Stribling Apple Bread (or Muffins!)

My friend, Karen, shared this recipe with me last year, and it quickly became one of my favorites. These are the kinds of muffins that you eat for breakfast AND dessert. So delicious! Last night, when I mentioned that I wanted to use the slightly bruised apples to make some bread, KitKat said, "Ooh! Can we make apple OATMEAL muffins?" I compared a few recipes and decided that it was safe to substitute a cup of the flour with a cup of regular oatmeal. They were delicious!

Stribling Apple Bread (or muffins)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. vanilla

3 cups flour (or 2 cups flour and 1 cup oatmeal)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups apples, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add dry mix to wet mix, along with apples. Mix until well-blended; note that batter will be quite thick. Grease and flour loaf pan (or muffin tins); cook loaf for 1 hour, or muffins about 20 minutes.

PS--I wholeheartedly recommend using silicon baking cups. They bake perfectly, and clean up is a breeze!

Pizza Dough

3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
4 cups flour
2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/4 to 1 3/8 cups hot water
3 Tbsp olive oil

Mix dry ingredients together and then add hot water and olive oil. Mix well (I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer). If mixing by hand, knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

Rise, covered, in a warm place for one hour.

Punch dough down with fists, separate into 2 equal parts, and shape into 2 pizzas on greased pans. I simply press the dough into the desired shape with flat part of hands. Top with sauce, cheese, and any other ingredients you'd like to add, and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees F.

The kids love to each have their own mini pizza. So instead of making two large pizzas, we give each person their own small ball of dough. They shape and "accessorize" their pizza however they like. It's the ultimate family meal!

For my favorite pizza sauce recipe, see HERE!

Banana Bread

1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup margarine or butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4 bananas)
½ cup buttermilk (or ½ cup regular milk with ½ Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice added. Let sit for 10 minutes+)
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

1. Move oven rack to low position and heat oven to 350°. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans.
2. Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs til well blended. Add bananas, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.
3. Bake 1 hour to 1 ¼ hours, depending on size of loaf pans, until toothpick inserted at center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and then remove carefully. Cool on wire rack. Wrap tightly and store at room temp for 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Variation: My kids prefer chocolate chips instead of nuts (what kid wouldn't??)

Whole Wheat Bread

Soften 1 Tbs yeast in ¼ cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar for 10-15 min. until spongy (in small bowl).

Mix together in large bowl:
¼ cup oil
¼ cup honey
2 ½ cups hot water
1 Tbs. Salt

Add 5 cups wheat flour and mix well.
Then add the yeast mixture and 2-3 cups flour.
Knead or mix in a stand mixer.

Let rise in a warm place (in a greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap and a towel)--1 hour or until doubled.

Split the dough in half and form into two loaves. Place into two greased bread pans, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough reaches the top of the pans.

Bake (uncovered) at 375° for 30-35 minutes. Cool on a rack…but be sure to eat a piece while it’s hot!

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VARIATION: (how we make this a meal) I make half of the dough into a loaf and then use the second half of the dough to make thick whole wheat tortillas. All you do is take a small handful of dough and roll it out into a flat circle (you want it to be thin!). Place the circle of dough onto a heated (medium-high) DRY skillet (no oil needed). Heat on each side for appx. 2 minutes (time may vary with your stove--just watch for the bubbles and golden brown color).

Fill heated tortillas with tuna, lunch meat, chicken salad, or anything else you might put into a sandwich. They are a family favorite!!