Apple Sauce Nut Bread

Thank you all for the comments and kind words, I really feel the love and I am eager to know the humans behind all of Joe and Tanner's dog blog buddies.

This recipe is so easy and inexpensive. The picky SO has yet to have a piece, I think his taste buds are broken. Maybe if I poured hot sauce on it first...

Lets begin!



we have the recipe, I cut off the end, the cooking temperature is 350 degrees. Blogger resizes my photos so I will have to be cognizant of that going forward with my picture taking to be sure to get the whole recipe in here.




You start with your 2 cups of flour. I don't have a fancy flour sifter, but this wire strainer deal works just fine.


Add in your sugar. I might experiment with some brown sugar next time I make this.


The baking brothers. I always have to hide baking soda in the kitchen because the SO loves to pour it down the drains to eliminate odors. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it that he does this, but when you go to bake and all your soda is gone it can be frustrating.


Freshly grated nutmeg is so so much better than the powdered stuff. Also, it can be used as a threat against the SO that if he pours that last box of soda in the sink he might find a whole lot of nutmeg in his tea. (extreme amounts of nutmeg is poisonous if you did not know, so obviously that is a joke)


The recipe calls for walnuts. I don't really like walnuts so I used brazil nuts. I also don't like chopping nuts so into the quick chopper they go! If you like to cook but don't have very good knife skills or just don't have the time to cut manually these little things are GREAT!


viola!

Once you combine all those dry ingredients you have to get to work on the wet stuff.


The egg is about to be beaten!


The star of the show. When I was growing up, my older sister used to dip ALL of her food in applesauce. I am not kidding, steak, spaghetti, mac n' cheese, etc. Thank goodness she outgrew this but I can't look at applesauce and not think of her.




The wet stuff goes on the dry stuff and stir stir stir!


The recipe said to POUR the mixed concoction in the pan, but there is no pouring here, this was scooping and smushing with my spoon.


Into the oven you go!


See you in 50 minutes


It turned out golden brown and delicious looking (and smelling). Let it sit on your counter for about a half an our and then turn the pan over onto a plate and your loaf is served!


A little bit of butter and perfection!!! I like to eat this for breakfast. I slice off a piece and nuke it for about 30 seconds and it is good to go!

Cooking inspirations

I put the first post up just as a test to see if I like the format and style, I need to do some tweaking but I am happy with how it looks so far. Any feedback would be appreciated. I planned to officially announce the site on January 1 but due to a lack of paying attention on my part I sort of leaked the blog. I thank you guys for the encouragement.

I really love to cook and in the past 5 years or so I got more into food thanks to the Food Network. I don't watch much TV but when I do it is usually food related programs. While this is what recently got me more into food, the original inspiration was my parents. My Dad was an adventurous eater as he was in the Air Force and got to travel the world trying new foods. My Mom was more of a traditional comfort food kind of cook. She passed away when I was 6 but I still have her only cookbook that most of the recipes in my house came from. (my grandma had a strange penchant for all things Bisquick but I won't get into that now)

So I promise the future blog posts will be food and cooking steps, even some of my mundane thrown together quick meals will be documented, but for now I'd like to share my Mom's cookbook with you all.






This is a regional thing that never fails to crack me up. In Western PA one does not eat hamburger, you eat Hamburg. Yes, a little bit of Germany in your recipes.


This is another older term that Tom (the picky Significant Other) was baffled by, Oleo. Oleo is what margarine was referred to when I was growing up.


There are some hand written recipes from my Mom which are special to me. You would think I would be rushing to make this to relive this childhood memory, but that childhood dish is firmly planted in my memory as tasting like paste and creating a cement like starch ball in my mouth and gut. Still, this was better than my grandma's Bisquick creations any day.


This dish I do remember eating a lot of and adoring. This is pure comfort food to me and I still get cravings for it.

I will be doing a recipe from this cookbook coming up soon so I look forward to sharing that with you!

I dine alone...

Today I made chicken with Moroccan flavors, from Cuisine at Home magazine.


Here is the magazine, I really recommend it! It has great tips and solid recipes.


Your ingredient list!


And the steps to make it.


Here are your spices, left to right: salt, cayenne, coriander, paprika, cumin, and cinnamon.


Rub this on the outside of the chicken. Wash hands to let the dogs out.


Throw the chicken in a pan with some Olive Oil on medium.


Dice your onions and garlic. The recipe said 1 tablespoon, mine was a heaping tbs because I LOVE GARLIC! Let the dogs in.


Flip the chicken and note for a second it doesn't look dark enough.


Take it out because the recipe said 10 minutes, dangit!* Let the dogs out.


Toss in the onions.


Grab some cheap ass wine and some tomato paste.


Deglaze. Let the dogs in.


Put the new wine stopper that Butler and Amy bought you into your 3 buck chuck.


oooh and aaaah at how pretty it is.


Throw everything else in the pot. Note for next time, take the sticker off the lemon first.


Put the lid on and clean up your kitchen. Give up and just leave the back door open for the dogs.


Serve it up with some iced tea.


Enjoy!

I really liked this. I was hesitant with the cinnamon and lemon but the flavors went together sooo well. I think maybe next time I would use a little bit less lemon, but other than that it is light and delicious. Eating the chicken right on the bone like that is a little time consuming but its good for me to be forced to slow down, I tend to eat fast. I will make this again!

*next time saute chicken longer!!