Apples and Sweet Potatoes

I mentioned to my boss that in a fit of delusion, I bought a giant bag of apples, and also, the sweet potatoes from the CSA just keep coming, and today she brought me a whole bunch of recipes.  I copied most of them, but one is too hard to copy, so I'm retyping it here instead.  If you make it, let me know how it goes. 

Apples & Sweet Potatoes
2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
4 lg sweet potatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp raisins
1/4 cup applejack (do they still sell this?)
lemon juice
cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Peel and cut potatoes into thin slices.  Cook them in boiling water to cover until nearly done (soft but not mushy).  Cook peeled, cored, thinly sliced apples in a slight amount of boiling water until same texture as cooked potatoes.  Sprinkle apples with lemon juice after they are cooked.  Grease a baking dish and alternate layers of apples and potatoes.  Sprinkle the top with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins.  Dot top of sprinkled apples and potatoes with butter.  Pour applejack over top of apples & potatoes.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

(Serves about 6. Unless Boston is coming over, in which case, 2. Maybe.)

Upside-down pie

I made this pie last night and I call it upside down pie because the topping, which uses applesauce, winds up as more of a dough spread loosely on top, and the graham cracker crust ends up being the crumbly part.
Why make a graham cracker crust pie? A variety of reasons. First of all, its easier. You can keep a graham cracker crust for awhile in the pantry, without losing freezer real estate, having to roll anything, and without people judging you for not making your own crusts. It is also healthier, especially because you can get a low-fat graham cracker crust. My main deciding factor was that I had one on hand and I don't make pie crusts. Personal policy. I just don't do it.
I found this recipe here and I tried it with the apples we picked last weekend. I used Granny Smith, although they are actually still a little tart for the pie. I might try it with a milder apple. I have made some other modifications.
Ingredients:
3-4 apples, sliced thinly (I don't peel them, because its more interesting and healthy if you include the skins.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Graham cracker crust, prebaked in 9-inch pan
***
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup applesauce (if you want a more crumbly crust, use 1/4 cup butter, softened but not melted)

Procedure:
1. Combine all pie ingredients in a bowl. Stir to combine. Pour into a graham cracker crust.
2. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until crust is hard.

Chunky Golden Applesauce

This is a Rachel Ray recipe. I haven't made it yet - but it looks good.
Ingredients
4 Golden delicious apples, cored and chunked
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup apple juice or cider
3 tablespoons honey

Procedure
Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and cook over medium to medium-high heat until apples begin to break down and raisins are plump, 10 to 12 minutes.

Sounds like a great fall recipe!