My eldest had his wisdom teeth removed over Winter break. For those of you who have also had this procedure, you probably remember well the oral pain. When I had it done, I had all four removed at once, and I could only eat applesauce and creamed corn. Anything mushy, not-too-cold-or-warm, at least for the first few days. My cheeks swelled up like a chipmunk's, too.
One of the good things about living overseas is inability to buy processed foods; this means that if you want to eat something like, say, applesauce (a food that might normally be something we keep in a jar on the shelf), you have to make it yourself. My youngest decided he wanted to make the applesauce himself. He got a kids' cookbook for Christmas, and he spotted the recipe while paging through. This was something he could make for his poor older brother! We decided to add strawberries (had some frozen on hand) to make it pretty. You could use a different berry if you would rather, but then be sure to consider the amount of sugar you'll add. Additionally, if you like your applesauce chunkier, you can also mash it with a spoon or potato masher; we went for smooth as it would be easier for L to eat it.
Ollie's Strawberry Applesauce
makes about 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
2 pounds assorted apples (it's good to use a mix of sweet and tart), about 4, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
1 T light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups strawberries (frozen or fresh), hulled
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon, optional
juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
Combine apples, sugar, strawberries, salt and cinnamon, if using, in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and let cook until the apples are very soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, 20 - 25 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes for easier handling. If you are going to enjoy the sauce as a chunkier option, mash the apples and berries with a wooden spoon or a potato masher to the texture of your liking. If you'd like to puree the mixture, using an immersion blender is the easiest (be careful to not spray the mixture as it will be quite hot!), or you can carefully pour the mixture into the container of a blender and pulse to the texture of your choice.
Enjoy warm or refrigerate to cool.
Enjoy!
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