Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter, plus some for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 grated dried unsweetened coconut
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Mix together the dry ingredients. Cream the butter and beat in the eggs and bananas (this blogger creamed in the sugar as well out of habit – it worked fine). Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients; do not mix more than necessary. Gently stir in the vanilla, nuts, and coconut.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until nicely browned. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread will come out fairly clean, but banana bread is excessively moist compared to other breads. Do not overcook. col on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. To store, wrap in waxed paper.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Red Velvet Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces water
2 ounces of red dye/food coloring
1 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or a little touch more for flavour)
1 teaspoon white vinegar (make sure it’s just 1 teaspoon!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare cupcake tins as directed in this recipe – mini muffin tray or regular muffin tray fine.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add eggs and blend well.
4. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring and add to the butter mixture.
5. Sift flour and salt together into this mixture.
6. One at a time, add the following ingredients: buttermilk, vanilla, and water.
7. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Fold it into the cake batter. Make sure it’s incorporated, but don’t beat it.
8. Pour the batter into the cupcake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn the cupcakes out of the tins and onto a rack to finish cooling completely.
Frosting…
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
Use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces water
2 ounces of red dye/food coloring
1 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or a little touch more for flavour)
1 teaspoon white vinegar (make sure it’s just 1 teaspoon!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare cupcake tins as directed in this recipe – mini muffin tray or regular muffin tray fine.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add eggs and blend well.
4. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring and add to the butter mixture.
5. Sift flour and salt together into this mixture.
6. One at a time, add the following ingredients: buttermilk, vanilla, and water.
7. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Fold it into the cake batter. Make sure it’s incorporated, but don’t beat it.
8. Pour the batter into the cupcake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn the cupcakes out of the tins and onto a rack to finish cooling completely.
Frosting…
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
Use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Perfect Potato Salad
Ingredients
•FOR THE DRESSING:
•2 cups Light Mayonnaise
•⅔ cups Buttermilk
•1-½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
•1 teaspoon Salt
•1-½ teaspoon Dried, Minced Onions
•1-½ teaspoon Garlic Salt
•1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
•1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
•2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
•FOR THE SALAD:
•5 pounds Potatoes (I Prefer Yukon Gold)
•1 cup Sliced Olives
•10 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, Diced
For the dressing, the easiest way to make this is to add all the ingredients to the mayo jar and shake like your life depends on it until everything is combined. Of course, this requires that the mayo jar is half empty (with only 2 cups of mayo in it). If this is not the case, simply combine all the ingredients in a blender and give it a whirl until all ingredients are combined.
Peel, dice, and boil potatoes until tender but not mushy (I cut my potatoes into bite-size pieces and boil for about 8-10 minutes). Drain potatoes well and pour into a large bowl. Add sliced olives and hard-boiled eggs. Pour dressing over warm potatoes until desired “dressing-level” is reached. I usually make this salad the night before and I pour a thin coating of dressing over the potatoes, olives and eggs while they rest in the fridge overnight. Before serving the next day, I add the rest of the dressing and mix until it looks just right.
Note: For perfect hard-boiled eggs, place eggs in a deep saucepan; cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 14 minutes. Transfer to an iced water bath; let cool completely. Unpeeled eggs can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
•FOR THE DRESSING:
•2 cups Light Mayonnaise
•⅔ cups Buttermilk
•1-½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
•1 teaspoon Salt
•1-½ teaspoon Dried, Minced Onions
•1-½ teaspoon Garlic Salt
•1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
•1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
•2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
•FOR THE SALAD:
•5 pounds Potatoes (I Prefer Yukon Gold)
•1 cup Sliced Olives
•10 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, Diced
For the dressing, the easiest way to make this is to add all the ingredients to the mayo jar and shake like your life depends on it until everything is combined. Of course, this requires that the mayo jar is half empty (with only 2 cups of mayo in it). If this is not the case, simply combine all the ingredients in a blender and give it a whirl until all ingredients are combined.
Peel, dice, and boil potatoes until tender but not mushy (I cut my potatoes into bite-size pieces and boil for about 8-10 minutes). Drain potatoes well and pour into a large bowl. Add sliced olives and hard-boiled eggs. Pour dressing over warm potatoes until desired “dressing-level” is reached. I usually make this salad the night before and I pour a thin coating of dressing over the potatoes, olives and eggs while they rest in the fridge overnight. Before serving the next day, I add the rest of the dressing and mix until it looks just right.
Note: For perfect hard-boiled eggs, place eggs in a deep saucepan; cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 14 minutes. Transfer to an iced water bath; let cool completely. Unpeeled eggs can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Black Bean Quesadillas
Adapted from Blog Chef . net
Measurements are not precise so if you want more of something, just throw it in there.
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons onion (finely chopped)
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn (get the huge bag of organic frozen corn at Costco)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ cup salsa
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Flour tortillas (I used the uncooked tortillas from Costco)
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (or more)
In a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened (about 2 minutes). Stir in beans and corn. Add sugar, salsa, and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Cook until heated through. Heat large skillet to medium heat. Place a cooked tortilla flat into the skillet. Spread cheese all over the top. Place some of the bean mixture over the cheese. Place another tortilla on top of the bean mixture. Cook until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown.
Repeat until all tortillas and bean mixture are gone.
* This will probably fill about 3 of the Costco tortillas. So, if you're serving a big crowd, just double the recipe. It is just as delicious for leftovers, trust me...I just ate it for lunch! Enjoy.
Measurements are not precise so if you want more of something, just throw it in there.
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons onion (finely chopped)
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn (get the huge bag of organic frozen corn at Costco)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ cup salsa
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Flour tortillas (I used the uncooked tortillas from Costco)
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (or more)
In a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened (about 2 minutes). Stir in beans and corn. Add sugar, salsa, and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Cook until heated through. Heat large skillet to medium heat. Place a cooked tortilla flat into the skillet. Spread cheese all over the top. Place some of the bean mixture over the cheese. Place another tortilla on top of the bean mixture. Cook until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown.
Repeat until all tortillas and bean mixture are gone.
* This will probably fill about 3 of the Costco tortillas. So, if you're serving a big crowd, just double the recipe. It is just as delicious for leftovers, trust me...I just ate it for lunch! Enjoy.
Chicken Puffs
There are a million different ways for this recipe to be made. Some people make it with onions but I think the flavor of onions is WAY too overpowering.
Chicken Puffs
1 package of frozen rolls
4 chicken breasts
8 oz. cream cheese
salt and pepper
Ritz crackers
butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
milk
sour cream
I cook my frozen breasts of chicken in the crock pot with S&P and Ms.Dash. My mother-in-law boils it. I like it done in the crock pot b/c it's so tender when it comes apart that it just falls apart.
Shred it or if its too tough to shred use a food chopper and chop it up. Then you mix it with the cream cheese and S&P. Make a little mash. Then thaw the Rhodes rolls (some people use crescent rolls and that is much easier but I have tried both ways and Rhodes is the best-promise). I usually put them in the microwave for 30 seconds on regular microwave heat, turn them over and then do another 30 seconds. DO NOT OVER HEAT. Mold one roll at a time in to disc shape. Put a T. of mash onto the roll then fold and pinch dough around mash. I then dip it in melted butter (about a stick is what you'll need for the recipe) then roll it smashed Ritz crackers. Then I put it on a greased cookie sheet upside down so it doesn't come undone. Cook at 350 degrees for about 23 minutes.
Top with sauce. To make sauce combine one can of cream of chicken soup and one soup can of milk in sauce pan over med. heat. Keep a close eye on it, you don't want the sauce to burn. Once those two ingredients are combined mix in 1 c. of sour cream with whisk. Bring to a gentle boil then remove from heat.
Recipe from peach tree cooking
Chicken Puffs
1 package of frozen rolls
4 chicken breasts
8 oz. cream cheese
salt and pepper
Ritz crackers
butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
milk
sour cream
I cook my frozen breasts of chicken in the crock pot with S&P and Ms.Dash. My mother-in-law boils it. I like it done in the crock pot b/c it's so tender when it comes apart that it just falls apart.
Shred it or if its too tough to shred use a food chopper and chop it up. Then you mix it with the cream cheese and S&P. Make a little mash. Then thaw the Rhodes rolls (some people use crescent rolls and that is much easier but I have tried both ways and Rhodes is the best-promise). I usually put them in the microwave for 30 seconds on regular microwave heat, turn them over and then do another 30 seconds. DO NOT OVER HEAT. Mold one roll at a time in to disc shape. Put a T. of mash onto the roll then fold and pinch dough around mash. I then dip it in melted butter (about a stick is what you'll need for the recipe) then roll it smashed Ritz crackers. Then I put it on a greased cookie sheet upside down so it doesn't come undone. Cook at 350 degrees for about 23 minutes.
Top with sauce. To make sauce combine one can of cream of chicken soup and one soup can of milk in sauce pan over med. heat. Keep a close eye on it, you don't want the sauce to burn. Once those two ingredients are combined mix in 1 c. of sour cream with whisk. Bring to a gentle boil then remove from heat.
Recipe from peach tree cooking
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Cinnamon Rolls
These cinnamon rolls are the best I have ever tasted!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Warm Milk (110 Degrees)
2 whole Eggs Room Temperature
⅓ cups Butter Or Margarine Melted
4-½ cups Bread Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
FOR THE FILLING:
1 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
2-½ Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
⅓ cups Butter, Softened
FOR THE FROSTING:
3 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
¼ cups Butter, Softened
1-½ cup Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla
⅛ teaspoons Salt
Place ingredients in the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer (if you don’t have a bread machine, scroll down to the instructions by hand). Select the dough cycle; press start.
Once finished, roll out the dough on a floured surface. Let it rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough into a 16×21″ rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Roll up dough, and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 13×9″ baking dish or two 9″ pie plates. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.
Directions by hand:
Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Mix in sugar, eggs, salt and butter. Add flour; mix well. Knead dough into a large ball dusted lightly in flour. Place in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Roll out dough and proceed with directions above.
Note that unbaked rolls can be frozen. Just take them out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator the night before, and in the morning they’ll be ready for the oven. You can also make these ahead of time (like the night before). Just put them unbaked, in the fridge. In the morning, set them out for about 30 minutes before baking.
If you love cream cheese frosting, I recommend doubling the frosting.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Warm Milk (110 Degrees)
2 whole Eggs Room Temperature
⅓ cups Butter Or Margarine Melted
4-½ cups Bread Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
FOR THE FILLING:
1 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
2-½ Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
⅓ cups Butter, Softened
FOR THE FROSTING:
3 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
¼ cups Butter, Softened
1-½ cup Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla
⅛ teaspoons Salt
Place ingredients in the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer (if you don’t have a bread machine, scroll down to the instructions by hand). Select the dough cycle; press start.
Once finished, roll out the dough on a floured surface. Let it rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough into a 16×21″ rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Roll up dough, and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 13×9″ baking dish or two 9″ pie plates. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.
Directions by hand:
Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Mix in sugar, eggs, salt and butter. Add flour; mix well. Knead dough into a large ball dusted lightly in flour. Place in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Roll out dough and proceed with directions above.
Note that unbaked rolls can be frozen. Just take them out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator the night before, and in the morning they’ll be ready for the oven. You can also make these ahead of time (like the night before). Just put them unbaked, in the fridge. In the morning, set them out for about 30 minutes before baking.
If you love cream cheese frosting, I recommend doubling the frosting.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Iced Coffee
4 - 5 cups of strong coffee (not a big deal, I tend to use closer to 5 cups)
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 cups milk
2 cups Half and Half
2 tsp vanilla
Dissolve sugar in hot coffee. Put coffee/sugar mixture in refrigerator to cool. When cool, add other ingredients. Pour into a tupperware (or freezer) container. If possible, stir every hour for several hours. Once it gets hard, use a meat fork to chop/ stir the mixture. This will make it easier in the end as you don't have to chop a giant ice cube. Remove from freezer 1 hours prior to serving, chop again with meat fork at this time. Serve with spoon.
I often make a double recipe. If doing this, start in the morning. It will take 12 plus hours to freeze well so plan to use it on the following day.
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