Brittany's PantryRum Banana Bread: Fruit & Booze
Brittany wrote this on 4 December 2012
bananas, flax, rum, whole wheat flour, yogurt
Did the title of this post reel you in? I must admit…that was my secret plan…. (or not so secret if I am telling you)
*Evil laugh* while ringing hands…
The first time I tried this bread I was intrigued. The extra step of cooking the bananas in the rum was kind of a red flag, given the fact that I like to keep my quick bread recipes…well…quick. Duh. But the obvious pairing of bananas and rum (i.e. bananas foster) sounded so blasted scrumptious I decided to go for it.
And a new traditional holiday bread was born! I mean, don’t get me wrong; regular banana bread is great. I make it every once in awhile. See? Cream Cheese Banana Bread, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Earth Bread, and Banana Bran Muffins, Double Chocolate Banana Bread… Oy. But this bread is special enough to add to your holiday platter of sweets. I tell you, the flavors just makes sense. And people will look at you and say, “What IS this?” and you will just smile and continue to mingle amongst your guests, secure in the knowledge that you were smart enough to make an extra loaf and get to eat all you want for breakfast in the morning You are so smart…
And while we are on the subject of intelligence, it would be a fabulous step in the right direction if you wanted to wrap up a loaf of this in a clean, Christmas tea towel, tie it gently with a big ribbon and gift it to a friend or neighbor. Gratitude will abound and fruitcake will never be mentioned among your circle again. 🙂
One Year Ago: Sun-Dried Tomato Dip, Baked Doughnuts, Rosemary Orange Mixed Nuts, Parmesan Dip & Butternut Squash Crostini
Rum Banana Bread (Bananas Foster Bread)
Adapted from Cooking Light
Bananas with dark spots that are just starting to go soft are perfect for this or any other kind of banana bread. Don’t be tempted to use under-ripe fruit. It has little or no flavor for baking.
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 c brown sugar
5 T butter
3 T dark rum
Combine the above ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter and sugar are melted and the whole thing just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. In the meantime, in a large mixing bowl, add:
1/3 c plain, low fat or fat free yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp rum extract
Beat till smooth and add banana mixture. Mix till smooth. Add:
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 c white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
1/4 c ground flax seed
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
Mix until ingredients are just incorporated. Pour into large (about 9X5), sprayed loaf pan and bake at 350 for about an hour, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Note: If desired, add 1 T of melted butter & 1 T of dark rum to 1/2 c of powdered sugar and drizzle over top of warm bread. This will make you swoon, but hang in there. Cool completely. You can also add a few drops of rum extract in place of the rum in the glaze. Just add a bit of water or milk to get it to a nice, pourable consistency.
Classic Mashed Potatoes
Brittany wrote this on 19 November 2012 gluten-free, potatoes, sour cream
The title of this post makes me drool a bit. It isn’t the picture or the recipe, just the promise of potatoes and butter. And like most honest, upstanding, hardworking Americans raised in the midwest, potatoes and butter have a special place in my heart and on my plate. A very special place. As in, I would take potatoes and butter to dinner on a date if I could. Someplace nice….maybe Italian…
Fear not! This is not a fancy dish. Nothing complicated and no special ingredients. I am not proposing a twist on an old classic or a riff on a recipe. Just plain, straightforward, spectacular mashed potatoes. Can you dig it?
I have been making pretty much these exact same potatoes for literally decades. My Mom taught me how, but not consciously. She just always did it the same and they were always outstanding. I am pretty sure that if I were to eat them at her house today, she would be making them the same way. Drain the potatoes, start the potatoes mixing in the Kitchen Aid, add a huge scoop or two of sour cream and a ridiculous amount of butter, then a splash of milk and some salt. When they were whipped smooth, she would removed the whisk attachment and serve them right in the silver mixing bowl. But not before taking the serving spoon and adding a huge knob of butter to the finished potatoes. Plop! Right on top, letting it melt into a well of salty, creamy, goodness while the rest of the food went to the table. When I was little, I would volunteer to take the bowl to the table just so I could put it near my spot. When it was time to eat, I wanted to be the first person to get the mashed potato bowl so that I could scoop out my serving with some of the freshly melted butter all over them. Actually, I still eat my mashed potatoes this way; no gravy. Just butter. Mmm.
Below is a foolproof way of making mashed potatoes that just may upstage the turkey. Make them this Thursday, make them with beef at Christmas, or make them on a Tuesday. It’s your duty.
One Year Ago: Maple Orange Cranberry Sauce
Two Years Ago: Corn Casserole
Classic Mashed Potatoes
Treat this recipe like a guide. You don’t really need exact measurements.
3 lbs peeled potatoes, russets or yukon gold, cut into equal sized hunks (peel however much you need-3 lbs is just a good starting point)
1 tsp or 1 clove minced garlic
sour cream or buttermilk
butter
salt and pepper
milk or cream
more butter
Add your potatoes to a heavy bottomed pot, covering them by a half an inch with cold water. Add the garlic to the water. Simmer gently until cooked through and a fork pierces them easily. Drain your potatoes.
Method One: Put the hot potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl. This is what I do.
Method Two: Add the potatoes to a bowl and break up with the whisk attachment on a mixer or use a hand mixer. Beat dry for a minute or two, getting them as smooth as possible before you add any other ingredients.
Add a big scoop of sour cream, a half cup or so. Add several tablespoons of butter and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Stir. TASTE THE POTATOES! You should just be able to taste the tang of the sour cream in the background. If they are bland, add more salt. Mix and taste again. Add more of whatever you need. Add milk or cream until you reach your desired consistency. Add a big glob if butter to the top of the bowl and serve. These can easily be made the day before and reheated when you are ready to eat them. Just stir in more milk or cream if you need the moisture.
Green Beans W/Mushrooms & Bacon: Hold the cream please…
Brittany wrote this on 16 November 2012 bacon, gluten-free, green beans, mushrooms
Is it weird that I can’t stop staring at this picture? The way the beans nestle in the bowl; the way the mushrooms and bacon add contrasting textures. I love the bright, verdant green against the stark white of the bowl and the soft brown of the antique wood table beneath…I just want to eat it! I mean, I already did eat it, but I look at this bowl of green beans and I have the overwhelming urge to snitch the bean right in the middle. Do you see which one I mean? The really long one that gets lighter green at the end? So good...
Quite some time ago, I briefly mentioned my aversion to green bean casserole. I really love green beans and smothering them in canned, creamy glop is just a sin. A SIN, I tell you! I agree that cream of mushroom soup has its place and there are a few cans of it in my pantry at all times. Namely so that I can make Tator Tot Casserole at a moments notice. But when you go to all the trouble of peeling potatoes, brining a turkey, roasting carrots and broccoli, rolling and baking fresh biscuits, making your own cranberry sauce (try this one, or this one, or this one), cubing day old bread and chopping vegetables to make your Grandmothers traditional stuffing, why would you serve canned green beans coated in heavy cream sauce and covered with processed onions that are so preserved you could live off of them in case of an apocalypse? Please tell me you wouldn’t do this. Instead, I give you a healthier, more beautiful, more appropriate version of green beans to serve to your friends and family. I serve them like this year round, but I though they were a suitable side dish to post about today, mere days from Thanksgiving.
And let me tell you…the flavor! Oh my goodness! It is of course reminiscent of green bean casserole, but it is light and crisp and earthy and fabulous. The bacon gives it a smokey, salty bite that makes the whole dish kind of addicting. This is fantastic in the spring and early summer when green beans are in season, but it is just as great when the frozen kind are all that are available. Either way, the fact that it is simply uncomplicated is a welcome change in a holiday table that can be laden with heavy foods.
To make this dish even easier to get on the table, Thanksgiving day or otherwise, save a few slices of bacon out of your breakfast a day or two before you plan on serving it. If you are making brunch for a crowd before the holiday, set aside the cooked bacon, wrap it well and stick it in the fridge. If you are having company for breakfast or brunch after the holiday, brown up all your bacon a few days in advance and reheat the few pieces you need just for the green beans, saving the rest for brunch the next day. A minute or two in the microwave and it will be be hot and crisp, just as though you just took it out of the skillet. Also, you can cut up your fresh mushrooms a day in advance or buy pre-sliced mushrooms, saving you time and dishes on the actual day. These things make it super easy to whip this up while your turkey is resting, and all the other dishes are taking up space in the oven. See? This is sounding better already! I know the turkey is supposed to be the star of the meal, but who wouldn’t want to dive into this! Bring on the veggies!
One Year Ago: Pumpkin Dinner Rolls, Rum Pumpkin Pie, & Sweet Potato Casserole
Two Years Ago: Broccoli, Bean & Cheddar Soup, Marshmallow Pumpkin Dip, & Spiced Tea
Green Beans W/ Mushrooms & Bacon
This dish is just as spectacular without the bacon. Even though I use it as more of a garnish instead of an actual ingredient, feel free to omit it completely to make it totally vegetarian and/or to cut down on salt and fat. You can sub out olive oil for the butter too if you like.
1 1/2 lbs fresh or frozen green beans, steamed until crisp tender
8 oz portabella mushrooms, sliced
2-3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt and pepper
butter
While the beans steam, heat a tablespoon of butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and brown until just tender. Add the cooked green beans and toss with the mushrooms, adding another pat of butter if it seems a bit dry. Taste for seasoning and add the crumbled bacon. Serve.
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