DIY Wednesday: Cinnamon Pear & Applesauce

            It's time for another foodie DIY Wednesday! I am so glad we made our daughter's baby food when she was younger (besides obvious reasons) because we would have never discovered how delicious homemade applesauce and pearsauce are! What's the big deal? Trust me. The homemade kind is SO much tastier! Plus, no artificial preservatives and all that junk.

What You'll Need:
-apples and pears (Or one or the other. You're not actually mixing these together, unless you want to.)
-cinnamon (optional, but personally I think it makes these that much yummier)
-knife
-apple corer (also optional)
-baking sheet
-cooking oil (I use sunflower)
-food processor

1) Core your fruit. Apple corers are handy, no doubt, but if you don't have one simply slice your fruit in half and cut a "V" large enough on each half to get the core and seeds out. Also, peeling the skin is totally optional. We like to leave ours on for some added texture in the finished product. ;)

2) Lightly oil your baking sheet. (Yes, this pan is rough looking and has been around awhile. It's clean, though, I promise.)

3) Lightly oil all of your slices and sprinkle with desired amount of cinnamon. You can always add more cinnamon later if you decide.
4) Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 F. There's no set in stone time. Just long enough for your fruit (especially the apples) to get softer. If your whole house is starting to smell REALLY good and cinnamony, they're probably done.

5) After you've let them cool off some, put a few slices in the food processor at a time. For the apples, keep a glass of water on hand while you're processing them. If not, you will end up with "applesauce" the consistency of thick oatmeal. Add little amounts of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Since pears are naturally really juicy, you shouldn't need any water with them. Don't forget to scrape the sides off every now and then! (Note: You'll want to let the fruit cool off so 1) You can handle it without getting burnt and 2) You don't have steam building up in your processor when the lid is on.)

The above picture with apples has barely any water added to it. Chunktacular.

6) Once you've reached the consistencies that you want, find a container for them and stick them in the fridge!

            You will wonder why the heck you ever ate store bought applesauce after this. Plus, the apple is good, but I personally think the pearsauce is a-ma-zing! I hope you guys give it a try at least once. :)