Apples, apples, everywhere!  Oh, man, do I love apples!  I believe I could start Apples Anonymous for those of us who love to look at, smell, cook with, and, of course, eat apples. I see I'm not the only one:
      When he lost 100 pounds, Governor Huckabee from Arkansas said, "I'm almost addicted to apples. I eat several apples a day."
      My husband knows I'll be in a good mood all day if he gets me a bag of my favorite apples.  The guy who runs one of our local apple stands pulls a bag out when he sees me walk up to the counter.  He even dropped a bag off at my doorstep one day, because he heard I ran out! What guy!
      One website says that an addiction to apples could signify an addiction to sin (remember Adam and Eve in the garden?)  Except, I have to remind you that the Bible doesn't say "apple." It says "fruit." Some artist painted an apple, and so we have come to associate the two.  It could've been Durer.  Using art instead of the Bible to formulate your theology is another topic for another day (and maybe another blog.) 
      What are the best apple recipes?  Well, I don't know, but I don't need anything fancy.  Give me some good old apple pie and apple crisp, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on each one, and I know autumn is here!  I made one of each last week.  Oh, wait! Two more apple recipes I love - applesauce and apple butter.  I haven't made apple butter for a long time, because somebody usually gives me a jar.  Mmmmm.  I do usually make one or two batches of applesauce each year.  I like my applesauce chunky, tart, and slightly warm.  It never lasts long! 
      Here's a quick link to the apple section of allrecipes.com.      
      Currently, my favorite type of apple is a Chestnut Crab.  It's not the prettiest apple and is quite small. It's very crisp and sweet and never takes long to eat. I particularly love sending it with my girls for lunch or snacks.  They don't waste half the apple, like those big ones.  And, it's not too messy - doesn't make too much garbage, either.  I love giving Chestnut Crabs to others.  They look at it like, "You've got to be kidding. You want me to eat that?"  Then, they bite in and look surprised.  It's good!  (Of course, seeing me be overly enthusiastic about an ugly little apple may be reason for them to look satisfied.  Anything to get this apple-addicted nut out of their faces.)
      For a list of Minnesota grown apples (the Chestnut Crab is listed) check out his website: Minnesota Harvest.
      All this apple talk makes me think I need an apple.  I need one right now before I start going through withdrawal.