Chocolate Banana Bread

I saw this on Jamie Mitchell's blog. She doesn't say where she got it, but I found the picture she used at http://savorysweetlife.com/?p=1024 (credit to Alice). This is a slightly different recipe, though. It says this makes three loaves, but they come out sort of thin. If you can figure out at what temp and how long to bake it in two pans, give it a shot for a taller loaf.

1 cup butter, soft
2 cups sugar
2 t. vanilla
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 t. salt
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugar & vanilla.
Add eggs & mix well. Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix bananas and sour cream together. Add the dry to the butter mixture. Mix in banana mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Grease three loaf pans and lace with cocoa powder or flour. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Test with toothpick.

**The author of SavorySweetLife.com posted a comment below. If you want to make one loaf instead of three, check the above link and try her recipe instead.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp lemon juice
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained

Melt cream cheese and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Then add the spinach and artichoke heats. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with pita chips or bread.

Oven Ready Bran Muffins

Bran muffins are really delicious when they are hot out of the oven. I just found and tried this recipe on the back of my Hodgson Mill Unprocessed Wheat Bran box:

Mix batter according to directions. Store in refrigerator. Bake muffins at your convenience.

3 cups wheat bran
1 cup boiling water
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk

Mix 1 cup wheat bran with 1 cup boiling water; stir and let water absorb into bran. In a separate bowl blend sugar and butter. Measure and combine flour, baking soda and salt. Combine the moist bran with beaten eggs, the remaining 2 cups of bran, buttermilk, blended sugar-butter mixture, and flour, soda and salt mixture. Stir until well blended.

Place in the refrigerator for future use, or bake at once. Preheat oven to 400F. Stir batter well and spoon into prepared muffin tins. Bake 15 minutes. Keep remaining mixture in airtight container for 2 to 4 weeks. Yield: 2 dozen.

One Bowl Brownies

Someone asked if I had a good homemade brownie recipe. These are the best.

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Microwave chocolate and butter or margarine in large bowl at HIGH for 2 minutes or until butter or margarine is melted.
3. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour.
4. Spread in greased 13 x 9 inch pan (I line a pan with foil and grease that. That way you can lift the foil out with the brownies in it.). Bake for 35 minutes (do not overbake).

Apple and Sausage Strudel

Jan Jacobson brought this to me after I had Jane. It is now an official member of our dinner line-up.

1 lb ground mild sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 large tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup cooked rice
1 lb sharp cheddar, shredded
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
2 puff pastry crusts

Brown sausage in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until translucent, drain fat. Add apples, rice, one beaten egg and 3/4 of the cheese. Mix well, add salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of the remaining cheddar down the middle of one of the puff pastries, top with half of the meat mixture. Cut the sides of the pastry into strips and braid. Pinch ends to close. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Beat remaining egg and brush both pastries. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Enjoy.

Focaccia Bread

1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp chopped red onion

olive oil
coarse sea salt
coarsely ground black pepper

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix into a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface the knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (1 - 1 1/2 hours).

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead in the sage and onion. Shape the dough into a ball, then roll out into a round of about 10 inches (pizza pan size). Cover and let it rise again until doubled, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400.

Poke dimples in the bread and drizzle olive oil on top, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden.

Serve warm. Tastes delicious dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I often am really lazy and use 1 tsp dried sage and 1/2 tsp onion powder in place of fresh, and it works just fine. I have also used other spices, rosemary, thyme, oregano to change the taste a little.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Deborah asked for this one.

2 cups chicken (I use a rotisserie, the texture and taste of the meat is just better)
2 cups sliced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
6 cups water
6-8 tsp. bouillon (or just use 6 cups of broth)
1 box Uncle Ben's Seasoned Wild Rice Mix (reserve seasoning packet)

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups half and half
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine chicken, vegetables and water/bouillon/broth and boil until vegetables are tender. Add rice, cover and cook until rice is done. In a separate saucepan make a roux of the butter, salt, flour and pepper. Add cream and seasoning packet and cook over medium heat until thick. Add to soup and stir to combine. Serve immediately, enjoy immensely!

*I usually make this the day after we have a homemade rotisserie chicken. Here is the recipe as well as instructions on how to make the broth. If you do it this way, I promise you will feel very industrious and exactly like Martha Stewart.