Banana Bread

So my boyfriend and I made this together. He is a wonderful baking partner thanks to the fact that his sister is a huge bake as well. It seems that I have competition. [But not really.] He had been wanting to make banana bread for the longest time and after we had returned home from camping discovered that our bananas went black and gross and were definitely not good for doing anything with other than throwing in the garbage.

So we ended up trying again later and we made some pretty good banana bread. It can sometimes be too dry but this was just perfect. We made a regular loaf and a chocolate chip loaf which was to die for. Actually... I could totally go for some right now...

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs [beaten]

3 ripe bananas, smashed [about 1 cup]

1/4 cup milk

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with butter or Pam cooking spray and flour the pans.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and eggs and continue to mix together.

Combine the dry ingredients and add alternately with the bananas and milk.

Add the chocolate chips to the batter if you want chocolate chip banana bread and add nuts if you desire.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam Buttercream Frosting

Could this post's title be any longer? And what a mouthful. This was supposed to be an Easter post, but distractions happened. A lot has happened since April. Belated Happy Easter, my friends! I hope it was lovely for you all. It was pretty lovely for me. I finally got to meet my cousin's baby, SJ, who is beyond adorable. I'm pretty sure I'm biased because I'm related to him, but that is neither here nor there.

Today I bring you what I baked for my family for Easter. Recently I purchased Stonewall Kitchen's raspberry peach champagne jam and decided I needed to use it in some way or another because I would never use it otherwise. They were pretty yummy and then everyone at work was subjected to my many leftovers. I was overzealous. It's not like my family gathering was 50 people. It was 10 of us at most and there were also many other desserts.

This is one of my more... interesting desserts. Not a huge favorite of mine, but they were still very delicious. I'm more of a chocolate person rather than a fruit person, so obviously I enjoyed the cupcake part!

I am sorry for the lack of updating lately. As previously mentioned, I haven't been doing much baking and what baking I've done has been recipes already featured on this blog. I do have a banana bread recipe that I will be posting pretty much right after this one. It's time for me to start going all out for baking again. I've just been doing a lot more cooking rather than baking.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
[cupcake batter]
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk [which you can make yourself]
[frosting]
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperaute
1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 salt
2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners. I used a mini muffin tin, but obviously a standard sized one works as well.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using your mixer [I'm still in love with mine after two years but am extremely jealous of the one at my boyfriend's house. It's super heavy duty.] cream the butter and sugar until smooth and lightened in color [about one minute]. Add the eggs one at a time, beating them until each is blended into the batter and it looks creamy [another minute].

Mix in the vanilla and on low speed, add half of the flour mixture until just mixed. Mix in the buttermilk and blend. Add the rest of the flour mixture until the batter looks smooth.

Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake for around 18 minutes. I would keep checking them. Since I used the mini muffin tin, the baking time was less. Like any good baker should, just keep looking at them to make sure you aren't burning them or your house down.

For the frosting, using a hand mixer, beat the butter in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, vanilla and salt, beating at a low speed until just combined. Increase the speed and mix until smooth. Add the milk or cream and beat until light and fluffy. Fold in the jam to taste. Then, when the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the frosting on and enjoy!

Long Overdue Update

So I've been extremely neglectful as of late. I still have a recipe or two that need to be uploaded. I haven't really done a lot of baking in the past few months. The reason for this is because I've been doing a lot of dog sitting, so I don't spend as much time with my own oven [for which the propane bill is grateful for]. I don't like to bake in kitchens other than mine for the most part. And I will be going on vacation twice in the next two months so there will be another reason for a lack of baking.

My office simultaneously thanks and hates me for that I think! I promise more recipes will be coming down the pike soon. I will make a concerted effort to begin baking again once it gets cool enough. Though my family reunion is coming up soon as well as a party with my boyfriend that I should probably bake something for.

All in good time, I promise!

Currant Scones

So in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to make scones. I went to a coworker's house to make them because it was Sunday and that means The Walking Dead. Zombies and scones. A match made in heaven.

I've only made scones once before for my ex-boyfriend. It wasn't a rousing success, but apparently they were still good. They just were really flat for some reason. I'm pretty sure it was because I used baking soda rather than baking powder. Baking soda causes things to spread while baking powder causes things to rise. The more you know. I also never had currants before, but they are pretty good. They look like grapes but taste like less sweet raisins. [This recipe is from Alton Brown, whom I love!]

I also learned at a friend's bridal shower that the correct pronunciation of scone is "scaan." Who knew. My scones flew from the table so I guess I will be making more for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow.

Currant Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

3/4 cup cream

handful of dried currants or cranberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cut in butter and shortening.

In a separate bowl, combine cream with beaten egg, then add to try ingredients. Stir in the fruit.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough out and cut into biscuit-sized rounds. Bake for 15 minutes until brown.

Serve with warm with butter and tea.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Chévre Yogurt

Roasted Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Chévre Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash or hokkaido pumpkin

1 can coconut milk

1 cup boiling water

1 sprig fresh rosemary 

1/2 to 1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

150 grams soft goat cheese

4 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Divide the butternut squash in half with a sharp knife and remove seeds with a spoon. Place both halves on a baking tray, cut side down. Bake in the oven for 25 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the squash. The halves are ready when the skin is brown and bubbly.

Remove the halves from the oven and let cool for several minutes. Spoon out the inside and place in a blender together with the rest of the ingredients. Blend on high speed until completely smooth. Add extra water, if desired and season to taste.

Prepare the chévre by whisking the goat cheese and Greek yogurt together in a small bowl.

Serve the soup with a dollop of chévre yogurt and freshly ground pepper.

 

Cannoli Cheesecake

So I was planning on posting this close to Christmas... So Merry belated-Christmas and happy holidays to my faithful readers. If I have any. I'm pretty sure I do. Haha anyway, I hope your holidays were merry and bright and that you were able to spend time with your families.

I branched away from my normal cookies and brownies and instead decided to make cannoli cheesecake. My friend Kayla and her mother made this for Thanksgiving and I was lucky enough to get a piece. My lord, was it delicious! When I dropped off Kayla's Christmas gift, she gave me her mother's recipe. I owe about three people the recipe! Finally, I decided to post it! Sorry for the delay.

 

Cannoli Cheesecake

 

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chocolate graham crackers

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup of melted butter

3 pounds ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons grated orange zest, fresh

7 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

 

Ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap a 9-inch springform pan securely with foil, twice.

 

Mix the melted butter and graham crackers together and press one half of an inch up the side and bake 10 minutes. Let cool.

 

Beat the ricotta cheese and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the flour, vanilla and orange zest. Add eggs one at a time and blend at a low speed until only incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips.

 

Pour in the pan and sprinkle some chocolate chips on the top. Place in a large baking pan and at 1 inch of hot water.

 

Bake for 75 minutes or until the center is almost set. Carefully remove from the oven and lift the pan out of the water. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and run the knife around the edge to loosen.

 

Cool for one hour and remove the sides of the pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

 



Coconut Cream Pie

So I made this for New Year's Eve with one of my coworkers. I love all things coconut. It's one of my favorite things. I meant to post this is several recipes when I made them, but sometimes I'm easily distracted.

 

I went to my coworker's house and she and I had a blast. We made food and took way too many Snapchats and sent them to our other coworker. New Year's always seems to be a silly holiday. Plus, I had to go to a meeting the next day when I originally had off. Not fun, but it is the job I suppose.

 

I feel like coconut cream pie doesn't need an introduction but I gave one anyway. But apparently I'm terrible at toasting coconut. It was more like well done but still delicious! I was slightly drunk when I took the photos [New Year's. HELLO] so I apologize.

Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:

[filling]

1 1/2 cup half and half

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup coconut, toasted

1 teaspoon of coconut or vanilla extract

[whipped topping]

1 small carton of heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract

[shortbread pie crust]

1 cup butter

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fareinheit. For the pie crust, mix together the butter, flour and confectioners' sugar. Press into the bottom of a nine by 13 inch pie plate. Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.

For the filling, in a medium saucepan, combine the half and half, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, corn starch and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, whisking constantly.

When it starts to boil a little bit and thickens up to about the consistency of a thick pudding [about 15 to 20 minutes], remove from heat.

Stir in 3/4 of the coconut and the coconut or vanilla extract. Pour into the pie shell and chill for two to four hours or until firm.

While pie is cooling, whip together topping ingredients with electric beaters. When pie is completely cooled, top with whipped topping and sprinkle with the remaining toasted coconut.