Last night I helped at our local kitchen for homeless people. Several churches and other groups take turns making dinner at a local church. The standard dessert for our group is apple cake. Unfortunately, the woman who usually makes it couldn't be there, and I showed up just as the leader was looking for someone to do it. She gave me the recipe and pointed to the supply shelf for the ingredients. While other volunteers were coring and chopping a million apples, I looked for the flour, sugar, etc. (and mistakingly put in a cup of powdered sugar that I'd thought was flour!). Turned out we didn't have any applesauce, so the leader gave me a can of peaches and a can of pears and suggested I just chop them as finely as I could (in the can!) and use them instead. I wasn't completely sure this was going to work, but I figured she knew what she was talking about (last minute substitutions are apparently not that rare). It turned out so yummy! Moist and full of fruit flavor.

I thought the rest of you might like to know about this idea; I think it'd be great in pancakes, too. :)