Brynn's Specialty OR Paper Bag Apple Pie

My sister Brynn is an excellent baker.  Her confection of choice?  Pie.  

 She has perfected the crust making, made the fillings the most delicious and bakes them golden brown.  I have her recipes, but I somehow cannot replicate the perfection that she achieves.  Brynn always makes the pies for Thanksgiving and this year was no different.  I enjoyed a slice of each kind, topped with soft whipped cream.  It was Thanksgiving, after all.  Many different pies have been perfected by her- but the apple is always one of my favorites.

 

I happened to have a few apples left from my produce basket last week and decided that a pie was in order.  One pie that I have got down pat is our family's Paper Bag Apple Pie.  A yummage pat-in-the-pan crust, simple apple filling and a crumble topping- then baked in a paper bag!  You really should let it cool before slicing, but I can never wait.  The girls and I cut a generous slice to share with a cold glass of milk.  Hot apple pie on a cold afternoon- could life get any better?

PAPER BAG APPLE PIE

Crust:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 Tbs. milk

Combine: pat into pie plate.

Filling:
5 cups sliced apples
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together; pour into crust.

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chilled butter

Mix until crumbly; sprinkle over the top.
Place the pie in a brown paper bag and close with paper clips.  I like to put mine on a baking sheet for transferring into the oven.  Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350.

i know for sure it's fall OR applesauce

This is what my kitchen looked like this weekend:

Awesome, right?

I know it's fall when my house smells like sweet apples and cinnamon.  My kids and I went to our kind neighbors house and picked and picked and picked apples this week.  The snappy fall air and the bright colored apples got me thinking of all my favorite apple treats.  Applesauce is high on the list.  It's always been a hit at our house, and my girls love to have it warm as a fall afternoon snack.  This is a simple recipe that can be easily doubled.

Enjoy a few of my favorite apple recipes this week!

Bryttin's Easy Applesauce

8-10 apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1 cup water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tb. cinnamon

Place all ingredients into a large pot set on medium high heat.  Stir well to combine and stir every few minutes.  Let apples soften completely, about 10 minutes.  Using your immersion stick blender, blend smooth.  (Don't have one?  Ladle into your blender and blend in batches- making sure to vent the lid.  Or just mash with a potato masher for chunky sauce.)  Eat warm!  Or ladle into jars to can or store in the fridge.

a classic OR spiced zucchini bread

I think quick breads are the Little Women of baking. 
They are just classics.
Banana bread and applesauce bread are two of our favorites.  And this time of year, we slip into this delicious fall Spiced Zucchini Bread.  I love the smell of the cinnamon, cloves and allspice warming my kitchen as this bread bakes.  The flecks of green look lovely in this sweet bread.  Bonus:  it freezes beautifully. 

I let it cool completely then wrap it in plastic and then foil.  Don't forget to label!  There is nothing better than pulling out a loaf of this yummage bread in mid-February and enjoying it warm, slathered in butter.  Make a few extra loaves this fall!




Spiced Zucchini Bread
from Bryttin
makes 2 loaves

3 cups shredded zucchini
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
4 large eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tb. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

- Heat oven to 350.  Grease the bottom of two loaf pans.
- Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl until smooth.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Add nuts, if using.
- Divide batter into pans and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Loosen sides and turn out loaves to cool completely before freezing.  Otherwise, slice and eat warm!

chocolate cake for breakfast! OR the best chocolate zucchini bread

Growing up, my siblings and I loved listening to Bill Cosby's standup routines on tape. 
One of our favorite bits he did was the "dad lets us eat chocolate cake for breakfast".  He tells how his kids begged for chocolate cake for breakfast.  As he thought through the ingredient list: 
Milk!  Health food!
Flour!  Health food!
Eggs!  Healthy!
So he sliced off a piece for each of his kids and watched their happy faces as they ate chocolate cake for breakfast.  "Dad is great....gives us the chocolate cake" the kids sang. 

This is that cake. 
I like to call it "bread" so we can eat it just about anytime!
It's moist, chocolatey and super yummage. 
And healthy!  That's right. 
Just look at the ingredient list: 
Flour!  Healthy!
Eggs!  Health food!
Zucchini!  Vegetable!

We eat this warm for breakfast and also for dessert with a dollop of whipped cream.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread {makes 2 loaves}
Recipe by Our Best Bites

2 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips
optional: zest from one orange
Topping:
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside. Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.
Gently stir in the grated zucchini (and zest if you’re using).Take a spoonful of the flour mixture and stir in with the chocolate chips (that will help keep them evenly distributed.)Add the remaining flour mixture to the batter and stir just until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.
Divide the batter between the two pans. and sprinkle topping over each. Place pans on a cookie sheet for easy moving.  Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. I set my timer for 45 minutes and then keep an eye on it for the remainder. Ya never know how different ovens handle things.
When it’s done a toothpick or skewer should come out without goopy batter on it and the top will be gorgeous and cracked with sugar.  Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pans.

storing up for the winter OR zucchini bread

It seems to happen every year. 

That big green veggie comes into my kitchen by the armful.  Friendly neighbors sharing their garden's bounty with me.  I love squash, especially zucchini.  But September seems to overload my system.  That's why shredding it up and making a few breads to stick in the freezer always seems to happen at the time of year, too.  I'll be sharing a few of my favorite zucchini bread recipes over the next few days.

My preschooler helped me shred big green chunks of squash on the box grater as we listened to music and danced in the kitchen.  She's getting so big.  I sometimes wish I could just freeze her at this age right along with my zucchini bread!  We made a double batch of everything and still had squash leftover.  Looks like another baking/dancing day is in order at my house. 

I found this delicious cornbread on Pinterest and have ended up loving this blog, Mostly Foodstuffs.  She has lots of yummage recipes- check it out!


Brown Butter Zucchini Cornbread

from Bon Appetit, via Epicurious
yields 1 loaf

1 good-sized zucchini (about 12 ounces)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or just use additional flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup medium-grind cornmeal (standard cornmeal would work fine)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing pan
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar, plus additional coarse sugar for sanding the top

Preheat your to 350° Fahrenheit. Butter and flour a loaf pan, and set aside.

Trim the ends off the zucchini, and slice a half-dozen whisper-thin slices off to reserve as garnish. Grate the remaining zucchini on the coarse holes of a grater, then set aside in a colander to drain while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornmeal. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until butter solids at bottom of pan turn golden brown, about 3 minutes, then pour out into a medium bowl. Let cool slightly, then pour in the buttermilk, whisking to help cool the butter and take the chill off the buttermilk. Add the eggs and sugar, and whisk well to combine. Give the zucchini a quick press in the colander to release any liquid, and stir into the bowl as well.

Gently fold the dry mixture into the zucchini mixture, stirring until *just* combined (the mixture will be quite thick). Pour into your prepared pan, and smooth the top. Gently lay the reserved zucchini slices in a row down the top, then sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. Bake until golden and a tester comes out clean, ~45 minutes to an hour. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool fully before slicing.

it's hot outside OR simple slowcooker supper

It's summer and man, it's HOT!

I never love turning on my oven, or even my stovetop in the heat.  We do grill quite a bit out on the deck, but sometimes it's nice to have everything done right inside my cool, air-conditioned kitchen!  So as a quick dinner we have slow cooker meals quite often in the summer.  This is one of our favorites and an easy one to add to your dinner rotation.

Slow Cooker Pineapple Pulled Pork

1 large package country-style boneless pork ribs
1/2 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 can of pineapple tidbits


Combine in your slow cooker on Low 6-8 hours.  Shred with a fork, when tender, and serve on slider buns with a slice of pineapple on top.  To make this truly decadent, we grill pineapple spears to go along side with a mound of coleslaw- yummage!

do oranges last in the fridge? OR how to store produce

My good friend Brandon is a produce man. 

Really.

He works in produce for a living.  Started off in a grocery store and has worked his way up to a major food company produce buyer.  So when Brandon starts talking produce, I listen.

Sometimes it's an offhand remark when he open's my fridge, "You know putting citrus in here will make it mealy."  Or a funny story about debunking an old wives tale on how to choose watermelon.  (For the record, don't look for bee stings.  There are no kamakazi bees dying for the sake of ripe melon.)  Often it's when we are both in the kitchen, while our spouses sit on the barstools keeping us company while we cook.  He mentions how to care for avocados or the best way to keep lettuce crisp.  Since I have bought a share of a farm this summer (my local CSA!), I am flush with produce.  I love seeing the new and sometimes unusual items in my box each week.  And I'm glad I have Brandon to tell me how to store, wash and cook most of it!

I found this handy graphic at DrKehres.com and posted it on my fridge as a reminder.