Banana Goodness

The 17 hours I'm taking this semester haven't prevented me from cooking, but they have eaten away at my time to blog. Thought I'd quick pop in and share my breakfast-for-dinner from last night. J snoozed on the couch while I cooked and awoke to a full breakfast set before her. I made the Lone Mountain Ranch's banana granola pancakes with bacon on the side and dished up some of the pear apple sauce I made last week to go with it.

Banana Granola Pancakes

1 1/2 c. flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt
1 c. granola
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 bananas, sliced very thin
3 tbsp. melted butter

Mix dry ingredients together. Beat eggs with milk. Pour over flour. Stir to moisten. Add bananas & stir. Add butter & stir. Spray a skillet with cooking spray & heat. Ladle the batter into the skillet to form pancakes. Cook until bubbles form in the cakes and flip. Cook another minute or two. Keep warm as you repeat with the rest of the batter. Good with maple or hickory syrup. Serves 4.

A Little Zap of Caffeine

For some reason, my chosen class to bake for this year is not as interested in eating as last year's choices. I wonder if it's because break is at 10:30 as opposed to 3:30. Anyway, I just baked for them & it's a morning-sounding treat, in name if not in practice. They taste just like a mocha cappuccino.

Cappuccino Chunk Cookies

1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled
4 oz. white chocolate, 3 oz. coarsely chopped
1/2 c. chocolate-covered espresso beans

Mix the dry ingredients together. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add melted chocolate. On low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Stir 3 oz. chopped white chocolate into dough along with the espresso beans. Chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Shape dough into 1" diameter balls. Place 2" apart on cookie sheets. Bake 13 minutes. Melt remaining oz. white chocolate and drizzle onto the cookies. Let stand 1 hour.

This recipe came from an old issue of Ladies Home Journal.

More Harvest Treats

Friday night, we had a wonderfully autumnal veggie stew for dinner. While I didn't serve any dessert with it, the gingerbread cake I made for class Thursday would go well with it. My prof said, "Mmm, tastes like Fall!" when he bit into it. I served it plain for class, but I heartily recommend some real whipped cream to dollop on top.

Fall Veggie Stew

1 lb. acorn squash, cubed
2 potatoes, cubed
4 carrots, chopped into 1" lengths
4 ribs celery, chopped as above
1 c. sliced zucchini
1 c. green beans
1 c. peas
2 c. beef broth
2 tbsp. red wine (I used burgundy)
A good grinding of pepper
1 tsp. herbes de Provence (or rosemary)
1 lb. kielbasa, cut in 1/2" pieces (you could also use regular pork sausage links)
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
2 onions, quartered
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. warm water

Put squash, potatoes, carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans, broth, wine, pepper, herbes de Provence in crockpot. Brown sausage with peppers & onions. Add to pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Add peas. Whisk flour into water until smooth and add to pot. Cook on low 1 more hour. Serve with good, crusty bread like the tomato-basil bread from Lakewood's Breadsmith we found at the Farmer's Market this weekend.

Gingerbread Cake

1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
4 1/2 tbsp. melted butter
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix first 7 ingredients together. Beat in egg. Sift flour and soda together and add alternately with buttermilk. Butter 8" square pan. Pour batter into pan and bake 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serves 9. I actually doubled this recipe and baked it in a 13x9 pan for about 7 minutes longer than this recipe calls for. This recipe comes from the fabulous Susan Branch, who included it, along with a recipe for lemon sauce that sounds delicious, in her Autumn cookbook. The recipes are wonderful, but the illustrations, watercolors by Branch, are even better. It's a delight to look at even if you don't cook.

Welcome Fall!!!

Ah, I just love seasonal changes and I especially love Fall! For our first Fall dinner this year, I roasted a chicken (slather with butter, sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and herbes de Provence, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes per pound plus 10 minutes...and let it rest 10 minutes before cutting), jazzed up some leftover mashed potatoes (spread into baking dish, topped with 1/2 cup heavy cream and a bunch of grated parmesan and broiled until it was all golden & bubbly on top), steamed some green beans and made an apple crisp. Of all the desserts I remember from my childhood, apple crisp and chocolate chip cookies are the most vivid memories. Every time my mom made apple crisp, I would help, but I would also be excitedly waiting for the curls of peel that I would get to snack on! I found some gorgeous Granny Smiths and used those along with MacIntosh, Pink Lady and some sort of homegrown Ohio apples.

Apple Crisp

10 apples, peeled and sliced Lemon juice 1 c. flour 1 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. cold butter, cut into bits 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 2-qt. casserole. Layer the apples in it. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix the other ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples. Bake one hour.

Using Up The Basil

I had a bunch of fresh basil left from another cooking project, so I made a simple basil cream sauce for spaghetti tonight. With it, I served Caesar salad (bagged, definitely not Dole!) and Pillsbury garlic breadsticks with some extra Grana Padano grated over the top before baking.

Spaghetti with Basil Cream Sauce

1 1/2 c. heavy cream
A handful of basil, cut in chiffonade (or a couple tbsp. dried)
1 tsp. lemon juice
Pinch salt
Pinch garlic powder
12 oz. spaghetti

Gently boil the cream for about 10 minutes, until it is thickened. Add the basil, lemon juice, salt and garlic powder. Cook the pasta and drain. Toss with sauce. Serves 4.

Spicing Up Lunch

Since J was here until noon, there was no need for me to take lunch to her. That's a favorite way we stay connected during the work week, but sometimes it's nice to be free to simply play in the kitchen without concern for anyone else's preferences and especially without any concern for how to transport and serve the food! So, I made myself a pot of creamy Tex Mex mac & cheese. I've put the leftovers in containers for the neighbors & J's dinner later in the week.

Tex Mex Mac & Cheese

1 lb. shell pasta
2 1/2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
8 oz. shredded Jack cheese (or a "Mexican blend")
4 oz. can green chiles, drained
11 oz. can Mexicorn, drained

Cook pasta al dente. Mix flour and salt in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in the milk and heat on medium-high heat until boiling, whisking all the while. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add chiles and corn and heat through. Mix with pasta. Next time, I might toss in some salsa, too.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

The other night, the three of us chowed down on this good comfort food, much needed that night.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c. diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. masa harina
3 c. water
1 c. enchilada sauce
16 oz. Velveeta
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Brown the chicken in the oil, 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside. Add onions & garlic to pot and sauté on medium until translucent. Add broth. Mix masa harina with 2 c. water and whisk until blended. Add to pot. Add rest of water, sauce, cheese, spices. Bring to a boil. Shred chicken and add to pot. Simmer 30-40 minutes, until thickened. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Serves 12.