Jotted Notes, Cook Book Memories, Treasured Recipes, Applesauce Meat Loafs!!

My first wedding gift after we got married was a Better Homes and Gardens cook book, one of the best gifts I ever received in my mind...I had never been allowed to cook as I was growing up because my mother did not like to cook and did not want messes in her kitchen, so cooking was a new experience for me that I was looking forward to, so this cook book gift meant a lot to me...I would jot down my thoughts and ideas on the pages, stick in little notes, etc....after we were married 10 years our house burned flat to the ground and we lost everything...I was devastated about the loss of pictures and family treasures and on that list was my cook book which also held a lot of memories for me....I could not replace the pictures and family treasures, so instead the first thing I replaced was my cook book, crazy I know but it meant some sort of resemblance back to normal life for me.....

One of my favorite recipes in the book was of all things an applesauce ground beef loaf....something simple anyone could cook...who doesn't like applesauce or meat loaf? anyhow, through the years I adapted it to include applesauce ground turkey loaf...when my kids were little if I said applesauce was in anything they would eat it, so it became a family favorite in those days....I always had, and still do in my freezer home made applesauce, tho these days I make it in my crock pot because I love the smell of it cooking in the house...below are my two recipes, the loaf and the applesauce....

Simple applesauce:

lightly spray crock pot, fill at least 3/4 full of sliced peeled apples of choice, a large cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon to taste, 1/2 cup honey or sugar, and 1/2 cup of apple juice, or any juice, or water, set on high for 2 hours, check and see if it is done to your likeness by smashing one piece, I prefer chunky but if you like smooth cook a little longer...Timing is going to depend on type of apple you use and how new your crock pot is and how fast it cooks....Truthfully I love applesauce that has been frozen and defrosted, to me it seems to bring out all the flavors more....after it is done, mash up and, if not as sweet as you like, you can add a little more of your sweetener ...

Simple Ground beef or turkey applesauce loaf: mix together: Oven temp 375 degrees. Time 1 hour plus(photo is ground turkey loaf)

1 lb of ground meat

2/3 cup of oatmeal( or might need a bit more if using ground turkey)

1 egg, 1 egg white, beaten

1/2 cup of applesauce

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup of precooked chopped bacon (I use pork in the beef loaf, and turkey bacon in the turkey loaf)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

black pepper to taste.

1 teaspoon gourmet mustard

Place in sprayed loaf pan 8 x8 x5 preferably, and bake at 375 for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes or till done...Note to self: I am a hugh fan of making the mix ahead putting in fridge and letting set for a bit before baking off...just my preference....

Sadly, I have no family recipes to hand down to my children from my mother, or recipe books with notes jotted in them, I do however have 1 torn and tattered piece of paper with the one thing she did make, shredded wheat bread, another day another story....