Fall-Spiced Apple Crisp

As you guys know, Fall is my absolute favorite time of year.  So I am psyched that it's official as of this past Wednesday!

The weather has been gradually getting cooler, and Friday afternoon was the perfect time to take a couple hours off of work and celebrate Mr. Vittles' 35th birthday with the kids.

It was windy, so we decided to do some kite-flying in a nearby field...

...but lo and behold, the surrounding trees were knocking down all the wind!

So we went to our neighborhood beach instead, and the kite flew like a champ.

The Minion was not a huge fan of the wind (what is it about wind that takes babies' breath away??) but the Mini had fun flying the kite with her dad.

My favorite part of it all may have been that I was in a long-sleeved shirt and leggings.  I can hardly contain my excitement for the month of October!

Nonetheless, I was actually saving this recipe because I know there are plenty of Summer lovers out there who were holding on to the warm weather, and were just not ready for spices and apples yet.

It's all good, I don't judge.  Though I did originally make this apple crisp for a Labor Day barbecue at my dad's... so hopefully my family was ready for it!

That weekend the four of us went to an orchard, and caught the tail end of peach season as well as the very beginning of apple season.

Mini was also pretty smitten by the giant sunflowers they had for sale, so we got one of those as well.

I had honestly never been peach-picking before, but it was really fun and the peaches were awesome. However, while there is nothing better than sinking your teeth into a sweet, ripe peach, I must admit I'm not a big fan of peach desserts.

So since we had also picked some apples, I decided to get a jump on my fall baking.  I love apple crisp because it's a simpler alternative to apple pie (and one that happens to be easier to make gluten-free!)  I also love "pumpkin spice," so I decided to use nutmeg & cloves in addition to the traditional cinnamon.

Let the pumpkin-picking, leaf-crunching, sweater-and-boot-wearing season begin!

Fall-Spiced Apple Crisp

Filling:
6 C. peeled & thinly sliced apples (about 6 or 7 apples)
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground cloves
1 T. lemon juice

Topping:
3/4 C. old-fashioned oats
1/2 C. flour
2/3 C. brown sugar
6 T. butter, at room temperature
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/8 t. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8x8 baking dish, and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix sugar with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly distributed.  Place peeled & sliced apples in a large bowl, and toss with sugar mixture and lemon juice to coat.  Pour into prepared baking dish.

In the now-empty bowl that contained the apples, combine all topping ingredients (oats through nutmeg) and stir with your hands until consistency is like wet sand.

Sprinkle topping over apples in dish, and bake 50-60 minutes until apples are tender and topping is crisp.  Makes about 6-8 servings.

Recipe adapted from Chowhound.com

Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Happy 4th of July y'all!

It's currently raining here, courtesy of Hurricane Arthur, so there is not much celebrating to report from the Vittles household.

The rest of the holiday weekend is supposed to be beautiful, but I knew most of today was supposed to be a wash.  So last night I made this oatmeal to bake in the morning.  

I never liked oatmeal until recently, though I was also never sure why.  Much like hot tea, it seems like something I would enjoy, yet every time I had it I found it to be... bleh.

I still don't know what brought me around to it.  Maybe the fact that I started feeding it to the Mini, and eating her inevitable leftovers?  Maybe the fact that I started having it with a little brown sugar and cinnamon?  Maybe the fact that I don't have a lot of "hearty" breakfast options since going gluten-free?

Not really sure.  But in the meantime, the Mini is also starting to get a little more discerning with her tastes - she has started asking for specific things at mealtime, and refusing others.  (Our newest favorite is cherries.)  But so far, this has been a hit.  

It's also great left-over, so no worries if you don't eat the whole pan.

Hope everyone has a fun & safe holiday - Happy Birthday, America!

Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

• 2 C. uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 C. packed brown sugar 
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 t. ground cloves
• pinch salt
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 1/2 C. milk
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 C. unsweetened applesauce 
• 2 T. butter, melted 
• 1 large egg, beaten 
• 1 apple, peeled, cored & diced

Preheat oven to 375°.  Grease an 8" square baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.*

In a large bowl, whisk together the oats through baking powder, & set aside.  In separate bowl, combine the milk, vanilla, applesauce, butter, and egg.

Add milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well. Fold in diced apples. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish & bake for 20-25 minutes, or until set in middle. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then serve warm.

*Note: This recipe can be made the night before, and stored in the refrigerator.  If making ahead, skip the step of preheating oven until ready to bake.  Also you may need to add an extra few minutes to bake time.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, as posted on MyRecipes.com

Bacon, Lettuce & Granny Smith Apple Sandwiches with Goat Cheese

Besides having a break from cooking, I love going out to eat because I usually end up getting so many new ideas.

Recently I was inspired by an appetizer we had, to make the recipe for Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips.

And now this idea came from another local pub we like, called the Brickwall Tavern.  A while ago, I tried their bacon, avocado, and granny smith apple sandwich, with a lemon aioli.

And fell in love.

Honestly, I would never have thought of adding granny smith apples to a bacon sandwich, but it was soooo good.

However, as much as I love avocados, in this instance I felt like that was a little much.  (Though you might disagree).  The aioli was good too, but I thought the only thing better would be some lemon & garlic-spiked goat cheese!

People, let me tell you.  The result was heaven between two slices of bread.

(I am pretty much obsessed with goat cheese.  If you don't like the addition of lemon and/or garlic, just use plain- it will still be amazing.)

Mr. Vittles prefers a plain ol' "BL" so he did not partake in this concoction.  But I savored every single bite.

And that night I tried a new nitrate-free bacon, which did not have as many slices in the package.  So we only got three sandwiches out of it - two for Mr. V, and one for me.

I was quite sad that there was no bacon left.

:(

I would've liked to have leftovers for another sandwich the next day.

:( :(

Oh well.  Guess I'll just be forced to eat the remainder of my goat cheese on salads and crackers!

By the way - since this is so simple, this is not really a recipe but more of an idea.  The amounts are up to you & your tastes!

Bacon, Lettuce & Granny Smith Apple Sandwiches with Goat Cheese

• whole wheat bread (or whatever kind you prefer)
• bacon slices, cooked
• baby lettuce (or spring mix)
• granny smith apple, sliced into thin rounds
• softened log of goat cheese
• lemon juice and/or zest, if desired
• garlic powder, if desired

Toast bread slices.  (If making flavored goat cheese, mix it with lemon juice/zest and garlic powder in the meantime.)  Spread goat cheese on the toast, and top with bacon, granny smith apple slices, lettuce, and another slice of toast.  Enjoy the fiesta on your taste buds!

Apple Crumb Cake

Crumb cake was always a favorite treat in my mom's family.

My grandparents would get crumb cake sometimes on weekends when I stayed over their house, and we almost always had it when they rented a beach house at the Jersey Shore for a week in the summer.

The best crumb cake in our area is from a bakery called Mueller's.  It's not overly big or fancy, but on the rare occasion that I go in there, it still brings back happy childhood memories.

Plus I want to eat everything there.

In one sitting.

Is that wrong?

Another time we always had crumb cake was at my great-grandmother's house (a.k.a. "Gigi").  She and my great-aunt had a favorite bakery where they lived in Lyndhurst NJ, and Aunt Joyce would stock up on all sorts of treats there before our visits.

No matter how many times my mom told her "Don't go crazy," we knew Aunt Joyce would be hitting up Mazur's for some crumb cake at the very least.

Or... half the store, at most.

Honestly, I think Aunt Joyce was perfectly happy to have an excuse to buy loads of goodies at the bakery.  (Needless to say, she was pretty much the coolest great-aunt ever.)

In any event, crumb cake is a treat that will always have a place in my heart.

I got to thinking about it recently, but I'm pretty sure I can never make it as good as Mueller's or Mazur's, so I needed to put a twist on it.

We just went apple-picking last weekend and still have loads of apples, so it seemed like a natural combo.  I'd never actually had an apple crumb cake before, but really - apples... butter... sugar... what could go wrong?

And while the crumbs are still the best part, at least with this you have something to look forward to in the cake itself.

I might cut down on the sugar a bit if I make this again, as I thought it was a little sweet - but then again Mr. Vittles enjoyed the extra sugar.

Either way, for as easy as this was, it was pretty scrumptious.

I think Aunt Joyce would approve.

Apple Crumb Cake

Cake

• 3/4 C. sugar
• 1 C. flour + 2 T.
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. oil
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored & grated (about ½ C.)

Crumb Topping

• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. allspice
• 2 1/2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Grease an 8x8 pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, and nutmeg until evenly distributed.  In a small bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla until combined and add to dry ingredients.  Mix well, then fold in grated apples. Pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly.

Prepare crumb topping: add first 5 crumb ingredients together in bowl, then add small amounts of melted butter, stirring with a fork or your fingers to combine into a crumbly mixture resembling wet sand.  Sprinkle crumbs on top of cake batter.  Bake 30-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with only a few dry crumbs attached.  Let cool on wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Recipe Adapted from Cooks.com

Apple Chips

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day!  If you're not a dad, then I hope you did something special for the dad(s) in your life.

Much like the speech I gave you about moms, hopefully you make them feel special on a regular basis... but nonetheless Father's Day is a good excuse to go above & beyond!

I spent the day with both my dad & my father-in-law, which was great, and I will see my stepdad later this week.

Mr. V and I are not parents yet though, so there is no celebrating within our little family.

No, our only 'child' at this point is our little Senegal parrot, CJ.

She's technically Mr. V's parrot since his last year of high school, but when we moved in together I forced her to love me (for those of you that aren't familiar with parrots, they tend to be very fickle and do not enjoy new people).

Recently we decided that since CJ has had the same cage for about 13 years now, she deserves a new one.

We went to Petco and picked out a really awesome one that's way bigger and cooler than her old one.  And while we were there, I happened to see a book in the bird aisle specifically dedicated to her species.  Mr. V and I both picked up a copy to thumb through, and between the two of us, we noticed some shocking information.

For one, Mr. V always thought that her species only lives to be about 20 years old.  Meaning she's lived more than half of her typical lifespan already.

But what he didn't realize was that's for Senegal parrots in the wild.

In captivity, she could live for fifty years.

Fifty.

Five-zero.

Half a century.

Are you kidding me??

The second shocker came when we read that her favorite food (sunflower seeds) is about the worst thing for birds in large amounts due to the fat content.  But most parrots love them, and so they fill up on the sunflower seeds first & then they don't eat much of the other stuff which can eventually lead to health problems.

(Hmm, I can relate to that.)

The book said seeds should actually only make up a portion of their diet, and the rest should be fresh foods.

What?!?

This was news to us.

Apparently, we are dreadful 'parents'.

All this time we thought we were giving her a balanced diet with all the different seeds & nuts in the mix, but nooo.

In actuality, if she was a child, it would be like giving her platefuls of Oreos all day and then wondering why she didn't eat the brussel sprouts we put alongside them.

Now as I mentioned, parrots are fickle creatures.  So you can imagine that after 13 years of getting unlimited quantities of her favorite food, she has not exactly been eager to try new things.

We decided the only way to do it is to give her a small amount of seeds for part of the day, then take that bowl out and swap it with one chock full of fresh fruits & veggies mixed with a tiny sprinkling of the healthier seeds & nuts.

I diligently cut up a bunch of stuff in bite-sized pieces the first time we tried this, only to watch her lean her little bird eye over the dish, and then go off to the corner to sulk.

Eventually she got hungry enough to pick out a few things from amidst the fruits, but I am fairly certain it was more out of necessity than enjoyment.

This went on for a number of days.  When she was feeling really feisty, she would pick the items out of the bowl and throw them on the floor of the cage in defiance.

Then this past Saturday morning, I put in her bowl and walked away to help Mr. Vittles with something.  When I came back, I stuck my head in the cage to examine the bowl and see what, if anything, was nibbled.

Then I heard the bird chomping on something next to my ear.  I looked over, and noticed orange bits smeared all over her beak.

CARROTS.

Ah ha!  Success!

Just goes to show you healthy things can be delicious too.

Yeah, I know, apple chips are no Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Snickers Cookies. 

But they are still a yummy snack you can feel good about.  So bust out your mandoline & get to slicing!

Apple Chips

• 2 large apples, cored (I used Red Delicious)
• 2 T. sugar (optional)
• 1 t. cinnamon
• canola oil spray

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Thinly slice apples crosswise about 1/8-inch (2 mm) thick with a mandoline or sharp knife.  Arrange apple slices in a single layer on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, and spray with canola oil cooking spray.

If using sugar, combine in a small bowl with cinnamon.  Put mixture into a sieve and sprinkle evenly over apple slices.

Bake in the top and bottom third of the oven until apples are dry and crisp, about 2 hours (mine took a little longer than that to get crisp, but I didn't use sugar).  Remove from oven and let ‘chips’ cool completely before transferring to a sealed container for up to 3 days.  Makes about 2 cups of apple chips.

Recipe Adapted Slightly from Ontario Apple Growers, via Snack Girl

Apple Pie (with Fooproof Pie Crust)

In life, there are good wives and there are great wives.

I'm happy to report that I'm actually neither of these, as my status exceeds far beyond great.

In fact, I may even in the running for Wife of the Year.  Let me tell you (just one of the many reasons) why.

After we picked apples and I made my applesauce, I asked Mr. Vittles what type of apple dish he would like me to make with our spoils.

Without hesitation, he replied, "Apple pie.

And without hesitation, I thought, CRAP!

"Like apple crumb pie?" I suggested (fingers crossed) but nooooo.  Not my husband.

He insisted on the elusive double-crust apple pie.

Awesome to eat and dreadful to make.

Even his Nana, who probably makes more of her amazing apple pies in one year than I've made in my entire life, seems to dread this daunting process.

If the peeling and chopping of the apples wasn't bad enough, then you have to make not one, but two, fickle pastry crusts.

Ugh.

I despise pie crust.  It's like rolling out one giant, dry, crackly sugar cookie that you then have to transport across a few inches that may as well be the Atlantic Ocean.

I don't know about you, but my pie crust formation always goes something like this :  after cracking in at least 3 of the most inconvenient places during transfer from counter to pie plate, the crust barely fits the circumference of the plate and I must haphazardly piece it back together into some mortifying, Frankenstein-like abomination.

Why would I voluntarily put myself through such torture?

Luckily, I was able to find a pie crust recipe in a Cook's Illustrated publication with a 'secret ingredient' that supposedly helps to keep the crust from cracking - vodka.

(FYI- vodka also helps to keep the baker from cracking under the tremendous pressures of crafting a double crusted pie, so feel free to pour yourself a cocktail while you have the bottle out.)

But the vodka in the crust did help fix some of my usual problems. It also helps to use shortening, which is an ingredient I virtually never use, but it's consistency is arguably necessary to achieve the perfect crust.

And I must say that, despite the unavoidable tedium of apple pie assembly, things did go much smoother for me this time than they have in the past.

Most importantly, the result was pretty phenomenal.  Finally, a 100% homemade pie that had a delicious, flaky crust and I was NOT embarrassed to show it off!  Mr. Vittles suggested that I make one on the first of the month, "like paying the rent."

That won't be happening.

But if you're feeling bold or perhaps just hoping to overtake me in the race for Wife of the Year, I encourage you to get in on this double-crust action.  It's a lot of work, but if you have the time you won't be sorry!

Apple Pie (with Foolproof Pie Crust)
Make Crust & refrigerate:

• 2 1/2 C. flour (plus extra for rolling out dough)
• 1 t. salt
• 2 T. sugar
• 12 T. cold unsalted butter, in 1/4" slices
• 1/2 C. cold vegetable shortening, in 4 pieces
• 1/4 C. cold vodka, combined with 1/4 C. cold water

Process 1 1/2 C. flour, salt, and sugar in food processor til combined (about 2 1-second pulses).  Add butter & shortening, and process until homogenous dough starts to collect in uneven clumps (about 15 seconds) - dough will resemble cottage cheese curds & there should be no uncoated flour.

Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade.  Add remaining cup flour & pulse until mixture evenly distributed around bowl & mass of dough has been broken up (4-6 quick pulses).

Empty mixture into medium bowl & sprinkle with some of vodka mixture.  With rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until slightly tacky & sticks together.  Use more of the vodka mixture as needed. 

Divide into 2 even balls & flatten each into 4" disk  Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate 45 mini, or up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven 400 degrees and place a rimmed baking sheet on rack on lowest rack in oven.  Spray 9" pie plate with nonstick spray.

Remove one disk of dough from fridge & roll out on a generously floured surface to 12" circle, about 1/8" thick.  Roll loosely around rolling pin and unroll onto pie plate, leaving at least 1" overhand on each side.

Working around circumference, ease dough onto plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand.  Leave dough that overhangs in place, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Prepare Filling:
2 1/2 lbs apples, peeled, cored & cut into 10 wedges (about 5 medium-large apples)
1 t. lemon zest
3 T. flour
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/8 t. salt
2/3 C. sugar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, lightly beaten & mixed with 1 t. water (for egg wash)

In large bowl, whisk flour, zest, spices, salt & sugar together.  Gently toss with apples and lemon juice, and fill shell when finished chilling in refrigerator.  Set aside.

Roll out second disk on floured surface to 11" circle, 1/8 " thick.  Roll loosely around rolling pin & unroll over pie, leaving at least 1/2 " overhang on each side. Using kitchen shears, trim the bottom crust's overhanging dough leaving 1/2" overhang.

Fold both pieces of overhanging dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate.  Flute edges using thumb & forefinger, or press with tines of fork to seal top crust to bottom.  Brush top & edges with egg mixture. If dough is very soft, chill in freezer 10 minutes.

With small sharp knife, cut 5 steam vents in top of crust.  (Optional - sprinkle with 1 T. sugar and/or use a metal pie crust shield to prevent edges from burning*).  Place pie on baking sheet & bake 30 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown (30-40 minutes longer).  Transfer pie to wire rack & cool to room temperature, 2-3 hours.

*If you don't have a pie crust shield:  Use an 8" bowl or other round circle to cut a hole in the middle of a piece of aluminum foil.  Place over pie and secure over edges to prevent from burning.  Take off during last 20-30 minutes of baking.

Filling recipe adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook; Pie Crust recipe from Cooks Illustrated

Caramel Apples

This is going to have to be another short post because the power cord on my computer broke again (this time not my fault - just faulty design!)  So I am on borrowed time here until the new power cord I ordered arrives in the mail.

Luckily this one has a 2-year warranty because I can't believe the piece of crap I bought 3 months ago is already broken!!

Grr.

Something to look forward to when I get full power - Mr. Vittles and I celebrated our first anniversary and I made a double-crust apple pie from scratch!

I'm not sure which event was more monumental ... I guess I have a few business days to ponder that ;)

In the meantime, enjoy this recipe for caramel apples in time for Halloween!

Caramel Apples

• 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 1/4 C. light corn syrup
• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 C. sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 t. vanilla extract
• 3 popsicle or craft sticks
• 3 medium tart apples, washed & dried

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and spray with nonstick spray (or butter it).  Stick popsicle sticks halfway into tops of apples by stem.

In saucepan, combine syrup, sugar, and butter.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Slowly stir in milk (so as not to stop the boiling) and continue to stir constantly until mixture reaches 235 degrees (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Allow caramel to cool about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.

Dip apples one at a time, tipping saucepan on it's side if necessary, and set coated apples on prepared waxed paper. Allow to cool or refrigerate to set.  Serve within a day or refrigerate up to 3 days to keep fresh.


Recipe from Justapinch.com by Wendy Rusch

Spiced Applesauce

Grocery-store apples have nothing on ones straight from the tree. 

I hate when apples are mushy and mealy - I think they are best when they're crisp and a balance of sweet & tart.  Granny Smiths usually fit the tart & crisp bill, but they get tiring after a while. 

Mr. Vittles likes them to be sweet (shocker), which is why he loves Red Delicious, but that gets boring too. 

So picking apples is just one of the many reasons I look forward to fall.  Surrounded by rows of apple trees, they all look so good I just want to pick every single one. 

It's a sickness, I know.

Tragically, with our wedding in mid-October, Mr. Vittles and I did not have a chance to go apple-picking last year.

Broke my little apple-lovin' heart :( 

So this year I knew that not only did we have to go, we had to go early to get the good pickings.  Which was a wise decision because we got to choose from SEVEN different types - Red & Yellow Delicious, Stayman Winesap, Jonathan, Empire, Fuji, Crispin, and McCoun.

I, of course, sampled them all.

Normally I would never be ok with spending $25 on apples.  But these bad boys are totally worth it

Once I got my paws on all these scrumptious fruits, my first order of business was to make applesauce.  

Growing up, my mom always made it after apple-picking (among many other treats, such as apple crisp & apple pie) and it's so much better than applesauce from a jar!  For mine, I used 3 different kinds of apples to make it a little more interesting.

If you don't have a crockpot/slow-cooker, you can probably make this on the stove - I would put all the ingredients in a pot with enough water to just cover the apples, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer until apples are soft (my guess is 20-30 mins).  If large chunks remain, mash with the back of a fork or potato masher.

Spiced Applesauce

• 8-10 medium-sized cooking apples
• 1/2 C. water
• 1/3-3/4 C. sugar*
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground cloves

Peel, core & slice apples into 5 or 6 pieces each.  Place in crockpot.  Add water and sugar, sprinkle with spices.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.  Makes 8 servings.

*Sugar amount depends on how sweet you like it and also what types of apples you are using.  If they are mostly apples that are naturally sweet (ie Red/Yellow Delicious, Fuji) use less sugar.  If you are using ones that are slightly tart (ie Winesaps), use more sugar.

Family Recipe, Origin Unknown

Spiced Apple Bread

Sometimes there is just not enough time in a day.

Or a week.

I don't know what it has been about this week (maybe the night of no sleep?) but I have been totally off my game- particularly in the kitchen.

I made a chicken chili that I had really high hopes for sharing with you, but it just wasn't blog-worthy. I also had an idea for a dessert that went completely WRONG.

Disappointments, disappointments.

But after stopping at an orchard/market for lunch last week and picking up some of their unbelievable apple cider doughnuts, I got inspired to make a tried & true recipe - apple bread.

Or should I say, "Autumn Apple Loaf" as it's called?

Usually around the beginning of August, I start getting sick of the hot weather and wishing it was fall already. 

Then once September hits, I go on a pumpkin recipe rampage and lose what little self-control I had to begin with.  And it's all downhill from there.

Seriously though, fall is the best.  I just love the cool, crisp air... apple picking... football... pumpkins... HALLOWEEN (my favorite holiday)... and now, our wedding anniversary! 

Ahhh.  I can't wait.

Anyway, back to the apple bread.  I found this particular recipe on the packaging of a loaf pan I bought from Baker's Secret years ago.  I thought it needed more spice, though, so I added nutmeg, cloves and extra cinnamon.

I don't think Mr. V has eaten any of this batch yet, but I brought a couple pieces to work for Joe Vittles and he ate them both in one sitting.  So I guess that speaks for itself :)

Spiced Apple Bread

• 1/2 C. butter (1 stick), melted & cooled slightly
• 1  C. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 C. apples - peeled, cored & grated (about 2)
• 2 C. all purpose flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 1/8 t. ground cloves

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and one egg until smooth.  Mix second egg and beat well.  Stir in vanilla, then grated apples.  Pour flour mixture into batter and stir only until moistened.  Scrape into loaf pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack to cool.

Recipe Adapted from Baker's Secret