Tropical Banana Bread

Kate's Tropical Banana Bread

Banana bread was one of my early ventures into cooking / baking from scratch.  My very first batch was pretty darn good (to my surprise), but over time I have experimented with new ingredients and differing measurements until I finally achieved the OMG factor.  These days, my Banana Nut Bread is the stuff of legend.  One day I will teach my methods to a young apprentice who may carry on the traditions.  Until then, my recipe remains a guarded secret – heavily protected by several other recipes in a stack of papers behind my flour canisters.

I will share this delightful little variation that I came up with yesterday, though, inspired only slightly by a shortage of overripe bananas in my kitchen.  Get out all of your mixing bowls and measuring cups; you will need them!  Warning: for me, baking from scratch also involves working entirely by hand.  I do not use blenders, mixers, or processors in the combining of ingredients.  That usually means my arms are pretty tired when I am done.  Hopefully, you are in a little better shape.  This version is still in the testing and development phases, but the early taste tests have been extremely successful.  Keep the wooden spoon handy to fend off hungry onlookers!

Tropical Banana Bread

Ingredients

3 Cups – All Purpose Flour

1½ teaspoons – Salt

1 Tablespoon – Baking Soda

1 teaspoon – Baking Powder

1½ Cups – Butter, softened

2 Cups – Brown Sugar, lightly packed

¾ Cup – Granulated Sugar

6 Eggs, beaten

3 Cups – Overripe Bananas, mashed

1½ Cups – Pineapple, crushed and well drained

1 teaspoon – Vanilla Extract

1½ Cups – Pecans, chopped

½ Cup – Dates, chopped

1 Cup – Coconut, shredded/flaked (plus a handful to sprinkle over loaves)

Preparation

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and sugar until dough like substance forms
• Add eggs, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, and and flour mixture to butter and sugar and mix until well combined
• Stir in pecans, dates, and coconut and mix well
• Pour mixture into well-greased mini-loaf pans and sprinkle a few coconut flakes over each loaf, keeping away from edges (produces 7-8 mini loaves)
• Bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaves comes out clean
• Let cool completely before serving (about 2 hours)

The Troops Lined Up for Inspection!

Serve

• Makes a great snack warmed slightly with butter and a glass of cold milk
• Or just eat it as is, no butter needed!
• Keep bread refrigerated, will also freeze for later use, though I have never had any left to freeze.

Tips

• Be sure to drain the pineapple extremely well.  Press as much moisture out as possible.  The bread is extremely moist already.  I did not press enough moisture out of the pineapple on the first round and the center simply would not finish baking.
• Do not melt the butter before mixing; just make sure it is nice and soft.  I hand mix with a wooden spoon.  You can use a mixer if you have one.
• I measure out all of my ingredients and even whip the eggs before I start creaming the butter and sugar, which means I dirty a lot of bowls; but when I do it that way, I do not forget ingredients (there are quite a few to keep track of!).
• Start checking the bread after about 35 minutes.  My oven bakes a little unevenly, so I usually need to shift pans around and such, and depending on a million factors, the bread may bake faster or slower than expected.
• Seriously, cool the bread completely before you eat it.  It actually gets better after sitting in the refrigerator for a day.  Waiting is hard, but you will not be sorry.

Let me know how it turns out!

Enjoy, and happy cooking,

Kate

Buffalo Chicken Party Dip

A New Crowd Favorite

Yesterday, we were invited to an impromptu party, which of course meant I needed a quick snack idea to take along. Not really having time to go to the store (we ended up going anyway), I took a quick mental inventory of my pantry and turned to my favorite recipe app. to perform a quick ingredient search. Within minutes I had the perfect find – a buffalo chicken dip. Several of the party guests, including our hosts are from or have lived in New York State, so what better way to show our appreciation for their hospitality than pay tribute to one of New Yorks greatest contributions to pop culture (and sports bars) today – the Buffalo Wing?

Oh, and I had all the ingredients. After studying the recipe for a bit, I decided (as I usually do) that it was going to need a little help to achieve the flavor I wanted. I also needed to pad the serving size just a little. So, in typical Cucina di Kate fashion, I plotted a few detours and an extra stop or two, and then it was off to the races. The result was remarkable (even I was pleased with the outcome... not normal). The dip was a huge success, and we left at the end of the night with an empty crock pot. I hope you will experience the same result.

Buffalo Chicken Party Dip

Ingredients

½ of an Onion, finely diced

1 Large Clove of Garlic, minced

2 Cans (12 oz.) - Chicken Breast, shredded

1 Cup – Frank's Red Hot Pepper Sauce

2 Packages (8 oz.) - Cream Cheese, softened

1 Can (10.5 oz.) - Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Cup – Ranch Dressing

1½ Cups – Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Tabasco Sauce – To Taste

Preparation

• Add onions, garlic, chicken, and pepper sauce to a large skillet, and cook on medium heat until heated through
• Add cream cheese, soup, and ranch dressing to chicken and mix well
• Transfer ingredients to a slow cooker and add shredded cheese
• Add Tabasco sauce or additional pepper sauce as desired
• Cook on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally
• Keep warm until ready to serve

Serve

• Serve the dip warm with tortilla chips and celery stalks
• Have extra Tabasco sauce and some Ranch and/or Blue Cheese dressing available for your condiment lovers

Tips

• I put the cream cheese in my food processor along with the chicken soup and blended it before adding to the chicken. This helps speed up the mixing process considerably.
• I added about a Tablespoon of Tabasco sauce to my dish, and it was just enough to give it a little heat without taking your breath away.
• It's not important to cook the chicken mixture thoroughly in the skillet, as the ingredients will finish in the crock pot. This step is more for the purpose of getting things mixed together easily and getting some of the hot sauce flavors to permeate the chicken.
• I am not sure how many servings to call the output, but there were about a dozen or so people at the party, and there was not so much as one morsel left in the pot by the end of the night.

Enjoy, and happy cooking!

Kate

Meaty Baked Mac and Cheese

Welcome to the “Small Town Gourmet” recipe category.  Many of these are a nostalgic remembrance from my childhood in midwest small-town America.  These magical concoctions served up by my mother and grandmother on shoestring budgets would feed a hungry flock and sometimes leave a little left over for our lunch boxes the next day.  Casseroles were a foundational part of our weekly menu. They were simple, often quick, and always satisfying.

This first offering used to be a family favorite.  We would chuckle about the military grade ingredient list, but never before licking our plates clean!  It comes almost entirely from “the box,” and when I was a little girl it would serve an entire family for about $2.00.  The cost has increased a little, but if you catch the right sales, you can still pull this one together for around $5.00 and maybe half an hour of work.

Meaty Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

1 Cup – Frozen Peas

1 Box (7.25 oz.) – Macaroni and Cheese Dinner

½ Cup – Milk

¼ Cup – Butter or Margarine

1 Can (10.5 oz.) – Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Can (12 oz.) – Spam (or generic equivalent)

Preparation

• Place peas in a colander rinse and let drain
• In a medium saucepan, bring 4 to 6 cups of water to a boil.  Add macaroni and cook until done
• Add about 1 cup of cold water to stop the cooking process and pour the macaroni into the colander with the peas.  Let drain
• Once drained pour macaroni and peas back into saucepan
• Add milk, butter, cheese mix, and mushroom soup and mix well
• Spread contents evenly into a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish
• Cut Spam into 12 equally sized slices and place over macaroni mixture in three rows of four slices
• Place baking dish in a 350-degree oven and bake for 15-25 minutes until Spam has browned
• Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes

 Serve

• This dish is a meal by itself
• Serve with a side of bread and butter and a glass of cold milk

Tips

• You can add salt and pepper if desired, but I find the combination has enough flavor by itself
• I get (relatively) even slices of Spam by halving it, then halving those two halves, and then cutting the four pieces into thirds
• Try not to get between a hungry child and this dish – you could lose a finger!

Enjoy!

Kate

Beef Stroganoff, A Winter Time Favorite

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite comfort foods, and it is a fairly simple dish to prepare.  Even better, the recipe is very forgiving, so you can add or subtract amounts and ingredients to achieve your desired taste.  Below is my rendition of this classic dish.  The flavors are mild and satisfying, perfect for a cold winter night; and you’ll have enough to share… not that you’ll want to!

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

¼ Cup – Olive Oil

2 lbs. – Sirloin Steak, thinly sliced

1 Medium Size White Onion, sliced

8 oz. – Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. – Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Cans – Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Cup – Sour Cream

4 oz. – Cream Cheese, softened

1 to 1½ Cups – Milk

Preparation

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat
• Add steak, onions, mushrooms, garlic powder, and salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until all ingredients are well done.
• Pour contents into strainer and let drain
• In the same skillet over medium low to medium heat, combine mushroom soup, sour cream, cream cheese, and about 1 cup of milk.  Stir until ingredients are well blended and smooth.  Bring sauce to a slow boil, stirring constantly.
• Add steak mixture to sauce, cover and let simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.  Add more milk as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Serve

• Plate the stroganoff over extra wide egg noodles.
• Serve with your favorite green vegetables (I like Brussels Sprouts) and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, or your favorite red wine.

Tips

• You may want to tenderize the meat with a marinade prior to preparation.  Sirloin can get tough, though simmering in the sauce does loosen it up considerably.
• When slicing the beef, do your best to slice across the grain and no more than ¼ of an inch thick.  This will help with the tenderness.
• I add a little more salt and pepper (more pepper than salt) to the pan after everything is combined, just to kick the flavor up a bit more.
• You can speed up the blending process by throwing the cream cheese in a food processor or blender with 3 or 4 tablespoons of milk.  Not necessary for a good mixture, but it will save you a little stirring.

Enjoy, and happy cooking!

Kate

Bella Pollo (Beautiful Chicken)

I thought it fitting that my first recipe be the one that inspired me to begin writing them down again. It is because of this dish, that my new blog exists.

Bella Pollo

This is an incredibly easy dish to prepare, and the flavors absolutely explode in your mouth. My family loved it, and I hope yours will too.

4 Cups – Water (approximate)

2 Tablespoons – Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tablespoon – Garlic Salt

1 teaspoon – Crushed Red Pepper (optional)

4 – Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breasts

½ Cup – Butter or Margarine

1 – Medium White Onion, sliced

1 – Green Bell Pepper, sliced

1 – Red Bell Pepper, sliced

1 lb. - Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinading the Chicken

• Pour about 2 cups of water into a large mixing bowl
• Stir in Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and crushed red pepper until salt dissolves
• Add chicken breasts to the bowl and add enough water to fully immerse.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Preparation

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat
• Place chicken breasts in the skillet then cover with onions, peppers, and mushrooms
• Cover and cook for approx. 10 minutes, stirring vegetables occasionally
• Turn chicken, cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until juices run clear, stirring vegetables occasionally

Serve

• Plate the chicken immediately with white rice (my preference)
• Drizzle vegetables and broth over the rice
• Serve with warm Italian bread and your favorite bottle of white wine.

Tips:

• I usually marinade the chicken for a full 24 hours, unless it came out of my freezer.
• I marinade chicken breasts ahead in the Worcestershire sauce / garlic salt mixture, and freeze them along with the juices in gallon size freezer bags for quick use later. The marinade has a wonderful flavor and is very versatile
• Pounding out the chicken breasts before cooking will reduce the cook time.
• Try the same recipe (minus the marinade) with Italian sausage links!

Enjoy!

Welcome to Kate's Kitchen (Cucina di Kate)

One of my most dependable methods for calming frazzled nerves, or for cooling a fit of anger is to go into the kitchen and get productive. Whether I am cooking or baking, chopping vegetables, organizing the pantry, or even just cleaning out the microwave, working in the kitchen somehow brings me peace. Last night was a wonderful example. I arrived home from work (no, I am not a housewife) absolutely furious with my boss and with my job in general. It did not help that the volley that set my temper ablaze came minutes before I planned to leave for the day.

Normally, I am pretty good at leaving work at work, but last night I was just plain angry. I tried a number of things to calm my nerves, watching TV, playing on Facebook, writing a particularly scathing blog entry, and nothing worked. As dinner time approached, I decided that I was far too upset and angry to go to the effort of making dinner for my family. I got on line and started to order a pizza. I do not know why or how, but in mid-shopping cart review, I stopped myself. I thought, “no, buying a pizza when I have food to prepare would be irresponsible. It is not my family's fault that my boss is a complete and unapologetic jerk, and they deserve to have a meal prepared for them.”

I canceled out of the pizza site and forced myself into the kitchen. I had a recipe that I downloaded from my favorite recipe website that I was prepared to make; but as I gathered the necessary ingredients, I found myself bursting with different ideas. I grabbed an entirely different set of components and set to work. Within minutes I had chicken browning in a buttery skillet along with a bevy of delicious vegetables. And better, with each passing minute, with each slice of the knife through the fresh onion, and with each dirtied dish, my mood gradually lifted. By the time my loving partner returned home, I had completely forgotten my anger.

I love to cook. And I love to create, modify, and improve recipes. I think that I have managed to develop some really good dishes. I am not a professional cook, nor do I have excellent technical skills in the kitchen. When I slice a pepper or an onion, the pieces are not all equal in size or shape. But when I cook, I put my heart in it, and from what family and friends tell me, the results show it.

For a little while, I documented my recipes as hubs in hopes of turning my efforts into some form of professional writing. I no longer write the hubs – never made a dime at it, despite quite a few devoted followers, but I still want to share my recipes and experiments. I enjoy the sharing almost as much as I enjoy cooking. With that in mind, I am starting this new blog dedicated to the kitchen. I hope you will follow along and enjoy.

Happy Cooking!

Kate