Grandma's Apple Bread

It's finally apple season! This is a delicious bread that was my mom's mom's recipe. The original recipe doesn't call for cinnamon in the bread, but I like to add it to both the bread and topping. SO good with your morning cup of coffee...even better warmed in the microwave for 15 seconds with a smear of butter :)

Apple Bread
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 t. baking soda
2 T. sour milk (add 1/4 t. vinegar to 2 T milk)
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
2 c. finely chopped apples
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Topping:
2 T. butter, room temperature
2 T. flour
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and stir. Dissolve 1 t. baking soda in sour milk, and add to butter mixture. Add vanilla. Mix in the flour, cinnamon and salt until just combined (don't overmix). Stir in apples and nuts. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Mix topping ingredients with a fork and crumble on top of bread. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Stuffed Peppers

I put a little spin on stuffed peppers cause my husband doesn't really like rice. These are more like an Italian version of stuffed peppers, and they couldn't be more delicious and easy! I served this with fresh corn on the cob. This recipe serves 2...at least for us it did :). Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers
2 red or green peppers, cut in half; ribs and seeds removed
1/2 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 zucchini, chopped small (baby spinach would be delicious too)
1 (15oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1/4 c. orzo, cooked
1/2-1 c. mozzarella
Fresh Parmesan

Cook orzo and drain. Brown ground beef and drain off any excess liquid/fat. Stir in onion and zucchini and saute a few minutes until veggies start to get soft; season with salt and pepper as you go. Add in minced garlic and saute a few more minutes. Add in tomatoes and cooked orzo. Heat until bubbly. Take off heat and add a handful of parmesan cheese to the filling.

Place pepper halves in a small baking dish with a little water on the bottom of the pan. Fill peppers with your meat/orzo filling. Sprinkle mozzarella on top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until peppers are soft. Stick the pan under your broiler for a few minutes at the end to brown the cheese, or just uncover towards the end of baking. You can't over-bake this, so just bake until the peppers are softened to your liking.

Tex-Mex Crockpot Chicken

This doesn't look very pretty, but it's tasty. Super easy to throw together and a great filling for quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, or dipping your chips!

Tex-Mex Crockpot Chicken
1 pkg. boneless, skinless chicken (3-4)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)
1-2 jars salsa
4 ears corn (cut off the cob, or 1 can corn)
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese (or you could probably use sour cream at the end to make it creamy)

Place chicken in crockpot and add taco seasoning, black beans, salsa, and corn. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Shred chicken with two forks and add the cream cheese. Let cook 20 more minutes and stir until creamy.

Minestrone

I'm SO ready for soup and Fall weather! This is a great "use-up" recipe for whatever veggies you have sitting in your fridge or on your counter, so make it your own!

Minestrone
1 onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 handful grean beans, trimmed
2 T. tomato paste
1 large can diced tomatoes
4 c. chicken stock
1 can cannellini (or kidney) beans (drained & rinsed)
1 c. pasta, any variety
salt & pepper

Heat a large pot on high heat with a drizzle of olive oil and a pat of butter. Add onions, celery and carrot with a good sprinkle of salt & pepper, and cook a few minutes until they start to soften. Add garlic, zucchini, squash and green beans and saute a few minutes more. Stir in tomato paste and cook for about a minute. Add tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until veggies are nice and soft - the longer the better! Add 1 can cannellini beans and pasta. Cook until pasta is tender. Serve with warm bread and a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan on top!