Banana Bread for my Bambino

 

 

We go through bananas like crazy in my house.  My sons and I live 40 minutes away from where they go to school and I teach, and the promise of a banana for breakfast gets my 4-year-old out of bed at 5:30 in the morning (he actually just asked for a banana as I write this post . . . too funny).   In spite of living with a potassium junkie, I occasionally have overripe bananas stinkin' up the joint.  I made this version of grandma's bread using candied pecans I had left over from my Thanksgiving baking.  With or without the pecans, this is a hearty bread and reaches it's maximum yumminess a day after baking.  It also freezes well; I pre-slice and freeze so I have it handy for a quick breakfast.

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 large, overripe bananas, puréed

3 teaspoons baking soda

3 cups white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 tablespoons vanilla extract

3/4  tablespoon maple extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4  cups toasted walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup candied pecans, chopped fine
(toss about a cup of whole pecans with 2 tablespoons of honey.  Layer on waxed paper and toast in the oven at 200º until honey hardens up a bit.  Cool completely then process in a food processor until there are no large chunks)

 

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Cream shortening and sugar with mixer. Add eggs and cream again. Add extracts and mix to combine. Add bananas a bit at a time.

3. In a separate bowl, mix all the remaining dry ingredients together. Slowly fold flour mixture into banana mixture. When all flour is wet, mix batter with hand mixer; don't overmix.  Gently fold in walnuts and pecans.

4.  Divide evenly into 2 greased bread pans (batter will be thick). Bake for about 1 hour at 350º. Reduce heat to 300º and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

 

 

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I Made You No-Bake Cookies because I'm Super Cool like That . . .

Full disclosure:  I. Do. Not. Like. No-Bake. Cookies.  I don't know why that is, but I never have, never will.  I DO like my man, however, so when he asked for these during my Christmas-cookie-baking-frenzy I was happy to make them for him.  This is my grandmother's recipe with a few additions of my own. 

 

 

 

1 stick butter (use Earth Balance to veganize recipe)

2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa

½ cup milk (non-dairy milk to veganize.  I wonder how this would taste using dark chocolate almond milk . . . next time I'm trying it!)

1 cup smooth peanut butter (use chocolate-peanut butter if you can find it!)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon chocolate extract

3 cups oatmeal

Waxed paper

Powdered sugar and extra cocoa for dusting (if desired)

 

 

 

 

1.  Melt butter over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan.   
2.  Add  sugar, cocoa, and milk, raise temperature to medium, and stir occasionally until the mixture reaches a slow boil.
3.  Let boil for 3 to 4 minutes then remove from heat. 
4.  Add peanut butter, vanilla, chocolate extract and oatmeal.
5.  Let mixture cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then drop on waxed paper. You can shape them into round cookies if you choose. 
6.  Dust with powdered sugar and cocoa if desired.  Allow cookies to cool and harden on paper before moving.

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Rice Pie to Die For (yeah, yeah, that's an exaggeration. It's pretty darn good, though!)

I love potluck parties.  I love the idea of them, anyway . . . everyone brings their best dish and guests happily gorge on plastic plates heaped with the craziest combinations of food.  In reality, it seems like everyone brings some variation of meatballs in Crock-pots followed by "cheesy potatoes" which are almost always prepared with ham.  For me, a potluck often leads to disappointment.  I rarely eat anything I haven't made myself since most everything has meat as a major or minor ingredient.  And very few of my family and friends are adventurous enough to eat a whole serving plate of my seitan-based offering.  So I often find myself making a desert or two and then a vegetarian dish that is made with recognizable ingredients for my meat-loving loved ones.

Rice pie is a favorite dish of mine to bring to gatherings.  It's simple and can have endless variations depending on what you add to the mix.  I like it best plain and simple (as pictured).  This is a perfect dish for get-togethers because it travels well and is really best (in my opinion) when it's room temperature.  As an added bonus, it costs next to nothing to make and if you have leftover cooked rice you can use that instead (two cups should do it). I've made this with all kinds of rice, but like using white rice the best.   

1 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup ricotta, strained
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pie crust, unbaked

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 450º.  Bring 3 cups of water to boil and add 1 tablespoon salt.  Add rice and cook in boiling water for 12 minutes, then strain, and place in large bowl.  Add 2 tablespoons butter, a bit at a time, then stir in ricotta and parmesan.   Add remaining ingredients; stir.

2.  Fill pie crust with rice mixture.   Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.  Cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. 

 

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Snow Day Soup

 

 

 

This first snow storm of this year came just after Christmas.  There are two big windows in my kitchen which overlook the back yard and I stood for a long time, marvelling at both the beauty of the falling snow and at my complete and utter laziness.  I had not put away any of the patio furniture or covered the sandboxes or even (it's true) emptied the little plastic play pool from this summer.  As I watched the snow blanket my eyesore of a back yard I smirked a little knowing that my slackitude would at least be hidden from view for a few days. 

 

There is something about a snowfall and still being in my pajamas at two in the afternoon which makes my thoughts turn to soup.  How beautiful is it that I can put everything in a pot, heat it up, and be stuffing my face in under 15 minutes?    This soup was warm and cozy and just the thing to fill me up before I got all snuggly on the couch and fell asleep to "Love, Actually."   

 

 

 

1 can black-eyed peas, UNdrained
1 can creamed corn
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes (I get this in bulk at Whole Foods)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon (more or less to taste) diced hot peppers
 ¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup cooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste
 
1.  Add all ingredients up through the peppers to a pot and bring to a slow simmer over medium-low heat.
2.  When it starts to simmer, add cream and rice until heated through.
3.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 

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Betrothal Brownies

So, I don't want to exaggerate, but I believe that you can't say you really love someone until you've either a: made these brownies for him or her, or b: eaten these brownies prepared by him or her and then immediately proposed marriage.  And I'll not listen to the old "but the love of my life doesn't like chocolate  . . .  "  Seriously?  Then break up before it's too late.  There are few things more miserable than being saddled to a chocolate-hater for life.  Something is fundamentally broken inside.  These brownies are so good I need to warn you against making them for someone you are casually dating.  Don't be a tease, People.  Only make these for someone if you're in it for the long haul.  They.  Are.  That.  Good. 

Even better news: if the baking of these brown beauties does lead to an engagement, I also do wedding photography!  <3 

Don't be tempted to over-bake these if they don't test clean-toothpick done...you could have found a chocolate chip where you tested. They firm up as they cool so resist the temptation to cut into them when they first come out of the oven.

2 cups fine-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
3½ ounces dark chocolate (90% cocoa), chopped
1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter
1 cup Florida Crystals sugar
2 teaspoons of prepared instant espresso, room temperature (I put 1 full tablespoon into roughly 3 ounces of hot water, then measured out the 2 teaspoons.  You can dilute it more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons chocolate extract
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt the dark chocolate and one cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips with the butter, stirring until the mixture is smooth; remove the bowl from the heat, and let the mixture cool until it's lukewarm.
2. Stir in the sugar, espresso, vanilla and chocolate extract; add the eggs, stirring after each addition. Stir in the salt and the flour, until the mixture is just combined. Mix in the remaining chocolate chips.
3. Pour the batter into a well-buttered and floured 9" x 13" baking pan, smooth the top, and bake the mixture in the middle of oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Let the mixture cool completely in the pan on a rack and cut it into whatever size brownies you like.

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