Flank steak with Cuban black beans

http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/coriander-crusted-flank-steak-cuban-black-beans

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/

Cinnamon chip banana bread

Recently I had some ripe bananas that needed to be consumed asap, and I uncovered this recipe I had bookmarked long ago from Recipe Girl for cinnamon chip banana bread.  This is a delicious, sweet, banana bread, and the cinnamon chips add spice and warmth- perfect for the cooler fall weather!

Soft pretzels

We're big fans of these homemade soft pretzels from Alton Brown.  I made ours plain salted (we were taking them to the pool to eat with hummus), but the possibilities are endless- get creative with dipping sauces, or even make a sweet version with cinnamon & sugar!

Whole wheat olive oil pumpkin bread

I don't veer from my favorite pumpkin bread recipe very often, but I wanted to give this whole wheat flour and olive oil combo from Recipe Girl a try.  This bread is delicious, and using whole wheat flour takes away the guilt when my kids eat it for breakfast.  Win-win!!

WHOLE WHEAT OLIVE OIL PUMPKIN BREAD

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and spices into a medium bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs and water. Stir in dry ingredients and mix just until combined (don't over mix).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then remove loaf to a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate chip brioche pretzels

This recipe from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook was my maiden voyage making soft pretzels, and it's a trip I'll be making again and again.  These are so delicious, and all that twisting is fun!

CHOCOLATE CHIP BRIOCHE PRETZELS

Yield: 8 pretzels

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup well- chopped semi-sweet chocolate or 1 cup miniature chocolate chips

For the glaze:
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon water
Coarse or pearl sugar, for finishing

Instructions:

Whisk the milk and yeast together in a small dish until the yeast has dissolved. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together fl our, sugar, and salt. Add the beaten eggs and the yeast mixture, and mix at a low speed until the dough comes together in a shaggy pile. Raise the speed to medium, and beat for 10 minutes; the long mixing time creates the soft, stretchy strands brioche is known for. Add the butter, a third at a time, mixing the dough between additions. Now switch to the dough hook, and knead at low speed until a silky- smooth dough forms, another 5 minutes. Add the chocolate and run the machine until it is mixed into the dough.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm spot for 2 hours, until almost doubled. Alternatively, you can rest the dough in the fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours), bring back to room temperature, and let the rise complete before continuing to the next step.

Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope about 1/2 inch thick. (It should be easier to roll and stretch on an unfloured or very lightly oiled surface, but if you find yours sticking too much, lightly flour your counter before continuing).  To form the pretzels, draw the ends of a rope together to form a circle. About 2 inches from both ends, twist the rope ends together to close the circle-- a full twist, so that the rope end that started on the right side finishes there. Fold the twist down into the circle, adhering the loose ends of the rope at five and seven o'clock on the base. Repeat to make eight pretzel twists. Transfer them to prepared baking sheets, brush them with glaze, and let them rest for about 15 minutes, during which they'll puff slightly again.

To finish, brush pretzels with glaze one more time, sprinkle with pearl or coarse sugar, then bake for 12 minutes, or until puffed and lightly bronzed. Cool slightly on a rack before serving.

Poppy seed muffins

My girls requested more poppy seeds last week, so we did a quick internet search and found this simple- yet delicious- recipe for poppy seed muffins from Allrecipes.  The original recipe had an orange glaze, but we omitted it, trying to keep these in the breakfast category instead of the dessert one.  We gobbled these up in record time!

POPPY SEED MUFFINS

Yield: 6 muffins

Ingredients

1 egg

3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon white sugar

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsps poppy seeds

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Beat together the egg, sugar and vegetable oil. Add in milk, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, vanilla extract, and flour. Mix well.

Pour batter in paper or silicone muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes for The tops should be browned and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Banana bread

A few weeks ago I was looking for something creative and simple to make for our weekly Bachelor watch party, when I came across this recipe for bourbon banana bread from Smitten Kitchen.  I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I whipped it up in no time.  I made two mini loaves so I could experiment a bit- one loaf from the original recipe, and one with chocolate chips added.  Usually the addition of chocolate chips is a no-brainer, but Robert actually said he preferred the plain version.  Go figure.  Both ways are delicious, and I'm sure there are other variations that would be a hit as well!  

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup salted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, and mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Note: I made two mini-loaves versus one large, and baked them at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.  

Cheese straws

We took dinner this week to friends who have a new baby: on the menu was a repeat of chicken parmesan with pepperoni, but with the addition of these cheese straws from Ina Garten. Oh my. So simple, yet SO delicous! I mean, puff pastry paired with cheese is a no-brainer, right?!

Pumpkin scones

I was on a pumpkin kick today so I made these pumpkin scones I had bookmarked a few weeks ago on A Feast for the Eyes blog. They. are. delicious!! I used a combination of cinnamon chips and mini-chocolate chips (heavier on the cinnamon chips), and no crystallized ginger. My only mistake is that I halved the recipe - I missed these when they were gone!

P.S. I've added a 'pumpkin' label to my recipes that call for canned pumpkin. A single recipe rarely uses an entire can, so you can click on the pumpkin tag to see other options to help you finish the rest of it! Today I made a repeat of the pumpkin spice marshmallows in addition to these scones.

Pumpkin chocolate chip bread

I can't believe my favorite recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip bread hasn't made an appearance on the blog until now. My friend Kady brought a loaf of this to the office when I worked in DC, and I've been hooked ever since. I don't even want to know how many loaves of this I've made since then - it might embarrass me. Try it, you'll love it!

1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first five ingredients and mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Mix together and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

(I usually cover mine with foil for the last 10 minutes or so, to make sure the edges don't get too dark while the middle finishes baking).

Brazilian cheese bread

If you've ever eaten at Cafe Bossa Nova in Little Rock, you've probably fallen in love with their Brazilian cheese bread. I was so excited to see this recipe to recreate it, especially since it had the word "easy" in it! This is truly a simple recipe - the only complicated part might be finding the ingredients- I finally found tapioca flour at Whole Foods, and queso fresco has proven difficult to find in the past, so I substituted shredded parmiagano reggiano instead. The steps are super simple - you just combine the ingredients in a blender, pulse a few times, and pour into a mini muffin tin! Robert LOVED these and has requested they be made weekly at our house!

Cinnamon bread

Yum, another recipe to use those delicious cinnamon chips that were so hard to find! Cinnamon bread from Christy's Kitchen Creations blog. Perfect for breakfast - or dessert!

05.28.09 Banana bread

This is my favorite recipe for banana bread, and it comes from the Perfect Light Desserts cookbook. Lucy loves all bread products, so I try to have muffins or bread made at all times, particularly with fruit in them, to add to her otherwise picky diet. The key to great banana flavor is to use very ripe bananas - you know, the ones with brown spots!

Banana loaf cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 5 large, very ripe bananas)
One 9 x 5 x 3 -inch loaf pan, sprayed with vegetable cooking spray and the sprayed surface
coated with fine, dry breadcrumbs

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to break them up, then whisk in the sugar and the brown sugar. Whisk in the butter and vanilla, followed by the mashed bananas.

Sift the flour mixture over the banana mixture and thoroughly fold it in. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. (I cover mine with foil after 40 minutes to prevent the top from browning too much).

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold it and cool completely on a rack.

Storage: Keep the cake wrapped in plastic at room temperature after it has cooled. For longer storage, double wrap and freeze for up to a month.

12.21.08 Chili and cheddar biscuits

Dinner tonight is Jamie's Chili from the Food Network. This is from Jamie Deen, Paula's son, and is my favorite chili recipe of all time. I know there are lots of variations on chili, but this has a little bit of everything and makes a HUGE pot. I'm serving it with cheddar-bacon drop biscuits from Cooking Light.