Apple Nut Bread — Something to Bring When the City Comes Calling

Mid-May. The peonies opened Wednesday. The hostas tripled in size. The deer came through the front yard at dawn and ate three of my new hostas. Eduardo said we needed a fence. I said the deer were just hungry. He said, "Carmen, we are also hungry, and we do not eat the deer." I laughed.

Tuesday food bank: pollo guisado with rice. Forty-five servings. Mr. Patterson chopped onions. Brian came over to me at the counter. He said, "Carmen, the city wants to talk." I said, "Brian, what city?" He said, "Hartford. The mayor's office. Someone in community engagement saw the article in the church bulletin about La Cocina and they want to talk about expanding it city-wide." I said, "Brian, we have run one cohort of one class." He said, "Carmen, they like the model. They want to talk in June." I said, "Brian, June." He said, "Brian-and-Carmen will be there in June."

Wednesday I called Sofía. I said, "Mija, the city wants to talk about scaling Cocina." She said, "Ma, that is huge." I said, "Mija, I am sixty next year." She said, "Ma, sixty is young." I said, "Mija, I am running on emotional fumes and Mami is dying." She said, "Ma, you do the meeting. You bring Brian. You ask what they are offering. You do not commit to anything." I said, "Mija, you are giving me orders." She said, "Ma, I have learned from Ana." I laughed.

Thursday Mami had a good day. She wanted to go outside. Carmen the aide and I helped her into the wheelchair, wrapped her in a blanket, and pushed her down the sidewalk to the small park at the corner of her block. She sat in her wheelchair under a maple tree for an hour. She watched a squirrel. She said, "Carmen, the squirrels in Hartford are fatter than the squirrels in Bayamón." I said, "Mami, yes." She said, "Why?" I said, "Mami, because they have more food." She said, "Yes. We all eat more here. Even the squirrels." She closed her eyes in the sun. She did not sleep. She was just resting.

Friday I met Brian and a woman named Tamika Henderson at City Hall. Tamika was the deputy director of community engagement, mid-thirties, sharp, prepared. She had read about La Cocina. She had a proposal: a year of seed funding to launch the program in three Hartford neighborhoods, with Cocina-trained instructors leading each location. Twenty-four students per cohort, three cohorts a year per location, that means roughly 216 students a year. I said, "Tamika, I have one Cocina-trained instructor. Me. And one TA. Mr. Patterson." She said, "We will train more. That is the year-one investment." Brian said, "Carmen, this is real." I said, "Tamika, give me a month to think." She said, "Take it. We have a fall meeting in your calendar." I came home. I sat on the porch. The deer came back. They ate another hosta. Wepa.

That Friday night, after I came home from City Hall and sat on the porch and watched the deer eat my last good hosta, I did not call anyone. I just went to the kitchen and baked. That is what I do when something is too big to hold yet — I put my hands in something. Apple Nut Bread is what I made: simple, warm, nothing you have to think too hard about. The kind of thing you can slice and bring somewhere. The kind of thing that says I was here, I made this, take a piece. If June comes and Tamika and Brian and I are still talking, I will bring a loaf. It seems right.

Apple Nut Bread

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup peeled and finely chopped apple (about 1 medium apple)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly mixed.
3. Add apple and nuts. Stir the chopped apple and walnuts into the dry ingredients so they are lightly coated with the flour mixture.
4. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then whisk in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until combined.
5. Fold together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix. A few small lumps are fine. The batter will be thick.
6. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50–60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is deep golden brown.
7. Cool before slicing. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. It slices cleanest when fully cool.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 218 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 185mg