Apple Crisp for Two

I have not mastered cooking for one.  Like, as of yesterday, my kitchen/refrigerator were so full of leftovers, it looked like I live with a family of 6.  I had soup (recipe on its way), bread bowls, chili mac, two different desserts... I like leftovers, but even I don't want to eat quinoa and black bean chili for 8 meals in a row.

This is why recipes that are automatically diminutive are appealing to me, particularly desserts.  I am not a dessert person.  If I am baking, I am doing it for one of two reasons.  First, I might be baking because I am stressed.  You know this about me: I am a stress baker.  It's probably a good thing that I don't like sweets, or I could be very fat.  Second, I might be baking for someone.  When I lived at home, my mom was always requesting baked goods, and I like to bake for other people.  But here by myself, I don't often get people requesting desserts.

Then, there's Jesse.  He loves apple anything - pie, crisp, whatever.  I made him a pie for his birthday, but may or may not have burned the crust (rookie mistake!  I made a lattice crust and didn't adjust cooking time.  Ugh. Don't worry, he still ate almost the whole thing - except for much of the crust, which he snuck into the trash).  So after that embarrassment, it was time to try apple crisp (you literally can't mess that up).  Except I only had 2 apples left.  Enter apple crisp for two!  You only need one apple!  And since I am not a dessert eater, a smaller yield was perfect.

This recipe makes either one small or two mini apple crisps (perfect for my little Le Creuset mini bakers) that you can totally have in the oven 10 minutes from now (drop the computer, now!).  They're so quick and easy, the most time consuming part is peeling the apples.  Plus the end result is great: it's a little apple crisp that you can acceptably eat in one sitting.  Top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream -  you sort of have to.

In under an hour, you could be sitting eating a little apple crisp with someone who's always there for you.  Is there a better way to say thank you than to hand someone a mini apple crisp?  I hope not.  For now, that'll do.

Recipe:

apple crisp for two
from Taste of Home
serves 2

Ingredients:
1 large tart apple, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons butter, melted
dash ground cinnamon
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Place apples in an ungreased 2-cup baking dish, or in 2 separate 1-cup baking dishes.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.

3) Combine the brown sugar, oats, butter and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apples.

4)  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer, or until apples are tender.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.