Apple Fritter Bread

It's that time of year again.....apple picking time! Yesterday the whole family headed on over to the orchard to pick apples (we even picked Honey Crisp!!!) on a beautiful early autumn day. We went a bit crazy (I blame my apple-lovin'-husband for this) and bought three pecks (roughly 30 pounds)!!!! SOOOOOOO........I've already made three of these apple fritter breads and I have my dehydrator filled to the brim with apple slices at this very moment. What's next? I'm thinking at least a couple pies, lots of juicing and I think this is the year I will finally make some apple butter! But first, here is the recipe for this glorious bread.....the recipe comes from Rumbly in my Tumbly.

Now go pick some apples and get baking!!!

Bread:

1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
*1 apple, grated <this is my own addition - I think it adds moisture to the bread. I did not peel>
1 apple, peeled and chopped, mixed with 1 T granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon <I actually minced my apple- I like little tiny pieces>
 
Glaze:
1 cup of powdered sugar + 1-3 tablespoons of milk or cream, mixed together to a drizzling consistency

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

Mix brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat white sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated; add vanilla extract.

Combine flour and baking powder together in a bowl; stir into creamed butter mixture. Mix milk into batter until smooth. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half the minced cinnamon sugar apples and half the brown sugar mixture. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter. Pour the remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and brown sugar mixture. Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a finger or spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes <PLEASE note that I checked my bread at 40 minutes and it was in no way finished....I ended up baking it for 53 minutes and it was perfect!!>

Let cool for about 15 minutes before drizzling with glaze.  Then, enjoy!

Honey Bear Snack Mix

My daughter and I whipped up this fun little snack this afternoon all the while singing "Teddy Bear's Picnic" as we mixed and stirred. This easy to make mix will be a great after school snack for her two brothers who always get off the bus starving and begging for food!!

**If you have a nut allergy in the home, you can always substitute something else for the peanuts, like pretzels or just omit them all together! 

4 cups of popcorn (I used air-popped. If you don't have an air-popper #1. You should get one <microwave popcorn is not good for you> and #2 Use popcorn that has little to no seasoning as you will be adding butter and spices to the popcorn!)

2 cups plain Cheerios

1 cup Teddy Grahams

1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts (optional)

1 cup mini marshmallows

2 Tbl honey

3 Tbl butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 300F

Mix the popcorn, Cheerios & Teddy Grahams in a large bowl. Place honey, butter, salt & cinnamon in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for one minute. Remove from microwave and stir until butter is melted and all the ingredients are smooth and combined. Pour over the popcorn, Cheerios & Teddy Grahams and toss to coat evenly.

Pour coated mixture on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Give the mixture a nice little stir. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to cool. Then add the peanuts and the marshmallows. Let your little honey bears enjoy this sweet snack!!

Indoor S'mores

OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!! I cannot, cannot, cannot express how easy, fancy-smancy looking and completely DELICIOUS these Indoor S'mores are! My kids went bonkers over these! I am super excited to share this Melissa d'Arabian recipe with you, my s'mores-loving readers. Click on this link to the Food Network website to watch a simple, step-by-step video of Melissa making these treats.

Graham Cracker Crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 5 whole graham crackers) <I used pre-crushed graham crackers>
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar <I omitted the sugar>
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkle of salt
4 scoops vanilla ice cream <I used chocolate ice cream>
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Quick Chocolate Sauce:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions

For the graham cracker crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt together in a bowl. Firmly press the crust into muffin tins to make individual crusts <I used the back of a spoon>. 

 

Top each crust with a scoop of vanilla ice cream <I used chocolate>. 

Press the mini marshmallows into the ice cream, covering the scoop completely. You will have 4 s'more "domes" <I got five!!!>. Freeze at least 1 hour.

For the quick chocolate sauce: Immediately before serving, heat the broiler to low. Toss the chocolate chips with the milk in a ramekin or small bowl and microwave 30 seconds, stir until smooth and set aside. Place the s'more domes under the broiler until marshmallows brown, about 30 seconds <mine took closer to 50 seconds>. Watch them constantly as they burn easily. 

Place each s'more on a plate and drizzle with the chocolate sauce.

Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This simple side dish was simple to make and tasted great; definitely a flavorful way to eat your greens!

2 heads of broccoli, rinsed and cut into large florets
3 Tbl oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (I buy the kind that is already julienned; this saves time and is a lot less messy)
2 Tbl sun-dried tomato oil
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
light sprinkling of fresh Parm (optional)

Fill a large cooking pot with a few inches of water and fit with a steaming basket. Once water is boiling, place the broccoli in the basket and cover with a tight fitting lid. I like my broccoli just barely steamed, so, I only steam it for 5 or 6 minutes. Check it at this time and if you want it cooked more, continue steaming until your desired tenderness.

Remove broccoli from the pan and place in a mixing bowl. Toss broccoli with sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried tomato oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle lightly with fresh Parm, if desired.  Serve and enjoy!

S'more Cookies

This Cuisine at Home recipe was very tasty!!! I'm a huge lover of all things "s'mores" (which includes marshmallows, chocolate, marshmallows, graham crackers and marshmallows)! The kids were all over these cookies!!! They helped me from start to finish (including eating their fair share). I love it when my kids get excited about baking. I will definitely be making these again. Enjoy!

1 cup all-purpose four
3/4 cup fine graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
24 large marshmallows, halved horizontally
48 Hershey's chocolate bar pieces (4 bars)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt.

In large mixing bowl, use mixer to cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Combine flour and butter mixture and mix until well incorporated. Use a tablespoon to scoop out dough onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake cookies 6 minutes. Top each with a marshmallow half and bake until golden brown, about 4 more minutes.

Remove cookies from oven and gently press chocolate piece on top. Let cool 10 minutes before transferring them to a platter (or shoving them in your mouth....I'm just sayin'!).