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It was the photo of Praline Apple Bread in Betty Crocker’s Fall Baking recipe booklet that made me want to make it and eat it. Creamy caramel glaze overflows the top of a brown loaf studded with pecans. I read the recipe and was instantly suspicious of the glaze -- it seemed like too few ingredients. But I proceeded, wanting to give the recipe a fair trial. I melted the stick of butter and stirred in the ½ cup of brown sugar and boiled it for a minute. The glaze was still separated, with the sugar clumping in globs. I decided to go my own way and make a quick caramel frosting I’ve made before that I knew would be creamy and look like the photo. I stirred in ¼ cup of milk and about 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, which is all I had. You really need to use more powdered sugar than that. I poured the glaze over the bread and it ran down the sides to puddle under the cooling rack on the baking sheet. That was OK. What pooled on top the bread around the pecans formed a crunchy topping t...

Weekends are the time for farmers markets. Here are some of my finds from recent trips and what I've done with them. I'm lucky to live across the street from my community's farmers market. It's also on Friday mornings so I can go to neighboring towns' markets on Saturdays. To find a farmers market near you, go to www.localharvest.org . Sheesh! Blackberries are expensive! Ads in our local paper range from $15 to $18 a gallon. I paid an indulgent $7 for a quart at the market. Next time I'll just pick them myself. But these made a lovely cobbler with my mom's crust recipe. 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup Crisco 3/4 cup milk Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-by-9 glass baking dish. If you have enough berries to make a 13-by-9 pan, double the crust recipe. Rinse and pick over berries. Sweeten with sugar as desired (maybe 1/2 cup). Stir in cornstarch or tapioca -- I'm bad at estimating this and my filling is always ru...

This sun-dried tomato bread is dense and flavorful. It bakes up as a tall, golden, pretty loaf. For lunch today, I sliced two pieces and made a grilled cheese sandwich with fontina cheese. WOW! The recipe originally came from a Junior League cookbook but the Miami Herald adapted and reprinted it. SUN-DRIED TOMATO BREAD 1 bunch green onions 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 5 ounces provolone cheese, grated 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature 2 tablespoons sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9-inch loaf pan or three 5-by-3-by-2-inch pans. Slice the green onions thin, and include 1 inch of the green part. Drain and chop the tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Heat the tomato oil in a small saucepan ...