Chocolate Chip Apple Bread

I love quick breads. I really, really love them. However, I always have one problem when I'm making one myself, and this has happened with every single one I've made: They're never done baking in the time the recipe states. Does anyone else have this problem? I always use disposable loaf pans -- could that be the issue? If you have any insight, I'd love to hear it.

Anyway, despite taking quite a bit longer to cook than I thought it would, this chocolate chip apple bread was absolutely delicious -- the perfect fall treat. I loved the combination of chocolate and apples; it's one I don't recall ever trying before, and it was really nice. The flavors all really worked well together, and the sugary topping was a nice touch. The original recipe called for walnuts, which I replaced with pecans because I prefer them -- but really, I think either one would be delicious. I doubled the recipe so I could freeze a loaf, and I'm really looking forward to eating this again (especially since I only got two pieces of the loaf I didn't freeze; Joe ate the rest). I actually think this bread would make a great edible Christmas gift. It's definitely special!

(I just had to include this photo because I thought it was so cute. The place I get the best light in my house during the day is on the floor in front of the dining room window, where it's easy for curious little fingers to touch whatever food I'm trying to photograph.)

Chocolate Chip Apple Bread
source: slightly adapted from Allrecipes

2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 cup chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. To make the topping, in a small bowl mix the sugar, cinnamon and finely chopped pecans. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a separate large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in apples, pecans, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with topping.

4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes. (Mine took considerably longer -- probably about an hour and a half.) Cool for 15 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves

This is one of those dinners that's just yummy. Plain and simple. There's not much more I can say about these delicious mini meatloaves. They were tender and flavorful, they had just the right amout of spice, and they baked up in no time. What's not to love?

This recipe is really more of a method than anything, because once you know how to make these mini meatloaves you can flavor your ground beef with anything you want. This is definitely a quick and easy alternative to a more traditional meat loaf, and this particular version is going in our regular rotation for sure. (P.S. I pimp this Mexican sour cream rice all the time, but it really is the perfect side dish for these.)

Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves
source: Real Mom Kitchen

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
12 saltine crackers, finely crushed (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
1 cup medium-heat salsa, divided

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix first 4 ingredients with 1 cup cheese and 1/2 cup salsa.

3. Press evenly into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Use back of spoon to make indentation in center of each. Place muffin pan on foil-covered baking sheet.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until meatloaves are done (160 degrees). Top with remaining salsa and cheese; bake 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Weekly Meal Planning

Monday: Chicken rigatoni bake. I found this recipe on a box of pasta years ago and I've been making my adapted version of it ever since. It's one of my favorite fall and winter comfort foods -- I can't believe I haven't shared this one yet.

Tuesday: Chile, cheese and bacon quesadillas, Mexican sour cream rice. (Yes, I make this rice a lot; no, I will never get sick of it, not ever.)

Wednesday: Corn and kielbasa chowder, rolls (and I'm probably going to add cheese, too, because if you look over my menu this week you can clearly see I have thrown calorie counting out the proverbial window. Plus, you know, the baby needs calcium.)

Thursday: Buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese. Oh, yeah. (See: baby needs calcium. He also apparently needs spicy food.)

Friday: BBQ beef and bacon melts, steak fries. I make these melts just like I do my bacon patty melts, except I omit the special sauce and use shredded BBQ beef instead of a hamburger patty and cheddar and/or Monterey jack cheese instead of American. Delicious, and equally as good using shredded BBQ chicken or pork.

Saturday: Meatball subs (inspired by this recipe). This is the second time I've used this meatball recipe. I didn't post about these last time I made them because I wanted to play with the ingredients and preparation a little bit to make them fit our tastes perfectly. That's what I plan to do this time, so I'll be sure to share what I come up with.

Sunday: Saucy slow-cooked chicken thighs, Joe's potatoes, green beans

Weekend Breakfast: Bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato sandwiches (BELTs), applesauce. The more bacon the better right now -- I can't get enough of the stuff. My poor little baby and his slowly-clogging arteries.

Baking: I recently found Peanut Butter & Co. cinnamon raisin swirl peanut butter in my local grocery store, so I will be using my precious find to make these oatmeal peanut butter cookies. And then I will be eating all of the cookies, probably in one sitting.

Frozen Pumpkin Squares

Well, I've officially found a pumpkin dessert that my husband doesn't like. And this is it.

Don't let that deter you from trying these, though; Andrew and I both liked them very much. I think for Joe it was more of a texture issue than a flavor issue, since essentially, the main component of this dessert is frozen pudding. I will admit that the texture of these is rather odd, and next time I make them I may substitute softened vanilla ice cream for the pudding. If I do that, I think I'll have a pretty darn perfect pumpkiny treat on my hands -- one that Joe will definitely enjoy.

Frozen Pumpkin Squares
source: Favorite Brand Name Recipes: Classic Recipe Collection

1 cup fine gingersnap crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/4 cups cold milk
2 packages (4 serving size each) vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tub (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed, divided

1. Mix crumbs, walnuts and butter in a small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish. Press onto bottom of foil-lined 8-inch square pan. Refrigerate.

2. Pour milk into a large bowl. Add pudding mixes, pumpkin and spice. (Next time, I'll use a couple of cups of vanilla ice cream in place of the milk and pudding.) Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in 2 1/4 cups of the whipped topping. Spread over crust.

3. Freeze 4 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes or until dessert can be easily cut. Cut into squares. Garnish with remaining whipped topping and sprinkle with reserved crumbs.

Chicken Spaghetti

I have another Pioneer Woman recipe to share with you today. And it was delicious, even though my photo of it is terrible. I don't know how to take a pretty picture of something as wonderfully messy as a casserole. So you'll just have to trust me: It tastes a lot better than it looks. (Go look at Ree's pictures. Hers are much better.)

I adjusted the recipe based on our personal tastes, some of the comments on Ree's post, and my time restrictions, and I was really happy with how this turned out. It's nothing special or unique, really: just straight-up delicious home-cooking at its best. I made the full batch and froze half for a later meal, and we still had leftovers -- this makes enough to feed an army! Joe, Andrew and I all really liked this one!

Chicken Spaghetti
source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 16-ounce box spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups cooked shredded chicken (a store-bought rotisserie chicken works perfectly for this)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 4-ounce can green chilies, drained
1 small onion, finely diced
1 4-ounce can chopped pimientos, drained
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook spaghetti in chicken broth and water until al dente; drain. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except 1 cup shredded cheddar. Pour into a casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.