Banana Bread

In the process of cleaning out my fridge yesterday, I noticed a large collection of brown bananas in my freezer. I commonly forget about all those bananas until I’m throwing a new one in and at that point, I usually make a note to make banana bread in the future…and then I forget.

BUT NOT TODAY!

Today, I made banana bread. It surprises me that I don’t make it more often as I absolutely love banana bread. It is one of my favourite comfort foods. Plus it’s so versatile – breakfast, afternoon snack, dessert…you can eat it just about whenever. I do.

I used Joy the Baker’s recipe and tweaked it a bit. I tend to use many of her recipes…because I trust her. And I didn’t want to waste those bananas!!

Even if I have about a zillion more…banana muffins may be next.

Banana Bread
This was originally Banana Cranberry Bread…but I had no cranberries. I used chopped pecans instead. I’m kind of on a pecan kick right now.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4-1 cup light brown sugar, depending on the level of sweetness you prefer
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup of flour

1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.


With a wooden spoon, mix the butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, mix. Add the nuts, and stir until just incorporated. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Some Post-Christmas Recipes

So Christmas has come and gone…the radio stations have stopped playing Christmas music, Christmas movies are nowhere to be found on TV…it’s all a little depressing. I plan on spending the next week in my new Christmas sweats, watching lots of movies and continuing my Christmas eating. I may also do a little shopping. I probably won’t go to the gym. I may cook instead. And speaking of cooking…

Now, I’m not one to brag about my Christmas gifts or do some “Christmas Haul” post, however my very handsome and loving boyfriend bought me a Bravetti slow cooker for Christmas…and it is BEAUTIFUL! Consequently, we will most likely be eating chilis and stews for all of 2011. I’m pretty excited. And you should be too.

But before I get into a whack of slow cooker adventures, here are a couple more Christmas recipes…in case you’re like me and just can’t let go.

However, I am Ukrainian. And our Christmas (or my 2nd Christmas) doesn’t happen until January 7th so my tree stays up until then.

Pecan Puffs
You know how everyone has that traditional Christmas sweet that their mom makes that just takes them back to their youth? These are that for me. We haven’t made them the past couple years and this year my mom gave me the flour-stained, yellowing, barely legible recipe card and told me to make them for Christmas. So I did. They lasted about 3.5 minutes on the table after dinner.

Ingredients:

½ cup soft margarine or butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flour

icing sugar, for rolling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix all the ingredients together (you usually have to get your hands in there by the end). Roll into balls and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 30 minutes.

After they come out of the oven, wait about 5 minutes and then roll the balls in icing sugar. Wait until they are completely cooled and then give them another healthy roll in icing sugar. You can do either of these steps or both, it doesn’t matter. We’ve done a variety of different techniques over the years but this is my favourite. The icing sugar gets a bit sticky on the warm cookies initially, so the second roll is usually needed.

Makes about 2 dozen small balls.

Enjoy!

I also made red, white and green marble cupcakes for Christmas. These are always a hit and people are always super impressed but they’re actually pretty easy – you just need a little extra time.

Basically, just whip up your favourite vanilla cupcake recipe, separate the batter into 3 bowls and add red food coloring to one of the bowls, and green to another. Then, drop a scoop of each color into each cupcake wrapper and swirl with a toothpick.

People will think you’re a cupcake magician.

I topped mine with vanilla butter cream and chopped candy canes. Delish!

Festive Sugar Cookies

I know I’ve been seriously slacking in the recipe department this past week…one would think that because it’s Christmas and I have time off to bake, I would be baking. And in all honesty…I have been baking. However, I keep forgetting to take pictures. Or I’m out fighting the crowds at the mall or driving all over town to holiday get-togethers and parties.

But enough excuses!! Here is a traditional holiday cookie recipe: sugar cookies!! These are Matt’s favourite cookies so I tend to make them a lot…they’re good for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, when your lover-man is away doing a show in southern Alberta for 4 months…they’re just always appropriate. And so simple. And delicious.

So, enjoy!!

Sugar Cookies
*Note: These cookies call for margarine and I have made them with butter and they just weren’t the same…normally I would stress the use of butter, but these are an exception.

Ingredients:

1 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2¾ cups flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (my oven is super old and these tend to burn at 400 if I’m not careful, so I bring it down to 375, just to be safe).

Cream margarine & sugar. Add egg, baking powder and vanilla – mix well. Add flour.

Roll out and cut using festive cookie cutters.

Bake for 6-7 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes a crapload of cookies. I wouldn’t recommend doubling it, unless you have A LOT of time on your hands to ice them.

Ice with royal icing – or any basic icing of your choice. I kind of always make mine up…

Feed to the people you love!

Festive Breakfast - Egg Nog Pancakes

I have a confession to make…I don’t like eggnog. I never really have. I tried it once when I was younger and didn’t like it and ever since then, that memory in combination with the fact that it’s a drink made from eggs has turned me off of it every Christmas.

I do like pancakes though. Mainly because they are an excuse to have “cake” for breakfast. Naturally, Matt isn’t a huge fan but that doesn’t stop me from making them every opportunity I get. I especially love variations on pancakes. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I had just plain buttermilk pancakes.

So, I was hunting for a new pancake recipe this morning, and I stumbled upon Joy the Baker’s Egg Nog (without the Egg Nog) Pancakes. The “without the Egg Nog” part intrigued me and I discovered that they really are just normal buttermilk pancakes with the addition of browned butter, spices and whiskey.

Whiskey? At breakfast?! I’m in.

Egg Nog Pancakes
(From Joy the Baker)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
heaping 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I just used ground)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
3 tablespoons butter melted until browned
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon whiskey or spiced rum or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used whiskey)

butter or a lightly coloured oil for cooking pancakes

maple syrup for serving

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, melt butter until much of the water has evaporated and little brown bits appear in the bottom of the pan. Remove from the flame and add the nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside to cool a bit.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the buttermilk. Add the melted butter, being to sure to scrape all the browned bits and spices into the buttermilk and egg. If the butter seizes up a bit in the cold milk, that’s ok. Add the whiskey/rum or vanilla extract and just whisk it all together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. Don’t overmix. It’s ok if there are a few lumps.

Let the batter rest, untouched for 5 minutes while you heat a griddle or skillet. Add a tablespoon of canola oil or butter to the hot skillet. Dollop heaping tablespoonfuls onto heated and oiled skillet and cook until evenly browned, flipping once. Place cooked pancakes on an oven-proof plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.


These pancakes aren’t very sweet, so maple syrup is a must! I also had some whipped cream on mine…’tis the season ;)

I like a little coffee with my Baileys...

If you know me, you know I like to indulge…indulgence is practically my middle name. One of my favourite weeknight dinners is crepes and wine. Why wait for a special occasion to spoil yourself?

Those who know me also know I like coffee…a lot. I’ve been a shameless addict since my late teens and even though I partially blame my height on it, I would never quit it for the world. I just love the stuff. The smell, the taste, the way it makes me feel…it’s just the best.

Tonight, I indulged on coffee…perhaps one of the best things to indulge on, in my opinion. I had purchased some Baileys last night (as Christmas is just over a week away and I need to stock up!!) and I found myself staring at the bottle of Baileys and my espresso maker, trying to come up with something delicious.

It wasn’t difficult. I kind of created a Bailey’s latte. And it was AMAZING.

So I had to share.

Baileys Latte

Ingredients:

2 shots of espresso
1 shot of Baileys (this is only a suggestion…you could always add more ;))
milk of your choice (I used soy)
whipped cream (might as well go all out!)
pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

Prepare the espresso in your espresso maker. While it’s doing its thing, heat up a cup or so of milk (I don’t have a milk steamer but if you’re all fancy, you could probably do it that way…). Measure 2 shots of espresso into a mug. Add a shot (or 2) of Baileys. Fill the rest up with milk.

Dollop some whipped cream on top (this is optional, but I made a lot yesterday for Matt’s pie so I had to use it up…) and sprinkle with nutmeg.

DELICIOUS!

Strawberry Rhubarb Birthday Pie

My boyfriend loves pie. He's not a huge fan of cake (sometimes I wonder why he dates me...) but he's really into pie. We constantly argue over cake vs. pie superiority. One day, I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Anyways, his favourite pie is strawberry-rhubarb. And yesterday was his birthday. Normal people enjoy birthday cake on their birthday. But not my boyfriend...no. He prefers birthday pie. Strawberry-rhubarb birthday pie, to be exact.

(On a side note, we're apparently having wedding pie at our wedding too...not sure how I'm gonna argue that one just yet.)

But yes. Strawberry-rhubarb pie. In the middle of winter.

And where, do you ask, does one find fresh rhubarb in the Albertan prairies in the middle of December?

That's easy. One doesn't.

Fortunately, I thought ahead and bought a ton of rhubarb when it was in season and blanched and froze it all for this very occasion. For my high-maintenance-summer-pie-loving boyfriend.

I like to think that I'm a pretty awesome girlfriend. Even if I did manage to nab the one boy I know who doesn't like cake.

I guess I like a challenge ;)

Summertime Pie in the Middle of Winter
(a.k.a. Strawberry-Rhubarb Birthday Pie)

Ingredients:

4 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss the rhubarb and strawberries with the sugar, flour, lemon juice and cinnamon.

Roll out half the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface and line a 9-inch pie plate. Spoon the filling into the prepared pie plate.

Roll out remaining pastry dough for the top crust. Gently lay it over top of the fruit and trim and crimp the edges. Cut slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake on a baking sheet in a 425 oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 50 to 60 minutes longer or until rhubarb is tender and the crust is golden. Let stand for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve warm with whipped cream.


Once again – I promise I’ll share my pie crust recipe with you soon enough! I just happened to have 2 single pie crusts in my freezer from the last batch I made so it was quicker to just use those instead of starting from scratch…next pie time! I promise.

Guest Blogger: Matty Matt's Orange Wheat Bread

I'm not the only one in my family with a passion for food. Aside from having a mother who is an absolutely terrific Ukrainian cook and a younger brother who works in 2 kitchens and is heading to culinary school in January, my older sister is also a fantastic cook and even my nieces and nephews are beginning to dabble into some culinary experimentation as well.

My oldest nephew, Matthew, is 15 and a ridiculously talented musician. Just recently, I discovered that he is also a very talented baker! He did a unique take on a whole wheat bread recipe and it turned out great so I've decided to let him be my first guest blogger!

Check it out ;)

“Matt really wanted to make bread and make it healthy. He changed the recipe a little bit by using orange juice instead of water. We also used more wheat flour (by ratio) than the recipe called for and added ground flax seed as well. We used quick rise yeast instead of regular and shortened the first rise. The recipe said to leave it for 30 minutes till bubbly and then add more flour but we only left it 15 mounts. We made two loaves and 6 buns because we only have two loaf pans and the recipe makes three loaves.”

Matty Matt’s Healthy Orange Wheat Bread
(Adapted from Allrecipe’s Simple Whole Wheat Bread Recipe)

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) (or orange juice)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast (or quick rise yeast and cut down the first rising time)
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.


It is yummy toasted with peanut butter.

Gingerbread Frenzy

I went back to work last week…and that, in combination with meetings, rehearsals and seeing a show left me with very little time to bake. Consequently, I started getting a little restless.

So, I went on a bit of a gingerbread frenzy this weekend. I tend to get hooked on a certain flavour and do whatever I can with it for as long as I can...or at least until I get sick of it. You’ll learn this about me.

It all started when I made gingerbread men yesterday for me and the boyfriend’s annual Christmas card pictures…then all I wanted was dark, gingery, spicy molasses-filled goodness. All the time.

This morning I made gingerbread pancakes…and they were kind of amazing. They screamed Christmas all over the place.

And so…I have thus begun my Christmas baking. It’s happening. I hope you’re ready.

Gingerbread Men
(Taken from my Better Homes and Gardens 2007 Christmas Cookies magazine)
These cookies are pretty standard, I like how soft they are, however I’m hoping to tweak the recipe and make some with fresh ginger sometime before Christmas and see how they turn out!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and ground cloves; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds with an electric mixer. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add molasses and egg, beat until combined. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Cover; chill dough about 3 hours, or overnight, or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 F (the original recipe called for 375 F but they burned in my oven on that temp so I turned it down). On a lightly floured surface roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough using 5-inch gingerbread people cookie cutters. Arrange the cutouts about 1 inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

I threw together a basic icing (water, icing sugar, vanilla, butter) to pipe on these cookies however royal icing works best.

Royal Icing: In a small bowl combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons meringue powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Stir in 1/4 cup warm water. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, then on high speed 7 to 10 minutes or until very stiff. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until of glazing consistency.

Gingerbread Pancakes
(Adapted from Joy the Baker’s Gingerbread Pancakes)
The original recipe called for 1 cup of sour cream but I did have any so I decided to use plain yogurt…which I just barely had a full cup left of so I filled the rest with buttermilk. Thankfully, it all still turned out alright.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 Tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter, plus additional for brushing the griddle

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk together molasses, egg, yogurt, buttermilk, milk and butter in a small bowl, then add the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Heat griddle or 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over the surface. Brush with butter. Working in batches of 4 to 6 (depending on the size of the griddle), drop 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer pancakes to a heatproof plate and keep warm in oven while you cook remaining batches.


Serve with more butter and syrup – or anything your heart desires! (Joy recommends sour cream)

Note: The batter is very soft and delicate, so make sure you let them cook for at least a full minute, before you attempt to flip them for the first time.