The natural sweetness of fresh apples and pears makes this homemade sauce a standout over the store-bought version.

Lemon juice adds brightness and keeps the fruit from browning, and cinnamon and nutmeg lend warm spice notes.

Ingredients:
3 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions:
Combine the apples, pears, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the apples and pears are very soft but still a bit chunky, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste the mixture and add the remaining tablespoon of sugar if desired.
Remove the sauce from the heat and stir a few times until the sauce is well combined with small chunks. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve. (For a smoother sauce, remove from heat, remove the cinnamon sticks and then whisk the mixture until smooth before cooling.)
Spiced Apple-Pear Sauce

 Chanukah Doughnuts

Ingredients
1/4 cup warm water
6 tbsp. sugar
2 packs of dry yeast
1/2 cup orange juice
1 stick butter (or margarine)
1 dash salt
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
3 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions
In a cast iron skillet, heavy pot or deep fryer, heat oil to 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small pan, heat the orange juice, butter or margarine, salt and 5 tablespoons of sugar. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool to lukewarm.
Beat two eggs in a medium bowl and then add the cooled orange juice mixture, followed by the yeast mixture. Stir to mix, and then add the flour to create pliable dough.
Sprinkle flour on a surface (table or counter) and place the dough to knead several times. Put the dough into a greased bowl and allow the dough to rise in a moist, warm place for 1/2 hour. (You may want to use the same method as for the yeast.) When the dough has risen, punch it down.
Roll out the dough, leaving it about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into circles or strips. Place these on a greased, floured baking sheet with at least one inch of space between them. Put them back in the same location where they had risen before. Allow them to rise for at least 20 minutes.
Add the doughnuts to the preheated oil one or two at a time and cook on each side until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. This will make 18 to 24 doughnuts, depending on the size.
Chanukah Doughnuts