Eat Yellow

Barbara over and Winos and Foodies has come up with a blogging event in support of Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Day. She has asked that we post foods that are yellow for this event. I didn't know what I wanted to do and then found some ripe bananas on sale and the grocery store for $1. I had bookmarked some banana muffins and decided to make those. These are from Stacy at Hambones. They caught my eye because they use wheat germ. I decided to add some vanilla and use 3 bananas instead of measuring the amount. I think maybe next time I would no t use nutmeg. The recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice but I don't have that, so I used cinnamon and nutmeg. The only other change I made was to use canola oil in the MUFFINS instead of butter. These are very moist and nice and banana tasting. Thanks, Stacy! By the way, this plate is from my grandmother's house. It is an American Lamoge plate. Daddy "claimed" it for me. Isn't it pretty? Banana Muffins
Topping:

3 tablespoons wheat germ -- any flavor

2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon margarine -- melted

1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (omitted)

Muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup wheat germ -- any flavor

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I used 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg)

1/2 teaspoon salt -- optional (I didn't use but WOULD recommend using it)

3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)

3/4 cup skim milk

3 tablespoons margarine melted

2 egg whites -- lightly beaten Directions
Heat oven to 400. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with no-stick cooking spray. Combine topping ingredients; mix well. Set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine bananas, milk, margerine and egg whites; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill muffin cups almost full. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter, patting gently. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool five minutes on wire rack; remove from pan. Serve warm.

Lemons!

As I'm in the middle of my second week of testing, I haven't had much time to cook, much less take pictures of my cooking! So, I struggled to come up with something for sweetnick's ARF Tuesday. I went to the internet...lemons! I have a lemon muffin recipe I haven't posted and, as they have Vitamin C, lemons are antioxidant rich. Be sure to check out Sweetnick's for more great recipes.

I made these muffins when I went home at spring break. My mom had some friends coming into town and I decided to make them a breakfast treat. At first I was a bit disappointed in these...they were kind of dry, but Mama said that after they zapped them in the microwave a bit, they moistened back up. So, take a whirl at these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins by Dorie Greenspan...just be sure you're not going to be taking a drug test any time soon. Our pathologists told us that they REALLY DO give a positive opium result on a drug screen!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

from Baking from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

2/3 cup sugar

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 cups AP flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla etract

1 stick (8 T) butter, melted and cooked

2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

Preheat ovento 400 degrees F. In a bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers until the scent of lemon is strong. Whisk the dry ingredients into the sugar. In another bowl mix together the wet ingredients (sour cream to butter). Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir quickly and gently. Some lumps may be there...this is better than overmixing. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide batter evenly among the cups of a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the top is golden and a knife interted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan and then remove the muffins from the tin. If desired make icing (1 cup confectioners' sugar and 2-3 T fresh lemon juice) and drizzle over the muffins.

Swimming Upstream

That's what I feel like I'm doing! So much to do, and want to do, so little time! I took one of my tests today and it wasn't too bad. The worst one, pharmacology is on Friday. So basically, until I'm done with pharm I will continue to feel like a salmon. :-) So, I give you salmon croquettes. I made these SO long ago and don't think I've posted them. If I have, please forgive me! These are a childhood favorite and one of the few things that I eat with ketchup. Somehow, the "mushy" inside with the crispy outside is pleasing. Along with them, I give you a simple salad (from another meal) that is oh so spring and oh so refreshing. With omega-3's in the fist and anti-oxidants in the salad, this is the perfect meal for Sweetnick's ARF-5-A-Day Tuesday. Head on over and check out the other recipes.
Salmon Croquettes
1 15 oz can salmon (2T juice saved)
1 egg
1/3 cup mined onion
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Clean salmon (making sure all bones are removed). Mix with the egg and onion. Stir in flour. Add the baking powder to the reserved juice. Stir this into the fish mixture. Heat a skillet and either spray with cooking spray or drizzle some olive oil in the bottom. "Fry" the croquettes until they are browned. Enjoy.

Strawberry, Feta, and Romaine with Balsamic Vinegarette Salad
Fresh romaine lettuce
Strawberries
feta cheese
balsamic (or your favorite kind) vinegarette

Clean and cut lettuce and strawberries. Toss in a bowl with the feta cheese. Serve with dressing and enjoy.

The chicken Came First

Sorry for the absence. I finished classes this week and am now in the beginnings of two weeks of tests followed by a month of studying leading up to my Step 1 exam. Yay for being done with class, boo for tests and studying. Anyway...to the food. I have been told that I need more post with meat. Though this is chicken, it's still meat. So, Nathan, this is for you (and Ashley!). I honestly don't remember where I found this. I'm pretty sure this is from some kind of magazine. It's a parmesan almond chicken. VERY easy and tender chicken with a nice flavor to it. My family has used it as a post-church lunch on Sundays because it doesn't take long to cook. Enjoy!

I didn't put almonds on this because I didn't have any, but the almonds are a very good addition. When I make this for my family, I do half with almonds and half without, a very easy modifications if you have non-nut eaters in the mix! Another reason this is good, is that it is easy to make a lot or a little. For instance, I used 2 chicken breasts this time but I'm sure we've done it with six easily. So, Nathan...have chicken and enjoy!

Almond(-less) Chicken
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 T parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 egg whites
boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine first 5 ingredients (breadcrumbs through pepper). Beat egg whites. Dip chicken in egg whites, then coat with crumb mixture. Place in pan of appropriate size (for more, use 13X9). Sprinkle almonds on chicken, spritz with PAM (or other cooking spray to add crispiness), and bake UNCOVERED for 30 minutes.

Bran Muffins

Last week I decided to get rid of some boxes in my pantry. One of these was some wheat bran. So, I found a bran muffin recipe and threw it together. I was concerned that it wouldn’t be sweet enough because it didn’t have any sugar in it; but the molasses was just right and this muffin was perfect!

I had a little fun taking pictures. These plates are from my Granny’s house. They are the plates we always used and I grabbed them up when no one else wanted them. The books underneath the plate are medical and pharmaceutical manuals that my grandfather had when he was in the Navy. He served in both World Wars. I think it’s pretty neat!

I’ve decided that I really like bran muffins. They are not overly sweet but have a sweetness to them, I think partly from the molasses and partly from the bran itself. They are also healthy for you as they contain a good fiber source. I don’t know that they have anti-oxidants, but they are one of the most fibrous parts of the grain and that is important for you, SO, if you don’t mind Cate (!), this is my entry for Sweetnick’s ARF-5-A-Day Tuesday. Head on over to Cate’s and check out the other entries. I’m sure there will be something wonderful, as I’ve already seen one of the other participants.

Bran Muffins from AllRecipes
(This is for 12 muffins, the original makes 24. I just halved all amounts)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cups wheat bran

1/4 teaspoon salt

5/8 teaspoons baking soda

3 tablespoons molasses

1 cups buttermilk

1 egg while, one whole egg or no egg (the original calls for 1 egg)

1.5 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin pans or line with paper cups. In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, salt and baking soda. Add molasses, buttermilk, egg and butter; stir just to moisten. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans. Cups should be 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

If you really want to put some antioxidants in these muffins, you can add some blueberries or strawberries.

Rose Pie

Happy Easter!!! This is the day that we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead. On Friday, He submitted to death, though He had done nothing deserving of that, so that He could be the perfect sacrifice...paying the debt for ALL of our sins, if we just trust in Him for forgiveness. But it did not end in Death, He defeated death and rose from the grave, body and soul, and now lives forever at the right hand of God! I pray that you know the joy of His salvation and the peace that it brings.

My family was here for the weekend and we had Easter lunch at my apartment. Mama made ham and I cooked some squash, asparagus, deviled eggs, and rolls. For dessert I made Rose Pie (what a perfect name for today!!!). This is a cobbler type dessert that is named after my grandmother's aunt (or cousin, we're not sure which!), Rose East. It is a cobbler that rises over the fruit.

I made an apple version, though in my mind peach is the perfect flavor. You can use any fruit that you want to use. I decided to use apples. I used the canned apples that were cooked for desserts but unsweetened and sweetened them myself. I haven't made this is a while and did realize that the batter is so liquid. It is almost the consistency of a thin pancake batter. Don't worry, this IS the way it should look and it does cook to be like a cobbler topping. Also, it doesn't fully cover the fruit. I didn't realize this and though I had done something wrong, but both Mama and Daddy said that was how it worked. So, enjoy this yummy and easy dessert with YOUR family!

Rose Pie

1/2 stick butter/margarine

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

2 cups, sweetened fruit (I used 1 can of apples for desserts, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup splenda, and some cinnamon) - Mama said she uses pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in the bottom of a small casserole. Mix together dry ingredients. Stir in milk. Pour over butter, do NOT stir. Pour fruit over batter, do NOT stir. Place in oven and cook until batter is browned (about 30-40 minutes).

What a Catch

I spied this recipe a couple of weeks ago on What Geeks Eat. I decided I would try it out, especially since I had some okra in the freezer that I needed to use. I knew that I would be the only one eating this, since my roomie doesn’t eat catfish but I wish that I had had someone to share it with, as I ended up throwing some away just because I had eaten it for so many days! I really liked the combination of catfish with the “classic” okra and tomatoes flavor. It was satisfying and light at the same time. Since catfish is healthy and tomatoes are antioxidant rich, this is my entry for Sweetnicks ARF Tuesday. Check her out later today for many other great recipes.

Simple Fish Gumbo from What Geeks Eat

2 pieces of cod, fresh or frozen, cut into chunks (I used frozen catfish)

1 large onion, diced

1/4 cup of diced ham, bacon, or smoked pork jowl (I omitted)

6 cloves of garlic, diced

2 ribs of celery, diced (I omitted b/c didn’t have any)

1 cup of fresh or frozen bell pepper strips (I used frozen red)

1 cup of fresh or frozen okra

1 large can of roma tomatoes (I used a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes)

8 ounces of chicken stock or water (if needed)

Tabasco Sauce to taste

Worchester Sauce to taste

2 teaspoon Gumbo Filé powder

Take fish from freezer, if using frozen fish. Add to a 4 quart pan on medium heat the pork, celery, onion, and garlic. Allow this to cook until soft. Add the pepper strips, tomatoes and stock or other liquid if needed. Bring the heat back up and then add the Tabasco and Worchester sauces to taste. Check to see if salt is needed. Add the okra and bring back up to heat. Cut the fish into chunks and add it to the pot. Bring it back up to heat. Once the fish is cooked through add the Gumbo Filé and stir well. Serve with some parsley on top.

Friends are the best...Bar none!

Well, so far I have stuck to my resolution to have someone over every month. In fact, March I had two separate groups…the post-dance group and a dinner and movie on Thursday. I served Curry Chicken Divan, which I’ve posted about before. ME brought potatoes and bread, RW brought salad (Romaine with strawberries, feta, and raspberry vinegarette), and I made sweet tea and dessert.

The dessert is a peanut butter brownie that Alicat posted a while back. Although, she’s not blogging anymore her recipes are still up and there are a lot of good ones, so check it out. Anyway, I decided to “lighten” this up just a bit by using yogurt instead of oil. I think it turned out a little more cakey that it would have otherwise, but it was still yummy and well received. It wasn’t dense but wasn’t ultra-lite either. Just a nice, cakey peanut butter brownie. As you can see in Alicat’s pictures, hers were quite fudgy owing to the use of oil. I’ll probably do it normally next time to compare the results, but if you’re looking to lighten up a bit, this is a good option.

I think this would even be good split in half with some jelly spread between the layers to make a peanut butter and jelly brownie. Try it today as today is National Peanut Butter and Jelly day!

Peanut Butter Brownies
1 box yellow or while cake mix (I used white)
2 eggs
2/3 cup peanut butter (I would use more next time)
1/3 cup oil (I used yogurt)

Mix oil, eggs, and cake mix until thoroughly combined. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated.* Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (13 X 9).

*Oops! I missed this part and mixed it all together at one time. Doing it as instructed would lead to a marbled appearance.

Post-dance Pancakes

I've posted several of my dad's recipes before. This is another one. We used to have pancakes every Saturday for breakfast until my brother decided that he didn't like them...he liked waffles. SO, we started alternating. I think it is fun to make pancakes...to wait until just the right time to flip them, waiting for the bubbles! Admitedly, I'm a pancake snob...mix just won't cut it. So, when my roomie said that some of her college friends were coming over after a dance and she was going to have some breakfast stuff, eggs, pancake mix...STOP! Do NOT buy pancake mix. I offered to make Daddy's pancakes. Yay!

Daddy has made these for college sunday school breakfasts before and I know that they are popular. They didn't fail! The guys liked them (as is evidenced by the place pictured above!) and I enjoyed having a taste of home. Daddy, I remembered to put in vanilla and tasted it. OH, so good!*


Daddy's Pancakes
1+ cups flour
1 T baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 T sugar
1 egg
2 T oil
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup milk (more if needed)
splash of vanilla, I don't know how much, just put some in

Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients.
Add liquid to dry ingredients. Allow to thicken. Meanwhile, heat a griddle on the stove until drops of water sizzle when sprinkled onto the griddle. Using a ¼ to 1/3 cup, depending of the size you want, pour batter on the prepared griddle. Cook on first side until bubbles appear on the top and you can see the sides of the pancake slightly cooking. Flip. Cook until done. The first few times you do this, you may have to check but you’ll become an expert quickly! The second side doesn’t take as long as the first. Top with butter and syrup or jam and enjoy!

*Sorry for the pictures. The guests were standing there waiting for food and I was a bit embarrassed to be taking pictures! PLUS…I didn’t want to burn the pancakes!

In Season Frittata

Last week I was really in the mood for a frittata. My favorite kind uses zucchini and summer squash. HOwever, around here that is still a bit too pricy for me! Asparagus was at a good price and the bunch I had was starting to get old, so I decided that would be perfect in a frittata. SO, I roasted the asparagus and added in some mushrooms and tomatoes along with the eggs...viola! A wonderful frittata. This is my entry to Sweetnick's ARF Tuesday because of the healthfulness of EVERYTHING in this dish! Becuase the main ingredient in this is eggs and that is the theme ingredient for Food Fight, hosted by Eating out Loud, this is my entry for that as well. Check out the site for the round up sometime after April 2nd.


A helpful hint at knowing how much asparagus to use: take the spear with one end in each hand. Bend the spear until it snaps. What remains at the top is what you should use. I discard the rest, but I hear (from Emeril) that you can use the bottom part to make an asparagus stock, or something like that! Enjoy!


Asparagus, Mushroom, and tomato Frittata
1/2 bunch asaparagus (more or less to your taste), roasted
2/3 cup mushrooms
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 eggs
1 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
parsley, to taste
1/4 cup feta cheese
sprinkle of mozzarella cheese

To roast asparagus:
Heat oven to 425, drizzle asparagus with olive oil and season with season all. Put asparagus on pan and roast for 10 minutes (My mom says this is PERFECT time). Remove from oven and enjoy as a snack, on a salad, or in this frittata!

Lower oven heat to 350 degrees F. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray. Place asparagus in the bottom, top with mushrooms and tomatoes. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and seasonings. Pour over vegetables. Sprinkle cheeses on top. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until set. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

PIG Roast and A Cupcake Adventure

Wow! I didn't realize I was so far behind on posting! I've just been busy planning a fundraiser for the Pediatric Interest Group at my school. I am president and, unfortunately, had to pick up the slack that some officers left! Anyway, it was a fun day and at the end of the week (after a silent auction concludes) we'll have hopefully made some money that can be used for the Children's Hospital.

Anyway, I decided to do something fun to take for dessert. So, in addition to two batches of Sharpe cookies (recipe coming SOON!) I made Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes! I saw a picture of one on the Kraft website and decided that would be perfect. I have a recipe for the cake that a friend gave us when we lived in Kyrgyzstan. I think it turned out well.

The first time I made the custard filling, it was REALLY clumpy. So, I decided to make it again. Fortunately, before I did so I realized that I needed to use a whisk to stir instead of a spatula. That worked SO much better. It still wasn't QUITE as smooth as I would have liked, but it was a lot better. Next time, I would make two batches of the custard to fill 24 cupcakes. I ran out of it this time and just had to do some normal cupcakes topped with the chocolate icing. I think if I used two recipes of the custard, I would be able to put more filling and fill all the cupcakes. The icing is a dark chocolate icing made with cocoa, sugar, cornstarch, water, and a touch of butter and vanilla. It is the perfct smooth, thick but not cumpy icing. It really dressed up even the plain cupcakes. I think this is a good chocolate icing (or frosting, choose your poison) for just a normal cake if you're looking for something dark tasting rather than sugary sweet. Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

1 yellow cake mix, prepared as directed (I used butter as that’s what I had)

Custard (need two batches for the entire batch)
1 cup milk
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

In a saucepan, heat milk until it is very hot. Add the sugar, salt, and flour while whisking. Cook until thick. Add the egg yolks and stir, while cooking, for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool in refrigerator until ready to use. (This gets pretty thick, so if you need to add a little liquid before spreading, feel free…but only a tad!)

Icing/Frosting (This ices the entire batch)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch
1 cup boiling (I just used hot) water
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan stir together cocoa, sugar, and corn starch. Over medium heat, add boiling/hot water. Stir constantly until mixture thickens. It will reach its thickest when it starts to boil. Remove from head and add butter and vanilla. Cool slightly and spread over cupcakes or cake.

If you're interested in more fun cakes to make, check out the newest venture by the Daring Bakers. I won't link all of them, but you can find all the links, as well as her recipe, at Peabody's site. Sucha fun group!

Green Guac

A couple of weeks ago when my Granny died, one of our precious family friends asked if she could come by. When she came in she had a box from a local kitchen store and some fresh blueberries "for me to snack on while I studied." In the box was Rachel Ray's latest cookbook, 2, 4, 6, 8 Great Meals for Couples or Crowds. On the way to TN with my brother, I went through the book and "dog-earred" quite a few recipes. While I was home I tried a couple of them. ONe was the Garlicky Guacamole and Chips. We had chicken fajitas one night and I made this. It was really good. Just a tad lemony, but that may have been because I used RealLemon, which said the juice of one lemon (called for in recipe) was 3 Tablespoons. I don't think that was right! I'll definitely try this again as my entire family liked it, even Philip! Because avacados are so healthful, this is my entry to Sweetnick's ARF Tuesday.

Garlicky Guacamole
Rachel Ray 2, 4, 6, 8 Meals for Couples and Crowds

1 ripe Haas avacado
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 small onion, finely chopped (our onions were rotten!, so I didn't use this)
1 garlic clove, cracked
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Juice of 1 lemon

Halve the avacado and discard the pit (easier than I thought it would be!). Scoop the flesh into a small bowl and add the jalapenos and onions. Chop the garlic and sprinkle it with salt. Use the side of your knife to apply pressure to the garlic and salt, mashing them into a paste. Add this to the bowl, along with the lemon juice. Mash with a fork until the mixture is fairly smooth. Scoop into a serving dish and serve with chips, for fajitas, or some veggies.

The Story of a Sandwich

It was a sunny Saturday on Hannah Drive. The little brown-haired, hazel-eyed girl ran around the yard. Suddenly, she darted for the tree just outside the front door. It was a perfect tree for climbing...and for escaping. She must escape the goblins, they were out to get her! Then came a sweet voice, "Claire, lunch time." The little girl skipped inside. Her Mama then asked her, "What do you want for lunch?" Hmm...for some people this would be a hard question (and would be hard for her now!) but at that time, it was easy...an open faced heart peanut butter and jelly sandwich! This was the perfect Saturday lunch...it showed a Mama's love, tasted yummy, prepared her for the afternoon ahead, and chased away those goblins!

I don't know where my mom came up with the idea for this sandwich, but it soon became one of my favorites. Just having a heard on my sandwich made me feel special! This is not one of my standard lunches, but a couple of weeks ago when I was studying for tests, it made me feel good! I have many memories in the kitchen, but this is perfect for Kitchen Wench's nostalgia event. Just a simple sandwich, but it always makes us smile when I remind Mama of it!

Cheesecake!

I think one of my kitchen goals this year is to use my springform pan...well, I almost got there! I used my mom's. This month's HHDD, hosted by Peabody, is centered around the theme of Cheesecakes. I decided to take this as an opportunity to make one.

Since it's just me and the roomie, I don't make large desserts often, and cheesecake qualifies as a large dessert. Since I went home this weekend and my mom had friends coming in town today, I decided this would be the perfect chance for me to make a decadent dessert. I decided to use the Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my Home to Yours.

This recipe caught my attention because of the combination of cream cheese and cottage cheese. This is a somewhat lower fat recipe than a normal cheesecake. I did take some liberty in the ingredients. For example, it calls for 9 ounces of cream cheese. Please...tell me where you can buy NINE ounces! SO, I used 8 ounces. Also, I used 33% less fat cream cheese and low fat cottage cheese. Additionally, instead of 2 eggs, I used one egg and the leftover egg whites from the yolks used for the crust...I couldn't stand to waste the whites! Finally, I only used one stick of butter/margarine instead of 1 1/2 sticks in the crust. Apparently, it still tasted good because my mom commented specifically on the crust.

This cheesecake has a really different taste. I thought it had a buttery taste. My dad commented that it was almost custard-like. Both of my parents, after one bite, said it was really good. I think I prefer a graham crust with cheesecake, but Mama liked the shortbread type crust. This was easy to make and a nice change from the often overly rich, traditional cheesecake. Dorie has done it again!

Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte

by Dorie Greenspan from Baking from my Home to Yours

Crust:

3/4 cups AP flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (12 T) butter (I used 8 T), chilled (I softened mine b/c of the lack of a food processor)

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter/spray a 9-inch springform pan. Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse just to blend (I don't have one, so I just used my kitchen aid - it worked just fine!). Toss in the pieces of butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (I just put the whole stick in). Stir the egg yolks and vanilla together and add to the mixture until the dough comes together in clumps - don't let youself allow a ball to form! Press the dough into the pan. It should come up 1 1/2 inches on the sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Fit a piece of aluminum foil against the crust, covering it completely. Fill the crust with rice, dried beans, or pie weights (I didn't do this because I didn't have any of it!). Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for another 5 minutes, not letting the crust get to brown (OOPS! I didn't see this but no harm done. I don't think the crust needed the extra time, but then again, my mom's oven runs a little hot).

Filling:

1/3 cup thick berry or cherry jam (I used strawberry)

9 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used 8 ounces of 1/3 less fat)

9 ounces (1 cup) cottage cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash of ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

2 large eggs

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Put cream cheese and cottage cheese in a mixing bowl and blend (or in a processor and process) for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. You should have a satiny mix. Add the sugar, salt, and spices and process/mix for another 30 seconds. With the machine running, add eggs and mix for one minute. Scrape as you need. Spread the jam over the cooked crust, it can still be warm. Pour the cheese mix over the jam.

Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the filling is uniformly puffed and no longer jiggly. Allow the torte to cool to room temperature. The filling will collapse into a thin layer. Run a blunt knife between the crust and sides of pan. Open and remove the sides of the pan. Chill slightly before serving. You can dust with confectioners' sugar if you like.

*Dorie says that she likes to roll her sweet crusts. To do this, she gathers the dough into a ball, wraps in plastic wrap and refrigerates for 20 minutes. Then she rolls it and places it in the pan and chills again.

Puny's Banana Bread...not puny!

Every time I come home to visit my parents, Mama has overly ripe bananas in the freezer for me to make some kind of breakfast treat for them. I like trying to find new recipes to try and this time was no different. The book I used this time was Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. If you're not familiar with her Mitford series, it is about a preacher in a small town called Mitford. He has a housekeeper named Puny who takes good care of him. She keeps his refrigerator stocked with homecooked meals; otherwise, he would eat every meal at the local diner and his doctor is against that! Eventually, Father Tim meets and marries a woman named Cynthia (who has her own banana bread recipe), but Puny just can't give up cooking for him. This, with a couple of modifications, is her recipe!

This bread was nice and soft with a sweet and clearly banana taste. I think having three bananas instead of my normal two was the key to actually tasting the fruit. I recommend this highly. Because of the great nutritional benefit of bananas, this is my entry for Sweetnicks ARF Tuesday. Check her site for even more wonderful recipes.

Puny's Banana Bread

1 1/4 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup brown sugar)*

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs, beaten

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 1/2 cups AP (white lily if you have it) flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a loaf pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Beat sugar and oil together until fluffy. Add eggs and mix. Mix in mashed bananas. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, soda, and salt. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Stir until just combined. Mix in HALF of the buttermilk. Add the remaining flour and buttermilk and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour (I DEFINITELY needed an hour!), or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

*The decreased amount of sugar still provided for a very sweet bread. I don't think you need the 1 1/4 cups, 3/4 is plenty. If you wanted to reduce it to 1/2 cup, it would probably still be sweet enough. The brown sugar gives the bread a darker color.

Long Ago and Far Away...

...I made these Dorie muffins. I haven't used many of her muffin recipes, but the two I've done thus far have been superb! My next experiment will be her Southern biscuits. I'm hoping that they are not flat and dense but puffy and light, but I diverge. The muffins I made were the Allspice Crumb muffins. I didn't have any allspice, so I substituted cinnamon. It was still delicious. With a tender crumb and crispy topping, these will delite your tongue and satisfy your tummy!

Allspice Crumb Muffins

from Dorie Greenspans' Baking from my Home to Yours

2 cups AP flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (I used cinnamon)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I'm pretty sure I used margarine)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk (I used skim)

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice, and salt together. Stir in brown sugar, being sure there are no lumps. In another bowl, whisk the butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla together. Pour over the dry ingredients and gently and quickly stir to blend. The batter will be lumpy. Divide evenly among muffin cups (fitted with paper molds or sprayed). Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the top (recipe to follow) and gently press into the batter. Bake for 20 minutes, or until tops are golden and a knife inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from mold.

Streusel:

1/2 cup AP flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon all spice (I used cinnamon)

5 T cold unsalted butter, cut into bits (I used margarine)

Put flour, sugar, and allspice in a bowl. Add the butter and work into the flour mixture with your fingers. It should be irregularly shaped crumbs. Dorie says that these can be made up to three days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. when ready , sprinkle this over the muffin batter.

On a side note: In cleaning out my Granny's house, I was the recipient of her tube pan, cast iron skillet, pressure cooker, some REALLY CUTE stacking measuring cups, a pie plate, and an old cookbook. I might also get a poaching pan. SO be watching for my use of these items! Granny would love it.