Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread

I know June isn't synonymous with banana bread but, as I reached to grab some sherbet from the freezer last night, several bananas-on-ice stared back at me, asking, "When are you going to use us up?"

Well, fine: ask and ye shall receive.

I've baked this recipe before, with fantastic results, but I wanted to play around a tiny bit. Cinnamon and walnuts (toasted to enhance the flavor) are a lovely addition, but there's no reason you couldn't play more. If I'd had pecans on hand, I would have used them. What about swapping the cinnamon and walnuts out for cardamom and pistachios? Mmmm, that would be tasty.

As it is, though, I'm very happy with my Cinnamon Walnut Banana loaf. I can hear the bananas calling again: "Don't you think it's time for another slice?"

Why, yes. Yes, I do.

Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup smashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/3 cup fat free milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Lightly grease 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch pan and dust with flour.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick and light, about 5 minutes. Mix in smashed bananas, milk, oil and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon over mixture and mix until just blended. Stir in nuts.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until golden brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto rack and cool.

Southern Biscuits

Life is so much busier than it used to be. I apologize if this comes across as whining -- I don't mean it to, I'm just trying to re-adjust.

My working at Geneseo as Web Communications Manager is the first time in almost a decade that I've had a 9 to 5 job (well, 8 to 4:15). It's certainly the first time since I got married that I've had a job like this -- which is a big change.

Then again, it's always about big changes, right? I went from living in NYC being single, to living in rural Upstate NY, married with two little kids -- insta-family. It was my choice, and I would do it again -- but it was a big change.

And from the moment I moved Upstate, Shane had the full-time jobs and I picked up things here and there: freelance writing, adjunct teaching, even a short stint as office support in a church, which added a bit of income to our bank account. Lots of times, I worked multiple jobs at once, but the money was never hot and the benefits were non-existant, as was the professional pride & respect. It's no fun to give your work 110% and have the powers that be shrug in response. Nor is it fun to keep asking yourself, "Why am I wasting the time and money it took to get a master's degree on this stuff?"

But it was flexible, so I could get the kids to & from school, cook, get laundry done, go to the gym, blah, blah, blah, fishcakes.

But the pay was low. But it was flexible. But there were no benefits. But it was flexible. But I wanted more.

And somehow, the stars aligned and got the job I have now: Good pay! Fantastic benefits! Growth potential! Professional pride & respect from colleagues! (Well, maybe I'm deluding myself with the respect but I'm going roll with that delusion. )

But, not as much flexibility as I used to have. More flexible, I think, than most jobs but not as much as I used to have.

The reason I write this is that I just don't have the same kind of time to do non-work stuff anymore. And we -- my husband and kids -- don't have the time together the way did before. (Shane's job had ramped up its responsibilities as well.)

This isn't a situation unique to me or us: it's a work-life balance equation, and people all over the world struggle with it. (Though it appears that some countries are more supportive of working people and working families than my country is, which is a shame.)

The point of all this is I am increasingly vigilant for opportunities to spend time with my husband, with my kids, with my husband and my kids. Fortunately, cooking is a pretty decent way to accomplish this (and teach Kian & Sadie a few things along the way).

I've put an increased emphasis on "Sunday Dinner" -- a sit-down-at-the-kitchen-table-for-a-little-fancier-than-usual-meal, dedicated to the food on our plates and to each other. (Tonight, is lasagna, some homemade brown bread I'd frozen and probably a salad. Nothing overly fancy but a step up from the weeknight stuff.)

So two Sundays ago (the kids alternate their weekends between here and their mom's house) I made .... something I don't remember, but I do know we made buttermilk biscuits from scratch to go with it.

Both Kian and Sadie love biscuits, but especially Kian, and when I know the kids are crazy about something, I usually persuade them into making it with me. ("Do you want biscuits?" "Yes!" "Do you want to help make them?" "No." "You can't eat any if you don't help make them." "OK, fine, I'll make them.")

Initial resistance always strikes me as funny because they always get *really* into it -- who gets to add what ingredient, how many turns someone has had stirring, who gets to cut the dough, etc., etc., etc. Joyful screaming usually comes into play, too.

So we made and ate biscuits at dinner. It was great.

And then we were all onto the next thing.


Southern Biscuits (recipe from Alton Brown)

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. (We used a drinking glass -- LR) Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that's life.)

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

Black Raspberry Muffins

Guess what? This is post #501. What a long, strange trip it's been...


"If I were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one food," said Sadie, "it would be these muffins."

You will have to make them yourself to see if you agree.

Black Raspberry Muffins (adapted from Cook's Illustrated, via The Bitten Word)

2 cups fresh black raspberries, washed and picked over
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar, and another 1 tsp. sugar, separated
2 large eggs
4 Tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¼ cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup whole milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
More sugar for sprinkling (I used vanilla sugar)

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425-degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with muffin liners, and lightly oil the top of the pan with oil.

Bring 1 cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk remaining 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar together with the eggs in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not over mix.)

Use an ice cream scoop, large spoon or 1/3 cup dry measuring cup to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle additional sugar evenly over muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

(Low-Fat) Banana Bread

I can't believe that the tastiest banana bread I've had in a long, long time -- possibly ever -- is low in fat.

But it is. It's moist, it's sweet, it's packed with banana flavor. It's wonderful!

Low-Fat Banana Bread (adapted)

2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup smashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/3 cup fat free milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Lightly grease 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch pan and dust with flour.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick and light, about 5 minutes. Mix in smashed bananas, milk, oil and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt over mixture and mix until just blended.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until golden brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto rack and cool.

Orange Scones with Rhubarb and Cherries

Last week's CSA share contained four large stalks of rhubarb. I wanted to use them, but not in a pie, crumble or bar. So I adapted a recipe for moist scone, mixing the rhubarb with orange and cherries.

The main flavor in the resulting scone is orange, but the rhubarb gives each bite a little tang and the cherries add a touch of sweetness.

They were delicious -- Shane ate six of them in one day.


Orange Scones with Rhubarb and Cherries

2/3 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 c. sugar
2 1/2 tsps. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. fresh orange zest
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups finely chopped rhubarb (about two large stalks)
1/3 cup dried cherries
Cooking spray


Combine milk, vanilla and egg; place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425-degrees F.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk mixture, and pulse until just until moist. Add rhubarb and cherries and mix by hand thoroughly.

Turn the dough out onto parchment lined baking sheet and, with floured hands, pat dough into an 8-inch circle (dough will be very sticky). Cut dough into 8 wedges but do not separate. Bake for 20 minutes or until browned. Serve warm.

Serves 8.

Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread

When it comes to pumpkin desserts, they have to be well spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and/or clove for me to be over-the-moon for them. (I fell in love with masala chai at first sip because it reminded me of pumpkin pie.)

So when pumpkin desserts fit this bill, there are few foods that will make me happier (see Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars, Pescatore's Pie, Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Cream Frosting). And when they're not, it's a tiny disappointment.

This pumpkin bread, though moist, flavorful, and lightly sweet, just isn't spicy enough for me. Tasty but not swoon-worthy. But for those who like a more mellow and fall-inspired quick bread (and they're out there), this recipe should fit the bill nicely.

Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread (from Southern Living via My Recipes)

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
2/3 cup water
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)


Beat together all the ingredients-- except the pecans -- at medium speed with an electric mixer just combined. Fold in pecans. Spoon evenly into 2 greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loafpans OR 1 bundt pan.

Bake at 350-degrees F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (if baking in a bundt, this may take longer). Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Cardamom Banana Bread

As long as I've known Shane (coming up on six years), he's wanted to go on a camping trip.

My idea of camping is staying at a hotel that doesn't leave a mint on the pillow. (HEY-O! I'll be here all week!)

So we've never been. Oh, Shane has tossed out the idea of buying a tent, snuggling in sleeping bags and finding a wild spot near a waterfall -- but it's never come to anything. And, I certainly did nothing to encourage it.

Until this year -- sort of. Last week, we headed down to the Hayowentha cabin in Onanda Park, a former YMCA camp turned public park on the shores of Canandaigua lake. (I made sure to get the only cabin with an indoor bathroom.) We cooked on a grill outside, or used the propane fueled Coleman stove Shane bought for the occasion.

Just before we left, though, I used some nearly over-ripe bananas to bake up loaf a Cardamom Banana bread. I increased the amount of ground cardamom (to one teaspoon) but still couldn't detect it in the final product (sigh). Still, the bread was delicious: it had a fresh banana flavor that I haven't tasted in banana breads before and it was wonderfully moist. The bread was a wonderful quick breakfast or afternoon snack at the camp ground.

Cardamom Banana Bread (adapted)

2 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (or more)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees and coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place sugars and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, sour cream, and cardamom; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in pistachios. Spoon batter into loaf pan and bake for an hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool bread completely on wire rack.

Strawberry Rhubarb Marvelous Muffins

I picked up a copy of Joan Donogh's recipe for rhubarb muffins with a bunch of rhubarb at the Canandaigua Farmers' Market. I'd also picked up some strawberries so, with a couple of minor changes (can you guess the biggest one?) these became strawberry rhubarb muffins.

Extremely moist and flavorful, these muffins have a sweet brown sugar-cinnamon topping and mildly vanilla flavored base studded with fresh bits of rhubarb and strawberry. If you'd like more of a rhubarb bite, increase the rhubarb and decrease the strawberries, as long the total amount of vegetable/fruit comes to 2 cups -- or just use Joan's original recipe! (I've got some rhubarb left over, and I'm thinking that's just what I'll do.)



Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins (adapted from Now... You're Cooking!)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped rhubarb
1 cup chopped strawberries

Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. In another bowl, beat the egg, stir in butter, buttermilk and vanilla.

Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the egg mixture all at once. Stir until just blended. Fold in strawberries and rhubarb. Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin tins.

For the topping, combine sugar, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle a spoonful of topping over each muffin and bake 20 to 25 minutes.

About the NYT's Irish Soda Bread

My great-grandmother, Margaret Mulligan née Cummins, emigrated from Ireland when (as family lore has it) she was 14. She left her parents, never to see them again, crossed the Atlantic, went through Ellis Island and resided with some not-so-nice family members in New York. She got married to an Irishman in New York who --yes-- owned a bar, drank like a fish, and ran around on her. They had five children before he up and left all of them, leaving my great-grandmother the burden of it all.

Really, it was enough to make anyone bitter, but that just wasn't in Grammie. By the time I came around, she was 86 and the nicest person on the planet. Perhaps she worried from time to time, but she was always kind, sweet and gentle.

Aside from the fuzzy memories I have to remember her by (she died when I was nine) I have her recipe for Irish soda bread. I am not exaggerating when I say it is the most fantastic Irish soda bread in existence. It does not go stale because it is gobbled up too quickly.

But for whatever reason, I'm not really ready to share the recipe -- or as i think of it, family secret. I have given it to one or two people in the past, which I regret. I'm not entirely sure why I'm so attached to it, or why I want to guard so much, but I do and until that changes, I'm going to honor that.

Having said all this, the NYT this week published a recipe for Irish soda bread and, though not exact, it's close to my great-grandmother's recipe (her's is simpler). Both recipes yield something much closer to a cake or quick bread than traditional bread. Plus, as the article points out, "any soda bread [the author has] tasted has been from within the five boroughs of New York," so it's entirely possible that Grammie got the recipe from a newspaper clipping or magazine article. Maybe it didn't sail over the Atlantic with her but still, I am fiercely protective of it.

So if you're looking for a recipe, give the NYT's a try, but know that it's not what my grandmother would have baked. For that, you'll have to visit me in person so I can hand you a slice of the good stuff.

Bring some quality Irish tea.


NYT's recipe for Irish Soda bread

Butter for greasing pan plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups raisins or currants
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and line with parchment or waxed paper.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the raisins or currants and caraway seeds.

Pour batter into skillet. Brush top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and firm to touch, about 1 hour.

Yield: 1 10-inch loaf.

Bittman's Quick Bread

The last time Mark Bittman published a bread recipe, there was a largely positive response from the food blogging community. So, when a new recipe for whole wheat and molasses quick bread appeared in the NYT yesterday, I thought I'd take a crack at it.

Unlike most quick breads, this is a savory loaf. Extolling their virtures, Bittman writes, "savory breads that can anchor a hearty vegetarian dinner or serve as a side dish at a more conventional meal. " Extremely easy to pull together, the recipe produces a very pretty finished product. It's a hearty and dense loaf with a lovely rich color and a scant sweet smell from the molasses.

But I'm not the biggest fan of whole wheat bread, so I'm not crazy about it. I toyed with adding raisins -- which would make things sweeter -- but didn't, and I regret that. That's not to say it isn't a good recipe; clearly, the recipe uses good ingredients and yields a quality loaf. If you're a whole wheat fan, I'm sure this will float your boat. But it's not my thing.

Quick Whole Wheat and Molasses Bread

Oil or butter for greasing pan

1 2/3 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt, or 11/2 cups milk and 2 tablespoons white vinegar (see note, below)

2 1/2 cups (about 12 ounces) whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup molasses.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-by-4-inch or 9-by 5-inch loaf pan, preferably nonstick. [I greased the pan, then dusted it with whole wheat flour--LR]

If using buttermilk or yogurt, ignore this step. Make soured milk: warm milk gently — 1 minute in the microwave is sufficient, just enough to take the chill off — and add vinegar. Set aside.

Mix together dry ingredients. Stir molasses into buttermilk, yogurt or soured milk. Stir liquid into dry ingredients (just enough to combine) then pour into loaf pan.

Bake until firm and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Yield: 1 loaf.

World Bread Day: End of the Season Zucchini Bread

This is Carolyn's recipe, which I had the fortune to taste when her daughter, Kathryn, recently made it. It was delicious - sweet, spicy, packed with flavor.

Mine isn't as flavorful, and I think it's because I forgot to put in the vanilla. (Yeah. Oops.) It's still very good, just not as delicious as Carolyn and Kathryn's. Still, it speaks volumes about the recipe -- if you can leave out a key ingredient and still have a pretty good result, the recipe has to be a good one.

The yield is a little odd. In addition to a 9-inch loaf, I was also able to get 13 very full miniature muffins. Not bad if you want to give the loaf away as a gift, but still be able to nibble on your handiwork.

Thanks to Kochtopf for hosting World Bread Day!

End of the Season Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
1 c. oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat over to 325-degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch bread pan (and, if you'd like to use the extra batter, line the cups of 13 mini muffin cups).

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add in all the other ingredients, except the nuts, and mix until just combined. Fold in nuts. Scoop batter into pans and bake mini muffins for approximately 18 minutes; the loaf for 80 to 90 minutes.

Grade: Carolyn's, A; Mine, B+

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread, left (with zucchini bread and a coconut doughnut).

This lovely recipe for pumpkin bread is slightly adapted from Elise's at Simply Recipes. It's very moist and lightly spiced -- a nice option for widely divergent palates. Kian and Sadie especially liked it.

Note that the oil used is not one usually used in quick breads: olive oil.

Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F and grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Stir together flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, until just combined. If using walnuts, gently fold in. Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack. Makes one loaf.

Grade: A-


Don't forget to suggest a theme for Retro Recipe Challenge #3!

Zucchini Parmesan Bread

Last night, I dreamt of zucchini.

I'm trying not to focus on a Freudian interpretation of that, hoping instead that my subconscious was just thinking about this Zucchini Parmesan bread.

I pulled this together last Friday in an attempt to use up some farmers' market items before we left for NY. It's based on this recipe, but I went off the map and changed it quite a bit. (Incidentally, when one modifies a recipe, when does it stop being an adaptation and becomes one's own invention?)

This is a very moist and thin bread -- in fact, I hesitate to use the word bread because it is so moist, but I'm hard pressed to think of another word that fits better.

It's also delicious: the zucchini provides heft and moisture but really, it's the fresh basil and parmesan that shine here. We devoured it in one sitting, fighting over the last piece. It reminds me of something I could have eaten at my Italian grandmother's table.


Zucchini Parmesan Bread

1/2 cup Bisquick
1 tbsp fresh basil, cut in a chiffonade
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp oregano (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

Combine all ingredients except zucchini and parmesan, and mix well. Add zucchini and parm, stiring to combine. Pour mixture into pan and bake until set, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and cut into pie wedges. Serve hot or cold. Yields 8 slices.

Grade: A

Ham and Cheddar Scones

I am on to you, Kim Rizk. I am all over your scheme like white on rice. You put a bunch of mouth-watering, down home recipes in your folksy little cookbook, and get everybody all charmed and relaxed. "Awww," they think. "This is just like being at the Hay Day Country Market! And now I can recreate those charming breads in my very own home. I won’t even have to go there anymore!"

But then, in the confines of the home kitchen, something goes horribly awry. Rizk – culinary evil genius – has left out a key detail, meaning that the recipe will, in some way, be screwed up.

The unsupsecting chef -- crestfallen -- is then forced to go to the Hay Day market and buy what s/he tried to make at home.

Evidence? A non-snappy lemon snap. Fantastic bread thrown off by a bit too much salt. And now, instructions to place scone dough -- filled with cheese -- on an ungreased baking sheet. Sticking ensues.

Brilliant, Rizk. But since the Hay Day has been long swallowed up by Balducci's, all your subterfuge is for naught. Crime doesn’t pay, baby.

About the scones: the flavor, as usual, is delicious. The texture is moister and more dense than a traditional scone, thanks to the ham and cheese. Its crumb is tender. As for taste, the ham and cheddar take center stage, complimenting each other nicely. Then, at the end of your bite, there’s a subtle cayenne kick. It’s good stuff.

I made these to accompany dinner, but they’d make a very nice breakfast as well. (In fact, were my breakfast.)

Sticking to the baking sheet, however, is unacceptable.

So damn you, Kim Rizk. Damn you to hell.

Ham and Cheddar Scones

2 cups flour
2 tsp. Sugar
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. cayenne
6 Tbsp, unsalted butter, chilled
3 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz. baked ham, diced
1 egg
Scant 2/3 c. milk plus 2 Tbsp. more for glaze

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cayenne together in a large bowl or food processor. Cut ht butter into several pieces and add them to the dry ingredient. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives or the food processor*, work in the butter until the bits are no larger than small grains of rice. Transfer to a large bowl*, add the cheese and ham and toss, separating any clumps of cheese that form.

Whisk the egg and 2/3 cup milk together in a small bowl and add to the dry ingredients. Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened and a soft dough forms (the dough should be slightly tacky and crumbly). With lightly floured hands, gather the dough together. Using the palm of you hand, press it out onto a parchment lined baking sheet** to form an 8 inch round.

For crisp edges, use a long, sharp knife to divine the round into 8 pieces and pull the edges apart. For tender edges, leave the round intact and simply score the division with the knife. Brush with 2 tbsp milk and bake until lightly browned and nearly doubled in size, 18-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp.

*I mixed everything in my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. -– LR
**Make sure you don’t follow the cookbook directions – as I did – and just slap the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet or piece of aluminum foil. --LR

Grade: A

Paula Deen's Peanut Butter Bread

Oh, Paula.

We started off so well, and now... this.

Your recipe is so simple. It seems so wonderful, so comforting: a quick bread featuring peanut butter, a childhood favorite.

But this; this is "eh." Ok, warm out of the oven, smeared with jam or a bit of honey butter, yes, I had two pieces. But the next morning? Boring. Dull. Uninspiring.

Paula, honey – I threw the rest of the loaf out. (It landed with a heavy thud in the trash bin.)

I don’t want to fight again, Paula. I’ve been thinking about those gooey butter cakes you make – and you raaaaaaave about them – and I hope they really are good.

Because this isn’t. And I know you – no, we -- can do better.

Paula Deen’s Peanut Butter Bread

2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ c. milk
½ c. peanut butter.

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Grease a 8x4x3-inch loaf pan. Combine dry ingredients, then stir in milk and peanut butter. Pour batter into pan and bake for approx. 50 minutes.

Grade: C

Spicy Banana Bread

In the pan and on the plate.

Spicy Banana Bread
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Soften butter to room temperature. Sift flour with baking soda, salt and spices. Cream butter and gradually add sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with mashed bananas and orange juice, stirring only to blend. Fold in nuts and vanilla. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake one hour. Let cool 30 mins. in pan.

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When Carolyn, my oldest friend, told me she had a recipe for "Spicy Banana Bread," I thought it might be another example of fusion desserts. Like wasabi infused chocolate, or chipotle spiked ice cream, I expected a heavy dose of chili pepper.

Yeah...I was wrong.

This quick bread is spicy, but not in a pepper or mustard way. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are deepen the bread’s flavor, complementing the gentle sweetness of the banana and sugar. I'm a real spice fan, so next time I'll increase the amount of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and see how things turn out.

Carolyn also suggested using older bananas, and she’s absolutely right. Don’t make this banana bread, or any other, with those barely ripe bananas you get at the store. Wait until they’ve got lots of brown freckles on them – that’s when they’re sweetest. In fact, a banana that’s too brown to eat straight (simply from an aesthetic perspective) is perfect for banana bread. But if you’ve only got one too-brown banana, just toss it in the freezer. The peel will get very dark but the banana inside will be fine. When you’re ready to make bread, just pop the banana out of the deep freeze and thaw.

Making the batter was simple – smooth sailing all the way. Baking it up was a little different. I was worried my oven was still running too hot, so I took a peek after 45 minutes. The bread looked done but the toothpick test revealed a batter-y inside. Uh-oh. I reduced the temperature to 330-degrees and baked for another 10 minutes. No darker but a bit less wet. Then, I moved the temperature back to 350 and baked for another 16 minutes. Done! This time, the bread was cooked throughout and perfectly browned with a nice centered peak. (Plus, the house was filled with the spicy scent of baked goods.) Lesson learned: the oven’s thermostat has been recalibrated – no need to bake at a lower temp.

Very tasty, and the flavors seem to intensify as the bread cools. A great accompaniment to a well-brewed cup of tea. I can't wait to toast a slice and smear it with butter.

Grade: A

Tags:cooking, baking, banana bread, recipe, dessert, spicy banana bread, snack