Traditional Banana Bread

To finish out Susan's request, this is a very traditional banana bread. Banana bread smells so great when it is baking. I confess that when we have guests coming to stay, I will bake something to eat for breakfast the next morning, but my main motivation is that the house smells so homey.


1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ripe large bananas , mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
Place the nuts on a cookie sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.) Scrape batter into prepared pan and place the slices of banana on top of the batter for garnish. Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature

Banana Bread with Coconut & Pecans

I love when readers request a recipe, Susan Baca, (my cousin Kristin's lovely mother in law) asked today if I had a banana bread recipe. I actually felt bad, I in fact have two amazing recipes for Banana Bread. The first is a little less traditional, it comes from the famed Magnolia Bakery in New York City. By the way, even if you only get as far as toasting the pecans, you house will smell wonderful.

3 c. flour
1-1/2 tsp. soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. oil
1-1/2 c. sugar
3 large eggs @room temp., beaten
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 c. ripe banana, mashed
3/4 c. sour cream
1-1/2 c. toasted, coarsely chopped pecans
3/4 c. sweetened, shredded coconut

Toast pecans @350º; spread on baking sheet, 15 min., set aside.Grease/flour 10" tube pan, set aside.Keep oven on.Mix dry ing., set aside.Using med. speed, beat oil, sugar, until well blended.Add eggs, vanilla.Add bananas, sour cream.Stir in pecans, coconut.Put in pan, bake 60-70 min.Let cool 1 hour.Remove from pan.

Reminder First Ever Giveaway

Hi Readers,

Just a reminder in order to win the first ever Cooking with Jessie giveaway you must enter a comment on this post:

http://cookingwithjessie.blogspot.com/2008/01/first-ever-give-away.html

Contest ends on Sunday night at 8pm MST.

On a personal note:

I was lucky enough this evening to be asked to serve as an escort for the NFL Hall of Famers at the Super Bowl Host Committee's Big Ticket Gala. What does this mean? Well it means that I had the pleasure of escorting Larry Wilson, Cardinals Hall of Famer, on stage to accept an award. Mr. Wilson was a delite to meet & was even so polite that he introduced me to his lovely wife. As well as meeting many other NFL Greats, but I must confess the most exciting part of the evening for me was meeting Merlin Olsen, who went to Utah State, just like me & my parents. When I admited I knew nothing of his football career but I love him on Little House on the Prairie as Jonathan Garvey & that as a kid I remembered his telefloral ads, he gave me a big hug & laughed. It made my night, I even snuck to the ladies room to call my mom. :) It's the little things in life!

First Ever Give Away

Every minute the world uses one million plastic shopping bags. What can you do to help not contribute to this problem? Use a set of Your Conscience's Eco-Friendly Shoppers. You can use your stylish tote at the grocery store, the mall, the farmers market, as a beach bag or where ever you want to show off your eco friendly style. The set comes with four bags in a pouch, the pouch is perfectly sized for your glove box or purse. So are you wishing you had a set of these amazing Your Conscience Eco shoppers? Well good news! I have a few sets to give away. To enter leave a comment on this post with your email so I can contact the winner. I randomly select the winners on Sunday night at 8 pm MST & contact the winners. Good luck! Click here if you want to buy your own.

Another Treat from Magnolia:Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding is sort of a fun retro desert, but this is delicious & sure to please. This is the number 2 most popular desert at the famous bakery right behind the cupcakes.

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.

Magnolia Cupcakes

The Magnolia Bakery is a popular bakery in New York City on Bleeker Street, the bakery is so popular in fact that they are open even after the bars close to satisfy your cupcake cravings. I visited the bakery years ago with an uncle who appreciated cake. I loved it so much that I bought their cookbook. I love to make their Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes for special occasions & I am always flattered when they are called Jessie's cupcakes.

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

I am hearing more often of people who require a specialized diet for a health condition. I blogged before about a family friend who needed to follow a low sodium diet and just last week I had another friend tell me that she too needs to follow a low sodium diet. I was thrilled to find out that the Mayo Clinic offers a page on their web site of recipes tailored to fit health specific diets. The following is a soup recipe from their low sodium section.

2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cups water

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup whole-wheat (whole-meal) flour

1 1/2 cups fat-free milk

Lemon zest, to

black pepper, to taste
Directions
In a large soup pot over high heat, combine the potatoes, asparagus, onions, celery and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the butter.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and milk. Pour the mixture slowly into the soup pot, stirring constantly. Increase the heat to medium high and continue to stir until the soup thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with lemon zest and cracked black pepper to taste. Serve in warmed bowls.

As always I recommend buying some Cavender's Greek Seasoning in the Low-Sodium variety. If you have a dietary restriction & would like some recipe help please email me or leave a comment.