Apple Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1cups white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups apples - peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (about 4 apples)
  
• 1 cup broken walnuts

Directions

1. In bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples. Stir into flour mixture. Add walnuts and mix. Divided mixture between two greased 8-in. x 4-in. bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bread test done. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

BELT

I’ve been on this diet and lost 16 pounds already and I don’t feel hungry and don’t crave anything, but I DREAM about food! How weird is that?!?! I’ve been dreaming of food my Mom used to cook and one of my favorites follows. Now, this is not low cal, not low fat, and probably not politically correct unless you use free range hen eggs, but it melts in your mouth if you like farm cookin’. And it is the stuff that dreams are made of!

BELT (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, & Tomato sandwich)
Ingredients:
1 farm fresh egg (really! this does make a difference)
2 strips bacon
1 slice home grown tomato (if they are as big as my Dad's, otherwise you may need 2)
2 leafs lettuce
1 Tbs Best Foods Mayo
2 slices of homemade whole wheat bread

Fry bacon till crispy. Fry egg (break yolk and cook “over hard”). Spread mayo on bread and assemble in this order: Bread, egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato, bread. This order is important… why? Because that’s how Mom did it, that’s why!

Now, if you want a mouth watering farmer lunch that will melt in your mouth and flat out fill you up, here is a variation: Make sure you use home made whole wheat bread and cut THREE slices ½ inch thick. Toast bread and (instead of mayo) butter, WHILE HOT, with REAL butter (middle slice gets butter on both sides). Assemble in this order: Bread, egg, bacon, bread, tomato, lettuce, bread. Oh, heck, I’m getting hungry.

Final variation if you are feeling really adventurous (this is how I do it when I’m camping). Butter both sides of the bread and toast on a hot griddle, then assemble. You will need to eat with a knife and fork.

So, probably no one will try this because it would likely kill them… but I’m going off to bed to dream of this and homemade boysenberry pie for dessert because that’s how we ate back on the ranch!

Besides, I’m not hungry. I’m not, I’m not, I’m not!

Jer

Crockpot Lasagna

Have you guys ever made lasagna in the crock pot? You don't have to cook the noodles beforehand and it says to cook on low for 6-8 hours but cooked done in 4, so it was perfect to do before Church. You can use normal noodles too, you don't need the special oven ones. This recipe has ingredients for essentially your own homemade sauce, but you can use dumped a jar of Prego (1 lb 30 oz?) in there instead.

Crockpot Lasagna

1 lb ground beef (very lean 4-7% fat) 1 onion chopped
1/8 tsp garlic powder 2-15 oz cans tomato sauce
1-6 oz can tomato paste 1 tsp oregano
1-12 oz carton cottage cheese 1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
12 oz lasagna noodles, uncooked 12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown beef and onion. Add garlic powder, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano. Cook long enough to get warm. Spoon layer of meat sauce into the bottom of Crockpot. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all used up. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. (Check at 4 hours-it might be done!)

I know, you don't believe it...but it turns out perfectly every time!! Enjoy!

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

My 5 year old asked if we could have this for dinner EVERY night...

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice


Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded Parmesan cheese on top.