Low Fat Pumpkin Bread

As sure as leaves fall on the ground during the fall season in Minnesota, the food blogs are full of recipes using pumpkin.  And who can blame them?  I mean - there's something about the warm scents of cinnamon and nutmeg that scream it's time to break out the jeans and sweaters.  And to enjoy the 50 and 60 degree temperatures, because you can pack up all of your shorts and poof!  Eighty degree weather will return for a week in the region.  That, and experience cautions me that we could very well see snow by Halloween.  Because that's Minnesota.

So to celebrate the season, I made this bread from Gina at Skinnytaste, but because I'm contrary and because I keep f-ing up bread recipes, I decided to put it in a Bundt cake pan.  And it is gooood .... it's not *as* good as some of your more traditional pumpkin breads that get some incredible moisture from an asston of vegetable oil, but the pumpkin puree does the trick.

Here are the changes I made:  Bundt pan instead of bread pan; omitted the pepitas, used Penzey's Baking Spice instead of pumpkin pie spice and sprinkled with some powdered sugar for the final product. 

If you decide to bake in a Bundt pan, cut the cooking time down to about 40-45 minutes.

This is actually the second pumpkin bread that I made this season ... the earlier one was from Rebecca at Ezra Pound Cake.  And while this one was good, the streusel decided to go rogue and dropped through the bottom of the bread.  I have no clue what I did.  But my neighbor Bonnie and my husband Ryan (and his D&D friends) did not really seem to care, so this was still a winner.

Spice Bread

Now, the technical name of this recipe, as concocted by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks is "Brown Butter Spice Bread."  And trust me ... the brown butter spice bread?  It is good.  It is very good.  It is so good that I was thankful when Ryan INHALED 3/4 of the loaf after it was made, because if he wouldn't have done it.  I would have.  The bread is good. 

But I'm trying to be a good girl.  There's a Biggest Loser challenge going on at work and I mean to help my team - the Zebra Hot Cakes - go for the gold and beat all of the pesky men at my workplace who can just give up drinking beer and lose 30 pounds in one week.  (OK, so maybe they didn't lose that much weight in one week, but combined - they probably did.  Because men lose weight easier than women do and that is just a travesty.  Now I'm off my soap box.)

So I took Heidi's original recipe and I used all of the things that I've ever learned about healthy baking and I applied it to this recipe.  And the end result?  Maybe not as decadent as Ms. Swanson's original offering, but still a pretty decent treat to make every once in awhile.

You may find the original recipe here.  And the picture down below is from that decadent loaf known as Brown Butter Spice Bread.  Since my bastardized recipe did not have brown butter (or any butter for that matter), we're just going to call it Spice Bread and call it good.

This is the last fourth of the original loaf that I made.  Then ... it was gone.

Spice Bread
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour **
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala (Acc'd to original recipe, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice if you do not have garam masala.)
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup fine grain natural cane sugar or muscovado sugar ***
2 large eggs
1/4 cup well-pureed roasted winter squash
1/4 cup pureed ripe banana
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dried fruit (I used Trader Joe's Super Cranberry Pomegranate blend)
1/3 cup lightly toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a a 1-lb loaf pan with baking spray.  Sift t into a large bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl whisk the sugar, eggs, squash/banana, and milk. Whisk in the applesauce.   Sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, garam masala, and sea salt.  Stir until just combined.  Fold in most of the almonds and the dried fruit.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle with 1 tablespoons of sugar and remaining almonds, and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the edges have browned and the center of the cake is well set.


*~*~*~*~*~*~

Several notes and some commentary:  I used a butternut squash that I peeled and seeded.  Cutting it into chunks, I roasted the squash in a 400 degree oven until they were cooked and tender.  It was a real bitch getting the squash as smooth as I wanted it to be for this recipe ... it was a process that was made easier by adding the banana and the milk to the squash and using my (brand-new!) hand blender to puree it. 

And now ... my asterisks.



** The original recipe called for 1 1/2 c. of whole wheat pastry flour.  I have had some leftover buckwheat flour that I've been meaning to use up forever.  In fact, it came from this recipe from 101 Cookbooks.  AMAZING.

*** Are you saying "what the hell is fine grain natural cane or muscovado sugar?"  That's OK, because I have moments like that too.  What I ended up doing, because I'm kind of into making as big of a mess as possible in my kitchen, is that I used my C&H Washed Raw Sugar and I put it in my coffee bean grinder and blitzed it until it was super-fine.  If you want to go this nerdy route, just make sure that you wipe out the coffee residue from your grinder before attempting.  And then wipe it out again when you're ready to make coffee. 

Apple Cheddar Scones (and some fall scenery pics)

Sometimes, I don't need words.

 

The pictures above were taken at the Sekapp Orchard in Rochester, Minnesota. What the pictures don't show you are the multitude of parents and their adorable children who were out that Saturday morning picking out the perfect pumpkin to carve.

And since I'm now obsessed with all things apple and because I wanted to make something delicious for Sunday morning snacking (this was after staying up until 2 a.m. getting anihilated by my husband's mad Dr. Mario skills.  You'd think that after winning only one of six games that I'd give up, but no ... I'm plotting next weekend's revenge.), I made these Apple Cheddar Scones that were created by Dorie Greenspan and featured in her book "Baking: From My Home to Yours."

The picture is a little bit of false advertising because they actually use dried apples instead of fresh, but that only makes this recipe perfect for year round.

Just a couple of warnings ... this is one hella-messy recipe, but is well worth it.  Also, when I originally made these, I wasn't sure how much they would spread in the pan (they do, so separate them a bit) and I'd also use some parchment paper on the baking sheet.
 

Olive Foccacia

OK, so now I'm getting a little cocky.  But given my ability to bake with yeast and needing to bring something to nosh for a recent get together with friends, I decided to try this recipe from The Pioneer Woman:  Olive Foccacia.

I taste better than I look.

Here's the deal - I don't care if you're afraid to bake with yeast like I am, it is time to get over the fear and make this.  Now.


What's even better about this is that the recipe is basically pizza dough that's studded with olives.  So now you have a double-duty recipe that can be made into pizza crust or modified into a kick ass appetizer.

Thank you, Pioneer Woman.

Milk Bread

It took a couple of absolute fails and while I'm far from actually being excellent, I'm slowly getting over my fear of baking with yeast.

Oh yes, my friends - I am finally baking real bread.

The first recipe that I tried was one from King Arthur Flour.  It said it was foolproof and included potato flakes, but this fool could not master the recipe and I produced something that looked like one of the paver stones from my garden.  My husband gamely tried it and nearly broke a tooth.  We didn't eat the rest of that loaf.

Then I was trolling the interwebs and I found this recipe from Fork Spoon Knife.  It's called Milk Bread and it has flour, milk, sugar, salt, oil (I used olive) and yeast.  It's not the sexiest loaf of bread out there, but it has provided me with some training wheels.  It's really good fresh out of the oven with some salted butter and it provided a really decent base for Giada's Crack Cheese Garlic Bread.

But most importantly?  I'm finally baking bread!

#GreatHallowTweet: Pumpkin Beer Quick Bread

I wasn't too surprised when I saw my husband cringe as I pulled down a can of pure pumpkin for this recipe.  You see, the poor man suffered for a week of insanity last fall when I decided to devote a week's worth of recipes to utilizing canned pumpkin.  And although I'm a little sad that he has yet to try this recipe, really I'm not too bummed out because this quick bread is so good, I have ate every single muffin that I made using this awesome batter which utilizes not only canned pumpkin - but beer as well.  And hell - it's from Cooking Light so how bad can it be?  (Unless you eat a loaf in its entirety ...)

Pumpkin Beer Quick Bread
adapted from Cooking Light

Yield: 2 loaves, 14 servings per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)
Ingredients

    3 1/4 c. all-purpose flour (about 3 1/4 cups)
    2 tsp salt
    2 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp ground cinnamon
    1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
    1/2 cup water
    1/3 cup ground flaxseed
    2 1/2 cups sugar
    2/3 cup canola oil
    2/3 cup beer (at room temperature)**
    1/2 cup egg substitute
    2 large eggs
    1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and next 4 ingredients (through pumpkin pie spice) in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.  Combine 1/2 cup water and flaxseed.  Place sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add flaxseed mixture and pumpkin; beat at low speed just until blended. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Divide batter between 2 (9 x 5–inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

** The Cooking Light recipe called for honey beer - I didn't have any, so I used a chocolate-y stout and wow ... awesome.  Also I made one loaf and used the rest for muffins.  Decrease the cooking time for the muffins to about 40 minutes.

If you decide to make two loafs, you may wrap the other one in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two months.

#GreatHallowTweet: Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Yup - I know what you're thinking ... what does lemon poppy seed bread have to do with Halloween?

Well, quite like how my great-grandma Schlitter messed with convention and handed out gingerbread men to her great-grandkids instead of Snickers bars, my great-grandma Ewing (her name was Florence ...) handed out loaves of lemon poppy seed and reminded all of us to check the deep freeze before we left and make sure we took some freezer jam.

I loved my great-grannies.  God love them and bless 'em both for actually feeding us "good" treats that were baked with love.

Grandma Florence's Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
by Florence Ewing (and God knows how many other home cooks)

1 box lemon cake mix
1 box lemon instant pudding
1 c. hot water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 c. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine the cake mix, oil and eggs, mixing until combined.  Then add the pudding and the hot water.  Mix until well incorporated.  Add poppy seeds.  Pour into greased loaf pans (makes two large) and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

My mama's cinnamon rolls

So my parents came up in August to stay a night and take my three youngest nephews to the Twin Cities. My folks arrived at about 6, we were at mine and hubby's favorite pizza place by about 6:30 and at around 8:30, when you would think that all of us should be in a carb coma, I decided to enlist my mom's help to make the cinnamon rolls I remember her making when I was a kid.

Don't get me wrong, you're not going to learn any family secrets in this particular post. In fact, this post goes back to the philosophy I started this blog with ... simple recipes for lazy people. But it goes to show that favorite memories don't have to involve extravagant vacations, money spent on really choice ingredients, etc. For me, all I need is some frozen bread dough, a soft stick of butter and some peanut butter and I have a little piece of paradise.

Oh - and since this is my mom's recipe, there are no measurements ... you just gotta wing it.
Mama's Cinnamon Rolls
by Mama Sharon

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed and processed according to instructions.
1 stick of butter
cinnamon
sugar
Peanut Butter Frosting
1/4 c. confectioner's sugar
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter (use chunky and I will hunt you down)
milk ... eyeball it - you're gonna want about 2 T to start with

Preheat your oven to 375-ish.

Once you get to the point where you've raised the dough, kneaded it, etc., grab a rolling pin and some flour. It's time to roll your dough out into something that resembles a rectangle. (And yes, I made my mom do this because I SUCK at using my rolling pin.) Got a large rectangular shape? Good. Now grab your soften stick of butter. Mama Sharon used salted butter, I use unsalted - I guess it really doesn't matter. Spread butter all over your rectangle of dough - not too much, not too little. You're looking for even coverage and something to bind the cinnamon and sugar to the dough. So then you can be like my mom and sprinkle the dough with sugar THEN cinnamon, or you could be a wee bit anal retentive like me and mix your cinnamon and sugar together (2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon - what you don't use in the rolls can be turned into cinnamon toast ...). Sprinkle sugar/cinnamon all over and then using the LONG side of the dough, roll the dough into a cylindrical shape. And now you will cut said cylinder into little ... rolls. And if you have a three year old like me in the house, you will give into her demands and give her the little end piece of raw bread dough in sincere hopes that she will be quiet. Put the rolls into a warm place and let them do one more rise - Mom and I were impatient on Friday night, so we didn't let them raise as much as they could have. Depending on the temperature, a half hour should do?

Bake until golden brown. While the little rolls of love are baking, grab a bowl and start mixing up the piece de resistance of this dish - the peanut butter frosting. Again, this is one of those things that you eyeball and taste until the consistency is right. While the rolls are still warm, go ahead and frost 'em.

Like I said - it's not the most glamorous dish that you're ever going to make for company, but it reminds me of my childhood and some of those happiest baking times when my mom was getting ready for the church's Fall Festival. We had a huge floor vent for our home's furnace and she'd line up her baking pans and bread pans on the vent for baking day.

I don't care how good of a cook I become - nothing tastes better than my mom's home cooking.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

One of my current favorite food blogs is Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes. She takes a whole host of different recipes and posts them with nutritional information and, if you're on the Weight Watchers program, how many points her dishes are worth. It's a great site and a great resource.

I've recently received an abundance of zucchini and this was one of the recipes that I used. Very, very good - very good for breakfast.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes

Servings: Makes 16 slices • Serving Size: 1 slice • Calories: 215 • Points: 4 pts each
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, (I used cocoa from Penzey's Spice)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted (**see note)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (1 3/4 ounces) (I omitted)
2 cups grated zucchini (1 medium)
Baking spray

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Whisk flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, applesauce, oil, vanilla and melted chocolate in another large bowl until blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in zucchini and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake the loaves 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto rack and cool completely.

A couple of notes ... **in reference to the melted unsweetened chocolate - in the future, I'm probably going to skip this step - I don't know that this really added anything to the dish and just caused one more bowl to get dirty IMHO.

Also, I made one mini loaf and a dozen cupcakes from this recipe. Like I said - this makes good breakfast food.

Big Sur Hide Bread

First up - a confession. I am scared of baking with yeast, hence I have yet to master baking bread. So when I see something that looks like bread but doesn't have yeast, I get very excited because of my fear of yeast. Yes, I know I'm ridiculous - yes, I will eventually overcome this fear, but in the meantime - I like it when I find recipes that indulge my desire to someday be a master baker without challenging my fear.

Hence - this recipe from 101 Cookbooks. Heidi Swanson recently posted this recipe for Big Sur Hide Bread, which comes from the Big Sur Bakery. And although this recipe with its multi-grained goodness trips my trigger, I could also chuck one of these buns at an intruder and give him a concussion. Definitely not for kids and only for very brave adults who possess good teeth.


Big Sur Bakery Hide Bread
from 101 Cookbooks

5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra flour for dusting
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 cups oat bran
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup amaranth, quinoa, millet, or poppy seeds (or any combo of these - I used quinoa and poppy seeds)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons beer
2 1/2 cups buttermilk, half-and-half, milk, or water
unsalted butter, softened for serving

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper if desired.

Place all the dry ingredients in an (extra-large) bowl, stir them together, and make a well in the center. Add the beer and the buttermilk. Mix with the handle of a wooden spoon until a thick, wet batter forms. Sprinkle a layer of flour over the top. Turn the batter onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a loose log about 2 inches in diameter. Cut it into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices and par them down with your hands to form patties. Place the patties on the baking sheet and bake them for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let them cook completely.

To serve, slice each patty in half, toast it well, and smear with butter. Make sure to toast it otherwise the grains will taste raw.

Makes about fifteen 4-inch patties.

Spicy Cheese Quick Bread

OK - I'm gonna give this recipe a big ol' meh. I had high hopes for something so studded with Cheddar cheese and I was kind of disappointed by the results. I'll be turning the leftovers into croutons sooner rather than later.

Spicy Cheese Quick Bread
from AllRecipes.com


1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 C. half-and-half cream
1/2 C. milk
1/3 C. vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and Cheddar cheese together in a large bowl. Whisk in half-and-half cream, milk, and vegetable just until blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Bastardized Beer Bread

I'm slowly venturing into the world of trying to make my own bread. I am intimidated by yeast, bread is full of carbs ... I can think of a million reasons why I should just chicken out and be content to buy artisan breads when company comes over and just suffer through white bread sandwiches every other day of the week (Ryan likes white bread ... can't get the boy to eat wheat ...).

Quick breads? Now that's another story ... I can handle a quick bread and have been finding some savory versions lately that have been intriguing.

This one is a mix of a couple recipes that I found ... The Peanut Butter Boy posted this whole grain beer bread version a few weeks ago, while Peanut Butter & Julie posted this one for a Sam Adams Cheddar Apple Bread.

I borrowed heavily from Peanut Butter Boy to create this. PB&J gave me the idea of what kind of add-ins I could put in this bad boy. Just one note ... don't forget the sugar. You'd be surprised how badly the bread needs it.


Bastardized Beer Bread

3 cups flour (PBB uses wheat flour or spelt ... I only had white bread and also had to throw in some Bisquick when I ran out ... sigh) 1/2 c. cheese (I used cheddar jack blend ... meh - could have been better.)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2T raw sugar 1T baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt 1 (12oz) bottle dark beer (I used 1550 Bock from the folks who brew Fat Tire)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl, making sure to lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups to avoid using too much. Whisk together all the dry ingredients.
2. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 bread pan with butter or cooking spray. Pour beer into the dry mixture and stir to with a wooden spoon. Use your hands to mix once it becomes difficult just until all ingredients are combined. Transfer dough to your bread pan and press down gently so it spreads out evenly. Bake for 1 hour. Let sit for 5 minutes in the pan.
**Note ... Honestly? I wish I would have just drank the beer. I forgot the put in the sugar ... it wasn't as good as it could have been.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bread

I found this peach of a recipe from About.com and I think this bread is going to turn into a serious addiction in my life. It's moist, it's good, it's somewhat healthy, Ryan doesn't like it and man - I just love cranberries. It also freezes well and is a good addition to a holiday brunch.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bread
from About.com

1 cup oatmeal
1-1/4 cups hot water
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/4 cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp. grated orange peel
1 egg
2-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/4 cups chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8x4" loaf pans and set aside. (FYI - I used muffin tins and one of those mini loaf pans. I put waaaay too much batter in the mini loaf pan - I probably could have made about 6 more muffins.)

In medium bowl, combine oats and hot water, stir, and let stand for 5 minutes. In large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add oat mixture, sour cream, orange peel, and egg and blend well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and mix gently. Fold in cranberries and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pans and smooth to level. In small bowl combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes until bread is golden brown and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool 5 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of the breads and remove to wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap to store.

Not the prettiest girl in the bar ...

I don't remember how old I was when I started cooking, but I do know what the first thing was that I learned to cook.

Under the careful tutelage of my saintly mother, I opened up the pages of her Betty Crocker cookbook (which will forever have a sacred place on my bookshelf) to the Quick Breads section and the recipe for tea breads.

Knowing that I was something of a scatterbrain and that it was more likely that I would forget to read the recipe for banana nut bread than actually manage to make it right the first time, Mom crossed out the directions that did not apply to banana nut bread and wrote in the measurements for the ingredients I would need to make my bread. So there you go - my first recipe. I entered it into competition at the county fair when I was in the 4-H Toppers, I made it and froze it whenever we had bananas that were on the verge of ... well, rotting - it's even a recipe that I brought with me when I was a junior and college and spent a semester abroad in Malta (although my flat didn't have a bread pan, so I had to use a 9x9 cake pan and make "bars.") This recipe has served me well, even though I'm now marrying into a family who puts maraschino cherries and chocolate chips in their banana bread.

This is probably the best analogy I can make for this bread: She's not the prettiest girl in the bar, but she's the one you'd want to marry.

Banana Bread
From Betty Crocker's Cookbook

2 1/2 c. flour
3 T. salad oil
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. milk
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder**
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 tsp. salt
1 c. mashed banana

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your loaf pan. Smush bananas (takes about 2-3 ripe ones to make about 1 c. of banana) - potato masher works well, hands even better. Measure all ingredients into large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 1/2 minute, scraping side and bottom of bowl constantly. Pour into loaf pan or pans, depending on what you're doing. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick (or steak knife) inserted in middle of loaf comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
**It is very important to not omit the baking powder - if you do, you will produce loafs that could be used as building materials. No, I am not talking from experience. Or maybe I am. :)

Up Next: Crockpot Lasagna

Harvest Bread

 

I used to be a prolific reader of magazines - my subscriptions included Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair, Bon Appetit, Cooking Light ... these days I rely on the kindness of my relatives (thank you Mom & Gloria) for my magazine subscriptions and read from the "Taste of Home" family. A couple months back, I sent in a card for a two-year subscription to Midwest Living. It was a cheap magazine ($20 for 2 years ... ) and since I am now a homeowner, I wanted to find a magazine that would give me gardening ideas that are specific to my region. Midwest Living isn't an amazing magazine, but I've enjoyed the issues I've received so far. I've also been pleasantly surprised by the recipes I've found as well.

October's issue of Midwest Living featured a recipe for Streusel Apple Bread. Since I could not find fresh cranberries and wasn't willing to pay $3.50 for a bag of frozen cranberries, I found a mixed berry blend and substituted that for the cranberries. In the

future, I'd also take out the apples - I used Granny Smith, typically a more tart apple, and I don't think it really added anything to the bread.

Despite my "meh-ness" of this recipe, I made this one for a recent family get together and my uncle John absolutely adored it. So it has to be good for something ...

Harvest Bread
2 c. flour
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. sour milk (put 1 tsp of lemon into a measuring cup - fill the rest with milk until you have 1/3 of a cup.)
**1 c. frozen berry blend (do yourself - and your guests a favor - give 'em a quick chop with a knife before folding them into the batter)
2/3 c. chopped walnuts

~*~
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 T. flour
1 tsp. zested lemon peel
1 T. butter, melted

Grease a loaf pan and heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat 1/2 c. butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Gradually beat in sugar until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour with baking soda and salt; add to beaten mixture alternately with the sour milk. Stir in fruit and walnuts. Spoon batter into pan.

For streusel topping: In medium bowl, combine brown sugar, 2 T. flour, lemon peel and melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over bread batter.

Bake bread for 55-60 minutes (this depends on size of loaf pan ... it seemed to take me about 1 hr. 15 minutes to get this bad boy baked). Cool bread in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan - cool completely on wire rack. I covered mine with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit overnight before slicing it for my family's shindig.

**If you opt to use cranberries in this recipe, I'd reduce the amount of fruit to 1/2 cup, because cranberries are tart. The recipe also recommends to chop 'em up ... I'd do that. If you want to use cranberries and apples like the original recipe - chop up one apple, toss the pieces in about a tablespoon of flour and reduce the cranberries to 1/3 cup.

Modified from Midwest Living, October 2008 - Streusel Apple Bread.