Each fall, I can't help myself from buying apples by the bushel. I get so excited by the crisp air and the fresh-from-the-orchard fruit that I inevitably buy way too many.

So I end up baking pies and apple cakes. I even saute fresh sliced apples for breakfast the way my mother did when I was a child. But my hands-down favorite thing to make with my abundance? Homemade applesauce.

I love to make homemade applesauce when I want to perk up a less-than-exciting meal and impress my dining companions with something unexpectedly delicious.

I love the process of peeling the apples, cutting them into rough chunks and placing them in my heavy enameled Dutch oven.

I use whatever apples I have on hand. Sometimes they are all the same variety and sometimes they are a mix.

Try this recipe as you start accumulating apples. It is easily halved or doubled.

What you don't eat warm, you can refrigerate and eat "leftover" for a week. It is the perfect recipe for all those leftover apples from your apple-picking adventures.