Episode 11: Banana Bread

When I tell you this banana bread is award winning, it is not a lie. My mother has ribbons and awards from winning at the state fair two years in a row (those were the only years she submitted her bread, but I am sure if she kept up with it then she would have won more). Since we are here let's get to it.

BANANA BREAD

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened or melted and cooled
• 2 eggs
• 3 overly ripe bananas
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large sized bowl combine cream together the sugar and butter. Add in the eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix. Put to the side

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, powder, soda, and salt. Slowly add to the butter mix and combine till fully incorporated. Peel the bananas and break them into pieces. Add to the batter and mix together using a hand mixer or stand mixer until completely broken down. 

Grease loaf pans and add batter halfway to each pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25-28 minutes or until skewer comes out clean and bread is a golden brown. Remove from oven but do not let cool. Instead immediately turn bread out on to prepared plastic wrap and wrap up to retain moisture. 

I have a couple of variations to this bread that I like to do from time to time. At the same point as the banana add in you can add all sorts of things: chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut, cheesecake pieces, or even peanut butter. I even have a slight variation that involves rum, but that's for another episode. You can do whatever you like to make a recipe your own. It's your bake so why not?!

If you would like to see a tutorial on how to make the banana bread check out my TikTok videos at mrs_sheenak. 

Episode 10: Cabbage Rolls

 

Cabbage rolls are one of those foods that you either love or hate. I happen to love cabbage so these are right up my alley. I wasn't always into cabbage so a lot of my love for it has developed over the years. This recipe was one my mom had up her sleeve which she got from my grandmother. 

CABBAGE ROLLS

Sauce

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Roll Filling

• 1 large head of green cabbage
• 1/2 pound sausage (pork preffered)
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 cup rice, cooked
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp basil

In a large stock pot bring 8-10 cups of water to boil. In a separate sauce pan on medium high heat, add oil and sauté onions until translucent. Add in garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, vinegar, and brown sugar. Lower heat to simmer and add salt/pepper to taste.

Back at the stock pot drop in the whole head of cabbage and let boil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. 

In a bowl combine sausage, beef, onion, garlic, rice, parsley, paprika, white pepper and basil. Mix together. Add egg and mix again. 

As soon as the cabbage head is cool to touch, with great delicacy remove each leaf in full without tearing. Remove as many as possible. Take each leaf and remove the stiff rib of the middle by making a triangle - do not cut the leaf in half, just remove the rib. After removing the ribs, take a good size amount of the filling and place on the end of the leaf. Roll and fold until enclosed. 

In a medium sized casserole dish add a layer of the sauce. Place each roll in the sauce once side by side. As soon as all the leaves are used or the filling is gone (whichever comes first), cover the rolls with the remaining sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Place into oven for 80-90 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove and serve after 5 minutes of waiting.

I like to serve these with sauerkraut and a side of sour cream. You can do this however you want. It's your dish so why not!

If you'd like to see a tutorial on how to cook please check out my TikTok at mrs_sheenak.

Episode 3: Pumpkin Roll

Thanksgiving is this week and what would it be without something with pumpkin in it. My family never served pumpkin pie when I was younger but we always had pumpkin roll. It's a spongy, light cake with a decadent cream cheese filling. So like I said, I hate blogs that rant so on to the recipe. 

PUMPKIN ROLL

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

        Filling

• 1 8oz pack cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients - flour, powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir. Add pumpkin and stir, again. Once fully stirred, add to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be slightly thick, but not hard to stir. It also shouldn't be runny.

Take an inch deep cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. Spray the paper with non stick spray. Add the batter and evenly distribute. Bake for 10 minutes. While baking grab a clean kitchen towel and lay it on the counter. Sprinkle powdered sugar on the towel. Check the cake - when it is springy and doesn't pull away when touched it is ready to come out of the oven. Take the parchment paper while the cake is still hot and flip the cake on to the sugared towel. Roll it up so it can set aside to cool.

In the meantime make the filling. In a bowl add the cream cheese and the butter. Cream together with a hand or stand mixer. When smooth add vanilla and stir. Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar a little bit at a time so that it doesn't fly all over the kitchen while using the mixer. Once everything is together and smooth check your cake to see if its cooled. 

Unroll the cake and evenly smooth the filling over the entire cake surface. Roll the cake back up on itself without the towel. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake again and then cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. 

Some people like to add walnuts to the cake itself. I feel like this takes away from it but you can do whatever you want. I have also done this recipe by replacing the pumpkin with banana. It turned out great. I am looking to use other fruits to see what happens - maybe apples next time. Cooking is about experimentation so you can see what works for you. Have fun and see what happens. Why not?

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