Apple Brown Betty

All four of our children would eat at their school cafeterias on the days it was served, even though they usually came home for lunch all other days. It was one of the first things they learned to make when they started cooking themselves. Nice memories.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, plus extra for greasing the baking dish or pan
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 lbs. (about 4 medium) apples (any variety but Red Delicious)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cups soft white bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 tsp. apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
• vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 inch glass, ceramic baking dish, or pan with butter, and set aside.

Cut butter into 4 pieces, and place in a microwave-safe measuring cup or small dish. Microwave, covered with paper towel, on high, until melted, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside.

Squeeze lemon juice into a medium-size mixing bowl. Peel and core apples, and cut into bite-size chunks. Toss apples in lemon juice as you add. When apples are cut, add granulated sugar and stir well. Set aside.

In another medium-size mixing bowl, mix bread crumbs, melted butter brown sugar, and apple pie spice. Stir until most crumbs are coated with butter. (If not all are coated, this is fine.)

Spoon half of apples into buttered dish. Top with half of bread crumbs. Repeat with remaining apples and crumbs.

Bake, uncovered, until apples are tender and top of Betty is crisp and brown, about 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool 15 minutes. Serve in dessert bowls, topped with vanilla ice cream.