Cinnamon Apples — The Sweetness That Stays After a Long Week

The real estate market is strong this week. I showed 7 properties and closed on 1. The pipeline is strong. The phone rings with the steady rhythm of a business that has taken six years to build and refuses to slow down.

Dimitri stopped by the bakery Saturday morning to eat spanakopita and tell Mama she is doing things wrong. She told him he had his chance. They argued. They ate. They loved. In that order, which is the only order this family knows.

I thought about Baba this week. Not the grief — the grief is always there, a familiar companion now — but the man. The way he stood at the bakery counter with his arms crossed. The way he hummed Greek songs he never knew the words to. The way he loved us in silence, which was the loudest love I have ever known.

I made pastitsio from Mama's recipe — the Kalymnos version with extra cinnamon and a bechamel so thick you could mortar bricks with it. I served it with bread and olive oil — always too much olive oil, because in this family there is no such thing as too much. We ate and the conversation was easy and the evening was warm.

Sophia told me this week that she is proud of me. I was not expecting it. We were in the car, driving to Tarpon Springs for Sunday dinner, and she said Mom, I am proud of you. I said for what. She said for everything. For the bakery. For the houses. For making dinner every night even when you are tired. I gripped the steering wheel and blinked and said thank you, koritsi mou. She said do not cry. I did not cry. Much.

The pastitsio was the heart of the meal — Mama’s recipe, heavy with cinnamon the way Kalymnos intended — but it was the cinnamon that stayed with me long after the plates were cleared. That warm, ancient smell has always meant safety in this family, and when Sophia said what she said in the car, I came home and made these cinnamon apples just to keep that feeling going a little longer. Sometimes the simplest thing is the one that holds everything together.

Cinnamon Apples

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 medium apples (Honeycrisp or Fuji), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons water or apple cider

Instructions

1. Prep the apples. Peel, core, and slice apples into uniform 1/4-inch slices so they cook evenly.
2. Melt the butter. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter until it begins to foam slightly.
3. Add sugar and spices. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture is fragrant and slightly bubbly.
4. Add the apples. Add the apple slices to the skillet and toss to coat evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
5. Add liquid and simmer. Pour in the water or apple cider. Stir gently, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender but not mushy.
6. Finish with vanilla. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let rest 2 minutes before serving.
7. Serve. Serve warm on their own, spooned over vanilla ice cream, Greek yogurt, or alongside a slice of pound cake.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 165 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 45mg