Chunky Banana Muffins

I've made many different banana bread recipes through the years, and we've all decided this one is our favorite. I think that is pretty awesome considering I've replaced 1/2 the flour with wheat flour and reduced the sugar. Not only are these yummy, but they also much healthier than most muffins.

I use two types of bananas in my muffins: ripe and overripened. I like to whip in the overripened bananas for a uniform banana flavor, and then break pieces of ripe banana into the batter right before baking so that you get banana pieces in your baked muffins.

Yield : 18 muffins

1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C. oil
2 overripened bananas, peeled
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 C. wheat flour
1 C. a.p. flour
1 t. baking soda
2 ripe bananas, peeled
1/2 C. pecans

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with lightly greased paper liners. Sit aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer , combine sugar and eggs. Beat on medium speed until thick ribbons form - about 6 minutes.

 

 

Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the oil. When oil is incorporated, add the overripened bananas and turn the mixer speed up to medium. Whip until the bananas are incorporated. Turn off your mixer and add in vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flours, and baking soda. Mix on low just until combined. 

Remove the mixer bowl from the stand mixer. Break ripe bananas into chunks (about 5 per banana) and add them to the bowl. Gently fold banana pieces and pecans into the batter with a spatula.

Spoon into prepared muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins are a light golden brown and the centers of the muffins bounce back when pressed lightly. 

Remove the muffins from the tin and cool completely on a cooling rack. Add 6 paper liners to the muffin tin and grease them lightly. Fill with remaining batter and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, just like above.

Blueberry Yogurt Cups

My family loves yogurt for breakfast and snacks. They could probably easily go through 18-20 of the little store-bought yogurt cups in just one week. Not only is that expensive, but the flavorings and fruit sauce are a little suspect. Making your own allows you to control exactly what goes in it and they are much cheaper ounce-for-ounce than store-bought.

I like to make 4 oz. servings for snacks and 8 oz. servings for a more substantial breakfast. The 4 oz. wide-mouth jelly jars are perfect snack-size storage containers and I like 8 oz. jelly jars for the breakfast-sized portions. You don't want to top the yogurt with granola until right before serving. I keep a container full of granola on the counter for sprinkling on the yogurt right before eating.

Yields: 4 (8 oz. ) servings,  or 8 (4 oz.) servings

1/2 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 Tbsp. honey
Pinch cinnamon
1 Tbsp. water

3 1/2 C. vanilla yogurt
1/2 C. Honeyed Granola , optional

In a saucepan, combine blueberries, honey, cinnamon, and water. Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Cook , stirring occasionally, until the berries burst. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

When berries have cooled, divide among the jars. Top each with yogurt, cover , and refrigerate until ready to eat. Sprinkle with granola and enjoy.
Note: For 8 oz. servings, I like to layer the yogurt and fruit by placing a spoonful of berries in the bottom of the jar and then filling the jar 1/2 way with yogurt. Repeat with the remaining fruit and yogurt. Refrigerate until ready to eat, top with granola, and enjoy.

Honeyed Granola

Homemade granola is ridiculously easy to make. This recipe produces granola clusters which make a great snack or can be sprinkled on top of yogurt for a healthy breakfast.

Yields: about  2 C. granola

2 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Pinch salt

1 C. oats
2/3 C. almonds or pecans



Preheat oven to 300. Line a half sheet pan ( cookie sheet) with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl, toss together oats and nuts. Set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt together butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt. Pour over oat mixture and toss to combine.

Transfer granola to the lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, stirring once. You are looking for your granola to be lightly browned and toasted. It will have a very fragrant, yummy smell and will still look sticky (it won't become crunchy until it cools).  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before transferring to a storage container.

Tamales

This recipe yields a ton of tamales, but in my mind, that's a good thing. I make some with shredded, seasoned pork or chicken and some with pineapple for dessert. This is a big enough batch to feed a family of 4, with some leftover for lunch the next day. How many you make exactly will depend on how big your tamales are.

My family goes crazy for these. They are a little labor intensive, but not at all difficult, and BONUS - they are a very economical (read cheap) meal.


Pork Filling:

2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
Pinch cayenne, optional
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. salsa
1 1/2 C. cooked, shredded pork (substitute chicken, if desired)

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in spices and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute to develop their flavors. Add in salsa and pork, stir to combine, and remove pan from the heat.

Masa (the dough):

4 C. masa para tamales
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/3 C. shortening
4 C. water

Stir together the masa, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the shortening  (just like you would when making biscuits). When the shortening is mixed in and roughly pea-sized, stir in the water. At first, it will look like way too much water, but just keep stirring and the masa will soak it all up. Set aside. 

Note: Masa para tamales can be found in your regular grocery store in the Mexican food section.


Pineapple Filling:

1 can crushed pineapple, thoroughly drained
2 Tbsp. honey, plus more for serving
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all in a small bowl and set aside.


Corn Husks :

About 40 corn husks

Place corn husks in a large bowl and cover completely with hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes, removing them as you use them.

Note: Corn husks can be found in your regular grocery store either in the produce section or in the Mexican foods section.


Assembly:

I won't lie, tamales are a little fussy. This is not a chop & drop kind of meal, but the results are so worth it!

First, figure out your steamer. My veggie steamer isn't big enough for tamales, so I improvise. I take a roasting pan and fill it with a couple of inches of water (2-3). Then, I place a wire cooling rack over the top of the pan, stack the tamales on the rack, and then wrap it up in aluminum foil to keep the steam in. You could also place a smaller baking dish filled with tamales inside a larger pan filled with 1 - 2 inches of water and then cover it with foil. Just make sure not to get water on the tamales - we just want the steam, not the water.

Once you figure out the steamer, you can assemble the tamales. Remove a corn husk from the water and shake the excess water off.  Take a large spoonful of masa smear it in the center of the corn husk. You want an indentation in the center of the masa, with the most masa on the left and right edges.

Fill the indentation with about 2 Tbsp. of filling, a little more for bigger tamales. Fold the corn husk over so that the left side of the masa joins with the right side with the filling enclosed in the middle and then roll over to enclose the tamale in the husk. Fold the ends under the tamale and place it on your steamer. Repeat with remaining masa and pack folded tamales closely together on the steamer.

 

 

 

When you have finished making the tamales, cover your pan with foil so that no steam escapes in the oven. Bake at 375 for about 1 hour, or until the dough has steamed through. A finished tamale, when unwrapped, will look dry and fluffy.

Serve meat tamales with sour cream or salsa. Serve pineapple tamales drizzled with warm honey.

Wheat Buns

These buns are so hearty and delicious. They are perfect for burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. It takes a little more time and planning to make your own buns, but the result is so worth it! Your house will smell amazing and these are without a doubt healthier than most store-bought buns.  Homemade buns really elevate your basic burger or hot dog into something much more special.


Yield: 12 large buns

1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
2 1/2 C. warm water
2 Tbsp. oil
2 C. wheat flour
4 C. all purpose flour, more for kneading
1 tsp. salt


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine yeast, honey, and warm water. Let stand for five minutes. Mix in oil and then wheat flour. When combined, add in remaining flour and salt and then mix to incorporate. Turn the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough for about 5 minutes.  This dough will be soft, but if it is really sticky, you can add up to 1 C. more flour. Your dough is finished kneading when it is balled up on the dough hook. You should have some dough sticking to the bottom of the bowl.

When dough has finished kneading, lightly oil your hands and remove the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to let double. This will  take 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When dough has doubled, sprinkle flour over the surface of the dough and punch down the dough using your fist. Knead the dough a few times and let rest for 5 minutes.

Line a sheet pan (cookie sheet) with parchment paper. Roll dough into 12 balls with well floured hands. Place them on the sheet pan and press down to flatten. If making hot dog buns instead, form dough into long, skinny logs. Flatten them as you would the burger buns. Place buns about 1 inch apart so that they will rise together. When you have all the formed buns on the pan, cover the pan with parchment or wax paper (plastic wrap will stick to the buns) and let rise in a warm spot until doubled. This will take about another hour.

While buns are rising, preheat the oven to 375. Remove the parchment or wax paper from the top of the buns and bake for about 20 minutes, or until light golden in color with golden brown bottoms. Remove baked buns to a cooling rack.

 

 

 

These buns are delicious when freshly baked, but are just as delicious 3 days after baking, which makes leftovers perfect for sandwich buns.

Overnight Chicken Stock

I've already provided a recipe for chicken stock , but this recipe is even easier because you can make it in your sleep (really!) The idea is the same as the stovetop version, you just need leftovers from a whole chicken - the bones and skin, seasonings - herbs, vegetables, whatever you have on hand, and

water. Stick it all in your crockpot, cover it with cold water, and let it cook on low overnight.

In the morning, turn off the heat and allow your stock to cool. Remove the large pieces of bones and vegetables with a slotted spoon. Strain the stock through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Ladle into containers for storage. Freezer-safe pint and quart jars make great containers for your stock. Whatever you will use for the week can go in the fridge, just stick the rest in the freezer and then put it into the fridge to thaw one or two nights before you need it.

Ground Beef

This is more of a technique than a recipe. I used 1/2 of a chuck roast, because it's what I had on hand. Chuck roasts are kind of pricey, so feel free to use a different cut. You can make as much ground beef, or as little as you need.


Get out your food processor and make sure it's fitted with the steel blade attachment. Trim your meat of excess fat. Cut it into 3" by 3" chunks. You only want to process one chunk of beef at a time to ensure it's processed uniformly and you don't end up with overly ground beef with big pieces that aren't ground up at all. Process each piece on high for 20 - 30 seconds. Remove ground beef to a large bowl and then process your next piece. Continue until you have ground up the desired amount.

My Family's Favorite Chili

My chili recipe uses dry beans, which need to soak overnight. I try to avoid store-bought canned products, but feel free to substitute canned beans if you like. Just be sure to drain and rinse them before adding them to the chili and only add them about 30 minutes before serving so they don't get mushy.

Yields - 6 - 8 servings

1/3 lb. dry pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 Tbsp. oil
2 onions, diced
1 bottle lager beer ( I use Sam Adams) + 1 C. water, or 1 C. cola + 1 1/2 C. water
2 lbs. ground beef
64 oz.  (or 2 qts.) tomato juice
32 oz. (or 1 qt.) tomato sauce
1 C. your favorite salsa, or 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
4 dried chiles
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. chipotle chile powder
1 tsp. brown sugar (omit if using cola)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
Salt, to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in the biggest pot you have. Add onions and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add in ground beef, beer, and water and stir to break up the ground beef.**  Cook beef mixture, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, or until the beef has turned brown. Add in beans and all remaining ingredients, except for the salt.

Simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste and serve.

**Note - I prefer cooking the beef in the beer, or cola, to give the chili a better texture. If your ground beef is very fatty, you may need to skim the fat off the surface of the chili before serving (the fat will look orange). If you prefer, you can cook the ground beef in a seperate pan and then drain it and add it to the chili, but your meat will be chunkier and not have the same texture. Cooking the meat in the liquid produces a smoother chili with the meat distributed throughout, similar in texture to a really great hot dog chili sauce.

BLT Salad with Egg and Avocado

If you like your eggs over-easy or fried, then you will love this salad. The idea is to break the yolk and have that be the dressing for the salad. For a main course salad, double up on the eggs and bacon for a more hearty meal.

Yields: 4 side salad servings

6 C. lettuce - sturdy lettuces like spinach or romain work best
4 tomatoes, quartered
2 avocados, pitted with the flesh removed and sliced
4 slices thick cut bacon
4 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste


Divide the lettuce evenly among 4 bowls. Top with tomatoes and avocado and sit aside.

Fry bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. In the same skillet that the bacon was in, fry the eggs in the bacon drippings. You want them cooked no more than medium so that you can break the yolk over the salad.

Remove cooked eggs and set atop the salads. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, salt, and pepper and serve.

Smashed Cauliflower with Horseradish

This is such a simple recipe that only requires two ingredients: cauliflower and cream-style horseradish. You can make this side dish as mild or as hot as you choose and you can easily double, or triple this recipe. I think it's really a nice change from plain ol' mashed potatoes.

Yield: 2 servings

1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
1 tsp. cream-style horseradish (located in the condiment aisle), plus more to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place cauliflower in a large pot and cover completely with cold water. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and cook until fall-apart tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain cauliflower and return to the pot. Smash with a the back of a wooden spoon , or potato masher,  until it's the consistency of slightly chunky mashed potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and horseradish.

Simple Marinara

Marinara is one of the easiest and most versatile sauces you can make. This can be used as a sauce for pasta or pizza. You can use it as a dip for your favorite bread or just eat it right out of the pot (it's just that good!) 





1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes in puree, undrained
Pinch of salt, to taste


In a large pot over medium heat, add onions and olive oil. Saute until onions begin to soften and turn opaque, about 6 minutes, stirring often. When onions are softened, add in garlic. Stir constantly so the garlic does not burn (it will if you stop stirring!) When the garlic starts to brown lightly, about 1 minute, pour in the crushed tomatoes.

Lower heat to medium low. Stirring frequently, simmer marinara for 20 minutes. You are looking for most of the liquid to cook out of the sauce so that it is thick. The sauce should be reduced by about half . Season marinara to taste with a pinch of salt and serve.

Note: This recipe makes a chunky sauce. For a smoother sauce, you can run it through the blender or food processor after it cools and reheat before serving.

Chicken Stock

You could buy chicken broth or stock from a can or carton, but it's expensive! If you are using quite a bit for a recipe, it can really add up in cost. So, why not make your own and be able to control exactly what goes into it? Some of the best stocks are made with nothing but water and things that would normally be thrown away. So, why pay so much for it? Make a big batch and freeze it for whenever you need some for a recipe.

Chicken stock really is more of a method than a recipe. There are 1001 different ingredients that could go into your stock, but the method stays the same. You just need, chicken bones, water, and seasonings (and of course a little know-how).

Today, I'm making stock that uses leftovers from a whole chicken that I previously roasted. I didn't have time to make stock the day we ate the chicken, so I popped the bones, skin, and the little bit of chicken that was left after dinner into a large freezer bag and stuck it in the freezer. Just add water and seasonings, simmer on the stove, & Voila! Homemade chicken stock!

When I say seasonings, I mean anything that can be used to add flavor to your stock. In this case, we are using herbs and vegetables as seasonings. What you use is really up to you. I tend to use whatever I have on hand. I save the tops of celery, leeks, and fennel (things that would normally get thrown away) for stocks. I also save things in the freezer that I don't really have a use for and pull those out to make stocks (i.e. if I buy fresh herbs and don't use them all, the root part of green onions, etc.)

I don't usually add salt because there's really no need for it. Because I'm reserving the stock for use in recipes, I just salt whatever I am making. If you want to add salt, add a little at the end. If you add too much, it will potentially make your recipes too salty.


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The stock I made today contained 2 leftover , roasted whole chickens with the majority of the meat removed (you only really need bones, anything extra is just added flavor) . I also added a handful of baby carrots, 5 cloves garlic - smashed with the skins removed, and 5 stalks of celery , a handful of leftover celery tops, 1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns, 4 bay leaves, and 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary. I covered all of that with COLD water by about 1 inch. I brought it to a low boil and then reduced to a simmer and let it go on the stove for a few hours, checking on it occasionally.

Skim off any impurities or fat with a slotted spoon. Then, strain through a fine mesh sieve (it is easier to remove the chicken bones and most of the veggies with a slotted spoon first). Allow to cool completely before storing.


* A great tip is to freeze some of your stock in ice cube trays or pint canning jars so that you can use it in recipes that only require a little bit of stock. Then, save some in quart canning jars or large freezer safe containers that can be used for soups, or anything that requires a large amount of chicken stock.

Honey-Balsamic Sauce (Soy Free)

This sauce is so much yummier than anything you'll find in the condiment aisle of the supermarket. Unlike most bottled steak sauces or BBQ sauce, there is no soy in this sauce. We love this sauce so much, we put it on everything from steaks to ribs to chicken wings.


Don't be afraid of the anchovy paste in this recipe. Anchovy paste is in everything from Worchestershire sauce to salad dressings. I used the anchovy paste in order to replace the Worchestershire sauce, which contains soy, but to keep that salty umami flavor that the Worchestershire sauce imparts. You can leave out the anchovy paste if you like, but I prefer the flavor of the sauce with the anchovy paste.

3/4 C. balsamic vinegar
1/2 C. ketchup
1/3 C. honey
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 scant tsp. anchovy paste**
1/4 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste


Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a low boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer sauce for about 20 minutes, or until sauce has reduced by almost half. Serve with your choice of meat.


**Anchovy paste can be found in most large supermarkets in the Italian foods section or online. I always keep some on hand for sauces and dressings.

Note - Take caution when simmering the sauce. Balsamic vinegar produces a strong vapor that will burn your eyes if you get your face too close to the simmering pan.

    

Blind Baking Pie Crusts - Step by Step

Blind baking is the method used when baking a pie crust without a filling. You would use this method for cream pies and unbaked fillings as well as when you want to prebake a one crust pie before filling it.

Step by step, here's how to blind bake your pie crusts:


1. Preheat your oven to 350. Place your pie crust in a pie plate and crimp the edges.

2. Place aluminum foil over your crust and then fill with dried beans or peas.

3. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. You will have to peel back the foil to check on doneness.


4. Remove crust to a cooling rack. Carefully peel back the foil and lift it (and the beans or peas) out of the crust. If your crust is not as brown as you'd like, you can return it to the oven for a few more minutes without the foil and dried beans. Cool crust completely on a wire rack before filling.

Curried Squash and Apple Soup

This soup is slightly sweet from the apple with a nice warmth from the curry. I just love it and I know you will too!


2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. curry powder
2 butternut squash, peeled and diced with the seeds removed
2 carrots, peeled and cubed, or 1 C. baby carrots
3 red apples, peeled , quartered , and cored
1/2 C. chicken stock
1 C. good quality apple juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, add onions, olive oil, and curry powder. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add in butternut squash , carrots, and apples and cover completely with water. Bring to a low boil and cook for 45 minutes, or until squash and carrots are fall-apart tender.


Turn off the burner and transfer soup to a food mill*. Once all your soup has been run through the food mill, return it to the pot and bring to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add chicken stock, apple juice, salt and pepper and simmer for an additional 20 minutes, or until your soup reaches the desired consistency.


 
* Food mills, like the one pictured above, can be found in most hardware stores and kitchen supply stores or online. If you don't have one, you can process your soup in the food processor or blender. NEVER process hot soup in either the blender or food processor. You will need to wait for it to cool down first. Aside from not having to wait for the soup to cool, the food mill gives the soup a much nicer  texture than a food processor in that it still has some body. If using a blender or food processor, don't overly puree it.