Baked Apple Madness!

OMG, this is such a favorite, people show up at my house with bags of apples and hopeful smiles. It comes together quickly and is a balanced meal unto itself while following the “rules” about combining fruit with food. Believe me, you, if I eat baked apples with nuts and oats and all kinds of crazy fillings, I will be a hot air balloon. Thus, I made this recipe. Personally, I eat them alone and not as a dessert (again- the wind!) Fruits and fruits alone. Let me know if you make these and please give me a story about sharing it!

4 large apples, cored
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
4 dried figs, finely chopped
2 dried apricots or dates, finely chopped
3 tsp sweet spice mix
1 cup apple juice, cider, or water
16 whole cloves, for decorating the apples
4 tsp honey, optional for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and let them soak while you core the apples.
Pierce each apple with four cloves (for flavor and decoration). Place the apples side by side in an 8x8 baking dish.
Spoon the filling into the cored apples, letting some sit on top of apples. Pour remaining juices over top and into the pan.
Bake for 25 minutes or until very tender. For added flavor, you can “baste” the apples by spooning some of the liquid from the bottom of the pan over the apples part way through cooking.

Note to self: if you don’t get bloated when you mix fruits and foods, don’t worry about it. Just don’t do it every day. Questions? I’ll bet you do. Post ‘em in the comments.