Apple pies and kettle corn

We are racing into the holiday season with great enthusiasm: I've already taught my first Practice Thanksgiving class and two Holiday Pie classes, and today I tested several types of apples to determine the best combination for our apple pies (order yours now--Thanksgiving orders must be received by this Thursday!). We only use local apples in our pies (and homemade butter in the crusts, of course), and each year the crops are a bit different, so I bought a bunch of different types and tested them all. Thank goodness we have an AppleMaster, a fun gadget that peels, cores, and slices apples, which is the only as-seen-on-TV gadget that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Here is the pile of peels and cores that were left after today's tests (with the last apple on the AppleMaster in the background):

A few days ago I was visited by the Gingerbread House Muse and inspired to begin a gingerbread creation in the spirit of my award-winning Gingerbread Cathedral of Sienna. The Muse told me that I've been resting on those laurels for too long, and it's time to design something a little more local. Stay tuned for the results!

Since it's cold and snowy out, I decided tonight was the perfect night for some homemade kettle corn. Actually, every night is the perfect night for kettle corn! It's my favorite quick treat. I have been honing the recipe for months now (not so hard when there are only four ingredients), and I present you with this perfect version:

Homemade Kettle Corn

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup fresh popcorn kernels (they do get stale, so buy a new container if your current one is from the twentieth century)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Put the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and place over high heat for 1 minute. Add 1 popcorn kernel and put the lid on. Wait for the kernel to pop (while you're waiting, measure the other ingredients into a bowl so you can pour them in all at once).
2. When the kernel pops, quickly pour in all the other ingredients, put the lid back on, and shake the pan vigorously. Reduce the heat to medium-high and shake often, cracking the lid every ten seconds or so to let steam escape.
3. When the popping slows to one per second, take the pan off the heat and leave the lid slightly ajar until the popping stops. Take the lid off carefully (it may have a lot of condensation on the underside) and pour the kettle corn into a bowl.