Banana Nana Fo Fana

WW Banana CC muffins, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

My kids tend to go through phases of what they will gorge themselves on. Example: Little Man will eat 2 bananas in two minutes, but will not want any the following day. Boo will eat a heap of green beans one night, but another night she won't have touched them. They are good at trying new foods, yet have their favorites. Still, sometimes they don't even want their favorites if they are not in the mood. Hence, sometimes I don't have any bananas when we need them, other times they just sit on the counter getting brown and black. Here's my cure for not wasting those "nanas."

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/4 cup olive oil
4 T softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease muffin tins.

Combine olive oil, butter and sugar and mix until combined well. In another bowl combine flour, soda, and salt. Add eggs, applesauce, bananas and vanilla to butter mixture. Add dry ingredients and combine. Mix in chocolate chips by hand.

Place batter into muffin tins (I use a cookie scoop so they are the same size). If you are using miniature muffin tins cook for about 20 minutes, if you are using regular muffin tins cook for 25 minutes.

Holiday Leftovers

IMG_6605, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

We still have the tree up, wreath hanging, and a list of people I need to get presents to, but I know the end of the holidays is here. Now what am I going to do with all those CANDY CANES? They SEEMED like a good idea when I saw them for 88 cents, but I am not the biggest fan, and I definitely don't want the munchkins eating all those cavity-canes. So, I came up with a recipe to get rid of them--Candy Cane Chocolate Cookies. I plan on giving them to friends and bringing them to our "Mediterranean New Years" tomorrow night (I know, not very Greek, but I need to get them out of our house).

I used bread flour for these cookies--something I learned from S.'s Aunt JoAn. They make the cookies so fluffy. Also, I rarely use margarine (like Crisco, it freaks me out), but there is a little in these, also learned from Aunt JoAn (man, we love when she visits--not just for her fun personality, but she always brings her perfectly made cookies). So, make these before you start those New Year's resolutions! Time is ticking...

Candy Cane Chocolate Cookies

2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 T vanilla
6 T margarine (softened)
12 T butter (softened)
3 cups bread flour (I use King Arthur)
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
24 candy canes (about two cups), broken into small pieces

Unwrap candy canes and put into a ziplock bag. Break into pieces using a rolling pin.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sugars, vanilla, eggs, butter and margarine. Beat in a mixer until fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and soda in another bowl. Add slowly to the butter mixture.

Add the candy cane pieces to the dough. Using a cookie scoop get dough, but then roll into a ball in your hand so they all look the same. Cook for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies sit for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Note: Aunt JoAn also swears by Air Bake pans, and I went and bought some--LOVE THEM! I've had perfect cookies since.

Caution: I wouldn't advise using Spree candy canes, or Jolly Rancher candy canes in place of the peppermint.

Hanukkah, Chanukah, Xanuka

Golden Latkes, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

There are 16 different ways to spell Hanukkah. How would you like that on your spelling test? You'd be sure to get at least one of them!

Seeing as tonight is the last night of Hanukkah I thought I should post a latkes recipe. We had S.'s parents over for some beef brisket and latkes in celebration of the miracle of the oil last night.

I think celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas is a little confusing for Boo. Yesterday she was making a picture using a foam cut-out of the Star of David, but said it was the Star of Bethlehem and a cut-out of a menorah. She told me that they were leading the Shepherds to Baby Jesus.

Every year when we have latkes I wonder why I don't make them more throughout the year. They are so dang good. And of course, you have to serve them with applesauce and sour cream to get the full effect.

Mom Mud's Latkes
Serves 4-5

6 medium-sized potatoes
1 small onion
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 T flour, matza meal or bread crumbs
1⁄2 tsp baking powder

Wash, peel and grate raw (I use a food processor, the grater attachment--it helps you do it faster so you don't discolor the potatoes). Strain, but not too dry. Grate and add the onion; add salt and the egg. Beat well. Mix remaining ingredients and beat into potatoes; mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto hot oil that is deep enough to almost cover the cake. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

Can we still be friends?

Gma's Orange Rolls, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

We went to see Jim Gaffigan last night. One of his jokes was about when you haven't returned someone's telephone call for so long, what do you do? You think, "we weren't that close anyway" and do you just end the friendship because it would be so awkward once you called? Made me think of my food blog (flog) which I have neglected for so long. Want my excuses like I would give you if I hadn't returned your phone call? Well, for starters--teaching seminary at 6am, but still getting to bed at 11:30 and being over 6 months pregnant, a funeral, family in town (both sides)... But, can't we just be friends the way we used to be?

My grandmother recently celebrated her 99th birthday (yes, I know I already wrote about it on my family blog). For just about every family get-together that I can remember she was the one who brought the rolls. Our favorites were the Orange Rolls. I would eat about 5 within a couple minutes of dinner starting. Now that she is 99 she would have still made the rolls for Thanksgiving, but she had a cold that knocked her out (hopefully not from my kids!). I made them instead. I made them for both families (yes, we eat 2 Thanksgiving dinners--and I am wondering why my belly is getting huge). My mother-in-law gave me a recipe she had of Martha Stewart's. I made a batch of each, and I have to say, my grandma's are better!

These are fabulous because you make the dough the night before and put it in the fridge. It made my morning go a lot smoother (especially since S. was playing tag football for three hours and I had pies to make, too with the kids running around). I have only changed the recipe by using butter instead of shortening (does shortening freak anyone else out?).

My two year old definitely takes after me as he ate 5 rolls within minutes. And I'm pretty sure his cousin, Michael had even more than him.

Grandma's Orange Rolls

Rolls:

2 T. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup hot water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (melted)
3 well beaten eggs
4-4 1/2 cups flour

Orange filling:

1/3 cup softened butter
1/3 cup sugar
rind of 1 orange (about 2 T)
1/2 tsp almond extract.

Orange glaze:

Juice of 1 orange
1 lb powdered sugar

Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup warm water. Set aside. Combine sugar, butter and salt with hot water and stir. Add beaten eggs and 1 cup flour. Mix well. Stir in dissolved yeast thoroughly. Add remaining flour and stir until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Turn dough onto a floured board. Divide into 2 portions. Roll each portion into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick and spread with half of orange filling. Roll up as for a jelly rolls and cut into 1 inch slices and place in buttered muffin tins. Let rise until double. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Pour orange glaze of the top of rolls.

Pasta di Amy

Pasta with Bell Peppers, Sausage in a Creamy Tomato Sauce, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

I am loving this Fall weather. The mornings are a little too cold for me at 5:45 am, but come afternoon the crisp air is great for running around with the kids outside. Life has been a little hectic, so I picked up some shelves from Costco today hoping to do some organizing to make me feel a little more under control. As a general rule my house is clean, but WARNING: Do not go in the Utility room!! I miss "pop ins." No one lives close enough to just pop in. And this cell phone thing? Everyone always calls before they head over. But, I digress.

Here is one of my favorite pastas to make. My good friend Amy (we would do pop ins ALL the time to each other in Cville. Comes from living four little townhomes over, I guess) came up with the recipe when we had our dinner co-op down in Charlottesville. For a church event our husbands even made it for all the women in our church. Okay, so I think my husband was the only one that actually made it, with Amy and others filling in for their husbands. It reminds me of fall because of the colors of the peppers.

Pasta with Bell Peppers, Sausage and Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 6

1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound sliced kielbasa or smoked sausage (I have used turkey sausage--healthier)
2 medium bell peppers (red, orange or yellow)
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
2/3 cup dry white wine or 2/3 cup apple juice and 1 T vinegar
2 14 1/2 ounce can diced, peeled tomatoes with juices
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 T chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 pounds penne or fusilli pasta
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Add sausage and saute until golden brown about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms and peppers. Add wine to pot and boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and simmer 3 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in 4 Tablespoons parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat (Sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate).

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, but still firm to bite (about 9-11 minutes). Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl.

Bring sauce to a simmer. Pour sauce over pasta. Add 3/4 cup cheese and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley.

S. is not the biggest fan of mushrooms so we have completely omitted them and this still tastes fabulous. I also usually use whole wheat penne pasta.

Menu:
Penne with Bell Peppers, Sausage and Creamy Tomato Sauce
Italian Salad
Baguette
Profiteroles with Ice Cream and Homemade Fudge Sauce

Haunted Halloween Party

I am always up for a reason to throw a party. Halloween is a great holiday to get your creative juices going and let the adults and children have a little fun. We had our annual Halloween Dinner last weekend. Just thought I'd pass on a few of the ideas--collected from various places: my mother-in-law, myself, and random magazines.

Here is our Haunted Menu:

Roast Beast: We chose to do London Broil this year, but usually we just do Roast Beef.
Mummies: Hot dogs wrapped with bread dough to look like mummies
Witch's Garden: Green salad
Fingers: Bread dough rolled long with an almond for the fingernail, and poppy seeds or dill for "hair"
Brains: Cauliflower with cheese (dyed red, if desired)
Moldly Mashed Potatoes: mashed potatoes with chives on top (I was going to do Martha's Ghost Potatoes, but ran out of time)
Eyeballs: Round fruit--grapes, various melons, balled.
Worm Salad: Jello w/ gummi worms (New this year--Jenny's idea)

Dessert:
Poison Caramel Apples
Pumpkin-shaped Rice Krispie Treats
Sugar cookies decorated by kids, w/ candy corns, m&ms, sprinkles
Spider Web Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

Beverages:
Ice Water with frozen ice hand
Orange Soda
Dark Soda--Black Cherry, Rootbeer

Whenever I am hostess I never seem to have it together enough to take good pictures. Here are just a few to give you an idea of the ambiance (I might add more as guests send me some). Also, this menu is great for assigning your guests to bring something. We had guests bring the green salad, the eyeball salad, the worm jello, and some drinks. If only I had a house big enough to invite all my friends. And a maid to help clean up would be nice!

Some of our activities included: A donut eating contest for the couples, homemade pinata for the kids (using a bag--thanks Reb, for the idea!), decorating sugar cookies, pin the face on the jack 'o lantern.

Because this is a food blog, I will post a recipe for the London Broil. This is my go-to recipe for London broil when I don't feel like thinking about it. I found it on Epicurious a couple years ago.

Filipino-Style London Broil

2 medium-size lemons
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds London Broil

Rinse the lemons. Cut each in half and squeeze out the juice with a citrus press. Place the lemon juice in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Cut the rind of 1 lemon into 1/4-inch dice and add it to the juice. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, onion, garlic, bay leaves, coriander seed, and pepper and whisk to mix. Set aside half of the lemon juice mixture to use as a sauce.

Spread half of the remaining lemon juice mixture in the bottom of a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold the meat. Place the meat on top and spread the other half of the lemon juice mixture over it. Let the steak marinate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. The beef can also be marinated in a resealable plastic bag.

When ready to cook, drain the meat, scraping off most of the marinade with a rubber spatula. Preheat the grill to high; there's no need to oil the grate. Place the beef on the hot grill. Steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 6 to 9 minutes per side. To test for doneness, use the poke method; when cooked to medium-rare the meat should be gently yielding.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut the meat into broad thin slices, holding a sharp knife blade at a 45-degree angle to the top of the meat. Spoon the reserved sauce over the slices and serve at once.

So, no excuses, send out those evites, and get your Halloween party planned!!

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

Black-Bottom Cupcakes, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

There is a cupcake craze going on. There are shops for cupcakes alone, blogs of only cupcake recipes, and man I could really eat one right now. Enter Mom Mud's amazing Black-bottom Cupcakes. So moist, (eww, I hate that word. See Vanessa's blog), and delectable. Maybe they should be called "Rock-bottom Cupcakes." Something to eat when nothing is going right, when you're a little down. Naaa, they should be eaten anytime (especially right after your 30th birthday).

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

1 1/2 cup flour, unsifted
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine above in a large bowl. Set aside.

1 cup water
5 T oil
1 T cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

In another bowl, combine above (water-vanilla). Add to flour mixture and stir. Set aside.

8 oz cream cheese
1egg
1/3 cup sugar
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat together above ingredients until smooth.

In lined or greased muffin cups, fill half-full with cocoa mixture. Add about 1 tablespoon of the cream-cheese/chocolate chip mixture. Makes about 18 cupcakes. Bake for 25 minutes or until cupcake springs back.