So there’s several schools of thought on banana bread. Some people like it really dense…some people like it with chocolate chips…
Me? Well, I am nut-loaded banana bread person. I like the amount of bananas to be equal to the amount of nuts. I am a nut. Can’t get enough.
But this recipe doesn’t have nuts! It has a buttery cinnamon topping, which totally intrigued me.
Could I eat a banana bread that didn’t have nuts and enjoy it?!?
This morning, Cooper and I shared some lovely Zucchini Bread. The recipe came from Jen Altman!! Her pictures make me daydream and I get especially excited when I see a food recipe! There’s something so Alice-In-Wonderland about her food photos. I imagine eating a slice at a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party 
Will it make me big? Will it make me small?
Anyways- It’s a perfect way to get a dose of vegetables in a child. And he didn’t know the difference. It was especially nice after I BATTLED last night feeding him veggies. Apparently Cooper thinks he’s on a carbs-only diet…..
It’s also a great way to fuel a sleepy adult in the morning…or a pick-me-up afternoon treat.
Thanks Jen! We enjoyed it so!
While cleaning up a corner of my craft room the other night, I found a lil recipe snippet from Sunset magazine for a very nice tuna salad. This salad is what started my lil love affair with tuna & white beans. You can see how I adapted it here.
Just looking at the picture in the magazine of the crisp, brilliant bright green celery slices made me WANT that soo bad for lunch today. So I did it. And here it is. It’s really easy and what you see below is “my” version of their recipe.
(adapted from Sunset Magazine)
-1 can tuna in olive oil
-2 ribs celery sliced thinly
-1 can white cannellini beans (drained)
-1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley chopped
-1 big glug olive oil
-1/4 red onion chopped
-a splash of red wine vinegar
-juice from half a lemon
-salt & pepper to taste
Drain the tuna- put in bowl with all the rest of the ingredients. MIX MIX MIX. Add on top of grilled bread and you have yourself a nice lil bruschetta!
Sometimes I add a little bit of toasted walnuts for extra crunch. I have also been know to just eat it directly from the bowl…..
The internet has been chalk full of provocative pictures of Irish Soda bread lately…and boy have I been seduced. Is this the only time of year people make it? I saw Martha make some on her show last week and decided that I would put that recipe in my food queue. You should see how much head space is taken up in my noggin for food…it’s ridiculous.
I found a recipe in Martha’s Baking book and decided on a whim last night to make some. After Cooper when down for the night, I was hit by the most wonderful smell in my kitchen. What a glorious thing…to have fresh baked bread on your counter. That scent is intoxicating.
I’ve never really tasted traditional Irish soda bread, so I am not sure how this one fairs in comparison. The raisins were juicy and extremely plump & moist. We smothered a piece in butter and topped it with honey the second it came out of the oven. It tasted like a crispy scone.
Such good crunch…the next day I didn’t even have to reheat it because it was still soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Casey said he normally doesn’t like Irish Soda bread, but I think the addition of sugar in the dough probably convinced him otherwise.
I decided against using caraway seeds in this loaf as it called for them in the recipe. I couldn’t find any at the store 
But maybe next time I’ll try to make it with them.
(recipe Martha Stewart Baking Book)
-4 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-2 tablespoons caraway seeds
-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
-2 cups golden or dark raisins
-1 1/2 scant cups buttermilk
-1 large egg
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 large egg yolk
-1 tablespoon heavy cream
1. Heat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds until well combined.
2. Using a pastry cutter or two knives in scissor fashion, cut in butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. Stir in raisins until evenly distributed.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. It should resemble a rough biscuit dough. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Lift the loaf from the bowl, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
4. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. With a sharp knife or razor, incise a cross, about 1/2 inch deep, into the top of the loaf. Transfer to the oven. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer bread from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.
with a bread like this…it’s a shame people only make it on St. Patrick’s Day.
Let me tell you that the Sausage Chard stuffing recipe in last month’s issue of Sunset Magazine made me SALIVATE hardcore. Oh yeah baby…look at the picture (if you have the issue) and you’ll see what I mean. I ripped it out immediately…and slept with it under my pillow so I could continuing dreaming of it late into the night.
I wanted something hearty for our Sunday late afternoon lunch (I didn’t make a special breakfast this past week because we stayed in bed as LONG as we possibly could). I didn’t have a turkey or a chicken to accompany this recipe, but I figured what the hell- It has meat, veggies & carbs. How can a girl go wrong?
And let me tell you…it was SCRUMPTIOUS! If only they could make a candle that smelled like that yummy stuffing- I would light it all day long…..
Anyways- here’s the recipe!
serves 6
(adapted from a Sunset Magazine recipe)
-1 1lb. Italian Sausage (remove from casings)
-1 large bunch Swiss Chard (chopped, stems removed)
-1 clove garlic minced
-1 heaping tablespoon olive oil
-1 medium onion chopped
-3 stalks of celery finely chopped
-1 1/2 cup nonfat milk
-3/4 loaf of french bread
-1 cup chopped parsley
-3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-1 teaspoon dried rosemary
-dash of red pepper
-salt & pepper to taste
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
1. Cut pieces of bread into 1 inch slices. Put slices in a large bowl and pour the milk all over it. Let sit in bowl for 30 minutes; stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, place a 6-8 quart pot over high heat. Add sausage (without the casings) stirring often to crumble. Cook until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes; discard fat. Add parsley, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and celery. Cook, stirring often, until veggies are lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chard and 1/2 cup of water and cook, stirring often until wilted, about 5 minutes.
3. With your hands, squeeze bread slices to break them into tiny pieces. Add cooked meat mixture, Parmesan, basil & rosemary. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
4. Spoon stuffing into a shallow 3 quart casserole dish. For moist stuff, cover with foil. For crusty stuffing, do not cover. Bake until hot or lightly brown (at least 30 minutes).
I got a request from Casey last night to make it again. He was reading my mind!
Who needs Thanksgiving as an excuse to make stuffing. Just do it!
________________________________________________________________________________
I bought some cranberries at Trader Joe’s yesterday.
I washed them:
Made a cranberry bread recipe with them:
So look what popped outta the oven!
The huge piece I cut distracted me from photographing…
so this is all I have to show you at this moment!
(adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)
-4 tablespoons melted butter
-1 12oz. bag fresh cranberries
-2 cups flour, spoon & leveled
-3/4 cup buttermilk
-1 large egg beaten
-1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for the top
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×5 inch capacity loaf pan. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar & other dry ingredients together. Whisk mixture and set aside. In a small bowl, beat egg; then add buttermilk and melted butter. Stir to combine. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and whisk well to combine. Fold in cranberries.
2. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle top with the turbinado sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This should take 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Invert loaf onto a rack. Turn right side up and let cool completely. (I kinda cheated cuz I was too anxious to try it…shhh)
**************************************************************************************
Many people have asked me how I am able to do so much in the kitchen while being a new mom. Well to answer you’re question- I have a little help! When Casey isn’t around to hold/cuddle the bebe, I use the detachable seat for Cooper’s swing and take it wherever I’m working. I put him on the kitchen table and he watches his momma run around the kitchen making a mess.
He will always get first dibs on licking the beaters when he’s old enough to!
Oh… and while I’m on the topic of Cooper, I thought I’d let you know that he started smiling on Tuesday 11.11.08
And I’ve been smitten ever since!
today is the first morning this week that I didn’t have a slice of zucchini bread. I would do anything for a slice today. I gave a whole loaf to my neighbors and I’m contemplating knocking on their door to ask for a piece! I doubt they have any left though….
You should try the recipe by Deb over at Smitten Kitchen. It’s totally crushworthy. I added walnuts & raisins to my batch
Thanks Deb! You made this week so much better 
Favorite Trader Joe’s Item #8: Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix
So Tuesday night I was trying to figure out what a Trader Joe’s product was called, and I ended up finding this website thru Google: www.traderjoesfan.com
After spending a short amount of time searching through the recipes, I found this one for Chewy Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread. I read the recipe and got excited because I had all the exact ingredients in my pantry. Don’t you just love when that happens? It’s like the stars aligned just for me. And I thanked those stars by whipping out something delicious from my oven.
Two of the main ingredients needed from Trader Joe’s are:
A box of Pumpkin Spiced Bread & Muffin Mix:
A can of pumpkin puree (only 1 cup is needed though):
Here’s the work in progress:
I immediately whipped it out and tada!! The only part that takes awhile is the baking time. I guarantee that it will make your house smell like Thanksgiving!
I’ve had it for breakfast the past two mornings. The oatmeal makes it a very hearty bread with a nice crunchy/chewy crust. I think tomorrow I might toast a slice, put some cream cheese on top and then a dollop of my Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter. Wait- maybe I’ll do that tonight?
Here’s their recipe in case you don’t feel like moving
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, oil, eggs & pumpkin puree. Stir in the Pumpkin Bread mix. Add the oats & raisins. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour & 15 minutes. You might want to cover the top with foil (I did this when there was 30 minutes left) to prevent the top from burning.
2007 - 2012 shutterbean, All Rights Reserved.