Nana Bea’s Banana Bread Recipe

I have few but very special memories of Nana Bea and I was too young to solve my biggest question…is she Nana B?, Nana Bee?..why isn’t she just Nana?

This is my Nana Beatrice’s recipe and it is held in high regard in my family. I alter the original by adding Cinnamon and Nutmeg. Would Nana understand? I don’t think she would like it much. In fact, when I prep for making this by gathering all my ingredients on the table..my favorite bowl..my hand turned wooden spoon..(you should make this by hand)..the flour, the sugar…when I get out the jar of fragrant Cinnamon and the whole Nutmeg I hear the ethereal snicker of my Yankee grandmother over my shoulder. I always feel guilty, but…I’m the one eating it and I like the spice addition.

Nana would agree that it is appropriate to add Walnuts if you have them on hand. I would improve their flavor by toasting them slightly before adding them to the batter.

Nana’s spirit hangs around the kitchen reminding me to let the eggs warm to room temperature as well as the butter before beginning.

It becomes a process. A prayer. An intention.

As part of the ceremony I heat fresh water in the kettle for tea. Nana drank her tea scalding hot and black.

Nana Bea’s Banana Bread Recipe

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 eggs, well beaten

2 large or 3 small Bananas, mashed

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup milk

Optional:

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Pinch of fresh ground Nutmeg

1/2 cup Walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour one quick bread loaf pan. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Cream the sugar and butter together in a bowl. Add the eggs and mix well. Mix in the Bananas.

Alternate adding dry ingredients and the milk. Mix well.  Mix in Walnuts.

Bake 60 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes turned on side, then remove and cool thoroughly.

Wrap in foil.

Great toasted.

Upgrade Cake Bible Buttercream with Vanilla and Less Butter.

If you love to bake cakes then you must have Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible.  Beranbaum breaks down the science of cake baking and encourages you to expand your abilities with butter and sugar. To that end I have updated Beranbaum’s Classic Buttercream Recipe by using less butter and the addition of Vanilla Extract. You need a kitchen scale and you need a sugar thermometer, but you don’t need to be intimidated.

I follow The Cake Bible’s directions thoroughly and measure eggs and sugar by weight and I add a dash of Extra Fine Salt. I just reduce the amount of butter – the original recipe calls for one pound – to less than 3 sticks of butter and add 2 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract. The Vanilla cuts through the cloying butter flavor for a fuller, richer flavor.

I like to serve The Cake Bible’s All Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake with my altered Classic Buttercream and a dollop of warm Apricot Jam on the side to cut the sweetness.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Not Your Mama’s Recipe!

I have reworked the original recipe that called for 2 cups of sugar. Make these with the best quality ingredients. This recipe contains Peanut Butter.

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan combine and stir together:

1 cup sugar (Update – I am currently using less than 2/3 cup of sugar)
Pinch of salt
3 Tbls. butter
1/2 cup milk

Bring to a boil and cook a minute or so then add:

1 oz. chocolate
1/2 cup Peanut butter

Stir as the chocolate and peanut butter melts.

Bring back to a boil then turn off the heat and add:

1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups Oatmeal flakes

Stir in quickly until the Oatmeal is fully coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and cool. Very hot! Think molten lava! Let them cool and set. Makes 2 dozen.

Butter Cream Frosting Recipe

Butter. Sugar. Cream. Vanilla…How can it get any better? By using the freshest, best quality ingredients available. If you are going to all the effort to make a cake, then cover it with the best tasting frosting. Guests will be eyeing a second piece of cake before they have finished the first!

I get ingredients from King Arthur Flour. Glazing Sugar. Vanilla. Check them out!

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 pound (1 bag or 4 cups) Glazing sugar

1 Tbl. Vanilla extract

1 Tbl. Cream

Pinch of salt (preferably Fleur de Sel)

Beat all the ingredients on low in your mixer, slowly increasing the speed to medium. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl a couple of times. Do not over beat.

This is great on the Feathery Fudge Cake.

Coleslaw Recipe

Coleslaw is a side dish common here in the Northeast, but generally they aren’t very good. This is my go-to recipe that is quick and easy, and stands the test of time.

4 cups shredded cabbage

1/2 cup shredded carrot

2 Tbls. minced onion

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbl. vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. celery seed (optional)

In a large bowl combine the cabbage, carrot and onion.

Prepare the dressing from the remaining ingredients, and mix well into the vegetables.

Cover and chill.

Feathery Fudge Cake Recipe

This recipe is from my go-to cookbook from 1981, Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I haven’t changed the recipe but I do use a kitchen scale to weigh the batter in the cake pans to make sure they are equal.

Grease and flour two 8″ cake pans. I also use a round of parchment in the bottom of the pan, then grease and flour it again. This greatly reduces the chance of having the cake stick to the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine and set aside:

2 cups flour

1  1/4 tsp. baking soda ( sift to remove lumps)

1/2 tsp. salt.

Prepare 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate by melting and cooling (or 9 Tbls. unsweetened Cocoa plus 3 Tbls. water).

In a mixer bowl beat:

2/3 cup butter, softened. Beat for 30 seconds.

Add 1  3/4 cups sugar and

1 tsp. Vanilla.

Beat until well combined.

Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each.

Add the chocolate and beat.

Add the flour mixture alternating with 1  1/4 cups cold water, beating after each addition.

Turn into the prepared pans. To weigh the batter, tare the scale with each prepared cake pan and add the batter in equal amounts to both pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick remains clean when poked in the center. Remove while the cake is still against the side of the pan. (The cake is overdone if it has shrunk from the side of the pan while still in the oven).

Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn the cakes out of the pans and cool on the wire racks.

Dinner roll recipe

Making fresh rolls for dinner is easy, and they are so much better than any prepackaged type. For ‘brown and serve’ style, partially bake the rolls and freeze for later.

In your trusty bread machine bowl combine:

1 cup milk (or light cream)

2 eggs, mix with the milk with a fork to break up the yolks

1/3 cup butter, cut into chunks

Tare your scale and measure in 1 pound 2 oz. of all purpose flour – I recommend King Arthur All Purpose Flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2  1/4 tsp.  SAF instant yeast

Set into your machine on dough setting.

When ready, slightly knead the dough into a ball and let rest 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the ball in half and work with one half at a time.

By hand, roll the half into a log and cut into even pieces – I think 8 pieces make nice sized rolls. Roll each piece into a ball without working the dough too much.

With a bench knife or spatula, cut the dough almost in half at top center. (This is an easy way to make a Parker-style roll that splits in half for all the butter you’ll want to slather on each piece!)

Reshape slightly as you place them on an ungreased sheet. Cover with a damp tea towel to rise for 30 minutes.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For ‘Brown and Serve’ style rolls make the rolls and bake in a 325 degree F. oven for 10 minutes – do not brown. Cool the rolls thoroughly on a wire rack and wrap and freeze or set aside for later in the day. These rolls are delicate and squish easily. Use a box and only one layer per bag. Just removing air from a freezer bag can crush these rolls.

When ready to serve, bake in a 400 degree F. oven for 10 minutes. If they have been frozen, allow them to thaw for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.

You will love how easy these are to make and the texture and taste is wonderful!

This recipe is my adaption of the dinner roll recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book 1981…my go-to guide.

French bread recipe

The wind in howling. The heavy, wet snow slaps against the clapboards and windows…

It is a perfect day for baking French bread…

Measure into a bread machine pan on a tared scale or using dry measuring cups and spoons-

1 pound of water (2 cups)

1 pound 6.5 oz. of King Arthur Organic All Purpose Flour or All Purpose Flour (5 cups)

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 1/4 teaspoons SAF Instant Yeast

Begin the dough setting and walk away. It’s about 1  1/2 hours to complete the dough setting.

When the bread machine is finished, remove the dough and shape into 2 to 4 baguettes. Set aside to rise under a damp tea towel. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, preferably with an oven stone. Allow the oven to heat and the dough to rise for one hour.

Slash the baguettes and bake for 25 minutes. You may use a water sprayer to add humidity to the oven in the first half of baking if you want a crispier crust.

Let the bread cool before tearing into it and slathering it with fresh butter.

This is my rendition of Julia Child’s recipe from Baking With Julia.

It’s easy! Go make some great bread!

Baking with Julia

I love to make French bread. I’ve been working on it for over 10 years. My love for this basic but versatile bread ignited when I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in Paris. A baguette was a daily purchase and devoured with runny, stinky cheeses with a glass of wine or two. My go-to recipe is from Baking with Julia written by Dorie Greenspan. The book is based on the PBS series hosted by Julia Child.  I’ve altered the techniques and personalized the process. I’m not as violent with the shaping of the dough as Julia. I’ve tried it her way, but yeast is a living form and deserves respect rather than a spanking for rising to the job at hand…so to speak. The most difficult step in the process for me was learning to cut the mandated slashes down the baguette. Like most lessons in life, the answer took practice, patience and perseverance. I’ve burned out more than one KitchenAid mixer that were supposed to knead bread. Don’t waste your time or money…not happy. I’ve tried different salts. I’ve tried different flours. I’ve tried different yeasts.  I’ve tried filtered and unfiltered waters. My hard learned method starts with my Zojirushi bread machine and my kitchen scale. Tare the scale with the empty dough bucket, weigh out the water and flour, add the salt and yeast. Start the dough setting. Humidity rules the day…you may need to add a bit more flour. Take it from there. Want to get started? My favorite resource is King Arthur Flour. Find them at www.kingarthurflour.com . I grew up with King Arthur flour. It is what my mother used, and it is the only flour I use in my kitchen. For French bread I prefer the Organic All Purpose. In the past I have ordered it online, but my local markets are now carrying it in 2 or 5 pound bags. For most other baking I use the All Purpose. I have a bag on my window sill for decoration and use. I find it homey for the ingredients of the foods I prepare to be visible and inspiring. Today I used it for crispy waffles…but that’s another story.