Buttermilk Banana Bread

My husband devoured this bread.

I loved it too.
I think it's the buttermilk—my new favorite ingredient. Don't ask me how, but it adds a hint of tartness, sweetness, and creaminess all at once.

This recipe is from yet another awesome food blog, My Kitchen Cafe. (Thanks, Melanie!) I've never tried a light variety of banana bread like this one, but now we can't get enough. It has a milder banana taste than some banana breads, and the crust is buttery deliciousness.

I substituted 3 tablespoons of applesauce for 3 (out of 8) tablespoons of butter, and I honestly couldn't tell. (The last time I made this recipe I didn't make the substitution, so I do have something to compare it to, by the way.)

Buttermilk Banana Bread
From My Kitchen Cafe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup mashed bananas (About 3 average-sized bananas)
4 tablespoons buttermilk
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash baking soda

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until combined. Poor batter into a greased and floured bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the loaf immediately and let cool on a wire rack.

It's bread is fantastic as is, but for a sweet twist, I added a buttermilk glaze. Mmmm!

Buttermilk Glaze
Start with 1 cup powdered sugar and 3 Tablespoons buttermilk. Whisk to combine. Add a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, depending on your preference. You may have to add more buttermilk or sugar until you get a good consistency.

Penne Rustica: Revisited

Remember this recipe?
I thought I'd remind you that it's great. I made it again the other night and wanted to share a couple tips. First off, I liked it even better with whole wheat rotini and/or bowtie pasta. I think the other ingredients just stick better to these pastas than to penne. Next, it's all about the veggies. The more artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, zuccini, red onion, and basil—the better. So keep the veggie to pasta ratio heavy on the veggetables.

Have these tips convinced you to try this one? It's a healthy pasta you shouldn't pass up. Have a great week! I've got a to-die-for buttermilk banana bread recipe coming soon.

*Need another to use up those roasted red peppers in? Try Real Simple's provolone and roasted red pepper crisps.

Simple Honey Wheat Bread

Sorry to post another bread recipe so soon, but I am in love with this recipe. I can't help but agree with the 353 reviewers on allrecipes.com who gave this recipe 5 stars. It's fabulous!

Beware: This makes a lot of bread. Three loafs, to be exact. My kitchen aid mixer was full to the brim with dough, but it all worked out in the end. My friend Amber and I had a bread-baking day, and we each went home with one BIG loaf and a mini loaf, thanks to my cute mini loaf pans.

This bread's texture is fantastic—moist and tender—and the hint of sweetness is exactly what I look for in a homemade wheat bread. And don't forget to try it as toast!

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 Tablespoons active dry yeast (equal to two 2-oz. packages)
2/3 cup honey, divided into two
5 cups bread flour
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 3 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead in additional wheat flour (1/2 cup to 1 cup) until the dough just pulls away from the counter, but is still sticky to the touch. Place in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

• If you're mixing in an electric mixer, you can skip adding the flour by kneading on a floured surface and instead add the flour directly to the bowl as the mixer does the mixing. The point of this step, by the way, isn't kneading; it's incorporating the remaining flour. Just make sure the dough pulls together.
  

3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Remove from pan to cool loaves on a wire rack. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard.

If you're timid when it comes to making bread, read this fabulous tutorial on breadmaking: "For Beaming, Bewitching Breads."

Enjoy the bread and be proud of your domesticity!

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dessert first, right?

The best food blog I know of for family friendly food is Picky Palate. She shared a cookie recipe I just had to try. I love all chocolate chip cookie recipes, and I rarely make the same one twice...So you'll probably be seeing more in the future! This particular recipe is a must-try if you like your chocolate chip cookies thick and chewy. I scooped my cookies about half the size that the recipe calls for (making 2 dozen instead of 1 dozen), and they were still big and soft in the middle.

These are knock-off cookies of a famous bakery in NYC called Leavin's.

8 ounces (two sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups BREAD flour (13 1/2 oz)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 to 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped, untoasted walnuts (I skipped these.)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
   
2. Mix butter and sugars just until they come together. Don’t overbeat. Add the egg and beat just until incorporated. Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. The dough should be neither sticky nor dry.
3. Divide dough into about 12 mounds, but keep the mounds kind of raggedy. That is, don’t smash them into compact balls. Bake on ungreased insulated cookie sheet or an upside down rimmed cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350. Cool on sheet for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

This should make a dozen 4 oz. cookies or eight 6 oz. cookies.

I worried that my dough was too dry, but the cookies turned out beautifully. So don't stress if your dough seems a little dry. It barely pulled together in my kitchen aid—guess that's just the way it is! Anyway, the neighbors on both sides of us were very happy with the cookies, so I hope you are too!

Barbecue Chicken Salad

(FYI, this is more of a weeknight dinner idea than an actual recipe. Nonetheless, de-lish.)

Barbecue Chicken salad is a great way to use up all your extra veggies because pretty much anything works in it. I think I'll be experimenting for months to get just the right combination of ingredients suited to my and Ryan's taste. After making it tonight and evaluating what we needed more of, I'd say this is the perfect start for us:

• Romaine lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Grated (sharp) cheddar cheese
• A whole bunch of white corn
• A ton of red onion, sliced in rings (not pictured here)
• Grilled barbecued chicken
• BBQ sauce for dressing
• One bunch of cilantro (I think this ingredient is key—the more, the merrier!)

Then if you're feeling like it, you could throw in a few of these ingredients too:

• Black beans, to boost the fiber and protein.
  
• A red bell pepper, which I used tonight because I had one on hand. I would definitely recommend it; it lends a nice crunch.
• Broken tortilla chips, for even more crunch.
  

I know a lot of people like to dress a BBQ chicken salad with ranch, so go for it if you're a ranch fan. To cut some fat calories, we usually skip the ranch and just dress the salad with a little extra BBQ sauce.

Cupcakes

Has everyone noticed what a huge trend cupcakes are right now?

I was so excited when I was asked to bring cupcakes to a church function this week. I had a couple of weeks of advance notice, so I spent some time browsing marthastewart.com and other fancy sites for some killer cupcakes. But in the end, practicality won. A box mix and store-bought frosting. :) But with some creative toppings, I think they turned out pretty cute, don't you?


Have a great week, everyone!

Light Wheat Bread

A born-and-raised Arizona girl, I could never truly enjoy living in a cold climate; it's just not in my blood. But during our years in Utah and Indiana, the one thing that would make me sad to see winter go was the fact that I could no longer bake as an excuse to heat up the house. I mean, who doesn't love leaving the oven door open after you pull something warm and satisfying out? Clearly, baking in the summer does not have quite the same effect!

What can beat the smell of freshly baked bread? (Well okay, you could probably persuade me about pie or cookies or something, but you get the idea.)

I have an all-time favorite white bread recipe that I plan on sharing before the winter is over, but for today, it's all about the wheat flour. Since I didn't grow up eating homemade wheat bread, I'm taking it slow--hence the title, "Light Wheat Bread." I also used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour, which is deceptively white in taste and color but still has all the fiber. (Don't ask me how they do it.)


Well, without further adieu, here's the recipe:

Light Wheat Bread
From the lovely Smitten Kitchen
2 1/2 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (In my case, King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar or honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons powdered milk
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 Tablespoons shortening or unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature

1. Stir together the bread flour, wheat flour, sugar (if using), salt, powdered milk, and yeast. Add the shortening/butter, honey (if using), and water. Mix until it comes together. If some flour remains in the bottom, add a bit more water.
   
2. Knead for 10 minutes by hand or about 6 minutes by machine. Lightly oil a large bowl, toss the dough to coat, and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
3. After it has risen, remove the dough and press it into a rectangle on a floured surface. The rectangle will be about 3/4 inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 8 to 10 inches long. Working from the short side, roll up the length of the dough, pinching the crease with each roll you make. Pinch together the edges on the last roll, and place that face down in an oiled bread pan. Mist with spray oil.
   
4. Let rise for about 60 minutes (maybe even less), or until the dough crests the top of the pan.
   
5. Preheat to 350, and place bread pan on a sheet pan on the middle rack. Bake for 30 minutes; then rotate the bread 180 degrees for even baking. Bake for another 15-30 minutes. According to Smitten Kitchen, "The finished loaf should register 190 degrees F in the center, be golden brown on the top and the sides, and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom."
6. When finished baking, remove the bread from the pan and let cool on a rack for 1-2 hours...if you can wait that long!
   

The Most Important Meal of the Day

Lately, I love breakfast. I make oatmeal almost every day because it's warm and filling and full of fiber. (By the way, if you want to bump the fiber up even more, add ground flax. You barely even taste it, and it's fabulous for you.) I usually have a banana on my way to the gym, and then when I get home, I make my boys oatmeal.

We recently discovered the wonder of oatmeal topped with blueberries—Mmmm, mmm, mmm!! I'm unreasonably happy about this discovery because I always want to eat blueberries because they're packed with antioxidants, but I don't love them plain...or even in yogurt. But I do LOVE them in oatmeal, where they give that pop of flavor and sweetness that you need in oatmeal.

If I don't have blueberries on hand, I add some pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon) to the oatmeal while it cooks. The best thing about that is that it fills the kitchen up with the warm scent of cinnamon.


Once or twice a week, I switch things up by eating a fried egg and slice of whole wheat toast for breakfast. Has anyone else noticed that the egg is all the rage in nutrition lately? (I find that so interesting because it was practically the opposite a few years ago, wasn't it?) Anyway, this is another great breakfast that fills you up...an important thing for breakfast to do. :)

So let's hear it—what's your breakfast of choice??

Granola

My first attempt at homemade granola was wildly successful, thanks to a great recipe.


Click on over HERE for the recipe, from a seriously fabulous food blog called Homesick Texan. I didn't even start out looking for a granola recipe, but after reading her description of how addicting it is, I had to try it. Well, let's just say she was right—we finished our half-batch in two days. It's salty and just a little bit sweet, and it's great paired with yogurt, eaten plain, or gulped down with milk and a spoon. Plus, it's super easy to make!

Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice with Chicken or Salmon

It seems like every recipe I post is my latest fave. I guess that means I only post favorites, which isn't a bad thing, right? Well, this recipe is no exception. We owe our South Bend friends, Jeff and Larissa, for it. They invited us over one Sunday and served some fantastic grilled salmon with mango salsa and coconut rice.

After eating it, we had two options: (1) we could invite ourselves over to their house every Sunday so we could keep eating it, or (2) I could figure out how to make it. For Jeff and Larissa's sake, we decided on option 2. (Thanks, guys!)


Mango Salsa
Too simple for measurements... It's just diced mango, pineapple (I often used canned), red onion, and cilantro. Dress it with fresh lime juice and some salt and pepper.

Coconut Rice
1 cup coconut milk (you can get this in a can in the Asian food aisle)
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup long grain white rice

In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir well, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer undisturbed until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 20 to 24 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit without stirring for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Serve hot.

Chicken
When I made this yesterday I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and a touch of cayenne pepper. Then I marinated in a little canola oil, a bunch of lime juice, and some cilantro. We grilled ours, but of course you could always bake it.


This is such a versatile recipe, as it's great with either chicken or salmon. And if you slice up the chicken, you can serve the chicken in corn tortillas topped with the mango salsa. It's fresh spin on a taco, and it is definitely worth trying.

PS. The coconut rice isn't pictured here because we're currently on a little health kick, so I'm steering clear of white rice (not religiously, but generally)...But I promise it's beautiful and yummy! The coconut rice recipe I posted here is from the Food Network, which pretty much means you can count on it to be good.

California Grillin'

Can I tell you how much I love California? Having lived in Arizona, Utah, and Indiana, I can assuredly say that this is my favorite place by far. Tonight we created a celebratory meal, celebrating Ryan's emancipation from his current client. :) He's getting ready to move on to a new client, and I'm hopeful that the new one will actually let me see him now and again! But the point is, grilling in February?! It was gorgeous out!

This was my first time making hamburger patties from scratch, throwing in some Lowry's, garlic salt, salt and pepper, and chopped jalepeno and onion. We ate the burgers with grilled asparagus, grilled mushrooms, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Ah, it felt like summer.


Don't you just love that little guy peeking at us from behind the mustard bottle? I sure do. Well, happy Sunday, everyone!

Sesame Chicken

It's about time I blogged again, isn't it? Sorry about the absence. My cooking suffers during my husband's busy season...Who wants to cook for one?? Anyway, today I'm mixing it up a little with a fabulous Asian recipe, compliments of my friend and old co-worker at the BYU writing center, Courtney. (Thanks, girl—I owe you!)

I can't get enough of this recipe. The secret is so simple—combining honey and teriyaki sauce. Mmmm, mmmm, good! It's tangy and just a bit sweet, with a little heat from the red pepper flakes. The perfect combination.


1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
5 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1/2 cup green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons honey

1. Combine flour, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, black pepper, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes. Coat the chicken pieces.
   
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place chicken into skillet, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken, and set aside.
   
3. Saute onion wedges and bell pepper slices in the same skillet. Remove, and set aside.
4. Return chicken to skillet, and reduce heat to low. Mix in teriyaki marinade, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, and honey; stir until sauce thickens. Return onion and bell pepper to the skillet. Warm through, and serve.

FYI, when I'm trying to go a little healthier, I skip coating the chicken with the flour and frying it. Instead, I just saute chicken slices with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds. It's simple, but with the fabulous sauce and veggies, it is still scrumptious.

(Oh yeah, I never did buy the Chinese five-spice powder...I'm not one for buying a spice unless I have other recipes to use it in. Maybe someday I'll pick it up, for for now, it's still great without it.)

Let me know what you think if you try this one!

Cafe Rio Style Chicken and Cilantro Lime Rice

I think in the last post I promised you a few Cafe Rio style recipes, so here are two more. This version of their chicken is so easy to prepare that you'll probably laugh, but it's delicious and goes so nicely with the creamy tomatillo dressing I posted last. The cilantro lime rice makes a great base for the salad. Rather than mixing the salad up, I layer each bowl with the cilantro rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, chicken, guacamole, and the dressing...

Cafe Rio Style Chicken
1 small bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 TB chili powder
1 TB cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 lbs. chicken breast

Throw it all in the crockpot and cook on low for about 4 hours. Shred the chicken and return it to the pot to cook (with the liquid) for another hour.

I don't need to make this much chicken, so I scale mine down a little, but you get the idea. And this recipe is basically foolproof, so the cooking times aren't crucial either. There's nothing like a foolproof recipe on a busy day, right?

Cilantro Lime Rice
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cup rice
2 1/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
pepper
juice and zest of 1 large or 2 small limes
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cumin

In a skillet, melt butter with rice. Add liquid and other ingredient. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

If you have Utah roots, chances are good that you too are a Cafe Rio fan. If you've never been, it's this great Utah-based franchise that could best be compared to Baja Fresh (but way better).

Today I've got a couple of Cafe Rio-esque recipes for you. I've tried at least three versions of a tomatillo dressing like theirs, and this one, I've decided, comes the closest. It is delish! The two jalepenos give it the kick I've been looking for, but in my opinion it could still use a little more heat. Maybe next time I'll throw in some of the seeds...

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 c fat free sour cream
1 c low-fat mayonnaise
1/3 c skim milk
1/2 small avocado
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
2 large jalapeños (seeds removed)
1/2 sweet onion
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 Ranch Dips powder mix packet
1 tomatillo

Blend all ingredients together in blender.

Chimichangas!

During the holidays, my sisters, cousins, mom, aunt, and grandma gather to cook one of our favorite holiday meals—chimichangas. I love these things! Of course, you wouldn't want to eat these all year long, but once or twice a year never hurt anyone, and it's so worth it! Plus, I think you'll be surprised at how simple they are to make.


3-pound roast
3 onions, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
3 cans diced green chiles
A whole bunch of tortillas
Canola oil

Salt and pepper the roast and place in crock pot. Add water to reach about a third of the way up the roast. Add diced onions and green chiles. Cook on low all day, about 8 hours. When 1 hour is remaining, add the diced tomatoes.

After about 8 hours, shred the roast. Salt and pepper the shredded meat, and stir in some of the onions/chiles/tomatoes from the crock pot. Warm the tortillas, fill with meat mixture, and roll. Keep the tortilla together with toothpicks, and remove toothpicks after frying.

Heat canola oil in pot on stove. (Oil will be 2-3 inches deep.) Leave on medium high until you can toss in a piece of tortilla and watch it turn golden. Fry chimis two at a time and drain on a wire rack (or paper towels). Every couple of rounds you will want to wait a couple of minutes while the oil returns to its original temperature.

To keep warm, place on a cookie sheet in a preheated 200 degree oven.

Pour everything that is left in the crock pot into a large saute pan. Bring to a boil, and add a slurry of 1 part water/1 part flour. Stir constantly with a whisk until slurry is well incorporated and gravy looks yummy! Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chimichangas with gravy, guacamole, cilantro, onion, sour cream, etc. Voila!



If you have any questions, ask me in the comments. Happy cooking!

Bell Pepper Salad

Today I've got a simple side salad for you to try. I saw it on the Food Network, and since my husband and I had recently bought a TON of fresh produce that I needed to use up (see photo below), I decided to give it a try. It has a great fresh taste, thanks to the lime juice, and I love anything with banana peppers in it. I'd say the best thing about this dish is that it's new. So if you're tired of the same old sides and salads, this will liven up some of your standby meals.


1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (had red & green on hand, so I used half of each)
Hot banana pepper rings, drained and chopped plus 2 tablespoons juice
A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lime, juiced
A light drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Throw it all together, and enjoy! Garnish with lime slices if you'd like.

Now, on another note, if you live in the Bay area, be sure to get over to the Milk Pail sometime! It's a European-style produce market in Palo Alto, on San Antonio. And it's CHEAP! Can you believe that? We bought all of this produce (and more, actually) for 29 bucks, which (obviously) would be impossible at Safeway.