Baked Apples

Nostalgia is my happy place.

It's 8 in the morning and I'm on my second viewing of Midnight in Paris. I couldn't sleep last night after watching it, this is what nostalgia does to me. I get to thinking about Paris and great literature and better cappuccinos and midnight walks in the rain. I get to thinking about the books I should write, the adventures I should have, the life I should be living.

At the end of the day (and of the movie) the indesputable truth is that the time is now.

The time is now.

To walk in the rain. To write. To read great literature. To create art. To run away on adventures.

The time is now.

To sit on the couch with a sleeping puppy. To take a bath in the morning. To contemplate the sunshine through the windows. To rest.

The time is now to bake apples and look through old pictures and call our dads. He'll tell us stories about our grandmother we never knew. Like how she ate a baked apple and a soft boiled egg for breakfast most mornings. I can picture her in the kitchen, waiting for her apple to bake as she cradles a coffee cup with two hands.

Nostalgia is a living thing and a memory. Nostalgia is a baked apple and a playlist on iTunes. A dream and now. Live it.

Baked Apples
serves 2

2 apples
2 pats of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
lemon juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 325. Core apples using a paring knife, taking care not to pierce the bottom of the apple. If you do, all the sweet juices will leak out. This is tricky, but don't worry, no need for perfection here.

In a small bowl, combine sugars, spices and a little lemon juice. Place a small piece of butter inside each apple. Fill with sugar mixture, pushing in with your thumb to pack in. You may need more or less sugar depending on the size of your apples. Top with another piece of butter. Bake on center rack for 1 hour or until apples are cooked and soft all the way through.

Serve with milk, cream, whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!