25 October 2007

Food for a Rainy Day


A few days ago, reader Aubrey made a request in the comments section which I wanted to address with its own post. She wrote:

Over Fall Break Alexis and I went apple picking, and I was having so much fun climbing trees that I didn't realize how very many apples we had picked. We ended up picking just over half a bushel. Alexis flew them here in her carry on. And now, well, we have nearly half a bushel of apples that are starting to rot. What can we do with them with a toaster oven and microwave?


I immediately thought of "happle" bagel sandwiches. It's a recipe I've been making since I was little, out of my spiral-bound cookbook for kids with illustrations of tap-dancing tunafish cones and pirate map muffins. The book itself is currently resting on the shelves of the package room at Central Services. Tomorrow I'll have it in my hands again (and maybe have pictures), but today I made these from memory.

The artichoke salad failure still haunting me, I forged ahead yet again without a printed recipe, but this time I had sense memory to help me out. Sometimes I need food that is predictable, food that isn't a wolf in sheep's clothing, that won't bite me on the nose with vinegar-poisoned fangs when I least expect it. Sometimes I need food that I know will not char to a crisp or melt into a viscous soup. Sometimes, on days when I haven't seen the sun and the internet is spotty and I'm still sleep deprived from the scant two hours I got on Monday night… I just need food that tastes like home.

Next week I'd like to experiment and see if I can whip up a fun and funky apple dish. I already know that I like apples in things like Waldorf salads and sushi, and that they work really well with a plethora of chicken preparations. For now, for Aubrey and anyone else with an abundant autumnal harvest, I give you something reliable to warm you up inside on a chilly, rainy day.

"Happle" Bagel Sandwiches

Nicked from the dining hall:

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 gala (or hand-picked) apple

1 plain bagel

cinnamon and sugar


  1. Lay bagel halves on the baking tray and sprinkle cheese onto each bagel half, as if you were making sauce-less pizza bagels.
  2. Top with apple slices and dust with a generous amount of cinnamon and sugar.
  3. Toast until all the cheese has begun melting, about 6-8 minutes.

Enjoy!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

mmmm, cinnamon! smells like fall. i tried this today. the apple gets nice and warm and soft, the cheese is good and gooey and the thing smells really good!

Anonymous said...

Yours looks much prettier than mine came out (chunks of apple stuck to the side of a bagel with globs of cheese), but I suspect they tasted similarly. I feel like I've taken a step toward resolving my apple problem. Thanks!