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Classic zucchini bread - one of the recipes that is splattered, tattered and torn.
ZUCCHINI BREAD
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cup sugar
1 cup oil
3 tsp vanilla
2 cup shredded zucchini
3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1 cup nuts, optional
Mix all ingredients. Put in two bread pans. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes.
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Nothing better with a chill in the air than waking up to coffee cake...this one is dense, moist and not-too-sweet. Perfect for a weekend morning with a cup of coffee and newspaper.
Doesn't it look pretty? The confession: the rest of the cake did not want to leave the bundt pan in a proper fashion. It was slightly mangled and disheveled but did not deter my family from consuming. The pecans are partially the key to not having the gooey sugar stick to the pan (I omitted due to family preference) and removing from bundt pan in timely manner.
SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE
1 cup butter (room temperature)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
Topping / filling:
2 cups chopped pecans
8 T dark brown sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
Grease bundt or tube pan. Mix topping ingredients together.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add vanilla. Mix or sift together salt, soda, and flour. Alternating, add flour mixture and sour cream. Sprinkle small amount of topping ingredients on bottom of pan; add half of batter. Sprinkle more topping and add remaining batter. End with a sprinkling of topping.
Bake at 300 degrees for ~ 1 1/2 hours. Allow to cool slightly (10 minutes) and remove from pan.
Chocolate and bananas are - to me - a match made in heaven. My family loves banana bread so how could they not love it with the double addition of chocolate? The kitchen was filled with glorious scents, the loaf was cooled just enough, my boys came home from school and refused to even eat a slice. To them, it was simply awful to add chocolate to banana bread and I was crazy to even think it would be good, let alone delicious.
Well, I had to slice into to take the picture so of course I tried the loaf. It is fantastic. So, I begged for them to just give it a try. Nope. Not happening. Clearly I did not need nor want to consume the entire loaf and in a fit of frustration sent a text to a friend that my delicious double chocolate banana bread was going into the trash. The family was willing to rescue the loaf.
I am happy to report they agreed with my assessment - it's a really good combination.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD
Recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour.
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 T Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 cup unsalted, softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)
1/2 cup cold sour cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips - regular or mini-sized
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; lightly grease 9" x 5" loaf pan. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa. In separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in egg; then stir in vanilla, banana and sour cream. Gently mix in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips until well incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. When finished allow to rest in pan 10 minutes. Turn the bread out onto a rack to cool completely.
We love this soup. It is a departure from The Grands' recipes but it was a wonderful addition to our beer-themed dinner. I highly suggest the beer is the first liquid added after the kielbasa, onions and garlic have been simmering. The smell is heavenly. Do not rush the simmering process, at least one hour is needed for this soup to truly have all of the flavors come together. Thank you, Emeril.
Beer bread. Incredibly simple, incredibly delicious. One son said the bread (slathered with butter and drizzled with honey) is a top three recipe thus far of Jana Vee & Marjorie.
Your choice of beer will impact both recipes - experiment with what you like best. In sticking with the theme, Leinenkugels Oktoberfest was used for both of recipes.
Cheers!
BEER CHEESE SOUP (Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse's Potluck cookbook) Modifications in (italics)
1/2 lb kielbasa sausage, finely chopped
3 T olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 onion chopped)
1 tsp salt ( 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
3 T minced garlic (~ 3-4 cloves)
1/2 cup flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups lager beer, preferably amber
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (1/2 tsp dried)
3 cups grated Cheddar cheese - 12 oz.
Cook kielbasa in the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over high heat until golden brown, 5 - 6 minutes. Add the onions, salt, black pepper, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, until the onions are slightly caramelized, 12-15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the stock and the beer. Add the thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Add the cheese, a little at a time, stirring until nearly melted after each addition. Remove from the heat, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Ladle into soup bowls.
BEER BREAD
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
12 oz. beer
2 T melted butter
In bowl, combine the flour, sugar and beer. Mix well - but do not over mix. It will be sticky. Pour into buttered loaf pan and bake at 375 for 55 minutes. During last few minutes, brush with the butter and return to oven.
My husband loves the end pieces of any loaf. I cut into this one, saved the end for him and moved on to other projects. We crossed paths in the house and I mentioned the saved end piece. "Oh, I know - I already ate it and about 5 more slices. That stuff is good."
POPPYSEED BREAD OR COFFEE CAKE
1 box butter pecan cake mix
1 (3 oz) box vanilla pudding
2 eggs
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup poppy seed
Mix ingredients together with mixer. Bake in two greased and flour loaf pans for 40-45 minutes [at 350]. Turn loaves out of pans to cool completely.
A special side note in recipe: Spread slices with pineapple cream cheese if desired.
Banana Bread. The recipe that launched Jana Vee and Marjorie. Every time I bake the bread, every time I eat bite or watch my family enjoy a loaf, memories of my grandmothers come flooding back.
While eating a slice (years ago) at one house, I commented on how much I loved the banana bread. It was simply the best. My grandma laughed, "Honey, that's your other grandma's recipe." Ah, of course the recipes between two friends were exchanged.
Enjoy.
Cooking time: 1 hour
3 ripe or overripe bananas (4 if small)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts, if desired (a note on the recipe card from one grandmother to the other: the original recipe doesn't call for them but I usually add)
Mash bananas with fork. Stir in other ingredients. Pour into well greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour at 325 in preheated oven. Remove from pan to cool.