I wanted to try something a little different but was not sure where I wanted to go with this banana bread.  After reading about a recent banana bread experience over at Bakers’ Banter, I thought I would take a look at the King Arthur Flour banana bread recipe.  Using that for inspiration, I decided to wing it from there with my secondary inspiration being my fridge and pantry.  In 13 days I am moving to East Tennessee so packing, cleaning and trashing are in my very near future.  Time to clear out the pantry!  This recipes should actually list the ingredients as “whatever is left in the honey jar”  but I have included estimates for your convenience.  I highly recommend putting your own twist on it and tossing in what ever is hanging around in your pantry.

Clean Out Your Pantry Banana Bread

The Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, at cool  room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 medium mashed ripe bananas (about 14 – 15 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons  apricot preserves
• 1 Tbs honey
• 3 Tbs Maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups Flour, all-purpose
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup sugar

The Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Mix the peanut butter and granulated sugar together and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt,  and mix till smooth.
3. Add the mashed bananas, jam, honey, maple syrup and eggs, and mix until smooth.
4. Add the flour and mix stirring just until smooth.
5. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips until evenly combined.  Very gently stir in 1 Tbs of the peanut butter and sugar mixture until it is distributed in the dough until they are only small pieces, about half the size of a pea.
6. Spoon the 2/3 of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it level.  Take the remaining peanut butter mixture about a 1/2 teaspoon at a time and squish it flat in between your fingers.  Lay the flat pieces on top of the mixture, side-by-side, creating a long strip of peanut butter in the middle of the loaf.  Top with the remaining 1/3 of the batter and smooth the top.
7. Bake the bread for 45 minutes, then gently lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over-browning.
8. Bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean, with at most a few wet crumbs clinging to it.
9. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove it from the pan, and cool it completely on a rack.

Inspired by King Arthur Flour Banana Bread.

More recipes available in my recipe archive.

I did enjoy this remix. It tastes nothing like the classic, but it is still very tasty. It makes for a very filling breakfast and you know you are getting in some fruit for the day. Sadly, the picky eater of the family has been out of town for the last month so I did not get his feedback. This would probably be something that would work for kids too. I mean, how often do you get to eat bright pink foods?

Thanks to Danielle and Robin for hosting this and check out their blog for the round-up.

Enjoy!

Grilled Cream Cheese Sandwich

The recipe for the Grilled Cream Cheese Sandwich is very simple and starts with your favorite version of Banana Bread. I used the bread that I recently blogged about, my Better Banana Bread.

Ingredients

• 2 slices Banana Bread
• 2 Tbs. Cream Cheese
• 1 Tbs. Sugar
• 2 tsp. Butter

The Steps

1. Take two slices of your favorite banana bread and lightly butter the outsides.
2. In a bowl, mix together 2 Tbs cream cheese with 1 Tbs sugar.
3. Spread the cream cheese mixture between the two slices of the banana bread.
4. Grill the cream cheese sandwich in a saute pan over medium heat.
5. Remove from the pan when the outsides are slightly crisp and the cream cheese starts to melt.

Strawberry Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Strawberries; green topped removed
• 2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

The Steps

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until soup consistency. If you wish for an even smoother texture, add water 1/4 cup at a time.

And don’t forget to check out my recipe archive for all past recipes!

Many of my readers may know that I use to have a blog solely dedicated to food. But as my last year in law school has been coming to a close, I find that I have had less and less time to blog. So I decided to turn that blog into my recipes archive and then add food to this blog. So welcome to my inaugural food post on my revamped blog!

I reason that I have titled this food category as “Food That Makes You Happy” is because these cookies are definitely NOT healthy. And while I don’t think that food can “make” you happy, I hope you understand my intent in such categorizing. Food like this brings a smile to your face.

But even more important, food like this brings a smile to someone else’s face. The reason that I made these cookies is because the Husband is leaving for a month long work trip to the Netherlands. He loves chocolate! While I was running some errands, he watched “America’s Test Kitchen.” Yes, I have him hooked on cooking shows. On the episode he watched today, they made Triple-Chocolate Cookies. He started drooling over them and I thought that I have everything I would need to make them. I ended up being wrong, which is why this is called Quadruple Chocolate Cookies instead of just Triple Chocolate Cookies.

I have also decided to include these cookies into Sugar High Friday#41. The theme is Sweet Gifts and is being hosted by Habeas Brulee. I had always enjoyed participating in round-ups when the food blog was up and running that I hope I can continue that participation here.

Before getting to the recipe, I also want to mention that the Husband called these a “repeat recipe.” Since I very rarely repeat a recipe, he always has to single out the recipes that he would like to eat again. They are usually all desserts.

Without further ado…

Quadruple Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 20 cookies

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, divided
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs , at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chips)

1. Melt unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips and butter in heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, stirring frequently, until completely smooth and glossy. Remove bowl from pan and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Stir coffee powder and vanilla extract together in small bowl until dissolved. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla-coffee mixture and beat until incorporated, 20 seconds. Reduce speed to low, add chocolate mixture, and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Using large rubber spatula, fold flour mixture and semisweet chocolate and remaining 1 cup milk chocolate chips into batter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes until batter firms up (it will more closely resemble thick brownie batter than cookie dough).
4. Meanwhile, adjust two oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 heaping tablespoon batter per cookie, place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets (see photo, right). Bake until cookies are shiny and cracked on top, 11 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time. Transfer baking sheets to racks and cool cookies completely, on baking sheets, before serving.

Don’t forget: all past recipes and new recipes are also posted on my recipe archive page!

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, add the flour, flaxseed, salt and yeast and process for about 5 seconds for it to mix.
2. While running, add honey, butter, dry milk, brown sugar and then the water. You might not need all the water, you might need more. You should have a nice, well-defined, not too sticky ball. If it is too dry, add a bit more water and process for 5 or so seconds.
3. Grease a large bowl with butter or oil. Knead the bread and then shape into a ball and place into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a wet paper towel and allow dough to rise for at least 2 hours until it has almost doubled.
4. Deflate the ball, shape it again and then let it rest on a lightly floured surface for 15 minues, covered.
5. Shape the dough into a rectangle, then shaped it into the loaf by folding the two long sides towards each other, then pinching them together, flip it over and tuck the short end down. Pat the bread down into a buttered or oiled 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Cover and let it rise for about an hour, until it almost level with the top of the pan.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F. Brush the top of the bread with some water and place it in the oven for about 45 minutes. You know it is done when the bottom makes a hollow sound when you tap on it, or it reaches 200 F internally.
7. Remove from pan and place on wire rack. Wait until it cools before you slice it!

Ingedients:

• Your choice of tortillas, shredded cheese and salsa (but I recommend the pineapple-mango)
• 1.25 – 1.50 lbs of boneless, skinless, thinly sliced chicken breasts.
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (I only had from concentrate and it worked just fine)
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F
2. Slice the chicken into strips
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl with a lid to make the marinade(except the the first group of items).
4. Add the chicken strips to the bowl and marinate in the chicken in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.
5. Pour out a bit of the marinade into a skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
6. Place torillas on a greased cookie sheet and place in oven for about 5 – 7 minutes until warm, but not crispy.
7. While the tortillas are heating up, add marinated chicken to the hot skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side. This is if you have the thin-sliced breasts. If you have the normal chicken breasts, they take longer too cook through.
8. Finally, add them all together! Tortilla>Chicken>Shredded Cheese>Salsa!

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 – 2 garlic cloves (depending on how garlicy you like it), minced
• 1 7.25 oz jar of sun-dried red peppers
• 1 cup milk (I only use skim, but it’s your preference)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 – 2 tsp sea salt (once again, based on your personal tastes)
• 1 family size can of tomato soup (or make yours from scratch)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp honey

Directions

1. Place the olive oil in a sauce pot and once it it heated, add the garlic to saute.
2. While the oil is heating, place the peppers, milk, cayenne pepper and salt into a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Once the garlic has sauteed, add the can of tomato soup, then the red pepper mix and stir. Add bay leaves.
4. Heat on medium low heat for 7 – 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove bay leaves and stir in honey.
6. Serve hot, preferably with a nice sharp cheddar and muenster grilled cheese!

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups plain M&Ms (or chocolate chips)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Finally, mix in the M&Ms. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Remove from baking sheet to cool on wire racks.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar & 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup crushed pineapple (drain out the juice)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sweetened coconut
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and eggs one at a time. Beat in pineapple Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Remove from baking sheet to cool on wire racks