Secret Recipe Club--Apple Cinnamon Bread

(Can't you just imagine some chopped pecans on the top of this as well? I know I can)

I've made a lot of quick breads--banana, pumpkin, chocolate. I love them all, but this month for the Secret Recipe Club I realized that I had a gaping hole in my repertoire--Apple Cinnamon Bread. I realized this as I was scrolling through Renee's Kitchen Adventures. There it was--a recipe for a quick bread with cinnamon and apples, and that little light went off--the little light that says, "You really need this in your life." I mean, it's fall--it's time to give the people what they want. And the people want delicious comforting sweet (but not too sweet) bread that has grated apple and cinnamon and nutmeg. At least that is what the people want if they live in this house.

I loved so much about this bread. It's definitely on the healthy-ish side. It has fruit, yogurt, the potential for whole wheat. Also, there's not a truck load of sugar in it, which I appreciated. Though perhaps I should warn you that if you're used to intensely sweet quick breads, this one is only mildly sweet, so be prepared for that or jack up the sugar if that's your thing. I'm not here to judge--only to encourage you to get your autumn on and make this bread.

Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread
adapted from Renee's Kitchen Adventures
Makes 1 loaf
prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Cost: $1.90
flour: .30, sugar: .15, apples: .70, eggs: .20, yogurt: .35, oil: .05, spices: .15

2 C all purpose flour (I think it would be amazing with 1 1/2 C all purpose and 1/2 C whole wheat, but we were out of whole wheat)
1/2 C brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutment
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt (I just used regular salt whatever that is)
2 C grated apples (peels and cores removed--this is about 2 apples)
2 eggs
3/4 C plain Greek yogurt
1/4 C canola oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar for topping, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with spray. Renee used a 9x5x3 inch pan. I used the size down, which is 7x3xsomethingorother--still a large loaf pan, not a mini, but not as large as Renee's.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine apples, eggs, yogurt, canola oil, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Don't over mix. And you really just need a spoon--no beaters or mixer required.

Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with rubinado sugar if you want (this was a hit with my kids. Bake for one hour (mine was done and perfect at EXACTLY one hour, but you should test it with a toothpick--or fork for the unrefined--to be sure there's no uncooked batter lurking in the middle). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then remove to cool completely.

This is even better and more apple-y the next day, but that didn't stop my kids from porking out on it soon after it came out of the oven on the first day.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

An InLinkz Link-up

Pork Chop Potato Bake

Who's ready for some dumb easy comfort food (with the worst pictures I've taken in a long time--ugh--I'm blaming early darkness). The problem with comfort food, as we discussed in my last post, is that it sometimes takes forever to make and you feel like it's Thanksgiving when it's not Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving's great and all, but not on any old Monday.

I never ever made scalloped potatoes. I love them, but I seriously haven't made them in years. I just don't have the time for side dishes that take longer to prepare than anything else. This little beauty of a recipe brought them back into my life. It's still not a 15-minute throw together (well, it kind of is, but you're going to tack on a long cook time), but it's beauty is that you make the meat and potatoes together. You've only got 15-20 minutes hands on time, and then a low, slow bake. In fact, I'd wager this would work in the crock pot wonderfully.

Pork Chop Potato Bake
adapted from And a Sprinkle of Love
serves 4
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour (to 2 1/2 hours depending on the oven temp you go with)
Cost: $6.85
pork chops: 5.00, potatoes: 1.00, onion: .10, milk: .15, butter: .20, broth: .40

4 pork chops
1 onion (I subbed in onion powder since I knew my husband would hate the onion--about 1/2Tbsp)
6 medium potatoes
4 T butter
4 T flour
2 C chicken broth
1 C milk or half and half
cheese, optional
salt and pepper

First heat a bit of oil in a pan. Then salt and pepper your pork chops and brown them on each side.

While they're browning, slice your onion, then peel your potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch slices.

When the chops are browned, but not cooked through, remove them from heat. Add the onions to the drippings. If there are no drippings add a bit more oil. Cook the onions and finish cutting your potatoes.

Remove the onions from the pan and put them with the pork chops.

Add the butter to the pan. Then whisk in the four. When it's nice and pasty, add the chicken broth and the milk and whisk, cooking until it's thickened. Add the onions back in and stir.

Here's the magical part: Lay your potatoes in a well-greased 9x13 inch pan. They can overlap and be wonky--that's fine. Just get them all in there in a mildly evenish manner. Than pour the sauce over the top. At this point you can add some grated cheese if you like, but you don't have to. Now put your pork chops on top.

Cover with foil and bake for 65-75 minutes at 350 degrees. OR for 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees. I went for the low and slow option and this came out so flavorful and melt-in-your-mouthy, it was amazing.

Just sit there or play or read or sleep or whatever. And then at dinner time you eat.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Baked Meatball Parmigiana

 We're comfort-fooding it up all over the place around here. While still keeping it simple. Because I think we all love comfort food if, you know, your grandma makes it. But then when you have to hang out for four hours while the roast cooks and dice 800 potatoes and shred two pounds of cheese and simmer down the sauce until it's a nice balsamic glaze and then get everything onto the table at just the right moment so nothing gets cold--well then fried eggs start to sound a lot better. And while there's nothing wrong with fried eggs, how about some hearty comfort food that's a little easier to pull together.

Baked meatballs are a new and glorious thing for me in general. In the past, I've always stood by the oven, rolling meatballs around in a skillet while the fat spit everywhere and the balls got too brown on the outside while still being a bit too pink on the inside. No more. Now that baked meatballs and I have been introduced, there's no turning back. They're so much easier and neater, juicier, and more evenly cooked.

This dish builds on the beauty of baked meatballs and adds to it. All you've got to do is roll meat in to balls. It takes about 10 minutes and then you're "work" is done. You do need 45 minutes to an hour for these to cook, so plan for that. Otherwise, a pot of pasta later, you're done.

Baked Meatball Parmigiana
adapted from Hugs and Cookies
Serves 4
prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45-60 minutes
Cost: $6.50 (even with a box of pasta, this comes up to less than $2.00/serving)
beef: 3.00, bread: .05, Parm cheese: .75, eggs: .20, tomato sauce: 1.50, mozzarella: 1.00

1 lb ground beef
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 C bread crumbs (I just used one slice and put it in my little blender)
3/4 C Parmesan cheese (I used the shredded, but in this recipe the powdery stuff might work too)
2 eggs
salt to taste
36 oz. your choice tomato sauce
1-2 C mozzarella
some pasta to serve it on if you're too proud to just spoon it out of the dish and eat it

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine ground beef, garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, and salt. I squish it together with my hands like a boss (naturally). Then roll it into meatballs. Larger meatballs will have a slightly longer cook time than smaller ones. We made 14 or 15.

Put a tiny bit of olive oil on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Then add your meatballs.

Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Then add sauce, stir around the meatballs to coat and cook for another 15 minutes or so. (Note: Around this point, you want to start boiling your pasta water, so your pasta will be ready in time.)

Then throw on the cheese and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Cut one open to check for meatballs doneness and, uh, while you're at it you better taste it to make sure it's okay and stuff.

Serve over pasta or with bread.

PRINTABLE RECIPE