A New Favorite

 

This is our new favorite banana bread recipe.
I found it on the Martha Stewart website.

It's quick and easy to make and the addition of sour cream makes it nice and moist. Makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients

• • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Fresh Garden Herbs

I cleaned up my little herb patch in the vegetable garden and it looks like everything survived the snowy winter. I'm usually able to keep picking fresh perennial herbs up until Thanksgiving and then I use mostly dried herbs over the winter. It's such a treat to begin using fresh herbs again in the spring. I made mashed potatoes for dinner just so that I could add fresh chives and a little sour cream. Yum!

My favorite herbs are basil, chives, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme. Most of these are perennial, meaning a healthy plant will grow back each spring. Basil and dill can be grown easily from seed. As for the cilantro, we have a sandy patch of soil in the garden and grow cilantro in that same spot each year. Cilantro doesn't seem to like our hot humid summers, so after it flowers and turns to seed, which is coriander, we just let it reseed itself and then we have a new crop when the weather cools a little.

You can find herb seeds or herb plant starts at most garden centers, but if you're looking for something special, The Cook's Garden has a nice selection of herbs to choose from. You can order online or request a free catalog here.

photos from The Cook's Garden website.

Homemade Granola Bars

I love homemade granola for breakfast or as a snack. I've tried quite a few combinations of oats, nuts and dried fruits and I pretty much like them all. I was recently watching the Food Network and saw Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, making these granola bars. They turned out to be a delicious, sweet and slightly chewy combination of oats, almonds, coconut and dried fruit held together with golden honey. To me these are just as good as a cookie and much better than commercial granola bars!

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Click on the recipe title to go to the Food Network site and print out the recipe.

I'm sure this would be great with your own favorite combination of dried fruits and nuts. Do you have a favorite granola recipe? I'd love for you to share a link!

Spice Up Your Life!

Did you know that a teaspoon full of spices can help boost the antioxident power of practically every snack, entree and beverage you enjoy? Here are some great tips to add healthful flavor to your meals.

Try the seven "super spices" - cinnamon, ginger, oregano, red peppers, rosemary, thyme and yellow curry.

Cinnamon - Perk up your morning coffee with Ground Cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon over ground coffee before brewing.

Ginger - For a fresh fruit pick-me-up, try a light sprinkling of Ground Ginger on peaches, pears, cantaloupe, pineapple or honeydew melon.

Oregano - For a twist on the typical grilled cheese, prepare sandwich with sliced mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato and ¼ teaspoon Oregano Leaves.

Red Peppers - Serve bread with olive oil like it's done in an Italian restaurant. Mix ¼ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper and sea salt to taste in small shallow dish.

Rosemary - Dress up ready-to-bake rolls. Just before baking frozen dinner rolls or ready-to-bake rolls, brush tops with olive oil then sprinkle with crushed Rosemary Leaves and Sea Salt before baking.

Thyme - Wake up your taste buds with Herbed Scrambled Eggs. Beat 1/8 teaspoon Thyme Leaves into 2 eggs before scrambling.

Yellow Curry - Turn tomato soup from dull to delicious. Add ½ teaspoon Curry Powder to 2 cups tomato soup. Sprinkle with chopped cashews.

For more tips and lots of recipes, check out the McCormick Spice website, SpicesforHealth.com.

And if you can't find the spice you are looking for at your local grocery, try the SpiceBarn.com or try searching on Etsy.com.