Author Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about her husband Almanzo’s childhood in her wonderful book Farmer Boy. Mrs. Wilder shared with her readers the fact that Almanzo, as a little boy, could out-eat most grown men, and that his favorite food was fried apples-n-onions.

My grandmother told me that fried apples-n-onions was pretty much a staple dish back in pioneer times, and again in hard times. She told me that when she was a young mother, she often served fried apples-n-onions when she could afford nothing else to put on the table for her children.

Everyone in my family is a huge Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, and we often re-create the foods she writes about. Fried apples-n-onions was a natural: so easy to put together, and so inexpensive, to boot.

Therefore, I wasn’t surprised when my kids, visiting for the weekend, suggested that we see how fried apples-n-onions would be, using Apple Cherry Habanero Rib Candy. It sounded good to me, so we did it.

Oh holy cow, it was awesome. You’ll think so, too.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 big Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced fairly thin
2 big onions, sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Apple Cherry Habanero Rib Candy
Dash of cinnamon

What to do:

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, and add the apples and onions. Stir-fry, never leaving the pan, until just almost tender. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and Rib Candy, and continue stirring until the apples are tender. Serve, and stand back.

With onions, this dish is a great spicy side. Without the onions, this dish is a fantastic spicy dessert.

It’s awesome, with or without the onions, and whether you use Rib Candy with or without the peppers.

Remember, it’s the simplest recipes that often give us the tastiest foods.

Now, get out there and start re-reading the Little House books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Now.