Spiced Banana Bread

As of lately, I have started to hate each book I've picked for my blog. I have no idea why, and I'm not sure if it's just bad luck. It could be because I've just been craving another Harry Potter-esque setting, and it could be because I'm just sick of Chinese food! 

Half the reason I chose to make this Spiced Banana Bread is because I needed a change, and I had some pretty mushy looking bananas. This recipe was something I altered, and I think it had a nice spice to it. (Without being overbearing.)

Spiced Banana Bread

• Flour (2 Cups)
• Baking Soda (1 Teaspoon)
• Salt (1/2 Teaspoon)
• Butter (1/2 Cup)
• Brown Sugar (3/4 Cups)
• Eggs (2)
• Mace (1/2 Teaspoon)
• Bananas (3, Mashed)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large bowl mix together the Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt.
• In another bowl cream together the Brown Sugar, Butter, and Eggs. Add in the Bananas, and Mace - mixing well.
• Put this wet mixture, into the dry mixture. Thoroughly combine the two, and spread into a greased loaf pan.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes.
• Plate and Enjoy!

This banana bread was a welcome treat after all of the other food I've been making lately. Sometimes you can't beat baked goods, especially on a cold night. I love the nice addition of the mace, it gave the bread a nice pop of flavor. 

Needless to say I'm probably going to switch it up after I finish Flower Net and go back to something familiar of mine.

If my blogging get's hectic again soon, it's because I'm undertaking painting my upstairs bedrooms! 

Scones with Golden Raisins

I've finally had my own British Afternoon Tea with Scones! Not to mention it was a perfect day for it - first snow of the season here in Maine. (It's only November 2nd!)
I enjoyed hunkering down and enjoying my Assam Chai tea though while watching some football this afternoon, and I'll tell you these scones are actually quite filling! (I'm not complaining.) So if you all want to enjoy yourself some relaxation time, and a little treat for the noontime drag then get some scones and tea!

Scones with Golden Raisins 

• Flour (2 Cups)
• Baking Powder (4 Teaspoons)
• Salt (1/3 Teaspoon)
• Sugar (1/3 Cup)
• Butter (4 Tablespoons)
• Shortening (2 Tablespoons)
• Cream (3/4 Cup)
• Egg (1)
• Golden Raisins (Generous Handful)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit, and in a large bowl mix together the Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Sugar.
• In a separate bowl mix together the Butter, Shortening, Cream, and Egg.
• Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, making sure everything is well blended. 
• Toss in the Golden Raisins, and mix well.
• Flour a working surface, and roll out the dough to desired thickness. (I like thinner cookie-like scones.)
• Cut out circles from the dough, and place on well greased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Plate and Enjoy!

Scones, Dab of Butter, and Jam

So delicious, Ricky and I are excited for some coffee and scones in the morning.

Catch you all again on Monday!

Werewolf and Fall Wedding Cake - Perfect for a Howl-o-ween Wedding!

Let me first start off by saying this, I am not an especially skilled cake decorator. That doesn't mean though that I cannot bake (excusing the apricot disasters) because this recipe is so delightfully easy and tasty.

I have a few helpful pointers though to give ya'll before you start and make the same mistake I did! (We do not want sagging cakes!)


Rule Number 1: Do not use a SPONGE cake as a stacking cake… Unless you like sagging cakes like a Floridian sinkhole…
Rule Number 2: Let the cakes cool before you frost them! Trust me on this…
Rule Number 3: Even if you mess up decorating, realize you just made a tasty treat! (Even if it looks like you just threw stuff on a platter.)

This is a two part recipe! First is the cake, and then a simple vanilla buttercream frosting.

Sponge Cake

• Eggs (4)
• Sugar (2 Cups)
• Vanilla Extract (1 Teaspoon)
• Whole Milk (1 Cup)
• Butter (1/4 Cup)
• Flour (2 Cups)
• Baking Powder (2 Teaspoons)
• Salt (1/4 Teaspoon)

Instructions

• Take the Eggs and beat them vigorously for 5 minutes, add in the Sugar and Vanilla and beat again for another 5 minutes.
• Add in the Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt mixing well.
• In the meantime heat the Milk and Butter in a small saucepan until they are well combined. Add this mix back into the rest of the batter mixing well.
• Grease two 8 inch pans (or whatever sized ones you want) and pour cake into them only half way. 
• Preheat oven to 325 Degrees Fahrenheit, and bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
• Let cool for 10 minutes and flip out onto a surface. Set aside.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• Powdered Sugar (3 Cups)
• Butter (1 Cup)
• Vanilla Extract (1 Teaspoon)
• Whipping Cream (2 Tablespoons)

Instructions

• Mix together the Powdered Sugar and Butter until well combined, and finish mixing the rest of the ingredients in too.
• If the mixture is too thick add some more Whipping Cream, if the mixture is too wet add some more Powdered Sugar.

Since I'm not very good at explaining this, and since I'm not a Vlogger as well - I'll just include this on how to ice a cake!

In all honesty I think my cake looks like no one knew what they were doing, but hey I'm still including in because why not! Plus it's going to make you feel better when you may be thinking, "Wow my cake kinda looks like shit!"
I think no matter what though, it's about how it tastes, and I assure you this is a really yummy recipe!

So without further pointless ramblings: Here's my cake!

A Little Messy, But Still Festive!!

I'd love to see other's cake pictures, and if you're a beginner like me have no shame in what yours looks like! Sheesh I even blogged about how bad my pastry attempt was - and I could've lied. 

Tune back in for tomorrow's pre-cook post!

A Wedding Without Cake? I Think Not!

Who here loves cake? I know I do, and I certainly believe weddings deserve cakes. It may be a wedding that only those in The Clearing may be attending, but I still want a piece!

A girl can be spoiled numerous times over this week, and I find cake is in the program… Ricky would most definitely want some cake tomorrow as well after the small (large) disagreement we got into tonight - what says sorry better than a home baked cake?

I don't have a quote from The Clearing like I do with a lot of other pre-cook posts that I do, and to be honest not many fit. I can say though that I believe Beth and Frank's development from neighbors to life partners was a huge development. I find that the wedding they had probably brought a lot of happiness back into their small Pennsylvanian town, and it was much needed after what happened to all of them. 

A wedding cake was traditionally believed to bring good luck to the guests of the bride and groom - and believe me these poor folks need a little bit of that in their lives. I figured heck why not join in and celebrate their wedding myself? (I could use a bit of luck now too!)

Thus, I shall be making a wedding cake tomorrow (albeit a small one). 

Tune on in for that festive cake day!

Springerle

I had an amazing little Columbus Day trip, and I really hope a lot of you got to enjoy the wonderful weekend. I know there are some of you out there that unfortunately had some bad weather out there in your forecasts, but it'll soon be over!

Ricky and I did a mini Tour De Maine from Old Orchard Beach to Bar Harbor, to Augusta our State Capitol - and it was beautiful out. We weren't feeling like making a large dinner, and therefore we decided yesterday the best thing to make would be a very small batch of biscuit-cookies. That's when I came up with the idea of some Springerle. These are actually more of a German biscuit than a cookie, however they do have more of a sweet flavor, and are something that would go well with a coffee.
Some of you may wonder why I chose a German biscuit, however Springerle is something that is popular in Pennsylvania as well because of their original Germanic descent. (Remember they changed deutsch to Dutch!)
I will point out that I didn't make the Springerle's to look anything like the real things, unfortunately I just don't have those types of molds to make the biscuit-cookies… I also realized a key error in the way I made them which I'll explain after. (I'm not making myself seem like a great baker I've realized…)

Springerle

• Egg (1)
• Sugar (1/2 Cup)
• Flour (1 Cup)
• Baking Powder (1/4 Tablespoon)
• Vanilla or Anise Extract (1/4 Teaspoon)

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk the Egg and Sugar for ten minutes (or until frothy).
• Add in the Flour, Baking Powder, and Vanilla and mix until the ingredients are all into one dough ball.
• Preheat oven to 300 Degrees Fahrenheit.
• Let the dough sit for 15 Minutes covered before you do anything*.
• Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough out into a thin sheet. Press out small cookies and put on a well greased cookie sheet.**
• Plate and Enjoy!

*Traditionally you let the dough sit for one full hour or even a day. 

**I had a hard time rolling the dough, gave up, and just did small tablespoon sized drops onto the cookie sheet.

These may not look so pretty but they are actually quite delicious. Ricky also thought these would be great dipped in a very light frosting or glaze, maybe something I can do for a Christmas gift pack?

Anyway, I'm going to go and eat a late dinner! (Now that I've had dessert first!)

Catch back up with you all on Thursday!

I'm Feeling Like Sweets Tomorrow...

I'm making something sweet again for tomorrow, and it's because I feel like everyone in the book deserves it after the stuff they've been through. (Honestly!)

"The men bowed their heads. The crickets and tree frogs providing a melodic background to the group's prayers." (Rydder 178).

I'm not going to spoil a lot of what's happened up till now, but clearly nothing well for this small town of simple folk. 

Just like I did for Beth's sentiment, and now I'm choosing this again for the men.

I would write a little bit more, but I'm with my boyfriend enjoying a Columbus Day getaway in Bar Harbor!

Apple Dumplings

These dumplings were freaking delicious. Hands down, I swear to god - apple pie has nothing on these little dumplings.

I want to suggest two things prior to making these - buy yourself a darn good apple corer! (Or else you'll want to shoot yourself.)
Definitely have wax paper, if you don't you'll want to hang yourself. This is not a suicide note, but a recipe for success!
Speaking of success, let me introduce you to my Pennsylvanian Amish Apple Dumplings!

Apple Dumplings

Dough

• Flour (3 Cups)
• Shortening (1 Cup)
• Cold Water (2/3 Cup)

Filling

• Apples (8, Cored and Peeled)
• Butter (8 Teaspoons)
• Cinnamon-Sugar (9 Teaspoons)

Sauce

• Brown Sugar (1 and 1/2 Cups, Packed)
• Water (1 Cup)
• Butter (1/2 Cup, Cubed)

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix until it starts to form a ball.
• Divide the dough into eight pieces, cover in saran wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
• Roll each portion of dough between two pieces of wax paper until they reach an approximate square shape of 7 inches in diameter.
• Place an Apple on each pastry square, add a teaspoon of Butter, and a teaspoon of Cinnamon-Sugar to the core. 
• Gently bring up the pastry corners to the center, pinching at the top. (If you don't have enough dough to cover the core, don't worry about it!)
• Take a 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish and grease with shortening, and place the finished Apple Dumpling into the pan. Sprinkle these with any remaining Cinnamon-Sugar.
• In a large saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Bring this to a boil while stirring constantly, and immediately remove from heat.
• Carefully pour the sauce over the Apple Dumplings, and put this in the oven baking for 50 minutes (or until the tops turn golden brown).

I can't even begin to truly explain how much I love these dumplings… I think everyone should give these a shot because (like I said) it makes apple pie seem mundane. I'm just saying…

I also want to suggest some vanilla ice-cream, as I'm sure it would've been delicious in the center of my dumpling... (I didn't have any dammit!)

So for all of those individuals out there that are wondering what the heck to do with all your fresh picked apples - make these glorious little dumplings. They are a real honest-to-god treat that I wouldn't mind having again tonight.

Catch you all Thursday with another pre-cook post for The Clearing. (I'm going back for seconds now!)

Coconut Ladoo - The Ending Note to The Hundred-Foot Journey

I'm posting this today along with my review for The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais.

I told myself that I was going to finish every single book I've read with a little dessert in order to finalize everything on a good note. (Even if the book was dreadful.)

I found it hard to truly come up with something for this book as a dessert, and it has nothing to do with lack of recipes. It was more or less just what I thought summed up the book best. I wasn't sure if it would be a French dessert or an Indian dessert. As such, it turned out for me the ending of the book, how Hassan felt, and some of the other factors towards the end - that an Indian dessert was more suitable.
This Cocount Ladoo was something I thought went deliciously with a handcrafted tea made for me by my friend Sarah from Homegrown Herb and Tea in Portland, Maine.

She blended me a special Indian-French Tea (heavy Indian influence) that was so heavenly. Three other individuals ended up getting the same thing!

Masala Pomme Chai Tea
Made in Maine
by Homegrown Herb and Tea

I think that this was a great finish, and certainly the sweetness of this treat will help resolve any of the bitter feelings that The Hundred-Foot Journey may have left on the tip of my tongue. So without further ado I'll be giving you guys the recipe for this sweet little treat!

Coconut Ladoo

Main:

• Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 Cup)
• Shredded Coconut (1 Cup)
• Almonds (12, Chopped)
• Butter (1 Teaspoon)

Instructions

• Heat the Butter in a small frying pan, and toast the Almonds.
• Once the Almonds are toasted, set aside and add the Sweetened Condensed Milk ad Coconut.
• Mix well and cook on low until the mixture becomes sticky and resistant to stirring. (Approximately 10 minutes.)
• Turn off the burner, and add back in the Almonds mixing well.
• Roll the mixture once it's cool enough into small balls, then take the Ladoos and roll into some extra Shredded Coconut.
• Plate and Enjoy!

These little treats were simple to make, delicious, and perfect for just Ricky and myself to consume as a little snack. I thought it paired well with a rich Masala Pomme Chai Tea, and it took very little effort. (Such a bonus!)

Since I've made dessert to help stymy off the negative vibes I've got from the book, tell me: What is your go to dessert to make you feel better after a wasted effort on something dismal?