INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Looking to get a little more variety in your crisp, or fine-tune it to your particular taste buds? This recipe is more of a template than anything, and adjusting it is easy. You can:  Omit the oats from the topping, instead adding an extra 1/2 cup of flour.  Adding more cold butter for a richer topping, or 2 tablespoons (29.6 ml) melted butter with the apples for a richer base.  Change the brown sugar to white sugar mixture, adding more brown sugar for a more molasses-like taste. You can add them to either the topping, the apples, or both -- there are recipes that support all three. In general, the most commonly used nuts are pecans or walnuts, though toasted or sliced almonds, especially in the crumb topping, can be divine as well. You can add different fruits easily without changing your workflow much, simply tossing it in with the apples before the lemon, flour, and sugar. Some great compliments for the apples include:  Dried fruits, like raisins, currants, and cranberries. Fresh cranberries Pears Plums This autumnal crisp goes great with tea, or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Note, however that these spices go a long way, and you shouldn't need much more than a 1/2 teaspoon of each, though you could double the cinnamon if desired.  Spices go well if you add dried fruits, as well. A touch of maple syrup here will help balance the spices with a dash of sweetness. Simply use a rubber spatula to mix the flour, sugar, and oats in with the honey until it forms small, sticky balls. This mixture will be decidedly less rich, but it will be much, much lower in calories. You want to use two apples that cover each other's "weaknesses." Otherwise said, you want to find a mostly sweet apple to combine with a more tart apple, like a sweet Fuji with a pucker-inducing Granny Smith. In general, this green-red combination will do you well.

SUMMARY: Know that this recipe can be easily adapted to your tastes. Toss in a ½ cup of your favorite chopped nuts to give the whole dish a little extra crunch. Mix in other fruits with the apples to create a complex crisp. Spice the apple mixture with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and/ore allspice. Use 4-5 tablespoons honey instead of butter for a healthier crisp. Use multiple apples for a more complex, layered taste.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Find someone that you can talk to at any time of night—even 2:30 a.m. This might be your significant other, a sibling, a parent, or your best friend. Roll over and shake your loved one awake, or make a phone call to someone who is willing to talk to you. Maybe, you can connect with your roommate who's only a few doors down. Just reach out to someone if you can.  If it’s not too late, consider calling someone who would really appreciate hearing from you, like an elderly relative. This will not only lift your spirits, but theirs also, which will then lift yours again in return! When loneliness hits in the middle of the night and it’s too late to call or visit with someone, you can always write an e-mail or a letter to someone special. Though you’re probably used to immediate connection in today’s fast-paced society, writing to a loved one in this situation is actually a really great way to thoughtfully convey your feelings and ideas—and the e-mail or letter will reach them in due time. You can also invite people over to watch a movie, have dinner, or just hang out. If you’re seeing close friends or family, invite them to stay over; sometimes it’s nice just knowing there’s someone in the other room. One way to avoid nighttime loneliness is to get out of the house in the evenings leading up to bedtime. This doesn’t mean you have to stay out until the sun comes up. Simply go out to the movies with friends, have a late dinner with a classmate, or catch drinks with girls from the office.  You may not feel like going out if you feel depressed or sad, but that’s exactly when you most need to do so. Plus, once you get home, it will be time to climb under the covers and you won’t have much time to spend feeling lonely. If you’re really reluctant to go out, try this: instead of committing to the whole evening, tell your friend/the group that you can meet for one drink (or an appetizer, etc.), but then you’ll probably have to get going. Then, you’ll most likely find that things have gone well and you feel much better than you anticipated—and you can stay for another round (or two). Adding an activity/class that you look forward to in the evening can take your mind off your feelings of loneliness and give your evenings a sense of structure. Although you might not find many groups that meet at 2 a.m., you can find a host of activities to engage in during the evening hours, such as yoga, tai chi, knitting, and painting. Look on meetup.com to find people in your area who are interested in similar things and events that are going on around you. Who knows, you might meet someone who has trouble with feeling lonely at night, too. The two of you can spend time together, talk on the phone, or Skype to combat loneliness together. When we’re feeling down, it’s easy to focus all of our attention and energy on ourselves, which can lead to increased negativity. If we focus our attention outwards instead, we can often take our minds off our own loneliness and do some good in the meantime.  Try volunteering at a local homeless shelter, animal shelter, or another place of need in your area. The hours will fly by as you play with or wash the cute pets, or participate in some other charitable event. Consider visiting the elderly and sick at a nursing home or a local hospital. If your own relatives are shut-in, pay them a visit and see what joy it brings. Sometimes, when you get the opportunity to recognize how fortunate you are, life feels less bleak. Being able to help others can really uplift your perspective.

SUMMARY:
Connect with someone. Go out. Join a group or take up a new hobby. Give back.