Banana (Nut) Bread

My mom gave me this recipe, from Betty Crocker I think.  She mostly makes banana nut bread loafs.  I use to eat granola bars for a mid-morning snack.  But I'm not crazy about the processed food and strange ingredients.  So now I make banana (nut) bread as muffins.  They are delicious.  And a nice portion size.

2 1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
3 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
3 T vegetable oil
3/4 C milk
1 egg
1 c finely chopped nuts (I use steel oats instead)
1 c mashed/riped bananas (2 or 3 medium sized
1/2 c of dried cranberries (optional)

-Preheat over to 300 degrees
-Grease and flour 9x5x3 inch loaf pan (I put muffin liners in 2 muffin pan)

-Measure all ingredients into a bowl (not the dried cranberries)
-beat on medium speed for 1/2 minute, scraping side and bottom of the bowl
-pour into pan (if making muffins, pour half into cups, then add dried cranberries for other half)
-bake 55 to 65 minutes
-remove from pan
-cool thoroughly before slicing

-bake 30 minutes for muffins, makes up to 24 muffins

Enjoy!
Christine

Angel Food Cake Roll

Hi.  This is one of my favorite desserts.  And everyone loves it.  What's better than ice cream?  And Angel food cake (though in this instance I use a box mix).  I think I got the recipe out of a cooking magazine, but I have no idea which.  It has been a long while.


1 Package (16oz) Angel Food Cake Mix
5 t confectioners' sugar
8 oz ice cream (I get a small vanilla from DQ or McDonald's)
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 drops red food coloring (I left it out this time)
Whipping crème

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Line a 15in x 10in x 1 in baking pan with waxed paper.  Prepare cake according to package directions.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Cool for 5 minutes.  

Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar.  Gently peel off waxed paper.  Roll up jelly-roll style in the towel, starting with a short side.  

Cool on a wire rack.

In a bowl, whisk the ice cream, pudding mix, and food coloring.  Fold in whipped crème.  Unroll cake, spread filling evenly over cake to within 1/2 inch of edges.  Roll up.  Cover and freeze.  Remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to slicing.  

  

If you look closely, you can see the ice cream in the middle of the cake.  


Enjoy!  
Christine 

Salsa Soup

This is one of my favorite summertime meals.  I buy most everything from the farmer's market.  Though this year I have grown my own jalapenos!  I am very excited about this.  If my current job does not work out, I'll be a farmer.  Ha ha


The basic recipe came from Cookshelf Soup cookbook.  I have modified it.  You can use any colored peppers.  I add additional seasonings, but it's hot stuff that I have on hand.  This is enough soup to be my lunch for a entire week.  Or I eat it for dinner.  Sometimes I have chips or crusty bread with it.  Some avocado would also be good.  

2 large ears of corn

1-3 T olive oil 

2 green peppers

2 jalapenos peppers

1 onion (I use a red one as I like lots of colors)

3 or 4 tomatoes, skinned, chopped

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1/2 t crushed red pepper

1/2 c water

2 or 3 c low sodium tomato juice

salt and pepper

Boil water.  Add tomato and cook for 20 seconds.  Take out tomato and skin.  Then chop.  

Chop the peppers and onion.  Cut corn kernels from the cob.

Heat oil in saucepan over a medium-high heat.  Add the peppers and cook, stirring briskly for 3 minutes.  Add onion and continue cooking 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, corn, and chili powder.  Continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.  Pour in the water and when it bubbles, reduce the heat, cover, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the peppers are tender.  Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer mixture to a large container and stir in the tomato juice.  Add more chili powder if desired.  Cover and refrigerate until cold.  

Enjoy!  

Christine 

Vegetable Lasagna at the Beach

My wonderful, extended family and some of their friends (27 total) went last week to the Outer Banks on vacation.  We rented a huge house ocean front.  Everyone takes a turn cooking. Had Thanksgiving dinner/ham/tenderloin one night.  Enchiladas another.  Grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken too.  Then my turn came up.  What better to feed everyone than lasagna. There were actually 3 lasagnas, with a seafood one, and a traditional one.  Other talented chefs made those.  


I always add a jalapeno to my to make it a bit spicier.  Also, all the vegetables ensures leftovers, cause what kid will eat all these?  Well, not many kids that were with us.  Special thanks to Olivia and Maddie, my little cousins, for helping.  (Short of chopping, they did most of the work.)  


2 green zucchini chopped
2 yellow squash chopped
1 head of broccoli chopped/box frozen (prepare according to directions)
1 15 oz box of frozen spinach (prepare according to directions)
2/3 tomatoes
1 green pepper chopped
1 yellow or orange pepper chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 jar tomato sauce
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 package of mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1 package of cooked lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  After cutting vegetables, put into pan with a little olive oil and heat.  Mix the ricotta cheese and egg, along with some mozzarella.  Put some sauce on bottom of 9" by 13" pan.  Put down 3 noodles across.  Then cheese on top of noodles.  Put a little pasta sauce on top of the cheese.  Use vegetables instead of meat sauce.  Repeat until down with ingredients.  Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered.  Uncover and cook an additional 20 minutes.  

Enjoy,
Christine

Kale chips

In our CSA this week, we got 3 bags of fruit & veg. First thoughts? What are we going to do with all of this kale that we're not going to do with all this Swiss chard??

My sister once recommended making kale chips. So, I gave that a try. They were delicious & crunchy & a little salty! All things that I like. The only drawback is that the stalk is still a little chewy after drying.

Here's what I did:

Lay kale on a sheet pan & spray with olive oil/Pam. Sprinkle a little salt over the kale. Bake in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

& voila! You have kale chips. Yummy, nutritious, & good for hand-to-mouth repetitions while watching TV/baseball.

Edit: I was just advised to try Indian spices with these. My friend Jaime makes them all of the time!!

- Keri

Chicken Pot Pie

Saw carrots, squash, and zucchini at the Farmer's Market so I decided to make chicken pot pie, even though it is not really a summer dish per say.  The original recipe comes from "The Heart of Pittsburgh II," A Cookbook from Historic Pittsburgh.   I changed it up a bit, added way more vegetables.  This is labor intensive, but worth the effort.  

Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

1 t salt

1 t sugar

1/2 chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 chilled shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

5-7 T cold water

Filling

2/3 pieces of boneless chicken

6 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 pound small red potatoes, quartered

3 carrots, peeled and cut

2 celery, cut

1 head of broccoli or 1 bag

1 squash

1 zucchini

1 bell pepper 

1 package of spinach

Sauce

1/4 c butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1/2 c flour

1/2 c dry white wine

1/2 c heavy cream

salt and pepper

Butter a 4 quart casserole dish.  (I use a 9x13 dish and another smaller one cause I don't have a casserole dish that size.)

For Crust:

Mix flour, salt, and sugar.  Add butter and shortening.  Blend, using a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse meal.  Add the cold water, 1 T at a time, mixing with a fork until dough starts to form a ball.  Shape dough into a flat rectangle; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For Filling:

Place chicken and broth in a large pot over medium heat.  If necessary, add water to cover chicken.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken to a plate.  Add potatoes, carrots, and celery to pot.  Add rest of vegetables.  Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender but firm.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes and vegetables to prepare casserole.  Cook spinach and if necessary, broccoli.  Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.  Transfer to casserole, mix with the potatoes and vegetables.  

For Sauce:

Strain liquid from pot and reserve 4 cups.  Skim fat off of top.  Using the same pot, over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add shallots, saute over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add the flour gradually, whisking for 2 minutes.  Add the 4 cups of broth and the wine.  Bring to a boil, whisking continuously.  Add cream, boil for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour 1/2 of the sauce into the casserole, mix well.  Add additional sauce to just reach the top of chicken and vegetables.  (Do not overfill.)  

Let mixture cool for 30 to 45 minutes.  Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Allow chilled dough to soften slightly.  On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/2 inch larger than the casserole.  Place dough on top.  Cut slits in dough to allow steam to escape.  Place casserole on a baking sheet for 50 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and top is lightly browned.  

Note:  Dough may be made up to 2 days ahead; wrap tightly and refrigerate.  Filling and sauce may be made 1 day ahead; mix together as instructed.  Cover tightly and refrigerate.  Do no assemble until pot pie is ready to bake.  

8 servings

Enjoy! 

Christine 

Strawberry Pie

Strawberries are my favorite food.  I eat them from mid-April until mid-June when I can get them from the Farmer's Market. They are way better from the Farmer's market, at least I think so.  Much better flavor and riper.  People really love Strawberry Pie.  My dad once asked my mom why she didn't make it for him.  ha ha  The graham cracker crust comes from the Healthy Firehouse Cookbook.  Truthfully, I think the crust is why people like the pie.  You can also make a similar peach pie, just blanch the peaches in hot water for 30 seconds and take off the skins.  I got the basic strawberry portion from the internet, no idea where, but I have modified it.  


 Graham Cracker Crust:
12 graham crackers, I suggest cinnamon type
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Crush graham crackers.  I use a rolling pin and baggie, but you could also use a food processor.  Melt butter (about 1 minute in microwave) Mix together.  Put mixture in pie pan and form to sides.  Cook 8 to 9 minutes.  Cool.

Strawberry Portion:
1 quart strawberries (about 4 cups)
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch

Blend/Puree in blender 1 cup of strawberries, 2/3 cup of water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Heat on low heat in sauce pan about 3 minutes.  Mix together 1/3 cup of water and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.  Make sure you continuously stir the cornstarch in the water so it blends and there are no lumps.  Add the 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch/water mixture to berry mixture.  Stir continuously until it boils.  It will be a few minutes.  You can turn up the heat a little.  Once it boils, take off heat and let cool.  Stir it every so often. 

Cut up remaining strawberries.  Put in pie crust.  Pour cool strawberry
gel over strawberries.  Serve with whipped cream if you desire.  Enjoy!

This is not the greatest picture, but I made this pie after camping (and being tired) for the first time ever and in a tent and before going to a Memorial Day picnic.  The pie will gel more after you put it in the refrigerator.  

Enjoy!

Christine