Apples Apples Apples

It's that time of the year when I start thinking more about apples. I'm not sure why since apples are pretty much available all year long. Here are some recipes that I've made that used apples:

Apple Oat Bran Muffins:


Cinnamon-Cider-Cranberry Cake:


Apple-Oat Muffins:


Cinnamon-Apple Cake:


Cinnamony Apple Streusel Bars:


Washington State Granny Smith Apple Pie:


Mountain Dew Apple Cobbler:


I've made a few recipes that used applesauce:

Five-Grain Cinnamon Bread:


Easy Spicy Apple Sauce Muffins:


Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins:


Whole Wheat Applesauce Waffles:


Here's a savory apple recipe:

Red Cabbage With Apples:


Question of the Day: What's your favorite apple recipe?

Much better than it looks - honestly! --Dutch Meat Loaf

Dutch Meat Loaf
Best Recipes From the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars Copyright 1979, 1981 and 1982

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 8-oz. can Hunt’s tomato sauce
1 egg
1 ½ tsps. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¾ cup water
2 Tbs. brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs. prepared mustard
1 Tbs. vinegar

In medium bowl, lightly mix beef, bread crumbs, onion, ½ can Hunt’s tomato sauce, egg, salt and pepper. Shape into loaf in shallow baking pan. Combine remaining Hunt’s sauce with rest of ingredients; pour over loaf. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 ¼ hours. Baste loaf several times.

Makes 5-6 servings.
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I never realized how unattractive meat loaf was until I saw this picture. No wonder it gets a bad rap. Sorry, but there is little time in my schedule for getting decent pictures these days. Honestly, this is one of the best meat loaves I've ever made. It's pretty standard and if you don't like meat loaf, this probably won't change your mind, but if you do like meat loaf, I thought this was a really good version of one. This is a recipe from Hunt's and from doing a quick Google search, I think it's a popular meat loaf recipe. According to the cookbook, it was one of Hunt's most requested recipes.

I cooked it on Sunday night and Monday when I got home from work, I sliced it and grilled it on my Griddler. That's my favorite way to cook meat loaf and it's fast too (faster than heating up a whole meat loaf in the oven and tastier than nuking it). I wish I had made two and frozen one. I'm definitely going to make this again.

Many recipes in this cookbook say that they were the most requested from consumers. I wonder how many requests for recipes companies actually received. Before the internet, I think a lot of people went to companies for recipes. I've acquired loads of small recipe booklets that companies would send out at the consumer's request. Usually there was an address on the package or in a magazine - now there's a web address. I wonder if companies are still producing these recipe booklets. Hmmm. I'm going to have to look into that.

Question of the Day: Have you ever requested a recipe or recipe booklet from a company? I don't think I ever have. My cookbook guy occasionally sold me boxes of recipes clippings, small recipe booklets, etc that he would get along with the cookbook lots he bought at auction. I can tell from this evidence that some women made a major hobby out of it.

Back to the bread machine--Whole-Wheat Oat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Whole-Wheat Oat Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Great Bread Machine Recipes Copyright 1992

1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoons gluten (optional)I used this
1 ½ teaspoons dough enhancer (optional) I didn't use this
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons olive oil I used canola oil
4 teaspoons honey
5 ½ ounces warm water
½ cup raisins I used golden raisins

Add ingredients per your bread machines instructions.

Makes 1 1-lb loaf
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I've been meaning to make a loaf of bread for weeks now but I kept putting it off. I don't know why - it doesn't get much easier than making bread in a bread machine. I usually get on a tangent with the bread machine. There are so many bread recipes I want to try. I should aim to make one each week.

This was not as sweet as most commercial raisin breads but that's a good thing - who needs extra sugar? There was plenty of sweetness coming from the raisins. My loaf was slightly on the dense side but that was probably partly the fault of my yeast which is starting to get old. It is all whole-wheat flour though which makes a denser loaf of bread. I find the added gluten really helps the texture.

This makes a lovely quick breakfast, toasted and spread with some light butter.

Since my bread machine makes 1-lb loaves, those are the measurements I've given here. If anyone wants the measurements for the 1 1/2-lb loaf, let me know.

Question of the Day: What types of bread do you usually have on hand? I buy whole-wheat sandwich rolls for my husband and son for their lunch (whatever brand is cheapest). I usually have Lite-35 bread for myself.

Something amiss--Fudge Frosted Brownies

Fudge Frosted Brownies
Taste of Home Contest-Winning Desserts Copyright 2008

1 cup butter plus 3 tablespoons butter, cubed
¾ cup baking cocoa
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/ 2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ to 1/3 cup milk

In a saucepan, melt butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in cocoa; cool. In a large mixing bowl, beat and sugar, until blended. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in vanilla and the cooled chocolate mixture until well blended.

Spread into a greased 13x9-inchx2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack.
For frosting, in a large mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners’s sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa and vanilla. Add enough milk until the frosting achieves spreading consistency. Spread over the brownies. Cut into bars.
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This recipe was in the same booklet as the Glazed Chocolate Chip Brownies I've made to great acclaim a couple of times recently. I wasn't as crazy about this recipe and I thought it was because it had too much cocoa but now I see that it has the same amount as the other brownies. It may be that this recipe has too much salt. There was a bit of an aftertaste that I thought was the cocoa but not I think it might be the salt. Or it could be the baking powder I'm tasting (I always use aluminum-free). I'm not sure what it is but there is something that catches my tastebuds when I eat these.

I loved the texture so it's a shame. I think the ideal combination might be the brownie from the Glazed Chocolate Chip Brownie recipe and the frosting from this recipe. I like the glaze on the other recipe but I think this frosting might be a bit better.

Let me say that I haven't heard anyone else complain about these brownies. They certainly aren't bad and I promise to continue taste-testing them until they're gone.

Question of the Day: What brand of cocoa powder do you use? I always use Hershey's. I wish I could get Ghiardelli's but I haven't found that anywhere in my area.

Autumn is on the way

I can't believe these Maple Walnut Cupcakes are from two years ago. I can't believe that fall is almost here. I love fall, I really do. Unfortunately winter comes after fall and since I now have to operate a vehicle during that season, I can no longer enjoy it. That is one thing I miss about living in the city - not having to worry about road conditions.

Hopefully I will have something new to post about next week. I can't promise anything exciting but I'm at least going to try to make a couple of new recipes to share with you. I woke up today thinking 'TGIF!' but then I realized that I don't really get a break on the weekend - I need to spend it getting ready for next week. Oh well, it gets easier. Eventually.