuff to do.  In any case you can book mark it for next apple season.  Or if apples are still around you can make some of these nice little treats for yourself now.

Maybe she could pack these in her lunch...  She, of course, not me.

CINNAMON RED HOT CANDY APPLES
Makes 7 pints

3 1/2 cups sugar
5 cups water
Cinnamon red hot candies
8 to 10 large apples, peeled and cored apples and sliced into thick wedges

Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Cover and set aside.

Fill canner with water and begin to heat.

In 7 wide mouth pint jars, add cinnamon red hot candies – use according to your liking. A couple tablespoons- more or less. Then pack apple wedges into jars, as many as you can fit in a jar.  Leave 1/2 inch at top of jars empty. Fill jars with simple syrup up to within a quarter inch of top of jar. Place lids and rings on.

Place jars in a hot water bath. Bring to a boil. Start timing for 20 minutes once the boil begins. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes uncovered. Remove jars and place on towel on top of counter. Make sure each jar has sealed. This can take up to two hours.  If there is no seal, keep unsealed jars in fridge for up to two weeks before using.