Apple and Pear Crisp

If you're looking for a quick-to-assemble dessert that celebrates simple, seasonal ingredients, making an Apple and Pear Crisp just might be right up your alley. With some basic pantry ingredients {and some fruit, of course} and a tiny bit of prep time {mostly spent peeling and cutting the fruit}, you'll have this in the oven in a jiffy. All that'll be left to do is to sit back and enjoy the most tantalizing of aromas filling your kitchen. Like, seriously ... intoxicating. The end result is a slightly toothsome, buttery oat topping that bakes and bubbles up nestled among the nooks and crannies of tender slices of caramel-y, perfectly-spiced fruit. C'mon now. This is pretty much one of the most-comforting, old-school desserts on the planet.

Of course, any top-notch crisp must have a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on top before digging in. {That's a given in my book.} The crisp can be served hot, warm or cold - whatever you prefer. And, I even give permission to enjoy any leftovers the next morning for breakfast. It's fruit and oats - breakfast staples, right?

Yields 6 servings.

Lightened-Up Apple Crisp

With apple season in full swing recently, many of us look for ways to incorporate them into our cooking and baking. But, I, also, know that so many of us are trying to keep to a healthier lifestyle these days. Personally, I have been working lately to cut back on the amount of sugar in my daily diet. Here, I've taken apple crisp - a fall dessert that we all know and adore - and I've made it a bit more healthy. With just a couple of slight changes to my traditional recipe, I've managed to make apple crisp something that I don't feel as guilty about indulging in this time of year.

The changes aren't major ones. The end result is still something that we're all familiar with ... I promise. Basically, I've lessened the amount of sugar to both the filling and topping (about a third less compared to my traditional recipe), swapped in some orange juice and coconut oil for the butter component of the crumbly topping and amped up the warm, autumnal spices for this version.

My husband and I actually found that we preferred this rendition since so many apple crisps can be cloyingly sweet. All of the satisfaction was still there, but with a little less guilt.

Of course, serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is totally up to you. (Swoon!) But, if you'd like to stay on course with the healthy vibe we've got going here, you could opt for a low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt or a small dollop of low-fat Greek yogurt. (FYI:  I like mine with just a tiny splash of heavy cream.)

NOTE: I prefer a combination of both sweet and tart apples for apple crisp.

Strawberry, Apple and Rhubarb Crisp

I am currently savoring a couple of weeks - the only couple of weeks actually - of the year that we have absolutely nothing on the schedule/calendar. Like, seriously ... this does not happen often. My three children still living at home are involved in a zillion different extra-curricular activities throughout the entire year - baseball, softball, marching band, basketball, cross country, volleyball, quiz bowl, charity events, track, theater and ... well, you get the picture.

These present two weeks are void of any activity, event, appointment, meeting or otherwise. I, literally, have only left my house TWICE in the past eight days ... to get some groceries.

It has been pure bliss! I have been sleeping in, staying in my pajamas most of the day, playing board games with the kiddos, catching up on my DVR recordings, doing a boatload of cooking/baking and working on the blog. Utter heaven.

Speaking of heaven ... I love making crisps, cobblers and crumbles throughout the summer months.

The concept of making a "crisp" is simple - top cut fruit (yes, I am aware that rhubarb is actually a veggie) with a quick and easy oat topping that is kissed with just the perfect amount of sugar and spice. Pop it all in the oven until bubbly and serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. I urge you to whip one up as soon as possible ... celebrate our bountiful summer fruits in the most-perfect way.

And, if you need me, I'll be kicking back by the pool, listening to the radio, watching the kids swim, enjoying a big glass of my Summertime Fruity Lemonade and thinking of this amazing dessert. (Well, for another week or so. Then, it's band camp and volleyball lessons for the little munchkins of the house .. and back to reality.) I'm hanging on to and relishing these lazy days of summer as long as I can, though.

Serves 6.