Makin' Do in the Kitchen- "Almost" Homemade Applesauce

Here is something I like to make when I have ripe fruit I want to use up, like pears, plums or bananas. It also works great with frozen fruit like blueberries, raspberries, peaches, or cranberries, if you just want to jazz up plain old applesauce. And it is a lot easier than baking when that fresh fruit is ready to go bad any second.... (And you don't need a lot of fruit, because we will be adding jar applesauce later on.)

Start with some apples, if you have them. Add some pears or plums if you have them. Here I just had a Gala apple and a Granny Smith apple, so I chopped them up and threw them in the pot (I leave the skins on. Extra fiber, and extra easy.)

I added some frozen cranberries, and just a little water. Start to cook them down. If you are using very soft berries, like blueberries or raspberries, cook the apples a little first before you add the berries. If you are using bananas, wait till the very end to add them..

Add as much sugar as you want. You can also use brown sugar, honey, or Splenda, or any combination of those. Cranberries will obviously will need a little more sugar than other fruits. Cinnamon and nutmeg are good, and ginger is delicious. Cook until the fruit is soft.

Now add some applesauce from a jar. I like to use plain unsweetened applesauce, so I can control the sweetness.

Now continue to cook until everything is cooked down. I like to leave the applesauce chunky. If you want smaller chunks, use a potato masher, or if you want it super smooth use a blender or food processor.

Don't you just love the color of this? Gorgeous!