Banana Bread

For a couple weeks I took a break from my scones, not because I wanted to, but because there was cornbread to be had and then banana bread.  My freezer was filling up with too many bananas again and it was time to get rid of some, plus I was in a baking mood.  I've already shared my number one way to use up bananas.  Banana bread is number two.  I guess I really shouldn't say that, it just depends on my mood.  This time I gave my roommate the option and he went for the bread.  

Since I was kinda leaning toward cake when I asked, I drizzled some icing over it. I wanted to make it to take for breakfast, I I opted to make a couple mini loaves and 6 muffins, but normally I would just make one big loaf or 4  mini ones.  This is another recipe that I have been making forever.  For the life me I don't know why, but almost every time I forget the walnuts.  They are, in my opinion, what makes the bread.  I end up dumping them in after it's been poured in the pan and trying the swirl it around a little bit.  I remembered this time before pouring the batter in the pans:)  We're improving! 

Banana Bread
makes 1 regular loaf  or 4 mini ones
Bread:

• 3 or 4 over ripe bananas (if frozen thaw)- mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 melted butter
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze:

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Cream the sugar and bananas together with the butter.  
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients- saving the walnuts for last.
4. Pour into a greased 9" bread pan.  Bake for 1 hour.  If you use muffins, they will take about 30 to 40 minutes and the mini loafs will still take about an hour.  Start checking them at 40 minutes, just to make sure.  A toothpick will come out clean when it is done. 
5. Let cool.  While it is cooling mix the powdered sugar and milk together in a small bowl.  Add milk one teaspoon at a time until the mixture is no longer clumpy but a smooth mixture that is not too runny. (Clear as mud?) 
6. Drizzle over the bread. 

Enjoy!   

Gumbo Party (& Cornbread)

Melissa had to stand on her toes
see in the massive pot! 

A few weeks ago when it was as cold as it seems to be getting around here, my Louisiana roommate decided it was time for some more gumbo.  I was very excited for this since the first round was so delicious.  The smells floated through our apartment all day long.  Several friends came over during the remaining hours and we pretty much sat around salivating.  It was painful waiting for the final product.  I again had nothing to do with the gumbo preparation, but I did make some cornbread.  Which was weak in comparison to the gumbo, but a good side/dipper none the less.  Melissa made a tasty savory cornbread with chilies and cheese while I made a sweet one.  
I've been using the same recipe forever.  I never really thought about it being a "sweet" recipe.  It's the way I have always had it.  the recipe does have an "if desired" written next to the sugar.  Compared to Melissa's it was definitely sweet, but I still like it that way better.  I assume I got it from my mom and I normally make it every time I make chili which is not often enough.  I then have leftover to smother in syrup for breakfast.  It's a simple easy recipe that you can whip up in a few minutes.  If you want to double the recipe, you can bake it in a 9 by 13 inch pan for the same amount of time. 

Golden Cornbread
makes a 8x8 pan about 16 serving

ahhh breakfast! 

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 vegetable shortening

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients. 
3. Add the milk, egg and shortening.  Mix until just combined and fairly smooth- about a minute. 
4. Bake in a greased 8" square pan  for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool a bit and serve. 

Enjoy! 

Homemade Little Debbies: Oatmeal Cream Pies

I am happy to report that I am not the only person who has been craving Oatmeal Cream Pies... I think mine started when I saw and empty wrapper lying on the sidewalk.  Bake Perfection seemed to have the same "Oh my gosh I need to make some of those now!" thought when she decided to make hers.  I had been trying to decide what to take for my friends Superbowl party, I was told I needed to bring something amazing and sweet.  These had to be up for the task.

Yum:)

And that they were! I would have liked the cream to be a bit more flavorful, but they were still really good.  I started making the cookies a bit big I think, so I started making smaller ones and ended up with 20 1/2 pies.    If you're having trouble finding the marshmallow fluff like I was, check the jelly and peanut butter section... it was tucked right in there. 

Homemade Oatmeal Cream PiesMakes 20 to 24 pies
Cookies:

Love the retro fluff label

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats

Cream Filling

• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow fluff
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Look at all those cookies! (& that mixer:)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.  Set aside.
3.  In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Add in eggs, beating after each.  Finally beat in molasses and vanilla. 
4.  Add to the flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat until just blended; mix in the oats with a wooden spoon. 
5.  Drop dough by tablespoons on parchment lined sheets, with plenty of space in between. 
6.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just starting to brown around the edges, they will look underbaked in the center.  Let sit on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
7. While the last cookies bake, prepare the filling: In small bowl, dissolve the salt in the hot water. Set aside and allow this to cool. 
8.  Combine marshmallow cream, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl; mix on high until fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add the cooled salt water and mix well. 
9.  Spread filling on flat side of one cookie, press second cookie on top. 

Enjoy! 

Chicken Pot Pie

Look at those tasty veggies! 

Ok- I must appologise for my mini hiatus.  I  have posts lined up to go, but just haven't finished them to get them online.  It has been a busy couple of weeks with Architecture for Humanity NY  stuff going on and other architecture related events.   I promise to try and get myself back on track!  
Today I bring you a yummy recipe from Real Simple  that I have been holding on to from the February 2009 issue.  It was cold around here for about, oh... five minutes?  In that time I was so excited for hearty, warm comfort foods like this Chicken Pot Pie.  In fact I really want it to get cold again for two reasons: I want to have an excuse for more meals and soups like this and I have a trip to Montana planned at the end of this month to do some skiing and snowmobiling- I NEED SNOW!  Oh and I want to wear my amazing warm and fuzzy winter boots and this 40 degrees weather is too warm for such things.  They require cold.  Freezing.  Snow.  I might be going through withdrawals...
Sorry, I'll get back to the recipe, I just really love snow.  OK- so, even though this recipe is a bit time consuming with all the vegetable chopping and cook time it is completely worth it.  I made it on a Monday and it was my lunch for the rest of the week.  (I love not having to think about what I am going to take for lunch every day or what dive near my office I will be getting lunch from!)  I thought about making my own crust, but since I knew  I would be making this on a week night, I stuck with the store bought crust.  Unlike the recipe, I used both crusts, (two came in the package), for a top and bottom, I have a soft spot for crust.  One think I kind of screwed up, was I did not cut the carrots small enough.  Everything tasted fine, but the carrots were still a bit crunchy after all of that cooking and baking.  I substituted dry thyme for fresh since I didn't have any.  I hope some of you are still able to enjoy your winters and can whip this up, because it is so tasty.  
Chicken Pot Pie
Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped (about 1 pound)
• 4 carrots, diced (about 1 pound)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups  milk
• 1 10-ounce package frozen peas
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 9-inch store-bought pie crusts, thawed if frozen

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the chicken in a pot of simmering water until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes; let cool, then shred.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes (do not let them darken). 
3. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  
4. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. 
5. Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. 
6. Stir in the chicken, peas, thyme, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  
7. Place one of the crusts in a shallow 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish.  Transfer the chicken and vegetable mixture to the dish.
8. Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal the crusts together.  Cut several vents in the crust.  Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Enjoy! 

Spiked Mulled Cider

When I was making Cider Doughnuts over Martin Luther King Weekend, I had a half gallon and cider minus one cup and I needed something to do with it or it would sit in my fridge forever.  I took to the internet and found a recipe on one of my favorite sites, Simply Recipes for Hot Mulled Cider.   It meet the main requirement of having alcohol in it since I was told one should not be frying things with out a drink in hand.  (FYI: I was not drunk when I burned my wrist and it is looking like it might not scar.) 

It was so good that Kurt next door bought another half gallon to make more the next day.  I modified the spices and used clementines instead of oranges.  The second round I added star anise to the mixture.  We tried it with both brandy and bourbon.  I like it either way and since we tend to have bourbon on hand in the building somewhere, it will probably be the go to in the future.   I didn't put the alcohol in it until it was in a glass so that people could make it as strong as they wanted.  In all cases it was good and you should definitely give it a try. 


Spiked Mulled Cider
Makes 8 servings

Guess what's missing from this picture.

• 1/2 gallon of fresh, unfiltered apple cider
• 1 clementines
• 2 teaspoons cloves
• 4 3-inch sticks of cinnamon
• 15 allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 7 pods of cardamon
• 2 or 3 star anise
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Pour apple cider into a 3-quart saucepan, cover, turn the heat on medium-high. 
2. While cider is heating up,cut the clementines in half.  Place clementines, cloves, and the rest of the ingredients into the sauce pan with the cider. Keep covered and heat the mulled cider mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.
3. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the hot mulled cider away from the clementines, cloves, and other spices. 
4. Add a shot or so bourbon or brandyto spike it up. Serve hot. Add a cinnamon stick to each cup if desired.

Enjoy! 

Carrot Soup

It has finally started to get cold here.  It even snowed for the first time since Halloween this weekend.  I have been on a bit of a soup kick and I like to have it for lunch since I spend most of the morning in my office typing in mittens.  I have been wanting to try a carrot soup for a while, but have never got around to it until last weekend.  Big Girls Small Kitchen posted up a recipe for Roasted Carrot Red Curry Soup and it sounded delicious and not too time consuming.   

I personally did not think the recipe had enough curry paste in it.  After I doubled the amount, I just keep tossing in teaspoons until I decided it was enough- I think I probably quadrupled it.  That was the only thing I really changed in the recipe.  It was a bit cool for my liking, so I would suggest warming it more before serving, or at least testing it before hand. I also have to keep stealing the neighbors blender/processor since mine broke and then I have to repay them in soup.  I might need to invest in an attachment for my Kitchenaid sooner than later...


Roasted Carrot Red Curry Soup
Makes 4 servings

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 
• 2 small red onions, quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1 to 2  tablespoons Thai red curry paste (some of you may want to start with less and do taste test as you go adding more. 
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• One 15-ounce can coconut milk 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, toss carrot and onion with oil, sugar, and salt. 
3. Spread the veggies evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until browned and tender, stirring once halfway through.
4. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor or blender along with the ginger, 1 teaspoon curry paste, and the stock.  Blend until incorporated. 
5. Add coconut milk and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add salt and additional curry paste if you like. 
6. Reheat and serve. 

Enjoy! 

Angeletti Cookies- Round Two

Remember this post from Thanksgiving two years ago?  And then this semi failure first round?  Well I finally got around to trying another recipe that I found on Real Simple, but this one's frosting did not have any anise in it.  I made it up by dividing the amount of vanilla in half and using anise extract for the other half.  

I had to get these sprinkles, they were so pretty! 

The frosting was really tasty, but I didn't mix up enough of it.  I always have too much most of the time so I halved it.  I don't advise it on this recipe.  It's too tasty to not have the cookies completely covered.  I think these cookies without the frosting were better than my Thanksgiving mother's cookies.  Maybe if I had the frosting right, they might have been close to perfection.  Much better than round one. 


Angeletti Cookies
makes about 24 cookies

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter,
• melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and
• leveled, plus more for rolling the dough
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Glaze:

• 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon anise extract plus a teanny bit more- overflow
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• sprinkles, for decoration (optional)

1.  Heat oven to 375° F. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and eggs until blended.  Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined (do not over mix).  
3. With floured hands, roll level tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. 
4. Bake until puffed and the bottoms are pale golden, 7 to 8 minutes.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely. 
5. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons water, and the vanilla until the mixture forms a thick but pourable glaze (add more water if necessary). 
6. Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze and let set, rounded side up, on a rack set over a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle the tops.   Allow the glaze to set, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!