ATK Banana Bread

I must say, I was intrigued by a recipe for banana bread that called for pre-cooking the bananas and then cooking the resulting liquids even more. Turns out, it was a fairly tasty banana bread. Although, once I get done tarting it up, I'm not sure the mess and extra time make it THAT much better than the old Joy of Cooking base recipe I used to use. But I'm too lazy to do a side-by-side test and the extra steps give me something to boast about.

Banana Bread from America's Test Kitchen (transcribed from tv episode)

Put 5 bananas in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap and microwaved for 5 minutes. Put bananas in mesh sieve over bowl and allow to drain until needed after next step. You will need both the bananas and the liquid.

1 3/4 cp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Whisk together in large bowl. Set aside.

Put banana liquid in saucepan and cook over medium high until only 1/4 cup left. About 5 minutes (mine took a little longer.) Mash into bananas. Add in:

1 stick melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Whisk together. Add in:

3/4 cup brown sugar, mixing until dissolved.

Stir wet into dry ingredients until just mixed. 

Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts if desired. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter in. Decorate with 2 rows sliced banana (from one banana) if desired, then sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar evenly to make crust.

Bake at 350 for about an hour, turning once while cooking. Cool for 15 minutes then remove from pan.

My notes:

• Use REALLY ripe bananas for that sweet banana flavor. I take really ripe bananas and peel them, then throw in a bag in the freezer till I need them. I usually end up using some frozen, some not- just add a little more time to the initial microwaving.
• I added cinnamon (I add a dash of cinnamon to most things it seems.)
• I added about 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped dried apricots
• I didn't bother with the banana decoration, but I did sprinkle the top with raw, turbinado sugar
• I also discovered that if your brown sugar was as hard as mine, you can just microwave it until it becomes soft enough to use. I don't remember how long that takes, however.
• Be careful not to overcook. I think I did and it was drier than I like. Since I never make the same thing the same way twice, even with a recipe, there could have been other factors at work here.

Breakfast Pizza

Another easy recipe. Very good as a brunch casserole with fruit and muffins, etc. I lost my original recipe, but after some searching online, this one "seems" as close as any of them.

Breakfast Pizza

1 tube crescent rolls (8 oz?)
1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained
2 c. cheese (shredded) (I like a mix of Cheddar and Mozzarella)
3 c. frozen shredded hashbrowns
5 eggs, blended with 1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Press crescents into greased 9 x 13 pan. Evenly top with sausage, cheese, hashbrowns, egg mixture and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes.

Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Arugula

This recipe is so easy and ends up tasting so great. The amounts are easy to fudge- if you like more potatoes, add them! Serving more than two? Double the recipe. This is a satisfying winter recipe. Many thanks to Everyday Cooking for the inspiration and original recipe.



Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Arugula

Serves 2

1/2 tsp of lemon zest and about 1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp oregano (or italian seasoning, or whatever is your favorite- experiment!)
2-3 tbl butter, room temperature
1-2 tbl vegetable or olive oil
8 red potatoes (approximately) scrubbed then halved or quartered
2 chicken breast halves, bone-in, skin-on
salt and pepper
a couple handfuls of arugula (maybe 8-12 oz? it shrinks down)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix butter, lemon zest, and oregano in small bowl. Set aside. Put potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet (you need the rims to keep the juices from running off!) Drizzle some oil on potatoes and sprinkle with some salt/pepper. Toss and make sure potatoes get oiled.

Make a space in center of potatoes for chicken breasts and place chicken on pan. Using hands, smear butter mixture on chicken breasts trying to make sure to get some under skin as well. Any remaining butter can be dotted over potatoes. Salt and pepper chicken breasts,

Bake 25-30 minutes until thermometer in thickest part of chicken reads 165 degrees. Toss potatoes once during baking to help them brown on all sides.

Remove from oven when done and transfer chicken to plates. Using tongs, toss arugula with hot potatoes. Season with lemon juice and more salt pepper as necessary. Arugula will wilt from contact with hot pan and potatoes, so you can add more arugula if desired. Serve with chicken.

NOTES: I have made this many, many times since originally posting this. I have made it for 2 and for 6 by using 2 pans and the convection oven option on the oven, turning the pans and changing shelves halfway through. When making a lot, I make sure to use a thermometer. I have also experimented with using carrots, brussel sprouts, pearl onions, garlic cloves, and sweet potatoes. They are ALL delicious when roasted, but watch the brussell spouts as the cook faster than the root vegetables.

I have also tried using bacon salt and Mrs. Dash (I have Lemon Pepper and the Garlic Herb varieties on hand) along with the salt and pepper. Also, sprinkling the chicken breasts with a nice large-grain salt before cooking couldn't possibly hurt, could it?

Buttermilk Scones

I was reading The Black Oven, which led me to The Breadmaster Strikes which had a recipe for scones that is very similar to mine. Being ever so lazy, I throw all the dry powders (flour, soda, powder, etc) into a food processor with the butter and pulse a couple times to incorporate till crumbly. This recipe makes a slightly sweeter than normal scone, but being a sugar junkie, I don't seem to mind. I'm going to try their recipe anyways as variety is always welcome.

Buttermilk Scones

2 cups flour
.5 cups sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
6 Tbl butter
.5 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1.5 tsp vanilla
raisins (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix first four dry ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in wet ingredients (all remaining). Turn out onto lightly floured board or counter and knead 5 or 6 times. Pat out to circle of .75 inch thickness or so. Cut into desirable scone-like shapes (as if cutting a pie.) Place on ungreased baking sheet (I always tinfoil first for easy clean-up) and bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden brown.