Recipe for October 20, 2007:

Apple Bread
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:
1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups apples, diced
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Extra sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Combine in one bowl the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Combine in second bowl the flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture gradually. Stir in apples and nuts. Sprinkle top with sugar, if desired.

Bake in 2 regular loaf pans or 3 foil loaf pans for 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees F.

Cool 10 minutes in the pan.

Cook a butternut squash

Take the whole squash, pierce it a couple times with a knife (to prevent bursting) and stick it in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 30-40 minutes. Test for doneness by checking it with a fork, you should be able to easily push fork in to the squash in the thickest part. Pull it from oven. This method works for acorn squash and other similar fall squash.

You can now slice it easily, scoop out and discard the seeds. You can freeze any amount you don't use immediately.

Serving suggestions:
1. Scoop out the flesh and mash it. Serve like mashed potatoes.

2. 1 3/4 cups of mashed butternut squash = one 15 oz. can of pumpkin.
Butternut squash's taste difference from pumpkin is practically undetectable.

3. Slice in half. Put a pat of butter and a scoop of brown sugar in the scooped out area, place it back in oven until butter melts. Serve. Also great for acorn squash.