Cranberry Banana Bread

 

 I saw a nice looking recipe in December for banana bread with cranberries that looked so good, but didn't mark the recipe for myself.

I found this recipe while searching for it from the folks at Ocean Spray (The Cranberry People) that looked good too.  I think they wanted the whole bag of craisins in the loaf but I went with half a bag, I think.  I luckily also had some walnuts which tasted just lovely in this light, fluffy loaf.

This is recipe one of my three recipes goal for February.  Not from Mary's Recipes or a new cookbook, but very tasty!

https://www.oceanspray.com/recipes/cranberry-banana-bread-craisins 

Chocolate Craving Cake From I Am Baker

This week's new recipe for me is one I've had printed out for a couple of years, I think.  No need to rush in!  It keeps popping up on I Am Baker's Facebook page and I "like" it every time.

I made it this morning.  It doesn't look like the original picture, but it is wonderfully, intensely chocolatey.   The 8 x 8 pan size means I may be able to eat it all by myself.  I did have a tester lined up, who could help eat it, but they were unable to make it.  We shall see what next week brings!

https://iambaker.net/chocolate-craving-cake/


I used 2 % milk rather than whole.  I don't mind getting buttermilk for a recipe, because you can always use buttermilk in pancakes or something, but whole milk....nah.    This is one of the few recipes for chocolate cake you'll find these days that doesn't ask for coffee.   Coffee is for sipping with your cake, not going in the mixing bowl.

Her directions have you taking the cake out of the pan, no doubt using the parchment paper from the instructions to lift it to a cooling rack.  Then of course you need to get it on a plate for frosting purposes and eating purposes.  I think I'll leave it in the pan next time.

My cake may be extra chocolately because I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa, which I use for everything now.

I should have used my frosting spatula instead of a butter knife to spread the frosting, of which there is a generous amount.  Without further ado, my Chocolate Craving Cake.

A little cake disaster-y looking, but really good.

Cookies & Cups Blog Bake Along

The Cookies & Cups blog is hosting a Bake Along.

She'll post a recipe, then she encourages you to join and post your picture of the recipe on her baking Facebook Group.   I'm not sure how often the recipes will be offered, and I'm hoping she notes the new ones on her blog as well as on Facebook, so I can try some then post my results here.

The first recipe is for her Perfect Cheesecake

Cooking and Baking Blogs

I've updated the Cooking and Baking blog section of my sidebar with new blogs!  Just as we all snuggle inside for the winter, the desire to cook and bake becomes overpowering!  The warmth from the oven, the smells, the lovely new flavors.   These are some favorites of mine which I never got onto my blogroll, but here they are. I've moved the Cooking and baking category to the top so you can start cooking.

Cookies and Cups

Bakerella

Oh, Sweet Basil

Brown Eyed Baker

12 Tomatoes

Slow Roasted Italian

Mid Century Menu

Taste of Home

Life in the Lofthouse

I am Baker

Love and Olive Oil

My Baking Addiction

The Kitchn

Bon Appetit

Vintage Recipes

I Wash...You Dry

When Rice Doesn't Play Nice

Ok, we have a moratorium here at DOA Central on Rice Dishes.  Hard on the heels of last week's Hamburger Wild Rice bust up, we try Chicken Fried Rice.

http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/chicken-fried-rice/

I spare you a photograph of my results.  Here's the Life in the Lofthouse pic:

Nobody liked it.  One soul feared to be seen sliding it into the trash and had a counterpart do it.  No blame on this one.

Rice:

So it turns out I can't make and maybe have never successfully made plain white rice.  It's always gummy and glossy and looks vaguely like an albino brain.  Ya.  The pre-made, pre-cooled stuff went flying out of the bowl it was stored in and might have dented the stove top if it hadn't landed in the fry pan.  (Insert Sad Face).   I did my best to break the ball up and incorporate it into the ingredients already in the pan.

Chicken:

While the chicken was nicely tender, ( I had it in a crockpot as the recipe suggested) the Teryaki sauce had a taste I didn't care for at all.  

Peas and Carrots:

I thought it could have used more of these, one cup was pretty spare.  Taster Number 2 was horrified there were peas in the dish.   He would have liked it without peas, he said.   I think he doesn't notice them in chicken pot pie somehow.  

Soy Sauce:

There are three tablespoons in the recipe, but as always  I was able to douse the stuff with more and I kinda killed the teryaki flavor, and I pronounced it not too bad.

Mr. DOA (aka the Final Arbiter) said it was "ok" and he didn't really like it, but he took some for his lunch.  Mr. Sweetie of the World.

Hamburgled

On the menu: Hamburger Wild Rice Casserole, rolls, fresh fruit.

The casserole earns Mom's Tastes Like Your Foot's Asleep award.

It was poorly received by the locals, who pushed it around a little on their plates, after a bite, then slid it into the trash.

I personally thought it wasn't bad when doused in soy sauce.

Mr. DOA doesn't think it's as bad as " some of the things you guys come up with".

I think if broth was used instead of water, and maybe a few spices were added, this would be not a bad little meal.  I've never worked with wild rice before, and I am not sure if it was supposed to be sort of rubbery/crunchy.  I suspect not.  I certainly gave it the full hour of soaking.  Maybe it wants double that.

The fruit and bread were a nice accompaniment.    I really like planning meals with multiple parts and things that lighten up heavier dishes.  Also, if a new dish turns out to be blech, you have something else to eat.
 

Tasty Tradgedies: Betty Crocker's Classic Cheese Souffle

One of the fun things about trying to post every day is that I am inspired to try some new recipes.  They're always good fodder for posts.

I filled a gap in this week's dinner menu with something new for us:  Betty Crocker's Cheese Souffle.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/classic-cheese-souffle/f3d6f31c-cbac-4df2-b35b-228be9c62d32

The recipe seemed simple enough.  I had problems, though.

The egg white never got stiff peaks, though I beat them (beated?) mercilessly.  They just kind of were all smooth and mellow.

The egg yolks when beaten were to be "very thick and lemon colored".   I didn't see anything like that either.  Pancake batter consistency was sort of the way it looked, and not lemon yellow.

The "dividing with two forks" thing didn't work out either.  I honestly don't know why they'd think forks were a useful cutting tool.

The souffle didn't rise much, which I expected because of the eggs and their lack of enthusiasm for the project.

For the finisher, it tasted sort of blah, like a scrambled egg with no flavor.  A lot of work for not so much, is my opinion. 

Here is how it should look (but as mom would say, it will still "taste like your foot's asleep")

The tragic souffle reality.

Jessica Robinson's Farmhouse Apple Crisp

I wrote about the New England Farmgirl Cookbook the other day on my Adventures of Merlyn Perilous blog, and today I tried the apple crisp.

It didn't seem likely I'd find granulated maple sugar at the store, and I did not.  I used an additional 3/4 cup of brown sugar instead.  I'll keep an eye out while shopping elsewhere.

I lack Apple coring skills, though I have a decent enough Apple corer.  Apples, as it turns out, don't like to stand upright.  They want to sit angled so you aren't certain of getting that problematic core.

Even so, the recipe was simple, and did not say you needed to cool before adding a scoop of ice cream, so I went for it.  Almost like a warm Carmel Apple, this is the best apple crisp I've ever had.

DOA In The Kitchen: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

While making out the weekly grocery list I ask for suggestions for the next week's menu.  Sometimes I get nothing, sometimes something new is requested.  This week, chicken with wild rice soup was offered, and the recipe that was suggested was from Allrecipes.com.


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/23852/creamy-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup/


This soup doesn't take long at all to make, thanks to the quick cooking rice required.  I used Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice mix.  I feared the soup would be sort of bland tasting, but it was flavorful and tasted better with every bite.

Served with Vienna bread, crackers for the cracker fans, and slices of Swiss and cheddar cheese, everyone loved it and had multiple bowls.

The only place I varied from the recipe was the part where they have you take the chicken mixture off the burner briefly, I simply turned the heat down to three.

I'm looking for a recipe for another day using real wild rice, but this one will do for a nice Sunday soup for the nonce.

Rainbow Sangria from Gimme Some Oven

Somehow we have decided we'd like some real fruit filled sangria this summer.  I found the perfect looking recipe at Gimme Some Oven (link once I'm at my pc).  I personally wanted lots of fruit as the top requirement. This has it!

I used strawberries, raspberries, mandarin oranges, fresh pineapple, green grapes, blackberries and blueberries.  Honey rather than granulated sugar, and I added the bit of brandy and lime.

Lovely, refreshing! Not too sweet, just right.

Duncan Hines Perfect Size Golden Fudge Cake

You may have seen the commercials for these little six inch cakes.

While the size is nice, the flavor is lacking.   Too super sweet, very artificial, and I almost want to say chemical tasting.  I hoped the use of real butter in the cake and frosting would give it some character.

Back to my cookbooks, perhaps halving recipes once I know them well.

Chocolate Cake of the Month

I've been craving chocolate cake and meant to try a new recipe each month.  Slow starting, but we're off!

I'm writing on my iPod as usual and will post the link to the recipe later.

This is the I want Chocolate Cake Cake from Smitten Kitchen.

I had problems.  My powdered Buttermilk didn't mix in well.  

Although my butter was properly soft, my mixture of butter and dark brown sugar never got "fluffy" by any stretch of the imagination.

The cooking time was 18-22 minutes but the cake was floaty in the pan by the end of that time so I cooked it till a toothpick came out clean.

The cake is a single layer which is nice. It wasn't the nice nice moist cake I'm looking for.  My buttermilk may have made all the difference.

The frosting is light and chocolatey and just right.

Not the chocolate cake I'm looking for, but nice with a glass of milk.

DOA in the Kitchen: Sunday Dinner Ham and Au Gratins

I've been looking for the perfect au gratin potatoes recipe.  I haven't found one yet that is like the Betty Crocker boxed ones, but with "real" ingredients.

These au gratins are not Betty, but to quote Pee Wee, I love them so much I could marry them!  (Mr. DOA understands though he didn't like them so much).

http://12tomatoes.com/2014/09/creamy--cheesy-side-dish-potatoes-au-gratin.html    There's a link to the recipe.  And their picture looks better. I was in a hurry to get dinner on the table...

Creamy & Cheesy Side Dish: Potatoes Au Gratin from Twelve Tomatoes  
          

It’s hard to go wrong with potatoes, but if you’re a worrier, take a deep breath because this dish is always a winner! You don’t have to spend ages (getting tennis elbow) making the perfectly mashed potatoes, all you have to do is make the sauce and pop these tots in the oven. This dish is perfect for family or holiday dinners—just be prepared for the requests that will come rolling in for you to make this dish for all upcoming celebrations!

Potato Gratin

(Serves 6-8) 
Ingredients 

• 3 tablespoons butter, plus butter for greasing baking dish
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced (about 5 cups)
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup Gruyere, grated
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º F and grease baking dish with butter. Take halved garlic and rub it around the baking dish.
2. In a large saucepan, melt your butter and add in flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. You should have a paste-like sauce.
3. Slowly pour in heavy cream and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Take off heat and stir in Gruyere until melted.
4. Arrange potatoes in layers in your baking dish, adding salt and pepper between layers. Pour sauce over the potatoes so that they’re evenly covered. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top.
5. Place in oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and the top is golden and crispy. 

Recipe adapted from Alexandra Cooks


I tried a Maple Brown Sugar Crockpot Ham, recipe below.  I don't think mine was from Mel's Kitchen though the ingredients are identical.  I detected no Maple or Brown Sugar taste at all.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/slow-cooker-maple-brown-sugar-ham/

Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham

220 Comments April 29, 2009

I can sum up this post simply by saying I’ll never make ham another way again. In the past, I’ve always baked it in the oven according to package directions, occasionally using the sugary glaze that comes with the ham and sometimes not. This time I decided to use a recipe I saw on a Year of Crockpotting. It was fantastic. Really fantastic. The ham was more flavorful than any ham I’ve ever made before and the flavors were so perfect – maple, brown sugar and pineapple. Delicious – not to mention super simple. The only change I will make next time is to significantly reduce the amount of time in the slow cooker. My ham was slightly overdone after cooking for 7 hours and next time I’ll only cook it for 4-5 hours on low. Regardless, it was phenomenal and got rave reviews from the fam – definitely my new go-to way to make me some ham.

Tender biscuits like these Buttermilk Biscuits or Cream Biscuits
Homemade Baked Tater Tots
Classic Deviled Eggs

Print

Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham

Ingredients

• 7-8 pound spiral-cut ham (bone-in or boneless)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 cups pineapple juice

Directions

1. Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Unwrap the ham and discard flavor packet. Place the ham into the slow cooker stoneware, flat-side down. Rub brown sugar on all sides. Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice.
2. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. An hour before serving, baste ham with the collected juices from the bottom of the slow cooker. When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving.

2.6

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/slow-cooker-maple-brown-sugar-ham/

Printed from Mel\'s Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

Recipe Source: adapted from Year of Crockpotting



Just some Niblets Brand corn to round things out.

D.O.A. in the Kitchen: Sunday Dinner

I do a weekly menu, and Monday is always Leftover Day.  This means I like a substantial Sunday dinner.

I'm trying mostly new things today so between first time trying and the trickiness of getting everything done at the same time, I could be looking at a really nice meal or a grotesque disaster.

Crispy Fried Chicken   http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/crispy-fried-chicken

Scored Potatoes  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/scored-potatoes

Fettuccine Alfredo  http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fettuccine_alfredo/

Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing   http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/creamy-ranch-dressing/

Black Midnight Cake with Chocolate Butter Frosting  http://www.food.com/recipe/black-midnight-cake-185770

 

Chocolate Butter Frosting Betty Crocker Cookbook C 1969

1/3 cup soft butter

2 oz melted Unsweetened Chocolate cooled

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

About 2 tbsp. milk

 

Mix thoroughly butter and cooled chocolate.  Blend in sugar.  Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. 


Fine Dining Report:

Chicken wasn't nicely crispy coated as I'd like. It was my first try at frying chicken though so I'll try another recipe for the coating.

Scored Potatoes were good.  Nice  with butter and sour cream on them.

Fettuccine Alfredo good but needed a little more flavor, or maybe a half cup more cream.

Ranch Dressing tasty but very watery.  It was in the fridge for a couple of hours before supper so, we shall see if it is better tomorrow.  A bit too much parsley in it I think.

I think the Black Midnight Cake may be better with White Mountain Frosting  (as suggested in the cookbook) but I was a weenie and didn't want to make it.  The cake seems a bit dry.  The Chocolate Butter Frosting is nice and simple but chocolately.

Waldorf Salad (Fannie Farmer)

Some of my former co-workers used to bring the tastiest salads to staff potlucks using apples and other fruits in the salad, and since salads are another of the things I'd love to do well, I looked through my small cookbook collection to see what there was and for some reason Waldorf Salad sounded elegant and tasty all at once.

Looking through cookbooks is a pleasant pastime if there ever was one.  So many possibilities.  I also really like that they often offer a bit of history or commentary.  My Fannie Farmer cookbook does not, but it does off a lot of basic cooking instructions, and I've never taken time to really sit back and try to learn the basics.  It is eye opening, really, and I highly recommend it. 

My skills are slowly improving as I try different recipes of all types.  My spice cupboard is quite intriguing.  My weekly menus are fun and are (mostly) tasty.  The Waldorf Salad is simple, with a nice combination of flavors and textures.  Very quick to make.

Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1979c)  Waldorf Salad


2 firm ripe green apples
1 firm ripe red apple
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons honey (optional)
Iceberg or Bibb lettuce leaves

Core and quarter the apples (leave the skin on unless it is tough) and slice thin.  Put in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to coat.  Add the celery and walnuts.  Cover and chill.

Mix the mayonnaise and honey (if you like a little sweetness in the dressing) together until smooth, add to the apple mixture and toss.  Serve on a bed of lettuce.


DOA Notes:   You only chill the apple mixture while you mix the mayonnaise.  I used honey.  I expected this to be a bit sweeter, and would prefer it that way so next time I make it I will use two red Macintosh apples and one Granny Smith.  I used mayonnaise here but will use Miracle Whip next time which is just a bit sweeter and I think I'll have a perfect salad.  The apples did not turn brown or the salad spoil in any way over the 3-4 days it took me to eat all the nice tasty salad.  I don't think the bed of lettuce adds anything unless you're being fancy.

Picky Palate's XXL M and M Chocolate Chip Cookies

I thought I'd report on my monster cookies.  They turned out great and are perfect dunked in milk.  Nice soft cookies.  Very chocolaty.  I personally was mongo impressed by scooping up a quarter cup of dough for each cookie.  I managed to space them well so they didn't conjoin.

The link for the recipe is here.  I cooked them for 15 minutes at 350 and did give them the extra ten minutes on the pan. 

Just delightful.  I'm giving them away tomorrow never fear or I would have to roll everywhere I go.  It was important for me to taste one for scientific purposes.

I hate to say but I think mine look nicer than the originals.  No brag just fact (Walter Brennan?).

Before cooking on right, after cooking on left :)