Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I saw this recipe on the Cooking Light site, and I had to try it ... I didn't have enough bananas - I guess I used about half the amount called for ... It turned out pretty good any way though. Oh, I also accidentally used nutmeg instead of allspice - so I guess this is a pretty forgiving recipe.

It turned out a bit denser than most quick breads - maybe due to less bananas? Also I don't know if it really needed the glaze - I could probably leave that out - but it is a bread worth making again, but next time with more bananas ...

• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• Glaze:
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Preparation

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.
4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Aunt Pat's Irish Shepard's Pie

 Made this last week and shared it with Liz and Grandma - everyone liked it - well, except Grandpa - he wouldn't try it cause he said he had it once and didn't like it ...


My changes to the recipe are in blue, Pat's are in red .. I'm sure you could vary it many different ways


Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb ground beef or 1 lb lamb ( I used the triple combo beef/veal/pork)(I used half pork/half beef)
1 large onion, finely diced
3 -4 large carrots, finely diced
1 cup frozen peas
3 -4 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped (I also added half as Rosemary)
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 glass red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup stock
1 large quantity mashed potatoes ( I used 4 large)
1 egg, beaten
grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

Saute carrots in the olive oil until starting to get tender.

Add in the onions and saute for a minute or two then add the meat.

Season with black pepper and thyme.

Cook until browned then drain fat.

Add the butter and peas. (added no butter..not much use of 1tbs)

Sprinkle with flour and stir through. ( I added the flour to a small amount of stock, was
much easier, then added after next step with the rest of the broth)

Add tomato paste, wine and Worcestershire sauce.

Let this reduce slightly then add the chicken stock ( Used Beef Stock, Me too). Allow to reduce
down until you have a thick meaty gravy. Season to your taste.

Remove from heat. Grease an oven proof dish with butter and add the sauce. ( didnt
grease..was fine, Me too)

Spoon or pipe the mashed potatoes over top.

Brush with egg and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if using. ( didnt use egg or any
cheese..worked fine, used egg, but no cheese either)

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the potato is nice and browned on top.

Serve as is or with some crusty bread to mop up that yummy sauce!

For Madeline: Pumpkin Gingerbread

This was tasty -  from Simply Recipes made it without raisins because I couldn't remember if Madeline liked raisins, Mom didn't like the fresh ginger - said it tasted 'hot', you could leave it out and it would still be gingery enough!  But Madeline liked it ...

• 1 1/2 cups (200 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) molasses
• 1 Tbsp finely minced fresh ginger (optional)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)                               

                                                    
                                   
1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray or butter to keep the pumpkin gingerbread from sticking to the pan.

2 In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3 In another bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the pumpkin purée, melted butter, sugar, molasses, fresh or candied ginger, eggs, and water.

4 Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the raisins if using. Stir only until incorporated.

5 Place the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then gently run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert the loaf to remove it from the pan. Let it cool on a rack for 30 minutes or longer.

Zucchini Bread

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 cups grated fresh zucchini
1/4 cup melted butter
¼ cup olive oil
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)



1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, and eggs.Mix in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, a third at a time. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

2 Divide the batter equally between 2 buttered 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Cauliflower Bacon Gratin

A really goo
A really good way to make cauliflower - if I had to name it, I would have called it a cheesy bacon cauliflower popover. It is a modified version of a recipe from Around My French Table by Dorrie Greenspan, who describes it as sort of like a quiche, but if you add flour, it is really more popoverish.

Since I first made it, I’ve tried a broccoli, cheddar version which isn’t bad, but cauliflower holds its crunch better than broccoli - there are a few other things I’ve thought of - like adding a bit of cooked chicken?

1 cauliflower
1/4 pound bacon, cut crosswise into slender strips
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 ounces Gruyere (you can use Emmenthal, or even Swiss in a pinch), grated

Preheat oven to 425F

Generously butter an oven-going pan that holds about 2 1/2 quarts. (It's not elegant and it's a tad too big, but a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex pan is fine.)

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Pull or cut the florets from the cauliflower, leaving about an inch or so of stem. Drop the florets into the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes.

Drain, rinse the cauliflower under cold running water to cool it down.

While the cauliflower is cooking, toss the bacon strips into a heavy skillet, put the skillet over medium heat, and cook just until the bacon is browned but not crisp. Drain and pat dry.

Spread the cauliflower out in the buttered pan, and scatter over the bacon bits.

Put the flour in a bowl and gradually whisk in the eggs. When the flour and eggs are blended, whisk in the cream and milk. Season the mixture with salt, and pepper, and stir in about two thirds of the cheese.

Pour the mixture over the cauliflower, shake the pan a little so that the liquid settles between the florets, and scatter over the remaining cheese.

Bake the gratin for about 25 minutes, or until it is puffed and golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top isn't as brown as you'd like it to be, run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
ay to make cauliflower - if I had to name it, I would have called it a cheesy bacon cauliflower popover. It is a modified version of a recipe from Around My French Table by Dorrie Greenspan, who describes it as sort of like a quiche, but if you add flour, it is really more popoverish.

It's good as a side dish, but I've eaten it for breakfast just by itself (people who are known to eat cold pizza for breakfast shouldn't comment).

Since I first made it, I’ve tried a broccoli, cheddar version which isn’t bad, but cauliflower holds its crunch better than broccoli - there are a few other things I’ve thought of - like adding a bit of cooked chicken?

1 cauliflower
1/4 pound bacon, cut crosswise into slender strips
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 ounces Gruyere (you can use Emmenthal, or even Swiss in a pinch), grated


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Generously butter an oven-going pan that holds about 2 1/2 quarts. (It's not elegant and it's a tad too big, but a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex pan is fine.)

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Pull or cut the florets from the cauliflower, leaving about an inch or so of stem. Drop the florets into the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes.

Drain, rinse the cauliflower under cold running water to cool it down.

While the cauliflower is cooking, toss the bacon strips into a heavy skillet, put the skillet over medium heat, and cook just until the bacon is browned but not crisp. Drain and pat dry.

Spread the cauliflower out in the buttered pan, and scatter over the bacon bits.

Put the flour in a bowl and gradually whisk in the eggs. When the flour and eggs are blended, whisk in the cream and milk. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and stir in about two thirds of the cheese.

Pour the mixture over the cauliflower, shake the pan a little so that the liquid settles between the florets, and scatter over the remaining cheese.

Bake the gratin for about 25 minutes, or until it is puffed and golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top isn't as brown as you'd like it to be, run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

Corned Beef

This is a good recipe for corned beef - simple and no big pot with lots of fatty water to drain off!! I got it from Simply Recipes and while I didn’t use the cloves or hot honey mustard (used regular honey mustard), it was really good.

• 3 lbs corned beef (in package)
• 10 whole cloves
• 1/4 cup hot sweet honey mustard
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Drain the corned beef from the package and discard the spice packet. Lay corned beef, fat side up, on a large piece of heavy duty, wide, aluminum foil (you may have to get creative with the way you wrap the beef if your foil isn't wide enough). Insert the cloves into the top of the slab of corned beef, evenly spaced. Spread the top with the hot sweet honey mustard. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top. 


2 Wrap the corned beef with foil in a way that allows for a little space on top between the corned beef and the foil, and creates a container to catch the juices. Place foil-wrapped corned beef in a shallow roasting pan and bake for 2 hours. 


3 Open the foil wrapping, spread a little more honey mustard over the top of the corned beef, and broil it for 2-3 minutes, until the top is bubbly and lightly browned. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then place on cutting board and cut at a diagonal, across the grain of the meat, into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Buttermilk Ranch

I've deleted the old post for this because I've played with it for a while- and not that I won't continue doing so - but I think I've got a formula that works better:

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• dash lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon of dry dill (or a teaspoon chopped fresh)
• a small dash of onion powder
• a small dash of garlic powder
  

I'm not really sure about the amount of salt - really I'm not sure about much of this! Except the buttermilk and mayonnaise, chives and dill!! I suspect it will be a bit different every time I make it - maybe add a bit of sour cream? blue cheese? bacon? parsley?

Brown Bread

This recipe is another that appeared in Beard on Bread by James Beard. Among the many excellent recipes is this very simple no-knead recipe for a whole wheat bread. No-knead means you can mix it all up like a thick batter rather than dough, throw it in a pan and as soon as it has risen, bake it!! Beard describes how he found the recipe at Myrtle Allen's inn, Ballymaloe House, in Ireland. This is a firm bread that is wonderful with butter and cheese, and tastes like we all imagine wheat bread should taste

3 3/4 cups stone ground whole-wheat flour
1 pkg yeast
2 cups warm water (100 to 115 degrees)
2 tablespoons dark molasses or honey
1 tablespoon salt

Put the flour and salt in an oven proof mixing bowl and place in a warm oven. Leave in the oven about 10 minutes. Both the flour and bowl should be just warm when you mix the bread dough.

Take 1/2 cup warm water, add 2 tbps honey and stir in the yeast. Allow to proof. When the flour feels warm to your fingers, remove the bowl from the oven. Stir the yeast mixture into the flour and salt and pour the water into the flour. Stir until you have a sticky dough, almost like a very thick batter. If the humidity is low (in Houston? like that's ever going to happen!!), you may need a little more liquid. If so, add water. If the dough seems too thin, add a tablespoon or two of flour and stir in well. Since you do not knead this dough, beat it for a minute or to get a better texture.

Butter a 9 x 5 x 3-inch bread pan and put the dough in. Smooth the top with a wet spoon. Cover and allow to rise by about one-third. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees about 20 minutes before the dough is risen - it will probably just reach the top of the pan. Bake the bread for 35 to 45 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If the bread is browning too quickly, lower the heat to 400F. Remove the bread from the pan and leave it in the turned-off oven for a few minutes to make the crust crisp. Set on a rack to cool. Brush the top and sides with a little butter while the loaf is still hot.

Buttermilk White Bread

Another use for leftover buttermilk! or make this and use leftover buttermilk for salad dressing? any way it's good and tangy and useful when you don't want to make sourdough - good for sandwiches and toast - it's stolen from James Beard's On Bread, the recipe supposedly also makes good rolls - need to try those sometime ...

The recipe barely made 2 9x5 inch loaves - I would perhaps increase the buttermilk to 3 cups next time or make 2 8 inch loaves? Ok, I made some more today and used 3 cups of buttermilk, leaving everything else the same - I think there was too much salt for one loaf, but it seems fine for two - it worked really well and made 2 nice sized loaves! I've adjusted the recipe to reflect the increase ... btw, I added some whole wheat flour and it worked out well.

1 pkg yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

Flour

1 tbsp salt

3 tbsp melted butter

3 cups slightly warmed buttermilk

Proof yeast, sugar, warm water in a small bowl

add salt and melted butter to buttermilk

Add proofed yeast, then add flour and knead

Place in buttered bowl and let rise until doubled

Divide into two portions and form loaves, place in butter loaf pans and cover

Let rise again

Bake in preheated oven at 375F for about 40 minutes

Roast Potatoes

Roast potatoes - there are never enough of these ... you can only make as many as will fit. I would suggest making as many as you would if you were serving baked potatoes - one large russet per person and one extra for the pot.

I think I've got a method for roasting potatoes without a roast pork or roast beef, which is useful as these meats never have any fat on them any more and don't roast potatoes very well - but I would save bacon/chicken fat for doing this - it just has more flavor!

? whatever number of peeled russet potatoes

some sort of oil

Cut the potatoes into whatever size or shape you wish

Boil for 3/5 minutes in salted water

Drain, replace in pot and shake till a bit dry and fuzzy

Place in oven proof pan and drizzle with oil/butter/grease/fat of any kind or mixture thereof

Bake at 400F for about 30 - 45 minutes, depending on size of pieces, turning pieces every 10 minutes or so to brown evenly

The reason for the shaking is to get them fuzzy on the cooked outer layer so the potatoes brown better and get crispy enough so they don't get soggy when you take them out of the oven - sort of like why those crappy frozen extra crispy fries are coated with some kind of unknown starch that makes them really weird?

Peanut Butter Cookies

These are, ummm .... Peanut Butter Cookies!!!

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Cream the butter for 2 minutes. Add the sugars, cream for 2 more minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and egg. Mix together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into the sugar butter mixture.

2 Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

3 Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with a fork. Bake until light brown, 9 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a minute; transfer to rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Saltine Toffee

These sound kinda stupid - but they are scrumptious!


Saltine Crackers
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 cup chocolate chips
1-2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 17x12 inch Jelly roll pan with heavy duty foil and butter foil. Place saltine crackers side by side on entire cookie sheet, salt side up. Combine sugar and butter in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for three minutes; pour over saltines and bake for 5 mins and lower heat to 350 and bake for another 5 minutes minutes. Immediately, sprinkle chips evenly. Whey the chips have melted, smooth with a knife and sprinkle with chopped nuts. If the chips don't melt, shove them back n the oven for another minute. Refrigerate. When completely chilled, break into pieces.

Cauliflower Soup

This may not sound as if it is something you want to eat - but it is good - not just a little good - but very good!!! I stole it from the Pioneer Woman - I thought about things I might do to "improve" the soup, but decided the only change would be to use regular chicken broth instead of low salt. I love it when recipes turn out just exactly as I imagined they would! Then there is no fiddling about to be done - it was just right as it was ... even the salt was perfect.

• 1 stick Butter, Divided
• ½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
• 1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
• 1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
• 1 whole Cauliflower Head (roughly Chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons Parsley (chopped)
• 2 quarts Chicken Broth Or Stock
• 6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1 cup Half-and-half
• 1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature

  In a large soup pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes.

  Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

  Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

  In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the butter and whisk to combine. Add milk slowly to the butter/flour, whisking constantly.

  Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

  Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Just realized I forgot the sour cream!! But the soup is great without it ... So maybe I'll try it with sour cream tomorrow and see if it is really necessary ...

Buttermilk Pound Cake

As I've been playing with buttermilk lately, it seemed a good idea to make a cake with the leftovers from the buttermilk salad dressing. This cake is a little bit more like a modern cake than the old fashioned one I posted a few years ago. Since it has milk and leavening, it is more like a store bought cake - and more likely to be eaten by children who are used to such stuff ...

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 2.25 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs or 5 extra large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. Stir the vanilla extract. Gently mix in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 90 minutes. Do not open oven door until after one hour. When cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan it is done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Makes a little too much for a nine inch loaf pan - one little loaf extra.

Apple Strudel

This is a good way to get around making pies - I still don't have much luck with pie crust and this year since I am moving one week before Thanksgiving, strudel seems like a quick easy way to compensate. Strudel is a bit lighter than pies and so it will be easier to eat after all that turkey and potato stuffing!!


1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons raisins
Confectioners' sugar (optional)


Heat the oven to 375°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. Stir the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the apples and raisins and toss to coat.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, spoon the apple mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry sheet to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll up like a jelly roll. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Tuck the ends under to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Cut several slits in the top of the pastry.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the strudel is golden brown. Let the strudel cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Steak/Roast Beef Sandwiches

It may seem strange to have a recipe for a sandwich - and I know none of you like "stuff" on your sandwiches yet (notice the 'yet"?) - but maybe some day some one will want to make a hero/sub. I didn't know how to make these when I was 18 and someone showed me how to recreate the subs I loved. If you are 18 and someone makes you one of these, and you spend 2 hours eating it while sitting on a car outside a sub shop at 2 am watching how it is done, you won't need this recipe ...

1 6 inch Italian sub roll
This used to be easy to find - it should be crusty, but not terribly crumby, more chewy. The roll should feel light for its size, if it feels heavy the sandwich will taste too bready - the bread is merely a shell for the fillings, not the main event!

Roast beef or leftover steak
The meat should be still pink in the center, sliced as thinly as possible

Other cold cuts - if you make the sandwich with other meats - one should be thinly sliced Genoa salami - which is also useful if you have crappy store bought roast beef ...

Mayonnaise - Hellman's only!!

Lettuce - thinly sliced iceberg

Tomatoes - the best you can get, they need to be red, juicy, and better over ripe than under ripe, thinly sliced

Italian salad dressing - Seven Seas Viva Italian or vinegar and oil with garlic, oregano, etc.

Cheese - optional for me - but traditional - baby swiss is good

Onions - sliced - again thinly - you can do without these if you like

Slice bread in half - if the bread seems too thick, pull out some of the crumb to leave a shell. The bread should exceed the amount of the filling.

Slather with mayonnaise, both sides, and don't be stingy!

Layer with meat, then a layer of cheese, if you are using some

Next, a layer of tomatoes, topped with the lettuce and onions.

Sprinkle lettuce and onions with salad dressing - or sprinkle in bowl before adding to sandwich.

Peach Mango Cake

This is adapted from a recipe found in Gourmet September 2009. It's fast to make and quite easy - I used some frozen peaches and mangoes, some nutmeg in the batter and a bit more cinnamon and sugar on top - it's a sort of Bisquick type of coffee cake, but more buttery and eggy - probably just as good with apples, blueberries ....


* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 stick butter, softened
* 3/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon sugar, divided
* 2 large eggs
* 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
* nectarine and/or peach slices, or mango
* 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg or cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter pan.


Whisk together flour, baking powder.


Beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.


Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.


Spread batter evenly in pan, then scatter nectarines over top.


Stir together nutmeg and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar and sprinkle over top.


Bake until cake is golden-brown and top is firm but tender when lightly touched (cake will rise over fruit), 45 to 50 minutes.


Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool to warm.

Cherry Cheese Pie

This is a very simple pie - no cooking and it always comes out well ... it's not a real cheesecake, but it's a bit lighter and much easier. You can bake the crust for about 5 minutes at 375 F to keep it crisp longer.

1 can condensed milk
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 graham cracker crust
1 can cherry pie filling

Beat cream cheese until fluffy

Add condensed milk gradually and beat.

Add lemon juice and stir in

Pour in graham cracker crust - chill until set - about 4 hours

Cover with cherry pie filling before serving


Or use Blueberry or other berry pie filling

Blueberry:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups blueberries, thawed if frozen

Combine, boil 3 minutes until thick and clear

Cool 10 minutes, stirring

Cool 15 minutes more, spread over pie


From Smitten Kitchen - since Grandpa didn't like the cherry pie topping

Cherry topping
10 ounces sweet or sour cherries, pitted (they’re not in season here so I used frozen; worked just fine)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar*
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Rice Pudding / Arroz con leche

I've been doing research on various sorts of rice pudding - the old version which calls for simply milk, nutmeg, sugar and rice and cooking in the oven for 3 hours - but this often boils when I'm not looking and causes a watery yuckiness ...

I tried a custard version, but the rice was undercooked, well - not undercooked, but not soft enough for rice pudding!

Today I found this version from Smitten Kitchen, made with condensed milk. At first, it seemed a little strange - soaking the rice in 4 cups of water? (which I did for like 5 hours instead of one hour, because I took a nap). I made a few tweaks to the original recipe because I love nutmeg in rice pudding and I love lots of raisins and I didn't have any vanilla - but I often find vanilla can be left out of lots of things with no notice! I didn't use the zest because I never thought of an orangey flavor in respect to rice pudding ... but perhaps I'll try it sometime ...

Anyway, it's cooling now and it seems perfect!! ( put some in the freezer for a quick cooling and I will try not to eat too much tonight ... the only problem is that it does make a great deal of pudding - probably enough for 8 normal servings?

1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Tiny pinch of ground allspice
4 cups water
1 egg
3 cups whole milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla (optional)
3/4 cup raisins

Soak the rice, cinnamon, lemon or orange zest, nutmeg, and allspice in the water in a heavy saucepan for 1 hour.

After soaking, bring the rice mixture to a boil on high heat, uncovered. When it starts to boil (about 5 minutes), lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 more minutes or until water is almost evaporated.

While rice is cooking, beat the egg in a bowl. Add the milk and raisins and stir well to mix. Add the egg mixture, condensed milk, salt, and raisins, to the rice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring carefully, until it thickens slightly or until desired consistency (when a spoon stands up in the pot seemed about right) about 25 to 35 minutes.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I don't really like macaroni and cheese - especially that Kraft stuff!! But I had an unusual urge for it for Lenten Fridays - so I stole this recipe from the NYT. It doesn't have that floury taste you sometimes get with other recipes - because there isn't any flour ...
This one not only tastes good, it is easy - no boiling pasta or making a sauce. I might add a bit more salt next time, or not. You could add tuna or cooked chicken, or some crumbled bacon on top with the extra cheese.
 
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (actually, about 10 oz is probably enough)
½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, and salt and pepper together. Reserve ¼ cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
I wouldn't over cook this - maybe even cook it a little less - it cooks a bit more after you take it out of the oven - and gets too dry - unless you like it dry ...