By Jodee Weiland

Apple picking in the fall is something we love to do! There are so many great ways to use apples!

Years ago before I ever had children of my own, I came across what I thought was the best apple bread recipe ever! An elderly woman I knew back then had this recipe, and I loved it once I tried it.  Over the years, I have made adjustments to the recipe here and there for one reason or another, and I think my adapted recipe is even better yet!  For one thing, I added chopped walnuts, but walnuts are always optional.  My family loves this recipe, and once I had children, it became a traditional recipe to make at apple picking time.

In the fall each year, we would take the kids out to the apple orchards to pick apples.  We would climb the ladders supplied by the orchard owners and pick our own apples, filling one bushel basket at least to purchase and take home.  It was fun picking our apples as a family, and we all looked forward to the recipes we would make with the apples when we got home.

Of course, there was fresh apple pie to be made, but I think that secretly we all looked forward to the apple bread we would make.  We always made a double batch at least because we would wrap the extras in aluminum foil and freeze it for later.  The frozen cakes, thawed and heated later, were as good as when freshly baked.  We just took them out, put them in the microwave long enough to heat them up, and they were ready to eat tasting as fresh as the day they were baked.  My kids loved to eat their slice of apple bread cake with butter melted on it, but with or without, it was always a delicious treat!

Apple Walnut Bread…For Apple Picking Time or Just Any Time

3 cups sugar
1 and 1/2 cups softened light butter with canola oil
4 eggs beaten
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 and 1/2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups chopped apple (peeled and cored)
3/4 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl cream together the sugar and softened light butter with canola oil with hand mixer until light and fluffy.  Then add beaten eggs and vanilla to this.  Mix well.  Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg) together in another bowl.  Add this to the eggs, sugar, light butter, and vanilla mixture.  Now, using a durable spoon, mix in the chopped apples followed by the chopped walnuts.  The batter will be stiff and lumpy, so carefully fold in the apples and walnuts until mixed well.

Generously grease and flour two loaf pans.  I use butter spray and flour.  Fill the loaf pans half full or just a bit more.  The cake will rise during baking.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 90 minutes.  The time varies with different  ovens.  Do not over bake.  Use the toothpick test to tell when the apple bread is baked.  Put a toothpick in the center and remove.  The apple bread is done when the toothpick comes out clean.  My apple bread took one hour and 15 minutes.  As soon as they are baked, remove from the oven and cool.

Don’t cool it too long because this recipe is out of this world served warm!  My family loved it as is and with butter.  The kids really loved adding the butter, but either way it was great!  This recipe is a definite crowd pleaser.  But the best thing about this recipe is the fact that you can freeze it and pull it out when unexpected guests show up.  Make a pot of fresh brewed coffee, warm up the apple walnut bread in the microwave, and serve.  It is wonderful no matter what.  Add vanilla ice cream to it, and it’s like adding it to apple pie, only better.  Try it!  You will love it, and when sharing it with those you love, enjoy!

By Jodee Weiland

This is the easiest Jell-O mold to make when having a 4th of July celebration!

When I was little, my mom made this Jell-O mold in red, white, and green, but back then there was no blue Jell-O available.  She also used lemon, since pineapple flavor was not an option.  Of course, her color choice could have had more to do with the fact that we were Italian, but I think if she could have done red, white, and blue for the 4^th of July, she would have.  Today your choices are unlimited compared to what she had back then.

Unlike many of the recipes today for the white band, she never added cool whip or yogurt.  She simply added cream cheese, which gave her middle band a nice creamy flavor and was always my favorite.  I remember eating the red and white, but I always left the green behind.  Admittedly, green would be the choice color for the Christmas season, but I prefer the blue over green.

Making this recipe is easy and fast.  Here’s what you need to do when making your red, white, and blue 4^th of July Jell-O mold.  If you have a regular size Jell-O mold like I do, you will use three 3 ounce packages of Jell-O like I did, but if you have a larger Jell-O mold like my mom had, you will use three 6 ounce packages and double the cream cheese.  I have the Tupperware mold that makes it easy to plate your Jell-O mold.  Either way, it’s easy!

4^th of July Red, White, and Blue Jell-O Mold…Easy and Tasty!

1 three ounce package of raspberry Jell-O  (any red gelatin)
1 three ounce package of pineapple Jell-O  (any yellow gelatin)
1 three ounce package of blueberry Jell-O  (any blue gelatin)
1 eight ounce package cream cheese
Water as directed on Jell-O box

Optional:  You can add fruit to the layers if you would like, but then add less liquid to each layer.

Dissolve the three ounces of raspberry gelatin in one cup of boiling water.  Once dissolved, then add one cup of cold water.  Pour into the mold and allow one to two hours to set or more in the refrigerator.

For the second layer, the process for the pineapple gelatin is the same as it was for the raspberry with one additional step before pouring it into the mold.  Once the pineapple is done, blend into it one eight ounce package of cream cheese with a hand mixer.  When thoroughly blended pour in your second (now white) layer of the mold.  You may have some left because you added  cream cheese.  I always put the extra in a small bowl and let it set as well. You need to leave about an inch for the blueberry gelatin.  Be sure the first layer is set prior to pouring in the second.  Allow one to two hours to set or more in the refrigerator.

For the final layer, do the same process with the blueberry gelatin as you did for the raspberry and when ready, pour the last layer into the mold.  Once again, be sure the second  layer is set prior to pouring in the second.  Small specks of white rising to the top of the blue should not show once the mold is flipped later.  Allow one to two hours to set or more in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve, put the mold in warm water in your sink for just about a minute, and then with a plate over the top of the mold, carefully flip your mold over on to your plate.  This process may vary slightly depending on your mold.

All you have to do now is serve and enjoy your red, white, and blue Jell-O mold!  It will make an attractive dish for your 4^th of July table and will taste great.  It is decorative and tasty, but best of all it is easy to make.  The kids especially enjoy this dish, but the grown-ups will enjoy it as well!  Have a safe and happy 4^th of July and enjoy!

By Jodee Weiland

One of my favorite recipes when I’m looking for something sweet, but not overly sweet, is homemade banana walnut loaf with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Over the years, I have tried a lot of different recipes for banana walnut loaf, but always felt there was something missing.  When buying them from a bakery, I found quite a few I enjoyed, but the recipes I tried at home always fell short until I decided to take everything I knew about the basics for the recipe and then add on my ideas for improving it.  No journey worth taking comes without some wrong turns here and there.  So through trial and error and some adaptations to suit my ideas of what tasted good, I finally found just what I needed to make my recipe for banana walnut loaf with just a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Don’t misunderstand.  When cooking, I am just a woman who has spent many years experimenting in my kitchen while looking for ways to make meals more delicious and enjoyable for those I love.  I take pride in feeding my family well with healthy recipes, while making the experience more enjoyable for them.  Being Italian, I watched my parents cook delicious meals for us, rarely using a recipe to follow.  My father, as well as my mother, enjoyed cooking and seeing the satisfied looks on our faces as we relished the wonderful meals they cooked and created, sometimes right there on the spot.  Some recipes were used, but these were family recipes for cookies, sauces, and so much more.  Others were created by them, teaching us to be creative with food as well.  For the most part, we learned their recipes as my parents had with their parents, by watching them cook for us.  So when I needed a recipe for banana walnut loaf to satisfy my tastes, I began a creative journey in my kitchen that took me to my banana walnut loaf with just a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add this to the banana mixture, gently beating together until combined, adding in the walnuts last.  The batter will be slightly lumpy.