In The Kitchen With Aubrey: Apple Bread



Perfect gift-giving bread!

 Aubrey loves to help me bake, and I love to have his help!  It's a fun activity for both of us, and he really enjoys feeling like a "big boy" and is so proud of the things we make.  Today was super windy here, so it wasn't a good day to be outside.  We decided to bake instead, using one of Aubrey's favorite ingredients... apples!  I used this recipe to make two mini-loaves and a half dozen muffins.  I plan to freeze one of the loaves and figure we'll have it for breakfast one morning next week when my brother-in-law is here visiting.  The other is for our sweet neighbor, who shares her amazing produce and homemade salsa with us. 

I highly recommend baking with your children.  They are never too young to help.  As some of you know, I am working on a homeschool pre-school curriculum with Aubrey, and this is a great activity to reinforce the things we are learning... counting (he counts out the cups of sugar, flour, etc), teamwork, and sharing with our friends.

I have some promising recipes to try out next week, and some are not Southern Living or Cooking Light (gasp!)  I'm finally revisiting recipes in my "Dave's Dinners", "Bon Appetit", and "Real Simple" cookbooks, and will share some next week.  Until then, enjoy!

Apple Bread (Southern Living)

Ingredients

• 1 (3-pound) bag small apples (12 to 14 apples)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted  **(I substituted walnuts because I was out of pecans)

Preparation

1. Peel and finely chop enough apples to equal 3 cups. Set aside.
2. Stir together sugar and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients; add to sugar mixture, stirring just until blended. (Batter will be stiff.) Fold in finely chopped apples and 1 cup pecans.
4. Divide batter evenly between 2 greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.



The muffins came out well too



Beach Shrimp

The infamous turquoise baking dish makes another appearance.  I love it so!

I made one of my all-time favorite recipes for dinner last night.  I haven't made it since last summer, and was so ready for some of this deliciousness!  I've made this dish off and on for several years now, and yes, I've made it during several beach vacations as well.  It's a crowd-pleaser and the leftovers are good too (which, admittedly, I had for lunch today.)  I add in corn on the cob, halved, and it works wonderfully with the shrimp.  Serve it with some hot French bread to soak up the juices and you're all set.  Be sure to try it out!

Beach Shrimp (adapted, Southern Living)

Ingredients

3 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp

3 ears of white or yellow sweet corn, halved

1 (16-oz.) bottle Italian dressing

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 lemons

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup butter, cut up

Preparation

1. Place first 4 ingredients in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish, tossing to coat. Squeeze juice from lemons over shrimp mixture, and stir. Add lemon and corn halves to pan. Sprinkle evenly with parsley; dot with butter.
2. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Serve in pan.  (*3 lb. frozen peeled, large raw shrimp, thawed according to package directions, may be substituted. Prepare recipe as directed, reducing pepper to 1/2 tsp)

Oven Chicken Risotto

Hi friends!  So, I have to apologize for not posting in a couple weeks.  Frankly, some things came up and I got lazy.  I'll attempt to compensate and post a few good recipes for you to try this week!

This dish is one that has been in my dinner rotation for a couple years now.  It's a snap to make, and filling and fresh at the same time.  And what's not to love about the classic tomato/basil/fresh mozzarella combo?!  Using a rotisserie chicken from the deli is a time saver, but if you don't have it, just cook up some chicken at home and it will still taste as good.  Other than that, I don't make any changes to this one.

Oven Chicken Risotto (Southern Living)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (short-grain)
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped deli-roasted chicken
• 1 (8-oz.) package fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish; bake 5 minutes or until melted. Stir in broth and next 3 ingredients.
2. Bake, covered, at 400° for 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Fluff rice with a fork. Stir in chicken, mozzarella, and tomatoes; sprinkle with shredded basil. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!