homemade applesauce: sugar free and it doesn't taste like crap

Today I made applesauce! I was initially looking for a recipe using a crock pot, but after I started looking, I found one that only cooks the apples for an hour and then uses a food mill. I was hooked when I read 'food mill.' I registered and received one for the wedding, but had never taken it out of the box. Wishful thinking? Just a little.

If you have a food mill, all you need to do is cut up the apples into 1/2" chunks (don't peel or core them ahead of time - just remove the stems). Cook the apples on low for about an hour or until they're mushy. Stir them a couple times so they don't stick to the bottom. Don't worry if you see black on the bottom - it's sugar from the apples.

Run it through the food mill (the mill will separate the peels/seeds/other unsavory stuff), and you've got applesauce. Don't worry, I didn't forget any ingredients - all your need is apples. No sugar, Splenda, etc. Trust me! Whenever I see 'sugar free' products at the store, it scares me, but this is good. Really. Here's my photo commentary:

Wash your apples! Mine had lots of filmy stuff on the outside. I went with McIntosh apples because they were on sale in big bags at the store. This is not a recipe for pretty, large Costco apples. Regular apples are just fine.

This is a shot of the apples cooking away. I added them to the pot as I was cutting them instead of cutting them all and then cooking them. It saves time and doesn't really matter in the end.
My knife of choise is a Wusthof 4.5" Sankotu.
Here's a shot of the food mill blades. Medium on the left and fine is on the right.
I used the coarse one for a chunkier applesauce.
This is a good shot of the food mill. This is from Crate & Barrel and is now on sale in the Outlet section. I think it works well - based on my one time use!

This is what the apples look like in the food mill. You turn the handle and the cooked apples start to go through the sieve.

The feet suspend the mill over your bowl of choice. This one is from a set from C&B and they're great. I try to use glass over plastic whenever possible.

This is the finished product. Before you stay "ew!" just remember that it's just apples - no lemon, no sugar, no coloring. It's not the shit you buy at the store. But it's good, it's HEALTHY, and it doesn't taste like Splenda. Splenda tastes funny to me. I read about super tasters one time and I have some of the characteristics, but I love Diet Coke and that's supposedly a food that super tasters don't like, so who knows.

Here is the finished product. I got out some of my grandma's cut glass dishes that she used to use for applesauce and fruit with dinner. The verdict? I like it, the husband not so much. Why? He doesn't like the texture. I left the peel on and though I don't mind it, the small bits aren't appealing to him. Next time I might make it without to see what the texture and color are like without it. But I will make it again!