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When I was a little girl our family often made a braided apple bread.  It was one of my favorite treats I looked forward to each winter!  Unfortunately I don’t have our family recipe and so I’ve been trying to recreate it.  This recipe uses the dinner roll recipe I posted the other day.  But you could also use your favorite bread recipe or my basic bread.

While this isn’t quite what I remember from childhood, it’s wonderful!  I had to hide the last piece so hubby would be able to try some. lol  We’ll be making this often over the winter.

Braided Apple Bread

Ingredients

    Filling
  • 5 Apples pealed and sliced
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 2 Tsp cinnamon
  • For the bread dough
  • 1 Cup Warm water
  • 3 Tbs Sugar
  • 3 Tsp Yeast
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 2 Tbs Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 3 to 3 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

Instructions

    Filling
  1. Peal and slice apples.
  2. Mix with sugar and cinnamon.
  3. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350F for 10 to 15 min.
  4. To Make in a bread machine
  5. Combine all dough ingredients in the order specified by your manual. Select the dough setting. Then continue at step 10.
  6. To make by hand
  7. Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Let sit for 10 min.
  8. Stir in butter, salt and egg.
  9. Stir in flour.
  10. Kneed for 10 minutes.
  11. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
  12. Roll our dough into a square and cut 1 inch slices from the sides.
  13. Pour apple filling in the middle.
  14. Fold the top of the dough in and fold sliced dough strips over each other to braid.
  15. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
http://homestead-acres.com/blog/recipes/braided-apple-bread/

 

 

 

 

This time of year our zucchini plants are producing very well.  Our second planting is flowering and also will be producing soon!  Yes we love zucchini!  I’m always looking for new ways to use it up.  I stumbled on a recipe of zucchini brownies that I just had to try.

They came out good but seem to be just missing a little something.  Perhaps its because I left the nuts out, I also didn’t use the frosting.  I will be trying another batch soon with some nuts sprinkled in.

When you mix this together it looks VERY dry.  But as it cooks the liquid from the zucchini brings it together nicely.

Here is the recipe as found on all recipes.

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup margarine
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
  3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.
 

One of my hubby’s favorite suppers is Sheppard’s pie.  I’ve experimented with different variations over the years.  So far this is our favorite.  I made this for supper yesterday, all the ingredients except the beef were from our gardens last summer.  The beef is from a local farmer.  I love having home canned foods on hand to make cooking go quicker!

A note on the recipe below.  The spice measurements are approximate, by “eyeball”.  I rarely measure spices when I’m cooking.  Before serving simply adjust the spices to suit your family’s taste.

Family Favorite Sheppard’s Pie Recipe

Rating: 5

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 quart crushed tomatoes
  • 1 pint (2 cups) peas
  • 1 tps salt
  • 1 heaping TBS parsley
  • 1 heaping TBS basil
  • 1 heaping TBS garlic powder
  • 1/2 TBS pepper
  • mashed potatoes

Instructions

  1. Fry ground beef until browned. Add onions and cook until meat is done and onions start to soften.
  2. Add tomato sauce, spices and peas. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
  3. Spread meat mixture into a baking pan and top with mashed potatoes.
  4. If desired sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and parsley.
  5. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until the top starts to crisp.
http://homestead-acres.com/blog/recipes/family-favorite-sheppards-pie-recipe/

 

There is nothing like warm fresh bread and it’s so easy to make!  This is my basic white bread recipe.  I recommend practicing making white bread a few times, then moving on to whole wheat bread.  White bread rises easily and enjoyed by family members who might not like the heavier taste of whole wheat breads.

Basic White Bread

Rating: 5

Prep Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of warm water
  • 1 cup milk (optional replace with water if not using milk)
  • 5 tbs butter or oil (1/4 cup)
  • 4 1/2 tsp yeast (or 2 paks)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 5 tbs sugar or 1/4 cup of honey
  • 2 or 3 eggs (optional)
  • About 7 cups of flour

Instructions

  1. Place warm water in a large bowl, add sugar or honey and stir to dissolve. Then add yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile warm the milk up in a pot and add the butter to melt. Don't boil it just get it nice and warm. Add this to your yeast mixture and add salt and eggs. Stir well.
  3. Start adding the flour a few cups at a time until well blended. Keep adding flour until you have a soft dough. It will come a way from the sides of the bowl.
  4. Then turn it out on to a floured surface and kneed for 10 minutes. The dough will be nice and smooth. Place in a greased bowl covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise till doubled in size. About an hour.
  5. Punch the dough down and divide it into 3. Pat each piece into a greased loaf pan. Let it rise about 20 minutes and bake at 350F for 25/30 minuets. To tell if it's fully cooked take the loaf out of the pan and tap the bottom it will sound hollow when done.
http://homestead-acres.com/blog/recipes/my-basic-bread/

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