Improvised Snow Day Apple Tart

So today we were let out of school early due to the light powder drifting down onto the sidewalk and the optimistic predictions of multiple inches. Yes, for Charlottesville that is optimistic. We all left our last period classes smiling and making plans for the afternoon, even if most of us were just going to go home and rejoice in the luxury of getting to do absolutely nothing.  My neighborhood was already coated in a thin 2 inch layer of white, and everything looked beautiful.  I love the way snow creates a simpler world, and everything looks magical and kind of sparkly.  I don't know.  I went on a walk with a friend, drank coffee and played rummy with my family.  I felt like I was in some sort of uplifting teen movie. I mean we had chicken pot pie for dinner. You can't get more picturesque than a happy four person family eating steaming pot pie by a snowy window.  We knew there was no chance of going to school the next day, and we could already envision our sledding hill and the plans we would make with our friends.  It's one of those times that makes you never want to grow up.
But while sitting around waiting for dinner to be ready, I noticed an abandoned piece of puff pastry laying on the counter, most likely the leftovers from the pot pie creation.  At my old school I had learned to make little apple dumplings by cutting puff pastry dough into squares, pilling apples and cinnamon sugar on top, then pinching the bundle together in a haphazard way.  I considered doing that, but decided against it when I realized we didn't have a lot of cinnamon and it also seemed like a lot of work for something my family would just gobble up.  I instead, began to improvise my own "apple tart" recipe.  Here it is, it isn't perfect, it is in no way planned, but just a cozy dessert for a cozy day.

1 sheet of puff pastry dough (I used Pepperidge Farm, always have always will)

2 small apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup of light brown sugar

1/2  lemon

1 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Roll pastry dough out so it is slightly thinner, not too much.  Cover a baking sheet in parchment paper and place the dough on that.  Put brown sugar in a medium bowl and add the apples.  Toss apples in the sugar until they're coated.  Next squeeze the lemon half over the apples and stir around to mix.  Use your fingers to line the apples up evenly on the dough, overlapping slightly.  Leave a 1/2 inch around the edges.  Pour the melted butter over the apples (because butter makes things better), then bake for 20 minutes or until the dough is browned and the apples look cooked.  It isn't particularly beautiful but it is delicious, and that's what counts.