Banana Bread (Melodie Smith, AAA magazine)

BANANA-NUT BREAD

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ cup sour cream. (Alternately, ¼ cup buttermilk could be used.)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract
• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed bananas (takes about 2 large bananas). Add a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice (optional) to keep them from browning.
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat one loaf pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Cream the butter and sugar. Add egg, beat well. Add sour cream or buttermilk and flavoring extract, and beat until mixed.

In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt together.

Stir mashed bananas and nuts (if desired) into the wet ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and stir together well.

Bake in a loaf pan for about 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick: Place in center of bread, and if it comes out clean, then it’s done.

Newbie tip: Double the recipe and freeze the second loaf for later.

Peach Cobbler (Mary Kay Eriksson, AAA magazine)

PEACH COBBLER

Ingredients

• 1½ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (15 oz.) cans sliced peaches (save syrup)
• ¼ cup of reserved syrup
• ¾ cup milk

Topping

• ¼ cup of Karo dark corn syrup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together (or fork stir) flour and baking powder in a medium bowl, then add white sugar, butter, reserved peach syrup, and milk and beat together; consistency should be like cake batter. Spread over a 13-by-9-inch pan. Place sliced peaches on top.

Topping: In a separate bowl, mix Karo, brown sugar, and butter. Drizzle Karo mixture over peaches. Bake for 40 minutes.

NOTE: If desired, you can reverse the layering and bake it like an upside-down cake. In this case, it’s best to first butter your pan to help with the “dump” step.

Soft Pretzels

Pretzel Version One (All Recipes)
4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 C warm water
5 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 C baking soda
4 C hot water
1/4 C kosher salt, for topping

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1 1/4 C warm water.  Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 C sugar, and salt.  Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture.  Mix and form into a dough.  If the mixture is dry, add one or two more tablespoons of water.  Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes.  Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Grease two baking sheets.
4. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in 4 cups hot water; set aside.  When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape.  Once all of the dough is shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda-hot water solution and then place pretzels on baking sheets.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven until browned, about 8 minutes.

Pretzel Version Two (Alton Brown)

1 1/2 C warm water

1 T sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 pkg active dry yeast

Approximately 4 1/2 C flour

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil, for pans

10 cups water

2/3 C baking soda

1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 T water

Pretzel salt

1. Combine the water, sugar, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand-up mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
2. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined.  Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, and then oil it well with vegetable oil (or Crisco).  Return the dough to the bowl, cover and sit in a warm place until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil.  Set aside.
5. Bring the ten cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
6. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces.  Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope.  Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.  Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
7. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds.  Remove from the water using a large flat spatula.  Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt.
8. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes.  Transfer to a rolling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
   

Aloha Shirt Quilts

As a tribute to my father and sons, I have decided to make quilts out of their old aloha shirts.  Lots of work involving cutting them apart, then cutting into 2 1/2 strips.  I'm following a jelly roll style.

This is one of the shirts before being cut up.  Actually, this was one of Robert Francis Scannell's most favorite aloha shirts.

This is a sleeve and collar from one of Nick's shirts. 

Each piece is then cut up into 2 1/2 inch strips.

These are piles of already cut-up 2 1/2 inch strips.  Whew.

Here are the strips but into 42" long pieces.  I'm ready to assemble into the quilt face/top.

Salmon Wellington

Ingredients
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
5 ounces spinach
1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper (for spinach)
1/3 C breadcrumbs
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 C Parmesan, shredded
2 T dill, chopped
1 sheet puff pastry, softened to room temperature
1 salmon filet
1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper (for salmon)
1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 deg F.
2. In a pan over medium heat, melt butter
3. Add the garlic and onions, cooking until translucent
4. Add the spinach, salt, and pepper, cooking until spinach is wilted
5. Add the breadcrumbs, cream cheese, parmesan, and dill, stirring until mixture is evenly combined.  Remove from heat and set aside.
6. On a cutting board, smooth out the sheet of puff pastry.  Place the salmon in the middle of the pastry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
7. Place several spoonfuls of the spinach mixture on top of the salmon, smoothing it out so that it does not spill over the sides.
8. Fold the edges of the puff pastry over the salmon and spinach, starting with the longer sides and then the shorter ends.  Trim any excess pastry from the ends, then fold the ends on top.  Flip the puff pastry wrapped salmon over and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
9. Brush the beaten egg on the top and sides of the pastry. 
10. Score the top of the pastry with a knife, cutting shallow diagonal lines to create a crosshatch pattern.
11. Brush the top again with the egg wash.
12. Bake for 20 to 20 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.
13. Slice, then serve!