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Banana Pancakes

March 31, 2013 in Breakfast, Jessica, kid friendly

I woke up this morning with Jack Johnson singing in my head, and I knew then and there that it was a banana pancake morning. I scoured the internet for the best recipe, and landed on one that needed a little improvement – so I improved!

Note: When you do pancakes, make sure to turn your griddle/stove on early so it’s nice and hot when you pour those cakes. Otherwise, they take a long time to cook and don’t come out the right consistency (not that I’d know from doing that or anything).

My daughter enjoyed these with maple syrup, while my husband and I thought they were great plain.

Anyhow, here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 & 1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
2 tbsp cinnamon applesauce
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Directions:
1. Combine all dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl – egg, milk, applesauce, vanilla and bananas.
3. Slowly mix wet ingredients in with dry until evenly mixed.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of the mixture on the griddle/pan and flip when ready!

 

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Mardi Gras King Cake

February 12, 2013 in Guest Post, Jessica, kid friendly, Southern Cuisine, Sweets

Tomorrow’s Fat Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras. And in Louisiana that means our month long glutton fest of eating king cake is coming to an end and moving out of the way for Lent. But, we have one more day to do it up big!

I asked my friend Kim to guest post and share her favorite king cake recipe. And here it is. I hope you get a chance to bake one and enjoy this great Louisiana tradition wherever you live.

After January 5, the Christmas decorations are safely put away and we have morphed into the “unofficial” season of Carnival, which begins on Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, and continues until midnight on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and our departure to the desert. Though not on the “official” liturgical calendar, it is a season many of us in Louisiana keep.

One year some friends and I enjoyed the Christmas season so much we were loathe to end our celebration. We were all living away from our hometowns and extended families, so we filled that role for one another. We decided to keep the Carnival season as a sure way to enter the desert of Lent in a proper frame of mind: a real sense of “farewell to the flesh.” We ate together every Sunday between Mardi Gras parades. It was a whirlwind as we cooked, laughed, traveled between houses and attended parades, grabbing beads and laughing. It was during this fun time that I first tried my hand at making a King Cake. As with lots of things we do that are successful, it has become a tradition everyone looks forward to.

If you have never thought much about Carnival as a season, I hope you will do a bit of research and consider celebrating this last hurrah, this farewell to the flesh before our Lenten journey begins. It is almost like a gastronomic retreat immediately followed by fasting and a bit of deprivation, making a marked departure from all the celebrating, feasting and revelry. Afterwards, Lent is a welcome respite.

 

The Best King Cake

Cake:
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon butter
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 envelopes active dry yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 4 eggs
• 6 cups all purpose flour

Filling:
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Decoration:
• ½ cup butter, melted and divided
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup each yellow, purple & green
colored sugar
•  2 Plastic babies or 2 beans

Directions
In a small saucepan melt ½ cup butter with the milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt over low heat, stirring occasionally. Allow mixture to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl combine 2 tablespoons sugar, the yeast and the warm water. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until foaming. Beat the eggs into the foaming yeast, add milk mixture. Stir in the flour, ½ cup at a time reserving 1 cup of flour for the kneading surface. Turn dough onto floured board and knead 5 to 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a large mixing bowl with 1 tbsp of butter. Place dough in bowl and turn once to coat, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours (or until doubled in size). While dough is rising, mix the filling.

In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon, set aside. When dough is doubled, punch down, divide in half. On a floured surface roll one of the halves into a rectangle about 15 x 30 inches. Brush with half the melted butter and spread the brown sugar mixture over the dough. Cut into 3 lengthwise strips. Fold each strip lengthwise toward the center to make a roll, sealing the seam. Braid the rolls together and make a circle by joining the ends. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Place each cake on a baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth and let rise again for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Brush each cake with beaten egg and sprinkle the top with colored sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove cakes and insert the babies or beans from underneath the cakes.

You can add any frosting to the top of the cake and sprinkle with colored sugar. The author usually makes a simple glaze of powdered sugar, milk and almond extract.

* Recipe originally from Bless This Food by Julia M. Pitkin, Karen B. Grant and George Grant; Published by Cumberland House Publishing Nashville, TN

 

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Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

January 5, 2013 in Dinner, Jessica, kid friendly, LIghter Side, Main Dishes, Slow Cooker, Soup, Winter Eats

Believe it or not, it’s been a bit chilly in the South lately, and what with the three members of our family rotating through some evil upper respiratory virus, I’ve been looking for easy, healthy, hearty meals. Out comes the slow cooker.

This recipe for turkey chili is a combination of several I’ve found, with a few of my own additions based on what was available in the pantry (you know how that goes). The combination turned out to be a winning success.

This recipe is a bit on the spicy side, though to my great surprise, my almost two-year-old didn’t seem bothered at all by it. It you want it not quite so spicy, reduce the amount of red pepper you add to mix.

Here’s how you do it:

 

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey meat
1/2 white onion
1 can of fiesta corn, drained
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of kidney beans, drained
1 can of stewed, chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp of chili powder
1/2 to 1 tsp of red pepper
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
Dash of black pepper
Dash of allspice
Salt to taste (we used about 1 tsp)
Shredded cheese and Fritos for garnish

Directions:
1. Brown the turkey meat and drain.
2. Coat the slow cooker in non-stick spray.
3. Add and mix all ingredients.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours.
5. Serve with shredded cheese and Fritos!

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Sour Cream Baked Chicken

December 28, 2012 in Dinner, Jessica, Main Dishes

As the pay period starts to wind down, I often find myself making the things we have at home stretch until pay day. With Christmas, this was especially true. So I got to playing around on Pinterest, looking for easy chicken recipes. I found a Parmesan chicken recipe that looked promising, but it suggested using a cup of mayo, and mayo kind of grosses me out. It also said I could substitute a cup of Greek yogurt, which is all fine and dandy, but the only Greek yogurt we currently have has blueberries mixed in it (and if you’re brave enough to bake that on your chicken, I’d love to hear about it!) So, I thought, the other substitute for Greek yogurt is sour cream – which we happened to have in stock!

So I mixed this easy, yummy recipe up and it was quite the success! Here’s how you do it:

 

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (plus 1/4 cup more to put on the top)
1/2 tsp of seasoning salt (all I had was seasoning salt for broiled steaks, but it worked just fine).
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Put chicken in a casserole dish.
3. Mix other ingredients together, saving 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
4. Cover chicken with mixture, then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
5. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

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Chocolate (Bourbon) Pecan Pie Brownies

December 23, 2012 in Fall Food, Jessica, Sweets

Wow that’s a lot of great adjectives for a food item, and positively Southern at that!

During Christmas I like to try out recipes I’ve dog eared or stowed away, so I can share them with everyone (as opposed to eating them all myself!) This year, Mark saw one of my recipes I left sitting out and insisted I make it. Being the good chef that I am, I made it two ways: with the bourbon and without the bourbon. Surprisingly, we determined that we liked the version without the bourbon better, but I think that’s only because we put too much in the alcohol-filled batch (I didn’t think that was possible either). The chocolate taste is much stronger without the alcohol. We also discovered we liked the milk chocolate chips instead of the semi-sweet, but the choice is yours.

Another forewarning about this one: You can’t serve it right away, there are several “resting periods” but they are well worth it!

This original recipe for this chocolate pecan pie brownies came from Southern Living, so you know you’re in for a treat.

Here’s how you do it:

lightly modified from Southern Living Magazine

Ingredients:
3 cups pecan pieces
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cups of cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup Karo syrup
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup of coconut flakes
2 tbsp – 1/4 cup of bourbon to taste (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Place pecans on baking sheet and let cook 10 minutes.
2. Cover 9×13 dish with aluminum foil and grease (we sprayed with canola oil).
3. Pules flour, powdered sugar, 3/4 cup cold butter and the cocoa in a food processor until crumbly.
4. Cover the bottom and sides of the dish by pressing the mixture into it.
5. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
6. Once crust is done, immediately poor chocolate chips into crust and spread evenly. They get nice and melty.
7. Let the crust sit for about 30 minutes.
8. Whisk brown sugar, Karo syrup, 1/4 cup melted butter and eggs until smooth. (This is where you add the bourbon if you want to).
9. Add pecans and coconut flakes and mix.
10. Put mixture in crust.
11. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
12. Once done, let cool for an hour, then stick it in the fridge for another 1-2 hours.
Note: We discovered the longer these sit in the fridge, the better they are!

 

 

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Mom’s Pecan Pie

November 22, 2012 in Fall Food, Jessica, Sweets

I don’t know where this recipe originated from, but I do know that mom has made it for as long as I can remember and it’s a Thanksgiving tradition. When I shared it with my pecan-pie obsessed husband many years ago, he was impressed and now requests it every holiday season. If you’re still trying to figure out what to make for Thanksgiving tomorrow, or thinking ahead to a Christmas dinner, consider giving this pie a try!

Here’s how you do it:

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie crust (you can make your own, or in a pinch use the Pillsbury ones found next to the crescent rolls in the grocery store).
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 tsp. salt
1 cup of light Karo syrup
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.
3. Add sugar, salt, Karo syrup and butter. Mix well.
4. Add vanilla and pecans. Stir thoroughly.
5. Pour into unbaked pie shell. (I usually put a crust cover over the edges so they won’t burn).
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 450.
7. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 35 minutes.

When it comes out it will be bubbly and ooey gooey, which is yummy, but if you want something a little firmer, let it sit for a few hours before serving.

 

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Roasty Toasty Pumpkin Seeds

October 23, 2012 in Fall Food, Jessica, LIghter Side, Snacks, Vegetarian, Winter Eats

It’s my favorite time of year. I can’t get enough of Halloween and all the fun that goes with it. This past weekend I carved a pumpkin. See?

And when I was done, I had all these pumpkin guts to contend with, so I decided to make an easy, tasty treat out of all those pumpkin seeds. And it’s only three ingredients!

Here’s how you do it:

 

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. After carving the pumpkin, clean the seeds, removing all the pulp. Sit them on a paper towel to dry for several hours (I left mine out over night).
2. Once your seeds are nice and dry, preheat the oven to 350.
3. Put the seeds in a 9×13 glass dish.
4. Pour the olive oil over and the salt and stir them up.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes.
6. Pull them out and enjoy immediately, or sprinkle them over your salad!

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Sloppy Joes

October 15, 2012 in Dinner, Jessica, kid friendly, Main Dishes

I have to admit, most of my life I have thought sloppy joes were disgusting. I think that was probably because my parents never served them and the only other ones I had came from a school cafeteria. When my husband informed me recently that he loves them and hadn’t had one in a long time, I did some research. This girl refuses to use canned meat, and I knew that if there was any chance to redeem the sloppy joe, then it was going to have to be made from scratch.

And, what do you know? Turns out that when they’re fresh and not out of school cafeteria, they are pretty darn good. Also good news: they’re toddler approved!

I apologize for the poor photo quality. My SLR was occupied.

Here’s how you do it:

 

Recipe adapted from Crockin’ Girls:

Ingredients:
1 lb of lean hamburger meat
1/2 a large sweet yellow onion, chopped
tsp. olive oil
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tbsp. of chili powder
1 tbsp. of mustard
1 tbsp. of Worcestershire
1 tbsp. of brown sugar
1 tbsp. of sugar
Hamburger buns

Directions:
1. Chop the onion and sautee in olive oil over medium heat until they start to soften (about 2 minutes).
2. Add in hamburger meat and brown.
3. Add in the ketchup, chili powder, mustard, Worcestershire and sugars. Bring to a boil.
4. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 7 minutes.
5. Put on a hamburger bun and enjoy!

 

 

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Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

September 14, 2012 in Dinner, Jessica, kid friendly, LIghter Side, Main Dishes

We had chicken thighs and I didn’t feel like going to the store, nor did I feel like just baking them in the oven. I did a little searching online for recipes, then my daughter turned off the power strip to my computer. So I took her outside and continued my search on my phone. I found a recipe for teriyaki chicken and modified it a bit to fit the ingredients I had at home. The result was a resounding success!

Here’s how you do it:

 

Ingredients:
6 chicken thighs (I used boneless, skinless)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
1 1/2 tsp cold water
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Combine sugar, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger and black pepper in a small sauce pan over low heat.
3. Combine water and cornstarch, then add to other ingredients.
4. Cook until bubbly and thick. Remove from hear.
5. Put thighs in a 9×13 pan. Mop sauce over each thigh, turn over and mop again.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, mopping chicken every 10 minutes. Turn chicken over half way through.

 

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Pumpkin Gingerbread

September 10, 2012 in Breakfast, Fall Food, Jessica, Sweets

Today’s weather continued to be beautiful, football was on and we had pumpkin lattes. My husband casually mentioned wanting some pumpkin bread and my mind immediately went to this recipe, which is one of my favorite recipes of all time. I was missing a few ingredients, but I didn’t mind making a quick trip to the store. It was so worth it!

 

Here’s how you do it:
Recipe adapted from  allrecipes.com

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing, combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat until smooth.
3. Add water and beat until well blended.
4. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice cinnamon and clove.
5. In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder.
6. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between prepared pans.
7. Bake about 1 hour.

 

 

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