MAPLE GLAZED WHOLE WHEAT APPLE BREAD

I don’t know what is wrong with me.  I guess I spaced.  On my last post I pointed out the name change of my blog, but didn’t mention that I will be changing the URL over.  It appears as if the change will be seamless, but just in case I feel that I should give you a heads up.  I’m going to change over on Monday November 12^th.  The URL will change from: loavesanddishes.blogspot.com, to: loavesndishes.com (don’t you think that’s so much simpler?).  If you have me in your reader, you may want to note that.

Now; onto the food!

I am on the Women’s Auxiliary for an organization called His Caring Place, and last weekend we had a blast doing a shopping event to raise funds.  His Caring Place (aka HCP) is a faith based, residential and non-residential program for teens in crisis pregnancy.  The program shows these girls that they are valued and loved.  They are given guidance, education and goals.  You can find out more about HCP by going to hiscaringplace.org.  While HCP is based in Broward County, I know there are similar programs everywhere.  I am so grateful to be a part of this program.  I see how these girls grow into lovely young women and many of them into wonderful mother's.

Our shopping event had lots of great vendors and we had our own table for the Women’s Auxiliary. 

Some of us brought baked goods to sell, which sold out before lunch!   

My contributions were Maple Glazed Whole Wheat Apple Bread, and Chocolaty Caramel Popcorn (coming soon). 

We had more goods, I just spaced once again almost forgetting to take a photo.

  

I found the Oven-safe paper bakeware at Home Goods; they are the perfect size for a bake sale or for gifting.

My recipe for the apple bread is for 2 medium loaves, but I made 4 small loaves; you could also make 6 mini loaves.

Here’s what you do. 

Sorry the pictures are dark.   I was making the bread at 9 pm, which doesn't make for good lighting.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour two medium loaf pans.  Oven-safe paper bakeware does not need to be greased and floured.

 

In a medium bowl combine the whole wheat and all- purpose flour.

If I had made the apple bread with only whole wheat flour the bread would be heavy, so I also use white flour to give a lighter texture.

 

Add the baking soda, salt and spices to the dry ingredients.  

 I prefer freshly grated nutmeg.

 

Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients together.

 

 Cream the softened butter and sugar together.

I use a whisk because that’s about my only form of exercise, but feel free to use a hand held mixer.

 

 Beat the apple sauce and add the eggs one at a time into the creamed butter and sugar.

 

The mixture will appear curdled, that’s okay.

Beat in the vanilla.

 

The whisk is in the picture, but I removed it and used a spatula to stir in the dry ingredients.

Stir until just combined, do not over mix.

 

 Stir in the diced apples. 

I used one large Honey Crisp, but Gala, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious would be good too.

 

Distribute the batter evenly among the pans. 

Because I used paper bakeware, I put the loaves on a sheet pan.

These small loaves bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  

Bake medium loaves for 50 to 60 minutes and mini loaves for 30 to 40 minutes. Until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

 

For regular pans; cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out on to a wire rack to cool completely.  

 I put the paper bakeware directly onto the wire rack to cool.

 

Whisk all the ingredients for the glaze together in a small bowl.

 

Put the loaves onto a sheet pan.  The sheet pan will catch any glaze that drips off of the apple bread.  

Spoon the glaze over the completely cooled loaves.  I spooned some of the glaze over, allowed that to set slightly…

…and then spooned more glaze over the loaves.

 

Maple Glazed Whole Wheat Apple Bread is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea…just a suggestion.

Makes 2 medium loaves, 4 small loaves, or 6 mini loaves

1 ½         cups       Whole wheat flour

1              cup         All-purpose flour

2              tsp.        Baking soda

1              tsp.        Salt

1              tsp.        Ground cinnamon

¼             tsp.        Grated nutmeg,

1              cup         Butter, softened to room temperature

1 ¾         cups       Granulated sugar

1              cup         Unsweetened apple sauce

4                              Eggs

2              tsp.        Vanilla extract

1              cup         Apples, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes

1                              Recipe for Maple Glaze *recipe to follow

1.        Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Grease and flour 2 medium loaf pans, 4 small loaf pans, or 6 mini loaf pans.

3.        In a medium bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; whisk to combine.

4.       Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.

5.       Once the butter and sugar are creamed; whisk (beat) in the apple sauce, the eggs (one at a time), and the vanilla extract.  The mixture will appear curdled, that’s normal.

6.       Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Stir only until combined, do not over mix.

7.       Stir in the diced apples.

8.       Distribute the batter evenly among the loaf pans. 

9.       Bake until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Medium loaves: 50 to 60 minutes, small loaves: 40 to 50 minutes, mini loaves: 30 to 40 minutes.

10.   Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

11.   When the loaves have completely cooled, spoon maple glaze over the top of each loaf.  * Put the loaves on a sheet pan to catch any glaze that drips.

MAPLE GLAZE

1              cup         Confectioner sugar

5              Tbsp.     Pure maple syrup

1              Tbsp.     Water

1.  Add all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.

*Note, Whole Wheat Apple Bread can be frozen for up to two months, just don't glaze the loaves until you're ready to serve.

WHOLE WHEAT PUMPKIN GINGER LOAF

This is Whole Wheat Pumpkin Ginger Loaf…


 …And this is my Pumpkin, Lucy!


Lucy sleeps, eats, and purrs; oh how she purrs.
I just look her way and she begins to purr.
She doesn't ask for much; a roof over her head, food for her belly, and love, lots and lots of love.

Billy finished up his hockey career in Cologne, Germany.  When he played there we would spend the hockey season in Germany, travel for a few weeks, then return to our home in FLA.

When we returned home in May of 2007, Billy was cleaning up the backyard when he called me to come and look at something.  There on one of the chairs was a scrawny, flea ridden, sad looking cat.  She picked her head up to look at me, but she was so weak that her head just plopped right back down.

So we started feeding her; isn’t that how it always starts?  We would look outside, every morning with curiosity and excitement, wondering if Kitty Cat was still there.  She never left the yard. 

We came to discover that the neighbors in behind had moved away and left Kitty Cat to fend for herself.  Considering she was missing half of her teeth and very arthritic, I don’t know how they could expect her to fend for herself. 

I took Kitty Cat to the vet, and we had to give her a name for her file.  Kitty Cat was named Lucy Lindsay! 

We always fancied ourselves “Dog People”; but Lucy, our little gift from God, made us into “Cat People”.  Did God make us into "Cat People", or did Lucy?  Either way we are smitten with her.

Over the summer a radio broadcast position came open with the Florida Panthers.  Billy asked for the job, and they said yes.

We had intended on returning to Germany, so we left our belongings there.  I left to Germany for a week and a half to visit friends and collect our things.  When I returned Lucy had gotten nice and plump.  Billy had been feeding her every time she sat beside her bowl (he’s such a mush).  Lucy’s face had become a big, round, pumpkin shape; Lucy, from then on out was known as the Pumpkin.

 

These days our feline family includes Sweet Pea the Baby,pictured with Lucy the Pumpkin.

This is a rare instance of togetherness.

Herbie the Love Bug, he got left by the owners of the house that we moved into in the fall of 2008.  Their loss is our gain!

It turns out that Lucy doesn’t like any other cats, but we are a (dysfunctional) family none the less.

Now there’s nothing dysfunctional about the Whole Wheat Pumpkin Ginger Loaf.  Or is there?  I was going to call this Whole Wheat Pumpkin Ginger Bread, but I didn’t want to give the impression that this was ginger bread.  This is pumpkin bread that contains ginger, but not just ginger; crystallized ginger.  YUMMMMY! 

To make this fall treat a little healthier I compromise and use whole wheat flour.  I still add white flour as well, however; so that the loaf won’t be too heavy.  I also replaced half of the oil with Greek yogurt.  Again, if I had used all yogurt the loaf would be too dense, it needs some fat.

Here’s the thing, I adore crystallized ginger; it’s a sugary, spicy, candy.  For me it makes this an extraordinary pumpkin loaf.  It is a strong ginger flavor though, so if it’s not your bag, or you’re making it for little kids, you can leave it out and you will have a delicious Whole Wheat Pumpkin Loaf.  Same goes for the Cream Cheese Icing; it makes the loaf extra special, but if it’s not for you then leave it off.  The loaf has great flavor on its own!

This makes two loaves.  We ate one loaf ourselves, and I gave the other to a friend.  The loaves can also be frozen for a couple of months.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour two loaf pans.

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Whisk all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl.  I know sugar isn’t really a liquid, but it still needs to get mixed in with the wet ingredients.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix just until the flour is incorporated. 

The crystallized ginger that I had in my cupboard came in about ½ inch cubes, so I minced the ginger... 

...and mixed it into the batter with along ½ of a cup of chopped pecans (cuz that's all I had).  If you love pecans, you will want to add a whole cup. 

Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

 Allow the loaves to cool completely on a rack.

When the loaves have cooled completely, make the Cream Cheese Icing.

 

If you will be freezing one of the loaves, only make half of the icing.

Start with whisking the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.

Whisk in the confectioner sugar.

And the vanilla extract. 

Pile half of the icing on top of a loaf.

Spread the icing over just the top of the loaf.

Put the iced loaf in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 15 minutes.  This allows the icing to get firm, and your slices will be neater. 

Use a serrated knife to slice the loaf. 

Lay the slices on a platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.





  

Make 2 loaves

DRY INGREDIENTS

2              cups       Whole wheat flour

1              cup         All-purpose flour

2              tsp.        Baking soda

1              tsp.        Baking powder

1              tsp.        Salt

1 ½         tsp.        Cinnamon

½             tsp.        Allspice

¼             tsp.        Ground cloves

¼             tsp.        Nutmeg, preferably freshly grated 

WET INGREDIENTS

1              can         Pumpkin puree, a can is 15 oz.

2/3         cup         Low fat Greek yogurt

2/3         cup         vegetable or canola oil

2              cups       Granulated sugar

1/3         cup         Water

4                              Eggs 

STIR INS

½             cup         Crystallized ginger, minced; a 3.5 oz. package is about ½ a cup (*optional)

1              cup         Pecans, chopped (*optional) 

1.        Pre heat oven to 350.

2.        Grease and flour two loaf pans.

3.        Put all the DRY INGREDIENTS into a medium bowl.  Use a whisk to blend the ingredients together.

4.       In a large bowl, whisk all the WET INGREDIENTS together, mixing well (sugar is included in the wet ingredients).

5.       Add the DRY INGREDIENTS to the bowl of WET INGREDIENTS; stir until the flour is incorporated.

6.       Stir in the crystallized ginger and, or the chopped pecans.

7.       Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.

8.       Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes (turn the pans halfway through the baking time); until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean.

9.       Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out of the pan and cool completely on a baking rack.

CREAM CHEESE ICING

For 2 loaves

4              oz.          Cream cheese, softened at room temperature

4              Tbsp.     Butter, softened at room temperature

1 ½         cups       Confectioner sugar

1              tsp.        Vanilla extract

1.       In a small bowl, beat or whisk the cream cheese and butter together; until light and fluffy.

2.       Beat in the confectioner sugar.

3.       Beat in the vanilla.

To ice the pumpkin loaf:

1.       Pour the cream cheese icing over the top of the cooled pumpkin loaf and spread it over the top only. 

2.       Put the iced loaf, uncovered into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

3.       Use a serrated knife to cut the iced loaf into slices.

4.       Lay the slices down on a platter, cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Ginger Loaf is freezable for a couple of months, but do not ice the loaf if you are going to freeze it.


Check out more delicious recipes a:

BACON MEATLOAF with SOUR CREAM MASHED POTATOES and ALMOND GREEN BEANS

 Paradise by the Oven Light…

I remember every little thing

As if it only happened yesterday.

Deciding what to eat

I wanted to make it out of sight

And I never had a man

Looking as hungry as he did

And trying to keep my cool

I ask “What do you want to eat tonight?”….

Ain’t no doubt about it

We were doubly blessed

Cause we had bacon, we had beef

I needn’t be distressed…

If you don’t know who Meat Loaf is, then you are waaaay younger than I; and you have no idea what all this non-sense is.  If you do know Meat Loaf, then forgive me for taking liberties with the song (it’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light, don't ya know!).

So here we go…Bacon Meatloaf and the fixin’s.

 

Sweat the onions, the bacon and the garlic over medium heat.

When the onions are translucent and the bacon is cooked but not crisp, then add the thyme and all spice.  Remove from the heat.

 

I put the ground beef and fresh bread crumbs (just tear up some sandwich bread) in a large bowl, and drizzle the milk over the bread crumbs.

Normally recipes call for soaking the bread crumbs, but using this method, saves me from washing one more bowl.

 

Now I add the remaining ingredients except the last 2 tablespoons of ketchup to the bowl.

 

De-bling.

 

Mix gently to incorporate all the ingredients, with out over working the meat.

 

I cook a small patty to check the meat for seasoning.  It was perfectly seasoned for my taste.  You can do a test patty for yourself; or just trust that you and I like the same seasoning and skip this step.  Either way, I will not be offended.

 I made individual meatloaves, so I put the ketchup on before cooking the meatloaf at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

If you are making one big loaf, then do not put the ketchup on until the meatloaf has baked for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, spread 2 tablespoons of ketchup over the meatloaf, and return it to the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes.

 

Here’s what you need for Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes… I forgot the potatoes in this picture.  I guess I figured that the potatoes are implied in the title, and that's good enough for me.

 

This is my favorite masher because of the holes. Some of the skins get stuck in the holes and I just discard that skin, leaving the perfect amount of skins in the potatoes.  I also use it when mashing beans for refried beans.

Here’s what you need for the Almond Green Beans. 

I cheated because I had seasoned almonds in my fridge, they’re already toasted too.  If you don’t have them you can use sliced or slivered almonds, but give them a toast.  

I like to prep extra meatloaves and freeze them.

Here’s what you do… 

 

Do not cook the meatloaf, nor put the ketchup over the top.  Line the loaf pan with enough plastic wrap to line the pan and pull up and wrap the loaf. 

Put the uncooked meat into either individual loaf pans, or a large loaf pan.

 

Pull the plastic up and over the meatloaf, and put into the freezer for about an hour.

After about an hour the loaf should be frozen enough to hold its shape.  Pull the loaf from the freezer and you will probably need to let it sit for about 10 minutes to thaw just enough to pop out of the loaf pan.

 

Wrap the meatloaves/loaf tight, and put it into a freezer bag, then back into the freezer.

Now when you are ready to cook the meatloaves/loaf; remove from the plastic wrap and put it into the same loaf pan that you used to mold the loaf in the first place. 

Defrost in the refrigerator over night.  Cook the meatloaves as described above.

Now I tell you; after a meal like this when I ask…

Do you love me?

Will you love me forever?

Do you need me?

Will you never leave me?...

He replies…

Though I was hungry girl you fed me right

I saw paradise by the oven light!

I just know he loves me,

He’ll love me forever,

And he needs me,

No he’ll never leave me!

I do hope you will return to my blog after all this silliness.  I can't guarantee it won't happen the next time I post a meatloaf recipe. 

Serves 4

Bacon Meatloaf

1          cup       Onions, small dice.  About ½ a medium onion

4          slices    Bacon, chopped fine

2          cloves   Garlic, minced

1          tsp        Dried thyme

¼         tsp        Ground allspice

1 ½      lbs        Extra Lean ground beef

1 ½      cups     Fresh bread crumbs,

3          Tbsp    Milk

2                      Eggs

2          Tbsp    Ketchup

1 ½      tsp        Mustard

2          Tbsp    Barbecue sauce

½         tsp        Salt

½         tsp        Pepper

2          Tbsp    Ketchup to glaze the top of the meatloaf

1. Pre heat oven to 375.
2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, sweat the onions, the bacon and the garlic.
3. When the onions are translucent and the bacon is cooked, but not crispy; add the dried thyme and all spice and remove from the heat.
4. In a large bowl combine the ground beef and the remaining ingredients, (except the last 2 Tbsp of Ketchup) along with the cooked onions and bacon.  Mix gently until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
5. Put the mixture evenly into a loaf pan, do not pack it down.
6. Put into the oven for 30 minutes, then spread 2 tablespoons of ketchup over the top, and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes.

• If using individual loaf pans, then spread the ketchup on the top of the meatloaves before putting the loaves into the oven.  Cook the individual loaves for 35 to 45minutes.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

2          lbs        Waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or red skin potatoes.
1          Tbsp.     Butter

½         cups     Milk

¼         cup       Cream

¼         cup       Sour cream

1          pinch    Fresh ground nutmeg

                        Salt & pepper to taste

1. Cut the potatoes into about 1 ½ inch pieces.  There is no need to peel thin skinned potatoes.
2. Put the potatoes into a large pot and cover the potatoes with cold water, to about 1 inch over the potatoes.
3. Put the potatoes over high heat, until they come to a boil, then add salt to the water and turn the heat down to medium high.  Cook until fork tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Heat the milk and cream together.
5. Drain the potatoes really well, and return the potatoes to the pot.
6. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes, discard any skin that sticks to the masher.  Do not over work the potatoes.
7. Return the potatoes to the medium low heat, stir in the butter, sour cream, pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Add about 2/3 of the milk and cream, how much milk you need depends on the water content of the potatoes.  If you need more moisture, then add the remaining milk and cream.
8. Remove from the heat and serve. 

Green Beans with Almonds

1          lb         Green beans stem ends removed

1 ½      Tbsp    Butter

¼         cup       Seasoned sliced almonds

                        Salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a medium sauce pan (3 qts) of water to a boil.
2. Salt the water and add the beans to the water.  Cook the beans 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the water from the beans. 
4. Return the beans to the pot with the 2 tablespoons of water, the butter, salt and pepper.  Cook over medium high for about 1 minute or so, just so some of the water evaporates and the butter becomes like a sauce.
5. Remove from the heat and add the seasoned sliced almonds.