Behold, the Super Muffin

 

It's a new year and time for a new college try at regular blog posting. I care less about you, dear readers, and more about myself, really. Do you know how many times I've freaked out having lost recipes I loved because I didn't blog them? Like, three times. It was horrible.

THIS recipe must not be lost. It's too good. In fact, it's super... as you'll soon find out for yourself. 

Super Muffins  ( Adapted from Banana Bread Recipe at simplyrecipes.com)

 

Ingredients

 

4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

3/4 cup heath bar, smashed ( can buy this way in the baking aisle- make sure it’s the bits that include the chocolate coating)

Optional: ½ cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips ( I didn’t include these)

 

Method

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon or fork, mix butter into the smashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the brown sugar, white sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Fold in ½ cup of the heath bar bits and chocolate chips ( if using) reserving ¼ cup of heath bar to sprinkle on top. Pour mixture into a prepared muffin tin or 4x8 inch loaf pan and top with remaining heath bar. Bake for 1 hour ( or, 30-35 minutes for muffins.) 

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

I baked cookies and didn't burn them which is good because these happen to be Aubrey's favorite cookies. 

Me: Aubrey, how would you describe the cookies I just made?

Aub: Good.

Me: No, like if you had to describe the flavor?

Aub: Delicious.

Me: No, I mean, so I could tell people what they taste like?!?!?

Aub: Extra delicious.

Ugh. Let's just give some background info-- I'm not a huge white chocolate fan and I couldn't classify "White Chocolate Macadamia Nut" as my favorite cookie, despite Aubrey's insistence that I just need to try one every  time we go to Subway. I have tried one. Many times.  And, I still don't choose it.  With that said, I ate about 14 of these in 10 seconds flat. Or, maybe over the course of two days, but, I could have and that's the point. Yay for perspective.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies ( a.k.a. The best cookies I've ever made)
Makes about 4 dozen ( Adapted from recipe found at allrecipes.com)

Ingredients 

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; gradually stir mix into the creamed mixture. 
4. Fold in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Peach and Blueberry Galette

It's the peak of peach season 'round these parts and a galette is a great way to whip up a summery treat. I love the charm of a rustic galette, which is basically a free form pie.  I suppose if I was rolling out pie dough already this would only be mildly easier than making a full fledge pie but, since I was cutting corners with premade dough, this was clearly the way to go. Everyone loved it and it made a great Fourth of July dessert.

Peach and Blueberry Galette (makes 2)

1 box pilsbury pie dough

6 cups sliced peaches

1 cup blueberries

1egg whites

1/4 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

Instructions for one galette- bake individually for best results.

Add 1/2 cup white sugar to peaches and blueberries in a small bowl. Allow to macerate ( mix and do good things with the sugar) for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place one, round pie dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour 1/2 of fruit in center of pie dough, leaving enough room around the edges to roll up around the sides.

Carefully fold the dough around the edges and brush with egg whites. Sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake on center rack for 40-35 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.

Pumpkin Pie Balls

I decided to make cake balls again to take to our annual family hayride a couple weeks ago. Call me crazy because apparently I forgot how time consuming they can become. Call me awesome because I stumbled upon an even better recipe than my last attempt. I was looking for something thoroughly fall/hayride appropriate and Bridget at Bake at 350 totally came through for me. She calls these delicious autumn wonders "Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls" but I found that when adapted a tad, they can come out with the consistency of pumpkin pie. Okay, okay, "adapted" means I accidentally used a whole can of pumpkin instead of 1 cup and my cake fell because it was super thick and dense. Guess what? It turned out great. Since it was so moist, I added a 1/2 a can of cream cheese versus the standard full can and the sweetness and texture was spot on.

Here's my adapted recipe for Pumpkin Pie Balls
(Makes about 4-5 dozen balls)

1 box French Vanilla cake mix

1 full can of pumpkin ( not pumpkin pie blend- just straight up canned pumpkin)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

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1/2 can cream cheese frosting

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chocolate candy melts or almond bark

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Nuts, sprinkles, grated coconut, or reserved almond bark for decorating ( optional)

1. Beat all top section ingredients until blended and bake according to package instructions in a 13x9 pan. Cake should rise and toothpick should come out clean from center. However, since the cake is extra dense, it will fall when removed from the oven.

2. Allow cake to cool enough to handle. Crumble and smoosh the cake together- it will be pretty mushy. Add 1/2 can of cream cheese frosting and blend well. NOTE: I don't know why but I really prefer Duncan Hines cream cheese to Pilsbury. The Pilsbury one tastes like plastic cotton candy. Is that just me?

3. Shape into bite size balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet ( you'll probably need a few.) Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. You want these to be pretty cold.

4. Melt almond bark or chocolate melts however you like but not over a direct flame. 10-15 second intervals in the microwave works well. Or, you can put a mixing bowl in a a stock pot to steam water in order to melt them. I'm pretty sure there's an actual piece of equipment for this but why buy one more thing?

I bought lousy bark from the convenience store because I thought I had some but I didn't and I didn't want to drive all the way to the Wal-Mart and get suckered into buying forty more things. Lousy bark or overheated bark may require the addition of shortening to loosen things up a bit. Add in small spoonfuls if needed until it is a smooth consistency that will easily coat your pie balls.

5. Remove balls from the fridge and individually dunk into the almond bark using a fork to remove from the bowl and a spoon to toss chocolate over the top. The use of a toothpick is very handy for replacing the ball back on the parchment paper. You can see a great example of this technique in action courtesy of P-dub here.

6. If decorating with loose bits like nuts or sprinkles, top while the chocolate is still tacky. If decorating with piped almond bark, wait until the chocolate coating is fully set.

I prefer these chilled but I also hate warm pie so, there ya go. I'd use your pie preferences as a guide here because, they aren't cake-like in texture at all. One last piece of advice...if you want any of these for yourself, hide them. I only got one.

Zucchini Bread

My heightened awareness and possession of zucchini this season has led me to seek out many ways to make it. Zucchini and squash stir fry can only take me so far and, after the massive chicken and zucchini failure, I was on a hunt for something new and different that I could master. So, of course, I had to set out trying zucchini bread when a friend suggested I make it with this giant zucchini I'd acquired. (I should have taken a picture of it next to my head for perspective...)

I wasn't immediately sold on the idea...I mean, banana and pumpkin, yes, but whoever heard of zucchini bread? I entertained visions of providing my bread to unsuspecting receptacles... "Oh, wow, that's delicious" they would say. "What is that making my taste buds swoon?" Then I would squeal out, "It's...It's... Z-Z-ZUCCHINI!!!" and all would herald me as a creative extraordinaire. MUhahahaha.

Very quickly, my dreams were crushed. Sadly, everyone and their mother has had zucchini bread in my town except for me. Even MY MOTHER said she used to make it all the time and she's not even from my town. Oh, and, the above scenario is based on a very optimistic view that I wouldn't burn the thing. Yet, I was still set on making it depite the fact that my bud bailed on providing the recipe. Plus, I was pretty determined to find someone who hadn't had it before.

I came across this foundational piece at allrecipes.com and modified it resulting in less fat and full deliciousness. I reduced the sugar and used half white and half brown. I swapped half the oil for applesauce and to make up for what I feared would be a loss in moistness, I added an additional cup of grated zucchini. Hey, I had to get my tricks in there somewhere and, guess what? It was a winning combo by all accounts - even from experienced zucchini bread eaters. I'll definitely be making this again ( especially since the zucchini supply hasn't diminished at all)

Zucchini Bread ( adapted from Mom's Zucchini Bread and Allrecipes.com) Makes 2 loaves ( one to eat- one to share!)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter 2 8x 4 inch loaf pans.

2.Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, brown and white sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

4. Deliver second loaf to the neighbor but don't tell them it's zucchini bread, just in case they haven't had it before.

Score! They hadn't had it. Mission complete.

Strawberry-Citrus Salad

After the vacation of meat, I was ready to return to something light. If you, too, have gone overboard on steak intake, then this dish is for you. It's for you even if you didn't consume about 5 cows last week. I saw it first in my Bon Appetit last month but didn't realize how simple it was to make until I saw it in The Bitten Word. If you want to be a purist, follow the recipe. But, it's as simple as combining the four ingredients to suit your tastes which is what I did... strawberries I had on hand, an orange, a heaping spoon of brown sugar, and about 5 mint leaves chiffonade ( that means stacked, rolled up together, and sliced thinly.) It's super refreshing and yet has depth from the brown sugar. Give it a try for any summer picnics you have coming up ( um, July 4th anyone?)


Strawberry-Citrus Salad

Bon Appetit May 2009 Serves 4

Ingredients

3 cups sliced hulled strawberries (about one 22-ounce basket)
3 large navel oranges, peeled, thickly sliced crosswise, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

1.Toss all ingredients in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Rhubarb Bread Pudding

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, I thought I might share this new lovely recipe I happened upon while deepening my love affair with rhubarb. Behold, Rhubarb Bread Pudding:

Whether you're charged with bringing a dessert for the Saturday picnic or if you're taking it easy and finally have time to make a nice breakfast for the fam, this recipe is the way to go. I like standard bread pudding but sometimes it's too sweet for me. This with the kick of tart rhubarb???...oh my. Now that I'm thinking about it, I should mention that it's totally fair to have desserts for breakfast and breakfast for dessert. That's just how I roll.

Rhubarb Bread Pudding - Serves 6 ( or, two for 3 days)

Adapted from This Recipe at allrecipes.com (a great source for all sorts of recipes.)

The original recipe calls for regular sandwich bread with crusts removed and a lot more egg than I like in my bread pudding... I'm a fan of dense bread pudding- more creamy and doughy than eggy so I altered it to suit my needs. If you like your bread pudding more on the "pudding" side of life, you might check out the original.

Onward...

6 slices French Bread with crust on- toasted and cubed ( like, literally toasted in the toaster.)

4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon ( plus more for dusting)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8-1/4 cup walnuts

Raw sugar for sprinkling

.

.
.

.

That's all...

Oh, and 1 cup of diced rhubarb. Don't worry baby...I didn't forget you.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.

2. Arrange cubed pieces of bread in a buttered baking/casserole dish (about 2 qt.)

3. Combine milk and butter in a sauce pan and bring to the point just at the boiling point...like if allowed to stay one more second it will boil. Remove from heat and pour over bread. Allow to set for 15 minutes or until it is all absorbed. Your kitchen will smell really good right about now...

4. Combine eggs, rhubarb, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour over bread and top with walnuts. Mix lightly.

5. Sprinkle with raw sugar to taste and more cinnamon if you love it like I do...

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until browned. Notice I didn't destroy it this time?

Round Two of Rhubarb baking goes to Amanda ( Oven smackdown!)

At this point you can go solo like I did, or serve it with a basic cream sauce:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup cream

(optional- 1/8 cup Jack Daniels? P-dub's idea, not mine... though, I might steal it.)

Heat all ingredients in sauce pan on low heat until boiling. The end.

Yum.

Mmmmm....I wish I had more of this. I'm fresh out of Rhubarb now! Good thing I'll be in Tulsa this weekend...

Tarts- A Love Story with Rhubarb Tart Recipe

Aubrey and I discovered the joy that is a tart while on our first voyage across the Atlantic in May of 2005. It all started for us in Frankfurt, Germany when we discovered that,
a. It costs money to use a public toilet in Europe;
b. German police actually patrol with German Shepherds, and;
c. We would never be the same again after eating this:

Thus began our love affair with tarts and tart-like things...

But, it was really all about the tarts...

I patiently waited a year and we returned in May of 2006 to Paris for our honeymoon... and, guess what? So, you see my problem...we love tarts, we live in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma, and I can't bake. I can't remedy any of these conditions but I like to go down fighting against my oven. Yes, yes, friends. I tried baking......................again. Enter, rhubarb tart.

Have you ever had rhubarb? This was actually my first time and I can't believe I lived without it for so long...

For an amazingly simple recipe, I managed to screw up the puff pastry ( premade pastry dough, people! How can I mess that up?) and burn the edges. So, both of these faults should make my next statement really hit home.... this was the best sweet I've had since our trip last November. I'm telling you the honest truth. It brought tears to my eyes.
Sure, my puff pastry didn't puff ( note: don't thaw puff pastry in the microwave. Oh, and you roll it out in a sheet, not from the melted ball you formed in the microwave. I learned that here, too late.) But, despite all the obstacles, this was amazing. Whoever first combined tart and tangy rhubarb with the sweetness of a sugar orange glaze will go down in history as a genius in my book. Without further ado...

Rustic Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze( adapted from Gourmet April 2009. It's "rustic" because I can't roll out a rectangle... hehe. Recipe found here.)

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 pound rhubarb stalks, thinly sliced diagonally ( about 1/8 inch)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4-ounces package), thawed
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest ( I skipped this part and it was just fine.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 with rack in the middle.

2. Mix orange juice, lime juice, and sugar in a bowl. Add rhubarb and soak for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, cut the sheet of puff pastry in half and roll out into two rectangles approximately 11" x 7." I literally brought out my ruler but didn't need it since the blob from the microwave wasn't going anywhere near a rectangle.

4. Place both rectangles on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Strain rhubarb (retaining the liquid) and arrange on both of the pastry sheets.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

7. While the tarts are baking, boil down the remaining liquid to reduce to a thickend glaze.

8. When tarts are finished, remove from oven and brush with the glaze.

9. Try not to burn yourself when you immediately attempt to eat the thing. Ahhh, what one does for true love.

Cake Balls

I'm not a dessert kinda gal... partially because I can't bake and partially because I just don't have a sweet tooth. I'm made of more spice than sugar, I suppose. Anyway, I've been a total slacker lately at contributing to office birthday celebrations despite always eating my fair share. I figure it's time to give back. Office birthdays= dips or baked goods and I made dip two days ago ( I'm really making up here.) So, I venture into the world of baking, again.

I've been seeing cake balls popping up everywhere lately and I decided to try it out.

These were a lot more time consuming and messy than I planned. I still need to go scrub my kitchen. I think I've made up the effort now in office giving for the next two months. Plus, I lovingly fondled every ball, so that's gotta count for something.



I followed the recipe instructions found at The Pioneer Woman. And, even though they took longer than I planned, cake balls turned out to really be fool proof.

Here's what you do:

1 box of cake mix ( I used Devils Food) - Bake according to directions in a 9 x 13 pan

1 jar frosting ( I used cream cheese flavor)

Almond Bark ( I got two packages...one chocolate, one vanilla)

1. Once your cake is made, let it cool and then crumble it all up in a big bowl.
2. Mix in most of the jar of frosting until it makes a nice mush.
3. Shape into small balls. Pop in the fridge until cool and firm or in the freezer to save time.
4. Melt Almond Bark according to instructions.
5. Drop the balls one at a time into the Almond bark, spooning the meltyness over the ball. Scoop up in a spoon, tap on side of bowl to let the coating smooth out, and transfer to a wax sheet.
6. Decorate at will.
7. Refrigerate to help them set up before serving.
I used opposite colored Almond Bark to do some squiggles.

FACT: Not as easy as I thought that would be either. DECORATE FAIL! :



Anyway, I hope they're okay. I still haven't had one but I had to beat Aubrey to keep him from stealing them. He still managed to get five. So, I'm guessing they're good.

Greek Night- Baklava and Traditional Greek Salad

Opa!!! We had yet another themed dinner party and this time it was Greek night at our friend April's house. Everything was delicious from the ouzo meatballs to the Greek stuffed peppers. I was in charge of dessert since we couldn't find anything remotely Greek... I went with baklava- esteemed sweet of the land of the gyros. It originated in Turkey but now people think it's Greek so it is a total qualifier. I followed this recipe for baklava at Allrecipes.com and I pretty much followed it exactly for once with a couple of exceptions. Dang, I guess I didn't follow it exactly at all. Some of the reader comments suggested to either cool the baklava or the sauce before combining ( so they aren't hot together which would make for super sogginess.) I cooled the sauce. Also, for the sauce, instead of 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of honey...I used 1 1/2 cups of water to the 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of honey. It was good...went farther and a little less sweet. So, how was it? I dunno, I forgot to eat some but everyone said it was awesome and I'll trust them on it. I just don't have a sweet tooth...what can I say?

I also don't have a traditional greek salad tooth...

It was gross...here's the stupid recipe.

Here's me exercising my Ouzo Meatball tooth:

German Night!- Sour Cream Apple Crumb Kutchen

Every month or so, we've been getting together with some friends to bring a wee bit of culture to our little town. Thus far, we have had an Exotic food night, an Irish food night, and the latest was.............

I know you're asking your computer screen, "WHAT WAS IT???" Well, I WILL ASK THE QUESTIONS because it was German night! Have you ever tried canned halibut in tomato sauce? Well, as we discovered, there's a good reason for this. Who knew that Germans enjoyed specialties other than the typical Bratwurst and Saurkraut? As it turns out, Deutsche cuisine offers a well-rounded smattering of delights ranging from fried, dark and heavy to...heavy, dark, and fried. From Wienersnitzel (fried pork) to fried potato pancakes, we had it all. We're getting pretty good at being authentic, too!

I made a particularly tasty dish called Sour Cream Apple Crumb Kutchen. Yeah, it sounds pretty nasty but it was really good ( much to my relief). The recipe is here: http://www.recipeatlas.com/germanrecipes/scapplecakerecipe.html

I have no clue what it's original source might be but it came up in "german cake recipes" and it looked like I could make it without becoming a pastry chef.

Let me just say, this was the most intensive cake I have ever made (also, like the third of which didn't originate in a box). I dirtied every dish in the house! Also, I thought all cake batter was poured into a pan. NO! This batter was spread with some difficulty and the end product weighed about 10 pounds. I think it would make a good breakfast cake. Very pure, dense, moist, apple-y, and not at all artificially sweet tasting. Sorry, no pictures of it because I was too busy engaging in other german customs... ( i.e. a shot of jagermeister with a lemon slice half covered in coffee and half covered in sugar). Has anyone ever heard of this? Crazy.

Blackberry and Peach Cobbler

Ahhh. Sweet and delicious Blackberry cobbler. I've been wanting some of this for a few days now and finally got around to making it. It's another Pioneer Woman recipe and it's easy as pie... actually, easier! Check it:

1 cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flower
( mix these together)
1 cup milk ( whisk it in baby)
1/2 cup melted butter ( that's one whole stick- add it in there! Now whisk it! Whisk it good!)
Put the cobbler mixture in a buttered baking dish
2 cups Blackberries ( of the fresh or frozen variety- Just throw them on top)
1/4 cup more sugar ( sprinkle over the top of all that beauty)*
Bake for an hour at 350 degrees. That's that.

* This is "all that beauty" before it gets sprinkled with sugar and popped in the oven.
For an extra tasty alternative I made one with peaches and blackberries. I'm usually not one to brag but this was the best cobbler I have ever had. No joke. You may kiss my ring.