Banana Bread with Cardamom

This looks suspiciously like the zucchini bread I posted about not too long ago...

The original title of this recipe was Granny Foster's Banana-Walnut Bread.  I don't have a Granny Foster and neither does my friend, Jennifer, who found this recipe for me.  We'd discussed our mutual affection for cardamom and afterwards, out of her generosity, she searched for this recipe.  I've had it forever, but haven't had 8 ripe bananas in my house at the same time in order to make it. 

My dad and stepmother visited recently and we all, on separate trips, purchased bunches of bananas.  Every corner of counter space had a pile of them.  Secretly, I was hoping they wouldn't all get eaten so I'd have an excuse to make this, shhhh. 

Cardamom is a Middle Eastern spice that I adore.  Please don't buy it in the spice aisle.  You'll spend way too much and then have a bunch leftover that'll go bad before you use it all.  Just go to any store that sells bulk spices (most natural foods stores do) and get the amount you need for your recipe.  In this case, 1/2 teaspoon will cost you about 27 cents as opposed to close to $10 in the spice aisle.  I can say that I NEVER purchase spices in the spice aisle.  I don't have anything against them, I just have a lot against over paying for stuff. 

The cardamom flavor in this is subtle and lovely.  It makes it extra special.  Both my dad and I agreed, however, that by the second day, we could no longer taste the cardamom.  My solution next time, will be to either half the recipe so it all gets eaten quickly or just give the other loaf away and make some one's day.  Who wouldn't want to  get a hot loaf of this deliciousness?  Well, I suppose folks that don't like banana bread wouldn't want it...but then again, they probably would skip reading this post, right?

Thanks, Jennifer for the fabulous recipe and for all the other ones you've given me that I have yet to try.
Thanks, Dad and Diane for the bananas!

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 very ripe banana, crushed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease and lightly flour two standard loaf pans and set aside
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom in a large bowl and stir to mix.
4. Cream together the butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until well blended.  Slowly add the beaten eggs while continuing to beat.  Add the bananas and vanilla and stir to mix.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until all the dry ingredients are moist and well blended.  Do not over mix.  Fold in the walnuts and stir just to blend.
6. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and let it settle to the sides; tap the pans on the counter a few times to even out the batter.
7. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until the bread rises and a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean.  The bread will be slightly brown and cracked on the top.
8. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pans.  Serve warm or place on a baking rack to cool.

Variations:  Golden raisins or chopped pecans can be substituted for the walnuts.  Or, you can skip the walnuts altogether like I did.

Red Snapper

I'm from a land locked state.  The words 'fresh fish' aren't really widely used in my neighborhood.  We usually go for the IQF (individually quick frozen) version.

During my visit to Seattle, however, I just couldn't help myself and splurged on a couple b-e-a-utiful Red Snapper.  I stalked them at the Whole Foods for about half an hour trying to talk myself out of them (they don't exactly give them away).  This store is gorgeous, but they don't really give anything away.  I did get these reasonably priced dahlia's for my sister-in-law (aka Margot's mommy) though.

Anyhooo...back to stalking the fish.

I finally gave in and purchased them after the fish counter guy started giving me funny looks.  Ok...he didn't look at me funny, but he should have.  A lady drooling and oogling the red snapper for half and hour with two little boys trailing behind her whining about when it's time to leave?...questionable to say the least. 

After checking out, I rushed through Seattle traffic to my brothers house with my treasures in tow.  Alas, it was only 10:00 in the morning and I still had a loooong time until dinner.

When the time finally came, my brother got the BBQ coals going and I made a simple marinade for the fish.  We then sat out at the community grill for their apartment complex, drank our Strong Bow cider and made the neighbors jealous with the delicious aroma.  Cruel, I know.

Grilled Red Snapper

2 fresh red snapper, rinsed and patted dry

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup white wine

juice from half a lemon

8 cloves garlic, chopped

salt and pepper

Mix last 5 ingredients in a bowl, then spoon it into the fish cavity.  Place a few slices of lemon inside the fish too if you like.  Brush it on the outside of the fish and baste with it during the grilling process.

Place the fish on the grill for about 10 minutes per side or until the flesh is flaky.

YUMMM!!!  I felt like I was in the Mexican Riviera or something.

We made fish tacos with the leftovers the next day.  I know, shocking that there were leftovers.

Margot Update!

Here's baby Margot in her new swaddling blanket.  She is such a little sweetie.  We're all praying she'll be off the oxygen this week.

When we walked into her house, my littlest boy looked at her and said 'I like her.'

I like her too.

Swaddling blankets for Margot

My baby brother and his wife just had a baby on September 3rd.  This is my first biological niece or nephew.  My older brother and his wife are pregnant as well and due in April.  Babyland in my family!  Thank goodness it isn't me.

You see, I have two rad little boys.  No girls.  Thank you, Casey and Kylene for providing a granddaughter!

Her name is Margot, and she is CUTE!

She was born with a lung infection and then suffered from seizures that cause her to have attacks of apnea.  After over two weeks in the hospital and a barrage of tests, she is now home with her mommy and daddy.  She's on oxygen, an apnea monitor when she's sleeping as well as some anti-seizure medication.  All of this is expected to be temporary.  Thank God!!!

Here's a picture Casey sent me of her before one of her tests.  They call her their little mad scientist in this one.

She took it all like a little trooper.  I'm so impressed by her and her parents!

See you this weekend sweet girl!

One of my biggest issues when I first became a mother...ok, I had a lot of issues when I first became a mother....was swaddling blankets. 

Receiving blankets weren't big enough after about 4 days.  There was always a knee, elbow, hand or tooshie sticking out.  The big fluffy blankets were great, but too big for swaddling.  After my second boy was born, someone gave me some top sheets for a crib.  They were perfect for swaddling.  Victory!  I'm not sure if it was the swaddling, my experience as a mother or just my son's temperament, but he was a MUCH calmer and more peaceful baby.  Maybe it was a combination?  Maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about.

I do know, however, that I now love to give swaddling blankets for baby gifts on the off chance the blanket was trick. 

I chose three fun patterns for Margot because, well, her mother is fun and hip and totally cool and I figured she'd like them.  You're cool too, Casey.

I cut them about 3 and half feet square and sewed a simple hem around the edge.  They're made of a super soft, light flannel.

New photos of the actual swaddled cutie pie coming soon!

Here they are!

Comments

Quick update:
My previous blog settings made it difficult to comment on each posting.  I've changed the settings so it should be easy to comment now should you choose to do so.

Thanks!!!

Aubrey

Here's a funny picture.

Peach Cobbler

I busted into the winter clothes today.  I'm actually not a fan of summer clothes, so I really didn't mind.  As I type this, I'm snuggled up in my old purple fleece jacket my stepdad got me and have my 3 year old's fleece Wall-E blankie on my lap.  It's quite a sight I assure you. 

Two nights ago, I got to see one of my favorite sights.  It was a beautiful evening and my stud athlete of a husband took the boys outside to play a little soccer.  The neighbors and their son came over to join in and so did the dog.  He's actually quite the defender.  I loved listening to them laughing and watching them play together.  Ahhh...be still my heart.  I sure do love my little family.
My project that evening was to make beef short ribs for them and then tell you all about them. 

They were a total disaster.

So...instead, I'm posting about peach cobbler.  A tasty little comfort food perfect for days like today.

It's peach season here so I used fresh peaches.  Canned will work just fine.

Start by peeling the peaches.  My mother taught me an easy way to do this.  Just boil the peaches for about 15-20 seconds.  Remove them from the water, allow them to cool a bit and then just rub the peel off. It just slips right off the fruit.

Here's our dog Roman with flour on his face.  Looks like he's a good soccer player and kitchen helper!

Peach Cobbler
From aeposey on allrecipes.com

Filling:
8 peaches-peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Topping:
 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

Topping for the topping:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

 

Stuffed Mushrooms

(I need a camera.  These are snapshots pulled off a video camera.  It's all I got!)

The other night, I said the following to my husband 'I'll make you anything you want for dinner tonight.  What'll it be?'  Without hesitation, he replied 'stuffed mushrooms.'  Despite the ease in which these babies are prepared, the poor chap didn't get his reqeust until the following night...whooops! 

However, because of my delay, we were able to share them with our friends for game night.  Once upon a time, at a different game night, our long time friend, Delani, tried her first stuffed mushroom.  'I don't like mushrooms,' she protested.  We made her try it (that's right, come over to our house and we'll force feed you).  One nibble at a time, she finally finished it.  Lo and behold, she loved it and has since made them herself. 

She brought her fella, Christian, to this latest game night.  Christian doesn't like mushrooms either.  I bet you can guess what happened next...that's right, we made him try one.  He was a great sport about it though.  Here's the play by play:

Take a deep breath

In it goes.  No nibbling here. 
No...I'm not getting paid to advertise for Abercrombie and Fitch.  Maybe I should look into that....

Chew, chew, chew.  The anticipation was almost too much for us. 

And..........

Victory is mine!!!!  (Really need to look into that camera issue, sheesh!)


Stuffed Mushrooms

1/2 pound bulk sausage
15-18 mushrooms
4 oz cream cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Brown the sausage and drain fat on a paper towel, then place in a medium sized bowl.  Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth.  Pop out stems out, chop them up and add them to the sausage.  Add the cream cheese, ricotta cheese and salt and pepper.

Lay the mushroom caps out on a metal rack that's been placed on a cooking sheet.  Spoon the sausage cheese mixture into the caps, then sprinkle on the parmesan.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until the mushrooms look wrinkly and the cheese is browned. 

Korean BBQ Wraps

This is one of my favorite meals of all time.  I found it while watching Emeril on Food Network...my favorite kind of TV.

I have yet to serve it where someone said they didn't like it. 

Make a double batch and then freeze half of it before you cook it as it's such a tasty meal to have on hand.   

For those who are curious, this is what ginger root looks like:

Ginger root is pretty inexpensive and available at most grocery stores.  There's no reason you couldn't use crushed ginger in the jar, but I wouldn't recommend powdered...doesn't have quite the same zing to it.

It will last a little while in the vegetable crisper, but I like to wrap it well and freeze it. I like to freeze stuff.  

Just peel it...

 

And finely grate it.  Any of these tools will work.  The smaller the hole on the grater, the better.

Just don't grate your thumb like I did.

Yes...that's Elmo.  I couldn't find anything else.  You parents know exactly what I'm talking about.

When the meat and other ingredients are mixed in, it'll look like this. 

Let it marinade for a while.  At least 30 minutes.  Meanwhile get your rice cooking and mix up your hot sauce.

The meat only takes a minute or two on each side to cook. 

Yummmmm!  My rice to meat ratio is a little off here.  Shucks...I'll just have to make fried rice tomorrow.

Korean BBQ Wraps

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons sesame oil (separated)

1/2 cup chopped green onions (I usually leave this out and it's still tasty!0

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons Sriracha hot chili sauce (available in the Asian section of the supermarket)

4 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons, sesame seeds, toasted

2 cups cooked rice

1 head bibb or iceberg lettuce, leaves separated, washed a patted dry

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, green onions, garlic and ginger.  Whisk to dissolve sugar.

Slice pork into thin slices.  Place pork strips in marinade and stir to coat.  Cover and allow to marinade in refrigerator at least 30 minutes.  Longer is better.

When pork is marinated, take bowl from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.  This helps the meat cook more evenly.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Using a slotted spoon or a pair of tongs, remove pork from the marinade and carefully place in the skillet.  Cook pork on each side until brown and cooked through.  This only takes a few minutes.  It's easiest to work in batches, meaning don't cook it all at once.  Just do one layer of meat at a time.  Remove meat from skillet and stir in the sesame seeds.

To make the chili sauce mixture, stir together the Sriracha sauce, honey and remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil.  Adjust amounts to your personal taste. 

To serve, spoon several tablespoons of rice onto a lettuce leaf, taco-style.  Top with a drizzle of hot sauce, and a piece or two of pork. 

Roll up and eat!  You'll never be the same again!

Hadley's cake

This is my sweet pea little niece Hadley.

This is Hadley's first little birthday cake:

This cake was an adventure in itself.  I think I got a bit ambitious.  I decided I should try marshmallo fondant for the first time.  What a sicky mess!  It eventually all worked out, though and the final product received rave reviews from the party-goers.  Whew!!

For dear Hadley...it was worth every minute (I mean hour).  It turned out to be a fun project. 

I love you cutie pie!!!

Auntie Aubrey