CHOCOLATE - BANANA BREAD

Yep, you read it correctly, chocolate banana bread, and it is really good!! The chocolate (cocoa and chocolate chips) lend the predominate flavor, but you can still taste the banana AND the fruit keeps the bread extremely moist.

1  1/4  cups of mashed bananas
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1  1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon  salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (a must)
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Beat all of the wet ingredients and sugar together until well combined and smooth. Beat in the dry ingredients just until combined then stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.
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Bake the bread in a greased 8" x 4" loaf pan, in a pre-heated 350F oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick tests clean (see note below). Cool bread in pan, on rack, for 15 minutes, then remove from pan . Immediately, wrap hot bread with plastic wrap and cool, this will seal in all of the moisture......important step.

If you click on the (above) photo, you can see the melted chocolate chips...a slice of this bread, heated in the microwave for 10 seconds or so, will satisfy any serious choco-holic.

 NOTE: I'm not a big fan of baking all that batter in a single 8" x 4" loaf pan for over an hour. That always seems to produce a lot of hard crusty corners. I much prefer to make two smaller loaves which bake in about 45 minutes. Whatever pan size you use, try the toothpick test for doneness. When you remove the toothpick, you will see some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick, but no gooey batter.
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NOTE: Yes, that is snow (higher than my kitchen window) in that last photo. Snow also accounts for the ultra-bright window-light in the first photo. We live at the base of a mountain pass and we get a lot of snow...but, hey, it's nearly mid-March, so this is even a lot of snow for us. Tonight it's zero again. I heard on the radio today that the Iditarod dog team racers are experiencing 35 below zero this week!!

ORANGE JELLY - A LITTLE BIT OF SUNSHINE FOR A WINTERS DAY

We woke up to 9 inches of fresh snow this morning and my hopes for an early spring flew out the window. This is the time of year that I get into a real cooking rut, so much so, that even my stock of homemade jam seems boring.
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To combat that, every year about this time, I make a quick batch of this orange jelly for our morning toast. All it takes is 4 oranges, 2 lemons and some sugar, to make this delicious taste of summer...it is not a marmalade.

I still remember the first time I bought marmalade for my family...they hated it. Well, they hated the "chunks" (and so did I), although the jam in between the chunks was tasty (does that make sense?). That is when I decided to create an orange jam that had no chunks...this is it.

4 medium oranges
2 medium lemons
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups water
5 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch Sure Jell liquid fruit pectin

Wash and dry the oranges and lemons. Using a very fine zester, remove the colored part of the fruit. Make sure you don't go deep into the fruit or you will get the white pith, which can be bitter. Set the zest aside.
Peel and cut up the oranges and lemons, then pulse them in the food processor until they look like this, then set them aside.

Put the orange and lemon zest into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and add 1½ cups of water and the baking soda. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn it down to a simmer, cover and simmer (stirring occasionally) for 20 minutes.

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After 20 minutes, add the chopped oranges and lemons and simmer for another 10 minutes.

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Put the cooked fruit-zest mixture through a fine mesh strainer and measure off 3 cups of juice.

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Place exactly 3 cups of strained juice into a large heavy bottomed saucepan and add the sugar. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in liquid pectin and return to a full rolling boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

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Immediately pour into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8" of the top. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids and screw bands on tightly. Process jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

This jam is not only great for your morning toast, but it works excellently for glazing chicken.

NOTE: Because this is a citrus jam, it can take up to a week to full set, but it is SO worth the wait.

BEST EVER (NO KNEAD) CINNAMON ROLLS

I thought I had the best cinnamon roll recipe, but oh my goodness..."Katy bar the door" --- drop everything and try this recipe. Here's why:
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1. The dough is light and fluffy, not "bready"
2. There is no kneading, but it sure tastes like there is
3. The flavor is outstanding!!
4. They have the texture of a good donut
5. Covered, they stay fresh and delicious for 2-3 days
6. They freeze beautifully

Do I have your attention yet? Click on this photo so you can see the light and airy texture of the baked rolls.

2 cups buttermilk
1/2  cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 packet dry active yeast (I use 1 tablespoon)
4  1/2 cup all purpose flour (DIVIDED)
1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

FILLING
3/4  brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter (soft)
Mix the buttermilk, vegetable oil and sugar in a saucepan and warm this mixture to just before the boiling point… (see note) then remove from heat let it cool down then stir in dry yeast. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes to let the yeast bloom.

Add 4 (of the 4½ cups) of flour to the buttermilk mixture and stir well (no need to knead, just mix well). Dough at this stage will be extremely sticky and more like a thick batter. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for an hour.
In a small, separate bowl, mix the final ½ cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. After the sticky dough has rested/raised for an hour, stir it down and add this final half cup flour mixture. Mix until well incorporated (by hand or electric mixer)...just takes a minute.
 
Turn batter (which will still be quite soft and sticky) out onto WELL-floured counter and roll the dough around a few times, coating the surface with flour so it is not so sticky. Roll (or pat) dough out into a rectangle that is about ½” thick. Spread dough surface with 2 tablespoons butter then evenly spread on the filling ingredients and top with nuts (pat the nuts into the sugar a little). Roll up, jellyroll style, keeping it as tight as you can. Pinch the seam shut tightly. Cut 1½” slices and lay them, cut side down, in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in pre-heated 375F oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and they sound hollow when you tap on them. Drizzle with glaze while the rolls are still hot.

MAPLE GLAZE

1 + 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon maple extract
2 OR 3 tablespoons milk

 NOTE: For the first step, I warm the buttermilk-vegetable oil mixture up in the microwave. I don't find it necessary to bring the buttermilk to "near boiling" like the instructions tell you to. I just microwave it until it feels good and warm (not hot) when I put my finger in it.

ORANGE AND POPPY SEED POUND CAKE

This orange & poppy seed pound cake is a true, mid-winter, blast of sunshine. It is (yet) another recipe from the holiday issue of Sweet Cakes published by The Best of Fine Cooking magazine.
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Dense, sweet and extremely moist, this

pound cake got rave reviews from Hubby & friends.

2 + 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup poppy seeds
2½ cups white sugar
4 teaspoons fresh, finely grated orange zest
1½ cups unsalted butter, soft
8 ounce cream cheese, soft
6 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks (room temp)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together (I just whisk it together) and set aside.
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Put the sugar and orange zest in the food processor and pulse it for 20 seconds, set aside.
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With a stand mixer (using paddle beater) beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and zest mixture and beat until light and fluffy (about a minute). Beat in the whole eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each egg. Beat in the 2 egg yolks and the vanilla.
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With your mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture, stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple times. Beat until smooth.
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Spoon the batter into TWO greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pans (or 8 mini loaf pans). Bake on center rack of a pre-heated 350F oven for 50 minutes (my oven took 55 minutes) or 25 to 30 minutes for mini-loafs.
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Cool in pan (on a rack) for 20 minutes, then turn out. Glaze while still warm.
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ORANGE GLAZE FOR POUND CAKE
2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (I used 1 tsp. vanilla)
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Bring orange juice and sugar to a boil, over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens and reduces to ½ cup (3 or 4 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the liqueur (vanilla). Keep brushing the tops and sides of the warm pound cake until all of the glaze is used up.
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NOTE: This pound cake has such a fresh clean taste and because it is just a little different, it would make a great gift for someone.

PIZZA BUNS

I called this recipe "pizza buns" for lack of a better title. Actually, it can be any flavor filling that you like. The "magic" is in the dough; it is on the slightly sweet side but (as unlikely as it seems) it compliments a savory filling perfectly.
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Originally, this is a dough that my German Russian ancestors used for a hot and savory ham and sauerkraut sandwich. I decided to experiment with various fillings and they have been such a big hit with Hubby that I've made them twice this week. I've made calzones for years, but these are so much better...not bready or doughy at all and the dough raises just enough (as it bakes) to make the perfect sandwich...light, crispy and delicious.

This one was pizza flavored

DOUGH
¾ cup very warm water
½ cup sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg (room temperature)
3½ cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the warm water (hottest out of your tap) with the sweetened condensed milk, vegetable oil and sugar and salt. The hot tap water will cool down in temperature once it is mixed with the oil and milk (so it won't hurt the yeast). Next, whisk in the egg and the yeast. Let this sit for several minutes until the yeast looks well dissolved.

NOTE: When you first mix up this dough, it will seem stiff and dense. Don't let that freak you out...just follow the instructions and it will bake up beautifully.
Once it is well dissolved, mix in the flour (using a stand mixer is easiest) and mix with dough hook on medium speed until smooth (about 5 minutes or so). Place in a bowl sprayed with vegetable spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let this sit in a warm place for an hour or until it is double in size.
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Remove from the bowl and cut into 8 pieces (makes 8 sandwiches). Roll each piece out into an 8 inch circle. For pizza filling, put about ¼ cup of cheese in center of circle; top with a little pizza sauce and some toppings.
I found that these were easier to shape if you sit the 8" circle in a cereal bowl before you add the fillings (see above photo). Draw up the edges of the dough and pinch them together like this
This dough is a dream to work with...it stretches without tearing and sticks together beautifully when it comes time to "pinch it shut".

A word about pizza fillings:

I filled these with sweet Italian sausage and some thin strips of pepperoni. I fried this in a pan until it was very well done, then I drained it completely and blotted all of the grease I could get out of it...I highly recommend this step. Don't add any meat that has not had the fat rendered out of it (sausage, pepperoni etc.). If you do, the fat will make the sandwich greasy and leak out of the pinched seam. Once pinched shut (make sure you pinch it totally shut...place them pinched seam side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. They will look like this: Cover with plastic wrap and let them sit for 20 minutes. Bake in pre-heated 350F oven for 20 minutes. When they come out of the oven, brush them with butter. Aren't they pretty? Be careful when you first bite into them...they are SO hot inside.

I also made them the other day using a ham and cheese filling.
NOTE: These sandwiches stay super hot for an unbelievable length of time, so they would be excellent for a potluck or picnic (they are also excellent at room temperature). This dough recipe makes 8 big sandwiches, but you could easily make them smaller for a party snack.
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NOTE: I have plans on making these, using sloppy joe filling, barbecue beef filling, bacon and egg filling and much more. I can see many uses for this sammie.
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NOTE: The fully baked leftovers (full size) reheat, beautifully, in a preheated 350F oven in 20-23 minutes and taste exactly like they did the first time they came out of the oven.

COFFEE-CHOCOLATE CAKE (AND AN UPDATE)

Before Christmas, I purchased the holiday issue of a magazine called Sweet Cakes, published by The Best of Fine Cooking. I've made several desserts from the magazine and all have been well received by Hubby and friends.
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Recently, Monica from Lick the Bowl Good told me she had the same magazine so we decided to try the magazines recipe for Coffee-Chocolate Cake together. I think she will be posting about it today, as well, so I hope you will visit her web site to see what she did with this great little recipe.

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (soft)
1+2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon table salt
1½ cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ cup + 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups quality coffee (brewed and cooled)
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Preheat oven to 350F and generously butter a 9" square baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the paper, then flour the bottom and sides of the pan (tap out excess flour). See note below.
With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar & vanilla until smooth (about 1 minute). Blend in eggs, one at a time, mixing just until incorporated (about 20 seconds). With a whisk, mix in the rest of the ingredients by hand, until batter is smooth and mostly free of lumps.
Pour into prepared pan. Tap pan on counter a couple of times to remove any potential air bubbles. Bake on center rack of a 350F oven for 40 to 43 minutes.
Remove from oven and set pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edges of the pan, invert onto cake rack and remove pan. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container (at room temperature) for up to 5 days...but it won't last that long.

NOTE: Recipe says do not used Dutch-processed cocoa powder
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NOTE: Although the directions say to bake in a 9" square pan and take extra precautions with parchment paper, extra greasing and flouring, I did not do ANY of that. I baked mine in a little half-bundt pan I have and I just sprayed it with a cooking spray that has flour in it (no parchment paper). It came out of the pan extremely easy.
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NOTE: Hubby hates the taste of coffee, so I made this cake using Earl Grey tea and it tasted great.
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NOTE: Wrap this cake with plastic wrap (directly on the surface of the cake) while it is still very hot. Let it cool completely like that and you will have a wonderfully moist cake that will last for several days. I do this with ALL of my cakes and it never fails.
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NOTE: This is such a great little one bowl chocolate cake, with excellent flavor and moistness. It would make great cupcakes and I'm sure you could double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13. ONE WARNING: If you eat this cake while it is still warm, you will not be able to restrain yourself...it is really tasty!!

NOTE: Our family members are safe at the Alaska Iron Dog finish line in Nome, Alaska, although hubbies twin brother and snowmachine had to be towed the last 170 miles (by his son) and hubbies youngest brother and snowmachine had to be towed the last 53 miles (by a buddy). Both of their engines blew up (they were brand new snowmachines). At least they are all safe and off of the trail. Thanks for your well wishes.

BANANA-CHERRY BREAD

I found this recipe on http://www.mixingbowl.com/ and it is a keeper for sure. Super moist banana bread, mixed with maraschino cherries and pecans. Hubby loves this toasted with butter!!

3 large overripe bananas
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (soft)
¾ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1½ cups self rising flour
4 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup chopped pecans (I used ½ cup)
½ cup chopped maraschino cherries
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Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan. Mash bananas and stir in lemon juice. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until creamy. Beat in banana mixture and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the banana mixture, alternately with milk. Mix only until incorporated. Fold in nuts and chopped cherries.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake about one hour (my oven took 70 minutes) or until toothpick tests clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes then turn out onto rack.