Applesauce Bread with Apple Cinnamon Butter

Easy as cake. Well, it's more like a bread than a cake, but there's plenty of sugar, and the butter is just divine. I got this from an old Pilsbury cookbook, and it was a banana bread recipe that intrigued me. It was alright, but it wasn't until after I decided to replace the bananas with applesauce that I was able to conjure up a hit.

You will need:

- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of a 9x5 or 8x4-inch loaf pan.

In large bowl, cream sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs; blend in applesauce, milk, and cinnamon.

In small bowl, combine flour, nuts, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add to the creamed mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, and then remove. Cool it completely on a wire rack, and then stick it in the fridge with some plastic wrap.

For the butter, just mix about two spoonfuls of applesauce and a generous amount of margarine, and mix well. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and stick it in the fridge.

My old lady loves throwing a slice or two of this in the microwave and spreading a cool, slick layer of this apple-butter on top. Mmm, mmm...great homemade munchies!

Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Pasta with Lemon

I whipped this dish out of my refridgerator. Wishing to save my select meats and veggies for meals later on in the week, I thought about following a ham-n-cheese, grab-n-go initiative.
Have you ever heard of ham and cheese pasta? I hadn't, so I took a look around online and found some adaptions and recipes, most of them using tomato sauce and seeming a little crumby.
So this is what I came up with, and it's truly one of these easiest dishes I know. It starts with a butter and cheese-sauce, thickened with a little bit of milk.

You will need:

- 1 pound (maybe even a little more) Farfalle pasta
- 1 package (almost two cups) Frozen broccoli florets
- About 1/4 cup of margarine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz package of your favorite shredded cheese (Vermont Cheddar, Monterey Jack)
- 1/4 cup milk
- Handful of peas, if desired
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 pound (or more) shaved ham
- salt and pepper, to taste
- grated parmesean cheese

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add pasta and follow al dente instructions. Add broccoli florets at last 2-3 minutes of cooking time, and peas if desired. Drain together in colander.

Put pot back on low burner and add margarine. Return pasta/broccoli to pan and stir in olive oil. Add in cheese, milk, and shaved ham. Mix until creamy sauce forms and let everything warm nicely. Add salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Mix once more. Serve with grated parmesean cheese and fresh bread.

The olive oil and butter flavor-combination is outstanding and compliments a sharp cheese beautifully. A bit of crushed red pepper will give it some kick, if you like 'em hot.