Banana Bread with Cardamom

November 17, 2015 by Jenny Hartin 1 Comment

Andrew loves banana bread and I make it often. I’ve been using a recipe for an high altitude version since we’ve moved to Colorado and today I decided to play around with it a bit. It was cold and snowy here today and the perfect day to bake a few loaves. This bread is so warm from the spices and especially delicious right out of the oven.

Banana Bread with Cardamom

Ingredients

4 tablespoons of butter, softened
2 eggs
2 to 3 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2/3 cup of dark brown sugar
1 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of cardamom

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine butter, eggs, bananas, brown sugar and mix together. Add in the flour, salt, baking soda and powder with the spices - mix until combined - do not overmix.

In a loaf pan (9 x 50 which has been buttered or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, bake the mixture for 40 to 50 minutes.

Option: You may add a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to this bread as well.

For the glaze - I used 1 cup of powdered sugar, a tablespoon of maple syrup, 1 dash of cardamom and even whole milk to make the mixture to pouring consistency. Allow bread to cool for a few moments before drizzling on bread.

http://thecookbookjunkies.com/banana-bread-with-cardamom/

Creamy Cheesy Macaroni and Cheese

November 15, 2015 by Jenny Hartin 1 Comment

Macaroni and cheese is made at least once a week in our home – as it is one thing Andrew will definitely eat and Jim loves it as well. After posting these photos in our Share Your Dish event in the group, several folks insisted that I share the recipe. People-pleaser that I am — here you go. Some notes….use your common sense with measurements – the measurements here are what I used today and it worked beautifully — it was just as creamy as the photos show — sometimes for whatever crazy reasons – you may need to add a little more milk or cream or cheese.

Creamy Cheesy Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

1 pound of shaped pasta of your choice, cooked 3 minutes short of package instructions, drained and rinsed - set aside
1 pound of shredded Kerrygold Reserved Cheddar (or a combination of your choice - sometimes I use horseradish cheddar, buffalo cheddar, pepper jack, etc.)
4 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 quart of warmed whole milk
Salt
Pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan melt butter and added flour to make a roux.

Cook it for at least five minutes.

Warm one quart of whole milk in the microwave for three minutes.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, freshly ground pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Slowly add warmed whole milk to roux while whisking --- cook until thickened about 10 minutes.

At this point I add ground mustard or Dracula's Nightmare (garlic) seasoning or whatever extras I wish.

When sauce is thickened -- add almost all the shredded cheese and combine until cheese has melted.

Add the cheese sauce to the cooked macaroni and transfer to a baking vessel (9 x 13 is what held this mixture). The sauce should look a little excessive - if for some reason your sauce isn't loose enough or seems like it will be dry -- slowly add a little more warmed whole milk or cream.)

Sprinkle with remaining cheese or make a panko bread topping with butter and top.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 (because this is a saucy, creamy recipe -- if it looks like the cheese sauce doesn't cover the pasta wholly - cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes - remove foil and bake for last five remaining minutes).

http://thecookbookjunkies.com/creamy-cheesy-macaroni-and-cheese/

Cheesy Appetizer Ideas for Thanksgiving Day

November 15, 2015 by Jenny Hartin 3 Comments

Thanksgiving is such a food-centric holiday ending with a feast – that I usually don’t put much thought into appetizers. When I would host our family — I’d just set out nuts or cheese and crackers to munch on and we’d eat fairly early. This year we’re having two couples over and I’m not sure who else for dinner and I want to do a fancy appetizer or two – I’m sharing a few cheesy ideas here – which one would you choose?

Clinton Kelly made this Sweet & Savory Brie Tart on The Chew the other day and it looked elegant. I am thinking of making this in a rectangular tart pan and serving with some fruits and nuts on the side. I’m leaning toward this recipe — but mixing it up a bit.

Photo courtesy of ABC- The Chew.

While we were in New York for our nephew’s wedding in August, I spent one day cooking a feast for the family and working from my sister-in-law’s house while they went to the beach. For an appetizer, I made homemade ricotta on crostini with a balsamic drizzle. Everyone loved it. Below is a photo without the drizzle and just a little lemon olive oil oil on top. I’ve tried a few recipes for ricotta and prefer Jennie’s. Jennie’s cookbook Homemade with Love is one of my favorites and special note — the chocolate cake recipe in this book is worth the price of the book alone.

Leite’s Culinaria posted the baked fontina from the Red Cat in New York and it is so simple to make and incredibly delicious. Make sure you purchase Italian fontina — it melts perfectly for this dish. I purchased The Red Cat Cookbook just because this recipe is so great. Thanks to David Leite for permission to share his link and David Sawyer’s photo from his site.

Photo courtesy of Leite’s Culinaria, David Sawyer.

I remember the first time I made toasted ravioli for Jim’s family — they were in awe. It’s a St. Louis tradition. I don’t use a recipe as I’ve been making it for years – but I linked here to Giada’s recipe. I’ve used cheese, sausage and any flavor of ravioli – I’ve also used this method for pierogies as well with a sour cream, honey dipping sauce.

Lastly, Pam’s Italian Cheese Dip might be a great dip to serve along side the raviolis. Decisions….decisions….

Photo courtesy of Pam Capone, Living Rancho Delux.

Cheese…glorious…cheese. If things continue as they have the last few weeks — I may be putting out a wedge of Kerrygold and a box of Triscuit. I joke. I joke. Enjoy your Thanksgiving Day celebrations.