Banana Bread

We had 3 very ripe bananas that need to be used, and I was in a baking mood.  So I made banana bread. Not generally my favorite, but I’ve never made it before and knew J would love it.  So really a win-win.

I used this recipe from SimplyRecipes.com.  It turned out great.  Probably didn’t need to cook the entire hour, but definitely yummy.

Blackberry Cobbler

I had Friday off, and wanted to do some baking.  Since blackberries were super cheap at the store, I felt compelled to buy some.  But then, what to make?  I found a Blackberry Cobbler recipe over at Pioneer Woman Cooks (two actually) and went for what seemed the simplest one – here’s a link to her post, where you can find a printable recipe.

It was apparently so tasty my husband had to eat the entire thing, almost by himself.  The best thing I’ve ever made, he said.  I did mess up and mixed all the sugar in, instead of sprinkling it on top.  Oh well.

Here’s how mine turned out:

PW's Blackberry Cobbler #1

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening (half butter or margarine)
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 package chocolate chips (whatever you prefer)

Mix shortening, peanut butter, sugars and eggs thoroughly. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Blend all dry ingredients; stir into shortening mixture. Add chocolate chips.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough in 1 1/4″ balls and place 3″ apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten crisscross style with a fork dipped in flour.
Bake 10-12 minutes.

These turned out big, just the way I like them.  They ended up about 3 inches across, so I only made a small batch and froze the rest to cook later.

Note: I have no idea where this recipe came from, so if it’s yours please email me so I can give you credit!

Beef & Onion Enchiladas

Beef & Onion Enchiladas

Adapted from Mia’s Recipes.

Yield: (More than) 4 servings.  I got 10 enchiladas from it.

Ingredients:
1 lbs ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
1 can Enchilada sauce
1/2 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 can refried beans
10 corn tortillas
1/2 lb cheddar cheese – (grated)
red pepper to taste
chili powder to taste
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Italian herbs to taste

Directions:

1. I always brown my beef with seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder, red pepper and Italian herbs.  You’d be surprised at how versatile the mix is.  Brown ground beef in a pan, drain off grease.
2. Add chopped onion, 1/2 can tomatoes w/green chilies to beef. Cook until onions are tender.
3. While these are cooking, pour the enchilada sauce into a measuring cup and add the remaining tomatoes w/green chilies to the sauce.
4. Add refried beans to ground meat mixture.
5. Put a scoop of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased pan.  It will probably fit in 1 9×13 if you are making them all.  I used smaller dishes and froze half the enchiladas.
6. Heat a few corn tortillas at a time in the microwave by wrapping them in a paper towel and heating them for about 15 seconds.
7. Spoon meat mixture in tortillas, roll them up and place in the pan until all are filled. If you have some meat left over, dump it in the enchilada sauce and pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas.
8. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Remove and cover with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted. I gave it another 10 minutes.
   

   Before the cheese.

Mock La Madeline Tomato Basil Soup

Mock La Madeline Tomato & Basil Soup

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes and 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
3 cups V8, 1 cup Chicken Broth
14 fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 lb butter
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1 tsp lemon juice (or more for taste)

Directions:

1.    Simmer tomatoes, tomato juice and chicken broth together over medium heat for 30 min.
2.    Puree in small batches in blender or food processor with 14 basil leaves.  Move back to pan.
3.    Add cream, butter and lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper. Heat through, being careful not to boil.

Meredith’s Notes:

I used canned tomatoes.  I also used Gourmet Garden Basil Herb Blend, about 4 tablespoons, which I simmered with the tomatoes and V8.  So, I skipped blending the fresh basil leaves.  This soup turned out very close to La Madeline’s version, and freezes very well.

Northern Exposure, Alaskan Style

We’re going to Alaska!  Yay!  It’s been a dream trip of mine for a while now.  We are flying free, thanks to miles, and got a good deal on our cruise stateroom – including the unobstructed view balcony.  We’re traveling with my parents (thanks for using miles on us too!)  But we’re going to be gone for 2 weeks, so I’m carefully planning what I’ll pack.

We usually take at least 1 laptop, but this trip we’ll be taking both.  I want to document my trip this time.  Had great plans to do that for London and Italy, but by the time we got home it turned out to be too much of a hassle.  So I’m planning a do it as I go thing this trip.  Which won’t be too difficult since for a week we’ll be on the cruise.  Days at sea can be very long.

Something I discovered over the weekend is that Lonely Planet had pdfs of their guidebooks available online to buy.  You can buy the whole thing or inidivual chapters.  They call it “Pick and Mix” and it makes incredible sense.  Who wants to carry around every guidebook you buy for the trip – it just takes up that much more space in your luggage.  I wish everyone – yes, you, Frommers and Fodors! – did this.  I’d gladly by the whole book to be able to download pdf chapters.

Also, if you are planning a cruise of Alaska, Frommer’s Cruises & Ports of Call Alaska 2009 is a very handy book to have.  It specifically mentions what excursions to do yourself and which to book through the cruise line.  It gives great info on what’s within walking distance of port and transportation options to sights.  Very handy to have when planning your shore excursions, which can get pretty expensive.

My Perfect Work Shoe.

BORN Bark Women’s PACE Shoe.

Assuming I can find them anyway.  I am being thwarted while trying to order these, in Black.  I ordered them from Shoes.com and just got a cancellation notice.  Zappos has them, but they’ll cost more.

Love them.  Must have them.

Chili & Cornbread

Last night for dinner we had a family favorite: chili and cornbread. The cornbread was my idea.  For full disclosure purposes, I’d made the chili a few weeks ago and froze the leftovers.  The cornbread was fresh.

Crockpot Chili

Adapted from Dorothea’s Slow Cooker Chili in Fix it and Forget It: Feasting with your slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 2 medium green peppers, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 15 1/2 oz cans red kidney beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Brown beef in a skillet.  I salt and pepper the beef as it’s browning, and throw in some Italian herbs.  Drain.
2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
3. Cover.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

This freezes pretty well, which is good since it makes way more than we can eat in one meal.  Should serve 8 – 10.

Cornbread

This recipe was adapted from one I found online.  Unfortunately, I don’t have the source to share.  I scaled it to fit in an 8×8 pan.

Cornbread, hot from the oven

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup & 1 Tbsp & 1 tsp. Milk
• 1 cup and 3 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 & 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
2. Combine the eggs and milk.  Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Add to creamed mixture alternating wet and dry.
3. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 pan.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 22-27 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve.

We got 16 smallish squares from the pan.

Me, I like to put the cornbread on the bottom, top it with chili and then sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top of that.  Cuz really, everything’s better with cheese.

See for yourself:

Finished Product

Printable Recipes: crockpot-chili and cornbread

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

My friend Lisa is doing an Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  She really could use some support.  If you can help her out, please visit her page: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. You’d be helping out a great cause.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Again, I just found one on the internet to use, and it happened to be this one from Land O’Lakes.

BEST EVER OATMEAL COOKIES

Preparation time: 45 min Baking time: 8 min 

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine all ingredients except flour in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Stir in flour by hand until well mixed.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet.

VARIATION: Chocolate Drizzled Oatmeal Cookies. Prepare and bake cookies as directed above. Melt 1/2 cup real semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening. Drizzle mixture over cooled cookies.

TIP: Stir in 1 cup of one of the following ingredients: mini real semi-sweet chocolate chips, raisins, chopped mixed dried fruit, sweetened flaked coconut or chopped pecans. Bake as directed above.

TIP: Dough is best when baked the day it is made. If dough is stored in the refrigerator, the oats absorb liquid and cause the cookies to be dry.

Nutrition Facts (1 cookie): Calories: 80, Fat: 3.5g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 75mg, Carbohydrates: 12g, Dietary Fiber: <1g, Protein: 1g

Printable Recipe: oatmeal-cookies

My Notes: I had extra chocolate chips from the fudge I made, so I threw those in.  Despite the fact that my husband loves oatmeal raisin cookies, I couldn’t bring myself to make any.  I loathe raisins, well any kind of dried fruit, actually.  So I wanted to be able to eat them too!

I did freeze these cookies, despite the warning about it being best the day they are made.  I made the dough, portioned it out on cookie sheets and stuck them in the freezer until they were firm.  Next, I transferred the semi-frozen cookies to a Ziploc bag and kept it in the freezer for about 2 weeks before we baked them.  I didn’t defrost, just added a little extra time onto the baking time.  They turned out delicious, and not at all hard or dry.