Banana Bread Recipe

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed (add a teaspoon of sugar to help macerate the banana as you smash)

1/3 cup melted butter or softened butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup, and you can mix or use brown sugar)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

¾ – 1 cup of walnuts (optional – to desired likeness)

Directions:

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. 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.

Notes:

I used to us an old Betty Crocker Recipe and they have changed the recipe on the website. This is as close to the recipe that I remember, sometimes I add a teaspoon of banana extract for add boost in smell and flavor.

Help Us Have a Better Planet!

Hi Neighbors!
Want a better planet? Want to help by participating in eco-friendly actions and to spread the word?

Take a pledge to do eco-friendly actions, ie changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs, low flow shower heads or you may already have done these changes, register to take the pledge and check the list to see what else you can do to help our planet.

Here is the web-site, email to your friends, families and neighbors, the city with the most pledges can receive hybrid taxis for their city, another way to help the planet!

http://better.yahoo.com/planet/

Thank you to all who chose to check it out and participate.

Another Year…

Another year, another year older. At 6:14am on December 1st, 1967, 39 years ago, I made my debut to the world!I usually don’t make a fuss about my birthday, same thing each year, my sister Jo takes the day off to “spend” time with me. We would do anything I want and that usually has been order take out or delivery and chill at home.

This time I decided to go ahead and go out, we made plans to go to the Outback. I’ve asked a couple of my Nieces and their family to join us. I been somewhat sentimental this year and have been trying to get back into the loop with my family. We had 4 new additions this year and our family has grown so far apart.

Though we have plans tomorrow to celebrate, I am afraid I may not go. I am just getting over food poisoning that I got over the Thanksgiving weekend and now my Boyfriend has just come down with it. I was feeling a bit queasy earlier and I don’t know if my feeling of illness is from hearing him toss cookies an hour earlier or that I may have it again. I ate the same cheese he did earlier, though he had lunchmeat with his. He thinks maybe I gave it to him, I think I read that it can be contagious. *sigh*

I feel awful that he has it and will suffer through all the symptoms for 3-4 days at least. Sick or not tomorrow, I will be worried about him. I can’t see myself going out for the evening while he is like this. Well it’s just another day, another year and just another year older. I am looking forward to being 40!

Pumpkin Roll Cake Success!

I recieved my jelly roll pan and last Thursday I made the Pumpkin Cake Roll…. 3 to be exact! It came out great. I made a couple of small changes and I still love the end product.

I substituted the ground cinnamon and ground cloves with 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Though maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons would probably be better.

When I made the cream cheese filling, I followed the recipe. Creaming the softened cream cheese and softened butter and bouncing the hand mixer to make it lighter and aerate the filling before adding the sugar and blended it until it was creamy. I whipped up about a cup of whipping cream and folded it in little by little until it suited my taste. I wanted to be pretty light and airy and not a heavy cream cheese frosting/filling. I also wanted to cut down the sweetness.

Before folding the whip cream and cream cheese mixture I added about a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to give it a little taste. I froze one to use another time, it’s good up to a month in the freezer. I gave one to my friend who loves making desserts and I wanted her input on it, she hasn’t got back to me yet. If you do serve the cake at room temperature it will taste sweeter.

Overall this was easier than I thought. It was messy because upon turning the cake onto a clean towel dusted with powdered sugar, once it hit the towel the powder just burst into a cloud covering my table and floor with it. LOL This I don’t understand how to do without making such a mess! It was worth it I guess because it was yummy!

Pumpkin Cake Roll

Delicious and easy to make.

Pumpkin Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans or chopped walnuts
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
3. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
4. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Makes 10 servings.

Recipe and photograph are the property of Nestlé® and Meals.com

Holiday Cookie Recipes, Pt. 2

Black Walnut Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped black walnuts

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts last. Shape dough into logs about 2 inches in diameter, wrap them in wax paper, and refrigerate until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Slice dough logs into 1/2 inch slices, and place on baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Mmmm nuttylicious! Great with Tea!

Servings Per Recipe: 24

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Basic Butter Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 5 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 dozen cookies

These cookies are absolutely delicious made with regular butter. Dough log can be chilled up to 5 days or frozen, wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, 1 month. If frozen, thaw dough in refrigerator just until it can be sliced. Instead of forming dough into a log and chilling, you can roll tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls, then roll balls in finely chopped nuts (about 1 cup) and coarse sugar. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until bottoms are browned, about 15 minutes total. To garnish cookies with chocolate, melt 3 1/2 ounces chocolate and cool slightly. Transfer to a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag and snip a 1/16-inch opening in 1 corner. Pipe chocolate evenly back and forth over cookies. Let chocolate set before storing cookies. Cookies keep, layered between sheets of waxed paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (*I’ve used lemon extract, and any preferred extract would be okay)

Garnish: coarse or sanding sugar (I used just plain sugar); or melted chocolate; I also mixed in chopped blanched almonds (see cook’s note, below)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 with a handheld.
Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Form dough into a 12-inch log (2 inches in diameter) on a sheet of plastic wrap(or waxed paper) and roll up dough in plastic wrap. Chill dough on a baking sheet until firm, at least 4 hours. (To roll cookies into balls, see cook’s note, below.)
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (I had to adjust my oven to 350 degrees F.)
Cut enough 1/8 to 1/4-inch-thick slices from log with a heavy knife to fill 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging slices about 1-inch apart (chill remainder of log, wrapped in plastic wrap). If garnishing with coarse sugar, sprinkle slices with it.
Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes total. Cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.

Cook’s Note: Sanding sugar is available at specialty foods shops and New York Cake & Baking Distributor (800-942-2639).

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Butter Pecan Cookies
From Everyday Food magazine.

Here’s a tip cream the butter first. Then add sugar and cream them together. This is the way it is supposed to be done.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toast pecans until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely; finely chop.
With an electric mixer, cream butter for about a minute. Add 1/3 cup sugar and cream until light, about 1 minute more. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.
Separate dough into 12 pieces; squeeze dough to shape into balls. Roll in sugar. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet. (the dough is a crumbly texture)
Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass (reshape sides if necessary). Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with more sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Yields: a dozen cookies (try to double up ingredients for more cookies)

Holiday Cookie Recipes

The holidays will be coming around and I thought I will post some cookie recipes that I made last year, my family enjoyed them.

I was craving the peanut butter cookies that our cafeteria used to make and came across so many recipes that don’t even include flour. I was amazed because I can’t imagine cookies being made without flour. Well I went to the Skippy website and found a recipe that seems logical. I did change a thing or two. Overall these cookies came close to the recipe I remembered years ago.

CLASSIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup Skippy ® Creamy or Super Chunk ® Peanut Butter (I’ve used Jif, matter of preference.)
• 1 cup Imperial ® Spread, softened (I use butter instead)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat Skippy ® Creamy Peanut Butter and Spread until smooth. Beat in sugars, then eggs and vanilla until blended. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. (If necessary, refrigerate dough until easy to handle.)

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased baking sheets, arrange balls 2 inches apart. With fork dipped in sugar, gently flatten each cookie and press crisscross pattern into tops.

4. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly golden. On wire rack, cool completely. Store in tightly covered container.

Makes:
6 dozen cookies

Preparation Time:
20 Minute(s)

Cook Time:
12 Minute(s)
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I short cut these cookies, because I didn’t want to buy a container of oatmeal just to make this.
I made various kinds of Oatmeal cookies by adding the following to the recipe:

Oatmeal Cookies

Butterscotch chips
Chocolate chips
Peanut Butter chips (or combination of chocolate and peanut butter)
Raisins (but I used Craisins, dried cranberries, great for holiday recipes)
and Nuts (walnut, pecan or almond)

Main Ingredient:
Betty Crocker’s Oatmeal Cookie mix

If you have the ingredients, you can use Betty Crocker’s Cookie mix and make different cookies all together.

Directions:
Follow the directions on the package and add any of the ingredients listed. I would suggest anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup total (combination or not), but I just eyeball it and do as preference.

When making various cookies for holiday gifts or for dessert, this was a time saver.
I hope to add more recipes for the holiday, so come and check time to time. If you have any favorite cookie recipes, please leave it comments and I can post it up.
*TIP*
If you plan on having cookies through most of the holiday season, save yourself some time by making double, triple the amount and freeze for another time. The dough will be all ready and most cookie dough recipes keep up to 3 months in the freezer when stored properly.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

 Submitted by: Kay

We make these pumpkin cranberry loaves to give as gifts.
Of course, we eat a lot of them, also

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (15 oz.) can LIBBY’S 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice or water
• 1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350° F.
2. Grease and flour five or six 5 x 3-inch mini-disposable or metal loaf pans.
3. COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
4. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended.
5. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
6. BAKE for 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Looking For Ideas For Holiday Recipes?

Looking For Ideas On Holiday Recipes

It’s that time of the year and I am trying to get inspired. I am Filipino so our “holiday food” aren’t the Traditional American foods, though I know half the family would loved to have it or probably miss it since the 2nd and 3rd generation are a diverse bunch and grew up far from our Traditional Filipino Family upbringing, ideals and especially the cooking.

In our family, none of the females (my Sisters) really cook and we never had a chance to learn from my Grandmother any “family special recipes” to pass on down. I wish we had, so we can enrich the younger generations of our history of my Grandparents, My Aunts and Uncles, whom were not all related but of the same township in the Philippines. When I grew up, in the same house that I currently live in with my Mom and youngest Sister, this house was always a buzz of the social scene.

We had such an extended family of Aunts, Uncle, Cousins, lol Grandparents, mostly non-related but a very close knit community, all who knew each other or met through one of the people who were from the same township as my Grandparents, Mom and Uncle in the Philippines. It was here that I learned a lot about traditions, family, friendships and community.

My Grandparents and Mom had people over almost every weekend, or people just dropped in and that was okay. We had weekend Mah-jong sessions or there would be a celebration, my birthday, my sister’s or Thanksgiving, Christmas or whatever the occasion would be. The house would be jam packed all day from lunch to all-night because there would always be a mah-jong table or two going. I miss that feeling, the happiness, the chatter, the closeness, the feeling of cheeriness to be with the people you are spending time with.

Whew! Far off subject here… Well I am looking for some recipes for the Holidays to try out or share, salads to dessert, even drinks, cold and hot. Traditional, new, or …. different? Simple is best, but will take any, but if you have a recipe with a mile long list of ingredients well you can just email it! If you have a favorite recipe, or a modified version of an oldie but goodie (I love the traditional yummies but if there is a modified one that still has the taste but not the fat or calories, bonus!) or traditional holiday recipes please submit a recipe in comments. I am looking for suggestions.

Here are two cookie recipes that seem simple enough. I picked these out because of the minimal amount of ingredients, I have these nuts on hand right now, and because I have the other ingredients usually in the house. It sounds pretty easy, though I am not much of a baker, these recipes don’t scare me and I hope to try it for a trial run before the holidays. Here they are:

Favorite Black Walnut Cookies - An easy cookie to make, with distinctive flavor of black walnuts. It is especially good with a nice cup of tea or coffee. Makes 4 dozen (24 servings), by Terri McDougal

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped black walnuts

*Substitutions:
This recipe looks pretty standard or simple for a cookie recipe, substituting other nuts such as pecans, almonds, hazel nuts or a combination seems like a great idea as substitutes.

Directions:

• In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts last. Shape dough into logs about 2 inches in diameter, wrap them in wax paper, and refrigerate until firm.
  (Tip: Be sure to bring the butter to room temperature, soften, so when you cream the butter with the sugar it will be whipped and airy for lighter and airy cookies)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Slice dough logs into 1/2 inch slices, and place on baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. MMmmm nuttylicious!

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Pistachio Crisps – If you are not a pistachio lover, you can substiture your favorite nuts in these cookies. Makes 6 dozen (72 servings), by Gertrude.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped pistachio nuts
• 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cream together the butter and salt while slowly adding the powdered sugar. Add the nuts, vanilla and flour and mix until well blended.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough in the shape of logs about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces and bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
• Roll cookies in powdered sugar when they are still warm. Let cool in wire racks.

Tags: recipes, feeling, family, friends,holiday, cookies, christmas, pistachio, walnut

Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken

Roberta of The Poet In You left this great Chicken recipe in my comments that her husband Michael uses coconut milk and coconut to make it with. He makes something called Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken. He got the recipe out of the January 2005 Cooking Light. It sounds so good and I wanted to post it up so here it is:

Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 4 (4-ounce) chicken thighs, skinned
• 4 (4-ounce) chicken drumsticks, skinned
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 1 1/2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine panko, flaked coconut, salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Dredge chicken, 1 piece at a time, in panko mixture. Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully turn chicken over; bake an additional 30 minutes or until done.

I’ll need to make this too, if anyone tries it out let me know how it goes!

TIP: A sprinkle of curry powder would be a great twist too!

Tags: recipes, chicken, oven-fried, coconut, panko, lime juice, Japanese breadcrumbs