A recipe I have been making recently that happens to be very easy is baked apples. What could be nicer than hot, cinnamony apples, oozing with deliciousness, and making the whole house smell great? I have recently discovered an apple that has become one of my favorites. It is the honey crisp. It is unusually large, and has little bumps or dimples. It is very juicy, and has a similar flesh to the pacific rose of New Zealand, one that is light and breaks up easily in the mouth. The skin is not too tough, so it's fine to eat raw. The thing I like most about it, however, is it's flavor. It has the perfect combination of flavors, both sweet and tart. Believe it or not, the sweetest apples are not my favorites. Some, I actually find too sugary! To choose the right apple for baking, and I think for eating as well, I like to be able to taste some acidity in the fruit. When I was in the supermarket looking at all the different types of apples, I didn't know which one to pick for baking. I asked an assistant, and he very enthusiastically took me to the honey crisps. So, this is what you do: after washing them, you must remove the core. That can be tricky if you don't have a proper core remover. I've misplaced mine, so I had to struggle with a sharp knife, which annoyed me. But I managed, finally, to remove the cores without cutting myself. Then you place them on a baking sheet, with the core holes facing vertically, and fill them alternately with raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Leave a little space at the top of the core for some butter. Then, put them in the oven for about an hour on 350 degrees, or medium heat. You will be able to tell when they are ready, because your house will smell divine, and the apples will have shrunk, there will be juice in the pan, and the skins will be wrinkled. Enjoy them with either vanilla icecream, or thick whipped cream. Mmmm, they are a winter favorite in this house.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: to ooze, dimples, tart (sour), the core.

1. The soldier's wound needed cleaning, it was dirty and oozing.

2. That baby is so cute! He has a dimple on his left cheek just like his mother!

3. We can't use those berries for the pie; they are not ripe yet, and would be too tart.

4. Apparently, the earth's core is hotter than the surface of the sun!