Although any variety of apple works in this cake, I like to use a combination of varieties, particularly honey crisp, sweet tango or the green apples

• 5 cups peeled and diced apples
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2eggs
• 1/2 cup vagtable oil
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional pecans or walnuts)
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups flour (general purpose, not self rising)
• 1 1/4 tsp 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees and grease pan. I like to use 11 x 17 clear pyrex dish so I can see when the apples become a deep brown and pull away from the sides of the pan.

Mix dry ingredients. Set aside.

Peel and Chop apples.

In a smaller bowl beat the eggs and stir in other wet ingredients.

Make a well in the center of the dryb ingredients, pour in the wet and mix until just combines. Gently fold in the apples. (you will notice the batter becomes more wet and maneageable as you do this) . Add nuts here if you like them.

Bake for 45 minutes until cake is pulling away from sides of dish and a toothpick comes out cleanish.

Cool 20 minutes.

Serve.

Stephanie March, Julia and I had a great time last night at Luring Kitchen and Pasta Bar. I really liked the esthetics of the restaurant. The design was simple and the front of the restaurant was open and airy with lots of outdoor seating. There is lush landscaping amongst the industrial backdrop of the Eiddel (sp?) building it is in on 1359 Willow Street. I found the room pleasing. We sat at the bar and had very good service. I cant wait to get back and sample more from the dinner menu - I really liked it. When you consider that the restaurant was only open recently the server and bartender was really knowledgeable and easily recommended 4-6 dishes - of course we ate them all and then some - here is what we ate.

Braised beef with caramelized onions and horseradish sauce.  This dish had a good flavor but the texture of the shredded meat was very chewy and a bit tough. I am afraid it had been cooked too far in advance of serving. The caramelized onions on top were actually deep fried mini onion rings and there was a horseradish drizzle that was tasty but I wished there was more. This dish had lots of promise but was the most disappointing.

Scallop with roasted beet, goat cheese and they were all stacked in a sandwich and some other liquids on the plate to make it look pretty and it did! We liked this dish and ordered two of them. The scallop was cooked perfectly and the roast beet and goat cheese was a nice combination. My only wish was there was two scallops for the $7. The dish was pretty and tasty.

Zucchini Fries was next. What's hard to like about fried zucchini? Nothing. They were fine and served with a marinara sauce. I wished for a creamy sauce with a hint of ranch instead and also the fries were more like shoestring versus cut fries. More zucchini would have helped the flavor but overall - they did taste good and the breading was well executed.

Tuna Tartar. I always like this dish. At Loring kitchen it was beautifully done with big chunks of tuna that were perfectly displayed amongst a pico de gayo mixed in on a jalapeno and lime chili oil bed. This dish was pretty and tasty and could only have been improved with a sprinkling of rock salt on top.

I saved the BEST dish for last. Roasted Brussel Sprouts with pancetta and blue cheese. This dish was heavenly. The brussel sprouts were perfectly caramelized with the pancetta and they sat in a blue cheese balsamic sauce that was to die for. Stephanie promised right there that she would try to recreate these for Thanksgiving. These were delightful little morsels!

Lump Crab was a great dish with mushrooms and a lovely lemon white sauce that was delcious. Again the only bummer here was there was 2 large pieces of crab and 2 small - and - I wanted bread to sop up this yummy sauce.

I am going back to this place. I think the perfect atumnal day would be to sit outside with a Summit Beer and take in the park views. Yummy.

Back to School Creative ideas:

Make mini versions of your kid's favorite sandwiches by removing the crusts and shaping them with cookie cutters. Load the sandwiches into a compartment of a bento box container and fill the other parts with crunchy veggies like sugar snap peas, and mini fruit kebabs on toothpicks.

Try an all-veggie lunch: half a whole-wheat pita pocket filled with protein-rich hummus, shredded carrots, sliced cu****bers, chopped red peppers, pickles, and a lettuce leaf. If the kids don't like hummus, try a white bean puree

Frozen whole-grain waffles are packed with protein and fiber and make a perfect substitute for sandwich bread. Take a toasted waffle and spread (nut-free) soynut butter over one half. Cover with sliced strawberries and fold the waffle in half to make a sandwich. Pair it with apple slices and a bottle filled with fresh orange juice

Lunchtime chicken salad with rotisserie chicken

Wraps

Thermos

Sesame Noodles

Pesto Noodles

Dried fruit - Fresh fruit doesn't always hold up to the abuse of being tossed around in a bag all day. Try unsweetened dried versions of your kid's favorites. Combine banana chips, raisins, and dried apricots with unusual dried fruits like kiwis, cherries, blueberries and pineapple for a tasty and colorful treat.

• Kid's mix: Let them combine their favorite cereals with the dried fruit to create their own unique trail mix.

• Homemade goodies - Store-bought muffins or fruit bars may be convenient, but nothing beats a homemade snack. After all, you control the ingredients -- including the TLC. (Get creative with a pretzel by dipping it into melted dark chocolate, letting it set on waxed paper, and then wrapping it up.)

Home Granola Bars!

The key to these is CUSTOMIZE!!! Make them your own by adding your favorite flavors: Leave the almonds out, add pistachios. Sub pumpkin seeds for the sunflower seeds. Let your kids pick what they want in the bar.

Ingredients

• 2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds
• 1 c. sliced almonds
• 1/2 c. wheat germ
• 1/2 c. honey
• 1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
• 2 T. unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 T. peanut butter, natural
• 1 3/4 c. any combination of chopped, dried fruit: apricots, cherries or blueberries

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 300.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in peanut butter.

Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.