I chose two kinds of apples that are designed to work well for pies, cooking, and baking. Yes, I agree some apples will turn to mush quite fast. If your making a sauce, it need only be brought to a boil, fill the jars with it, and process as you would normally do. If it were for a chunkier product, you can also do that, but process a bit longer. The boiling before canning us meant to help reduce the firmer type apples, as well as any added spices to 'meld' into the sauce. My apple Pie jam had minimal boiling, except whats necessary for the pectin to dissolve. Some bits of apple were added after it was at boiling, so they got less time of all that heat. When I make pies, I like to 'wilt' the apple slices some before filling the pie shell, by placing tyhem in teh microwave a few minutes. If I don't, they shrink down to nearly nothing and when you slice into the baked apple pie, you see a 1/2 inch of apples under a big tall, hollow crust dome.

This is a Cooking Light recipe that has become a standard at our house. I have not frozen it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work to freeze it. I've taken it to events where I needed a vegetarian option -- for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I usually use the whole can of black beans, a generous cup of salsa (I use Pace medium and will measure more generously if using the thick and chunky). I also tend to add another egg and/or egg white to have enough to cover it all. It will fill a deep pyrex casserole that is almost the size of a 13x9. Breakfast Tortilla Strata 1 cup bottled salsa 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained 10 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips Cooking spray 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese, divided (who measures? ;-) ) 1 cup low-fat sour cream 1 cup fat-free milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 2 large egg whites 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (optional) Combine salsa and beans in a bowl. Place one-third of tortilla strips in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/3 cup cheese and about 1 cup salsa mixture. Repeat procedure with one-third of tortilla strips, 1/3 cup cheese, and remaining salsa mixture; top with remaining tortilla strips. Combine sour cream and next 4 ingredients (sour cream through egg whites); stir with a whisk. Stir in onions. Pour over tortilla strips; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove casserole from fridge and preheat oven to 350ð. Remove cover and bake. My recipe got cut off here, but I think the original instructions said 45-55 minutes. Mine always takes a bit over an hour and it seems most folks cook an hour to an hour and 15 minutes depending on the type of baking dist, depth of the strata, etc. The top should be a bit browned and the center just set. If you have folks with no heat tolerance, use a mild salsa in the strata, You can serve with a spicier salsa and sour cream on the side for folks to dress to taste. I have made this with nonfat plain yogurt instead of sour cream -- works fine.

Guess I am with you Khandi. My son is used to having home cooked meals. He actually doesn't care to eat out. And college meal plans are rather expensive. He is trying to get by without any college debt. Yes, he has learned to cook and shop for himself. But, I know he'll be busy with tough classes, working and having some fun in college clubs (running, hiking, climbing, etc). I am planning to put together some simple recipes in a book. I will also be going up once in a while (3 hours away) and when I do, I'll be throwing together a few freezer meals for him to dump in a crock pot. I don't think there is any shame in that. It means you love your child and want them to eat healthy meals. I have always cooked at home, he has always seen me cook and I know he's learned the value in that to carry on for himself. Home cooking teaches them the value of a dollar and a healthy lifestyle. Good luck to your daughter and I'm so glad there are caring parents out there :)

So late to this Annie, but had to comment! That apple stack cake just looks amazing : ) My recipe is packed, but this looks either the same of similar. Here in Tennessee, apple stack cake is a wondrous thing : ) As evidenced by your DH’s Mom’s recipe : ) I remember to make one when the local grocery store deli starts baking them… Apple season comes, and the moment I enter the grocery store the aroma of apples and cinnamon sweetness wafts over me! It’s utterly intoxicating. They sell out so fast – no one can resist : ) Now, I’d love some of your reduced apple syrup topped on as well – I’d be in apple nirvana : ) I mostly serve mine plain, as is. But heated a wee bit, with some vanilla ice cream is DH's favorite way to eat it. He confuses it with apple pie!