Banana Cranberry Bread......YUMMMMMM!!!!

I am not one for banana's, you would never catch me eating one plain, but I do enjoy a good banana bread. I had some holiday baking to do for clients over the weekend so I decided on a recipe that I found in my new The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. This is the second cookbook I have purchased from the Test Kitchens and I love it. They test every recipe to find the best variation.

This banana bread recipe calls for plain yogurt which I think really helps to keep the bread moist. As I am sure that I have mentioned (one more than one occasion) I do not like nuts, so I used dried cranberries instead.

This is by far and away the best banana bread I have ever eaten! Peter really likes it to, but says until I add the walnuts in it will not be the best he has ever had....maybe next time! ;-)

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I love my crock pot and I tend to use it a lot during the winter when we are craving heartier meals. It is so handy, especially for weeknight meals. There is nothing better than coming home to the smells of something cooking and knowing that all the work is done for you and all you have to do it enjoy!

Tonight I tried a recipe for slow cooker beef stew from my latest cook book purchase (it really is an obsession) The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. The recipe was easy to follow, but I did cheat a little bit and didn't brown the meat before putting it into the crock pot. This was for two reasons, 1. I was too lazy to do it the night before after having just cooked another meal and 2. I really didn't have time to do it this morning before leaving for work. However, the dish was still fantastic and really hit the spot on this dreary, rainy day.

Amish Friendship Bread.....Last Post (I think).

I have really enjoyed the whole process of making this bread. It was very easy to find the basic starter on the web but finding a winning recipe to make the actual bread was the hard part.

The first recipe I tried was this one which was just OK. The main reasons being that it had few ingredients, lots of cinnamon (YUM) and no nuts or fruits. It made the kitchen smell fantastic, however it was fairly dry and lacked flavor.

Then I was on to the winning recipe. Although this one calls for walnuts (yuck, yuck, yuck), raisins (sort of yuck) and dates (can't say I have tried one but I am thinking they taste similar to a raisin) everything else about it appealed to me, I just left these ingredients out, but I am sure if you are a fan of these it would still be great.

Unlike the first recipe it calls for vegetable oil, applesauce, and instant vanilla pudding all of which would made the bread very moist. What a hit! I made two loafs the first go round and Peter and I basically had it for dinner that night and ate almost all of one. Then I made four more loaves to share with the family for Thanksgiving and I had none left to show for it after people left for the evening.

I will be making many loafs for Christmas gifts this year, I am so excited!!!

Wine, Wine, Wine

I used to be a horrible baker, I used to claim to "hate" it. However, in actuality I just didn't know how to do it. When I was in high school my mother used to dread when I got the itch to bake because I would make such a mess of the kitchen. One year for my step-father's birthday I decided to make him his favorite lemon poppy seed cake and left out the baking soda so it was a dense disk like cake. It was frustrating, especially being the daughter of an expert baker.

So, in 2007 I vowed to teach myself how to bake. I do not claim to be an expert but I have gotten much better and have a few recipes that I do very well and I continue to challenge myself as a baker. I am also very proud to say that I can bake up just about anything and not make a mess of my kitchen.

In 2008 I wanted a new challenge to add to my culinary knowledge so I decided to take on blogging. My thought was that it would make me think more carefully about the dishes I was making as I challenged myself to be witty and entertaining to create a blog that people would enjoy reading. I am not sure if I have accomplished all of that, however I have really enjoyed blogging and plan to continue with it.

Now, with 2009 quickly approaching I find myself thinking of where to stir my culinary focus. I have not fully decided as of yet, but I think I am leaning towards wine. Not only the drinking of wine (which of course is a plus), but also learning everything about it and how to pair it well with food.

Last weekend the Gilbertson's and the other Kallos' came over to dinner (Italian Pot Roast, YUMMY!) and we tried a new bottle of wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon by Myers Vineyard. This wine is a lot pricey that I would normally buy, about $48, but I decided to serve it as the salesman at the wine store said it was better than Silver Oak at half the price. Silver Oak is a Cabernet that all of us, excluding Peter who doesn't care for wine (shocking), really enjoy. It is about $80-$100 depending on where you go, but it is very smooth, rich and delicious. By far the best wine I have ever put in my mouth.

This new bottle was very good, and I would not turn it down if offered to me again, however it is no Silver Oak. It is not nearly as smooth as the Silver Oak and has a bit more of an alcohol taste than the Silver Oak.

Any opinions on this wine thing? Do you think it is a good challenge for 2009? I would love your opinion.

Banana Cookies

I had about 5 over ripened banana's that had to be used so I made these delicious banana cookies.

I am not a fan of banana's usually, but I do like banana breads. This cookie is very cake like and has the same flavors of banana bread. I used chocolate chips instead of walnuts (yuck!) and they were great, this is a keeper!

Friendship Bread Starter

It is ready! Very easy to do, it just takes tending to every day. I have already made several loaves for clients and it seems to be a hit! I will be making a loaf for Peter and I today so we can try it as well.

Amish Friendship Bread

My friend Traci brought me literally a sliver of Amish Cinnamon Bread that a friend of her had made. She said it was all she could part with but I had to try it. Holy cow was it delicious! I have heard of Amish friendship breads before, but had never eaten or made any myself. So, after eating this very small and very delicious sliver that Traci was able to part with I decided to do some research to make some myself.

The bread begins with a starter made of yeast, flour, sugar and milk. The starter is a 10 day process in which you sometimes add more of the ingredients and you sometimes just stir the mixture. I am currently on day 3 of this 10 day process and I can not wait for it to be done so I can start making breads! Apparently there will be plenty of starter and it is meant to be shared, hence the name friendship bread.

I will keep you posted on the progress.