It's apple pickin' time!

One of our favorite things to in the Fall is to go to the Apple Valley Orchard here in Cleveland. Of course they have lots of different kinds of apples, homemade apple goodies, apple cider and THE BEST apple cider frozen slushy!!

Well, thinking I might be on bed rest by this point, I thought I would miss out on going to the orchard, but hooray, we got to go today. Unfortunately, the orchard lost most of their apples this year due to our crazy weather this year. I really feel sorry for them because this is a pretty big business. Anyway, they are bringing apples in from Virginia, Michigan, and New York they told me, but they probably won't have some of our favorites varieties.

We did get some Golden Delicious and another mix that I can't remember the name of (I think it was "Stay" something--blame it on pregnancy brain!) So anyway, tonight the kids are going to make some caramel apples and I made some apple bread and thought I would share a pic and the recipe since I hadn't done that in a long time!!

Apple Bread

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups diced apples

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans; set aside.

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. In mixing bowl, beat the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla together, mixing well. Stir in flour mixture until just mixed. Fold in apples and walnuts and spoon into the prepared loaf pans.

4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tested done when wooden pick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pans before removing to cool on wire racks.

If desired you can add a glaze once the bread has been transferred to the wire racks:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

3-4 Tbsp. Milk

Mix together and drizzle over both loaves. Enjoy!!