Hi Happy Thursday, I hope your day is as blessed as mine was, we were able to get two new tires today, and now do not have to worry about getting stranded out on the road some where. Thank you Lord. I made this cake and took it to church Wednesday night for our dinner. It is so good, just melts in your mouth, the drizzle really makes it too.

APPLE WALNUT BUNDT CAKE
WITH GLAZE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons milk
1/2 cup brown sugar


DIRECTIONS


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch Bundt pan.


In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Fold in the apples and walnuts using a spoon. Pour into the prepared pan.


Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the crown or the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes then invert on to a wire rack.


Make the glaze by heating the butter, milk and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat. Drizzle over the warm cake. I like to place a sheet of aluminum foil under the cooling rack to catch the drips for easy clean up.

HEALTHY EATING

Food of the Week . . . Beets

Did you know that the pigment that provides the rich red color of beets is also a powerful antioxidant and cancer fighting agent? Beet roots contain a unique class of phytonutrients called betalains. Betacyanin is the red pigment that is concentrated in red beets, and betaxanthin is the yellow-orange pigment found in yellow beets. These health-promoting phytonutrient pigments may be partially responsible for beets' suggested role as a chemoprotective food. In one study, liver antioxidant enzymes were found to increase in animals fed beet fiber. Since these enzymes protect the liver from free radicals, they are thought to prevent the beginnings of cancerous activity. In a human clinical trial, beet juice was found to be a potent inhibitor of cell mutations that are normally caused by nitrosamines, metabolic byproducts of nitrates, which are chemical preservatives commonly used in processed meats. It turns out that beet roots are not the only part of the plant offering protection against free radical damage—beet greens also have amazing antioxidant potential. In one study that compared them to spinach, broccoli, carrots, onions and celery, beet greens were found to have the highest phenolic phytonutrient content as well as the greatest ability to absorb oxygen radicals

Cleaning and Peeling

To minimize bleeding, wash beets gently under cool running water, taking care not to tear the skin; the tough outer layer helps keep most of beets' pigments inside the vegetable. If you are going to roast or boil your beets it is best not to peel beets until after cooking. When bruised or pierced, beets bleed and lose some of their vibrant color, turning a dull brownish-red. To prevent bleeding when boiling beets, leave them whole with their root ends attached to one inch of stem. Rinse beet greens under cold running water before cooking.

Other Tips for Preparing Beets


Beet juice can stain your skin so wearing kitchen gloves is a good idea when handling beets.

If your hands become stained during the cleaning and cooking process, rub them a few times with some lemon juice to remove the stain.


Another trick to minimize your handling of the beets is to peel cooked whole beets while holding them on a fork.

The color of beets can be modified during cooking. Adding an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice or vinegar will brighten the color while an alkaline substance such as baking soda will often cause them to turn a deeper purple. Salt will blunt beets' color, so add only at the end of cooking if needed.


Don't forget to enjoy the beet greens; cook them like you do spinach or Swiss chard.