My Blue Kitchen
Saturday, December 30, 2006
the results are in...............
This is my food stylist. He is also the taste tester (along with Neil, Lily and Charlie). He Determined that the Tried and True recipe from Maine prevailed over the Cook's Illustrated version. Both were excellent. But The Maine Collection recipe was sweeter and very moist which my tasters loved.
Banana Bread (adapted from The Maine Collection A Cookbook from the Portland Museum of Art)
3 ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of sifted flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mash bananas. Blend sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Sift flour and dry ingredients. Mix together until blended. Pour into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with sugar (optional) and bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean.
¶ 2:56 PM 1 comments
This is my food stylist. He is also the taste tester (along with Neil, Lily and Charlie). He Determined that the Tried and True recipe from Maine prevailed over the Cook's Illustrated version. Both were excellent. But The Maine Collection recipe was sweeter and very moist which my tasters loved.
Banana Bread (adapted from The Maine Collection A Cookbook from the Portland Museum of Art)
3 ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of sifted flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mash bananas. Blend sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Sift flour and dry ingredients. Mix together until blended. Pour into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with sugar (optional) and bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean.
¶ 2:56 PM 1 comments
Friday, December 29, 2006
Dueling Banana Breads
We had lots of very ripe bananas so I decided to make my trusty banana bread recipe from the Portland Museum or Art Cookbook. Then decided to make another recipe from The Best Recipe- Cook's Illustrated and compare.
Lily, Charlie and Rachel mashed the bananas and cracked the eggs and filled the pans.
Stay tuned for the reviews and recipes..............
¶ 11:40 PM 3 comments
We had lots of very ripe bananas so I decided to make my trusty banana bread recipe from the Portland Museum or Art Cookbook. Then decided to make another recipe from The Best Recipe- Cook's Illustrated and compare.
Lily, Charlie and Rachel mashed the bananas and cracked the eggs and filled the pans.
Stay tuned for the reviews and recipes..............
¶ 11:40 PM 3 comments
Cocktails
This is one of my favorite cocktail recipes.
(Besides McMargarita's of coarse....but that is
Neil's. I don't know if he posts on food blogs or
not)
Mojito Cocktails
from Cuisine at Home Magazine
makes 4-6 servings
Muddle:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh mint roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Add:
1 cup white rum
STRAIN into a 4-6 10 oz Collins Glasses. Top with
Crushed ice and club soda
Garnish with:
Fresh Mint sprigs and lime slices
(muddle is to crush ingredients into a mash with a
muddling tool or a wooden spoon.) I like to use my
majic bullet but that will have to be a whole nother
post about my majic bullet.... ¶ 11:05 AM 0 comments
This is one of my favorite cocktail recipes.
(Besides McMargarita's of coarse....but that is
Neil's. I don't know if he posts on food blogs or
not)
Mojito Cocktails
from Cuisine at Home Magazine
makes 4-6 servings
Muddle:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh mint roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Add:
1 cup white rum
STRAIN into a 4-6 10 oz Collins Glasses. Top with
Crushed ice and club soda
Garnish with:
Fresh Mint sprigs and lime slices
(muddle is to crush ingredients into a mash with a
muddling tool or a wooden spoon.) I like to use my
majic bullet but that will have to be a whole nother
post about my majic bullet.... ¶ 11:05 AM 0 comments
Pizzelle Tower
Every year my Grandmother used to get together with her 2 sisters and make Italian Cookies. Last year when I was up in Maine I asked her if she had any of the recipes still. (Her sisters both died years ago) My Mom wasn't a baker and we never made any of these but she loved them. Anyway, my Grandmother gave me her Pizzelle iron and the original manual. She saves everything and it is always in perfect condition. Stapled to the manual was "Lillian's Recipe" (her sister) and their hand written notes as they adjusted the flour each year. I made them last year for the first time for my Mom. ¶ 12:45 AM 2 comments
Every year my Grandmother used to get together with her 2 sisters and make Italian Cookies. Last year when I was up in Maine I asked her if she had any of the recipes still. (Her sisters both died years ago) My Mom wasn't a baker and we never made any of these but she loved them. Anyway, my Grandmother gave me her Pizzelle iron and the original manual. She saves everything and it is always in perfect condition. Stapled to the manual was "Lillian's Recipe" (her sister) and their hand written notes as they adjusted the flour each year. I made them last year for the first time for my Mom. ¶ 12:45 AM 2 comments
Spritz Cookies
I was hanging out with LoLo last week and she mentioned wanting to get a cookie press. Well, I do love a kitchen gadget. We printed out our ACmoore coupons and went out to save some money. Lily, Charlie and Jack mixed the dough, pushed the button on the cookie press and frosted away and sprinkled away. Before long we were all covered in sprinkles and LoLo had to haul out the vaccuum. 
I never really baked much before. But this sparked the baking frenzy in me. I came home and made more batches and more batches of spritz cookies. Then...... a tower of pizzelles, macaroons, brownies from scratch and cream cheese squares. I couldn't stop. I was buying Christmas Cookie Magazines as I went through the checkout. I had lost my mind.
This will definately be a yearly tradition.
¶ 12:19 AM 1 comments
I never really baked much before. But this sparked the baking frenzy in me. I came home and made more batches and more batches of spritz cookies. Then...... a tower of pizzelles, macaroons, brownies from scratch and cream cheese squares. I couldn't stop. I was buying Christmas Cookie Magazines as I went through the checkout. I had lost my mind.
This will definately be a yearly tradition.
¶ 12:19 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
