Eggnog Banana Bread

My sons discovered they like eggnog this year, and now we have two half-full containers of the festive drink sitting in the fridge. So I started thinking about ways to use it up (I didn't know about Amy's Eggnog Pancakes until yesterday!) along with the ripe bananas on my kitchen counter.

My first experiment was a recipe for banana bread with the spices used in eggnog, but we found it kind of bland.

A few online searches later and I hit upon a combination of recipes that uses up some eggnog, is generous with cinnamon and nutmeg and includes an extra kick from rum or bourbon.

This bread stays moist thanks to the banana, there is limited sugar and you definitely get that eggnog-y taste.

The kicker is the icing and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

I prefer serving this warm, but my kids like it room temperature — with a glass of eggnog on the side, of course!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Eggnog Banana Bread
Inspired by recipes from Cooking Light and Taste of Home

1-1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/8 cups white whole wheat flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup eggnog
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons bourbon, rum or brandy

For the icing:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons bourbon or rum
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Note: This recipe will make 3 mini loaves, 18 muffins or 2 larger loaves. Fill your pans or muffin tins 3/4 full.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bread pans or muffin tins with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a second large bowl, use and electric or stand mixer to beat together the eggs, eggnog, bananas, sugar, butter and rum. Beat until well mixed.

Add dry ingredients to eggnog-banana mixture in two batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Scrap edges of bowl as needed.

Pour into loaf pans or muffin tins. Bake loaf pans 35 to 35 minutes, or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Bake muffins 20 to 25 minutes.

While bread cools, mix powdered sugar, rum and heavy cream in a small bowl until a smooth icing forms. Use a fork or whisk dipped in the icing to drizzle over the bread. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Cinnamon Cheesecake Squares

A few weeks ago I shared a recipe for Cheesecake Squares that I made for my husband to take to work on his birthday.

During that same baking session I also made Cinnamon Cheesecake Squares for variety.

These dessert goodies are very easy to put together and so delicious. (I ate them for breakfast!) They got some good reviews from the husband's office, too: "The cinnamon bar was scrumptious, but thanks to you, I will have to do extra burpees in kickboxing today (it was worth it!)."

I can't really take credit for the recipe, though. That honor goes to the folks at Pillsbury.com. While I didn't change much from the original instructions, I encourage you to check it out for the step-by-step photos found here.

I'm thinking of trying these again with some fruit (maybe strawberries) added into the cream cheese filling. What do you think?

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cinnamon Cheesecake Squares
Inspired by this Sopapilla Bars recipe from Pillsbury.com.

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use cooking spray to lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or pan.

Open and unroll 1 can of dough. Stretch to cover bottom of pan. Pinch together dough at perforations to close any gaps.

Place cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and beat again to incorporate. Evenly spread cream cheese over dough, using a rubber or wooden spatula.

Unroll second can of dough and place on top of cream cheese layer. Stretch to fit, then pinch together to close up any openings at the seams.

Pour melted butter evenly over the top of the dough. In a small bowl, mix together remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup sugar mixture on top of the melted butter. Use more as desired (using the full amount seemed like too much to me.)

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until center is set. The top should be a darker brown and appear to be somewhat crunchy. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

Refrigerate about 1 hour before cutting. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Overnight Coffee Cake

Sunday is Valentine's Day. Have you ordered your roses? Reserved the corner table at a fancy restaurant? Put the champagne on ice? No? Okay, good. Me neither.

Overnight Coffee Cake is your perfect plan for a lovely Valentine's Day. Prep the batter the night before and pop it in the oven while you're bleary-eyed the next morning. By the time you've changed out of your jammies and brewed your tea, it's ready to devour, perfectly warm from the oven. Bonus points if you bring it to your honey while they're still snuggled in the covers. Double bonus points if the breakfast tray includes a mimosa. Just saying...

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Overnight Coffee Cake
From the Randall Church Cookbook (You know I love a good church cookbook recipe.)

Coffee Cake:
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk*
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon

THE NIGHT BEFORE:
Combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add buttermilk, butter, and eggs. Beat at low speed until combined, then continue to beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. (If you don't feel like using your mixer, I had success beating the batter by hand with a whisk.) Pour batter into a greased 9" x 13" baking dish.

Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours.

IN THE MORNING:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover coffee cake and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

*Don't have buttermilk? Don't let that stop you! You can easily make a buttermilk substitute. Mix 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar. Let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes until it thickens and starts to curdle, then proceed with the recipe.

Cincinnati Chili

Every time we visit Cincinnati, we make at least one visit to the iconic chili parlor in our old neighborhood. Chili is this Ohio city's signature dish and I've been trying to recreate the exact taste for years.

My husband grew up eating this soup-like meat sauce served over spaghetti and topped with a gigantic mound of finely shredded cheddar cheese. This is the 3-way. Add onions on top for a 4-way; add beans to make it a 5-way. You must sprinkle on some oyster crackers (or 'Cincinnati crackers' as my son Sam calls them) before you eat this meal. The crackers soak up the sauce that the spaghetti doesn't catch.

You can also ladle this chili onto a hot dog in a bun and load it with cheese for a coney.

Cincinnati-style chili originated with immigrants from Macedonia and Greece who created the dish to appeal to more customers.

My boys have been eating this chili since they could hold a spoon. My first exposure came when I was in college, and the taste has grown on me ever since.

What sets Cincinnati chili apart is the tenderness of the ground beef (achieved by cooking the meat in water) and the blend of spices, which I'm still trying to perfect.

This recipe is the closest I've come to mimicking the flavor of my family's favorite brand of Cincinnati chili. (If you want to try the real deal, look for cans or frozen packages of Skyline Chili or Gold Star Chili in your grocery store.) What's served in Cincinnati's chili parlors does not have onion or beans cooked with the meat, but we like it that way. If you want to be more traditional, save the onions and beans for topping.

Lots of online resources debate whether the original recipe used bay leaves or cumin. We'll probably never know the secret blend. If you have ideas or tips on how to tweak the spices, tell us!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cincinnati Chili

2 cups of water
20 ounces ground beef (cut the fat and use 1 pound 90% lean ground sirloin and 4 ounces 80% lean ground chuck)
1 large or jumbo sweet onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 ounce can plus 3/4 cup tomato sauce, unsalted
3 teaspoons tablespoon cider vinegar, divided
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 bay leaf
1 15 ounce can of unsalted dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound to 3/4 pound spaghetti, cooked to package directions

Toppings:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped onion
Warm kidney beans
Oyster crackers

Using a Dutch oven or other sturdy large pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add ground beef, breaking up and stirring to crumble the meat into very small pieces.

Stir in all other ingredients (using 2 teaspoons of the cider vinegar) up to and including the bay leaf. Return contents to a low simmer and then partially cover. Cook between 1.5 and 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until sauce just starts to thicken. You want to maintain a nearly soup-like consistency.

Add in kidney beans and cook for another 5 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar and remove from heat.

Fill bowls with about 1/2 cup of spaghetti. Add about 1 cup of chili. Top with shredded cheese, onions, kidney beans and oyster crackers to taste.

Apple Crisp

A trip to the apple orchard here in Central Illinois is one of my family's fall traditions. It gives us a chance to go out into open country and appreciate nature a little more.

My boys and any friends who come along love running down the rows of apple trees and seeing who can pick the fruit highest up the tree. The kids usually eat their weight in apples before we're done filling up our bags — it's all part of the experience. 

We pick more apples than we need. At home, we make at least one apple pie before we switch over to apple crisp.

This year, Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples were ready when we went picking. I've never used either in baking and am surprised at how well these apples melt down while keeping some firmness.

When it comes to making the crisp topping, I'm not a purist. With this dessert, I added some shredded coconut and chopped nuts, just because I had a small amount of each taking up space in the pantry. When you're mixing things up with brown sugar, cinnamon and butter, it's bound to taste delicious.

Mangia! Mangia!

Andrea

Apple Crisp

4 cups apples, peeled and sliced (A mixture works best. Add a Granny Smith for tartness.)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup flour (white or whole wheat)
1/8 cup to 1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/8 cup to 1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger or ground cloves
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray. Place apples in pan to evenly cover the bottom. (If you double the recipe, use a 9 x 13 inch pan.)

In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger (or cloves.) Place butter in bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, blend butter into dry ingredients until crumbs form.

Generously sprinkle crisp topping over apples to cover. (You might have some topping left over. Save it in the fridge or freezer to use on oatmeal.)

Place on the middle rack in your oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the topping is browned and the apples are bubbly.

Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

My boys Max and Sam and their friend John goof around after picking apples.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

My mom used to make this cake when I was a kid and my brother and sister and I could not stop eating it. Super moist and chocolate-y, this is now a favorite snack or dessert at my house, too.

The chocolate hides all the zucchini inside, so it's a nice way to get the kids to eat extra vegetables. (And just like the Blueberry Zucchini Bread, you won't taste the squash.) The cloves add something a little unexpected to the taste.

I like to use a 9 x 13 pan and cut it into brownie-sized pieces. But you can easily use a bundt pan or muffin tins with this batter. Just adjust the baking time accordingly.

If there are any leftovers, this cake freezes perfectly.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Inspired by my Mom

2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1 cup white sugar or Splenda
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13x2 inch pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add the eggs and oil and mix until everything is well combined.

Add zucchini, stirring well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle top with mini chocolate chips.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack before cutting. Garnish with raspberries or strawberries.

As you can see in the photo above, this cake remains very moist.

Sour Dough Coffee Cake

When a friend gave me a bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter earlier this year, I had no choice but to experiment.

To me, that's really what these bags of goo are all about. If you have kids (especially boys!) they will love squeezing and 'burping' the bags of starter as the yeast ferments with the milk, flour and sugar. And you can teach them a little science along the way. In fact, I've caught Sam several times sneaking into the dining room to squeeze the starter bags.

My sour dough starter is still going strong since I received it in March. And I've learned quite a bit, as Erin did when she received some starter a few years back.

If you haven't been gifted a bag, I encourage you to make your own. The recipe is here. When you (and your friends) get tired of using the starter, I'm happy to report that the freezing method does work. I made this coffee cake with a bag of starter slush that I thawed and re-started after it spent about two months in cold storage. Those little yeast molecules picked up fermenting right where they left off.

Once you make the traditional Amish Friendship Bread, it's easy to use starter for other things, including cakes, brownies, cookies, pancakes, biscuits and pie crust. If you need ideas be sure to visit the online bible of friendship bread recipes at the Friendship Bread Kitchen.

I'm not a huge fan of the instant pudding mix and loads of sugar that many starter recipes use. Luckily for me, when Robin T.  delivered my first starter bag, she included pudding-free recipes developed by her co-worker Claudia T. This coffee cake recipe is a spin off. And it is the best coffee cake. Ever. The day after my recipe tinkering I had to give away batches of cake to my neighbors because we could not stop eating it.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Sour Dough Coffee Cake

For the cake batter
2 cups of sour dough starter
1 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or ginger, or 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (experiment!)
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray or grease with butter or shortening.

Using a plastic or wooden bowl and spoon, mix together all ingredients for the cake batter. (Do not use metal. It reacts with the yeast in the starter and gives it a funny taste.) Pour mixture into pan and spread out evenly.

Place all topping ingredients in a second bowl. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, incorporate butter into other ingredients until crumbs begin to form. Sprinkle topping generously over cake batter. You might have some left over. (You can freeze the extra topping and use it when you make this coffee cake again — because there will be a next time.)

Place pan in oven and bake for 30 minutes to 40 minutes, until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool. Then cut yourself a piece and indulge. And keep your starter going so that you can make this again.

Here's Max holding one of our starter bags.

Triple Almond Chocolate Banana Pudding

As you all know, I'm on the hunt for healthy snacks to feed my boys. We need tidbits packed with protein, energy that lasts — and just enough sweetness to make them appealing.

After I shared my popcorn marshmallow bars, the fine folks at Nuts.com invited me to try using almond flour. I love an excuse to get to work in the kitchen and boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I'm a newbie at using gluten-free flours. Almond flour works just like all-purpose white and whole wheat flours and is high in protein and vitamin E.

I'm trying to clean up our diets in general, so I'm thrilled that my kids liked this no-sugar chocolate dessert.  The sweetness comes from extremely ripe bananas. For even more fun, you can make the consistency closer to ice cream by using frozen bananas.

And I definitely suggest eating this power pudding for breakfast! Such a nutty way to start the day. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Triple Almond Chocolate Banana Pudding
Inspired by Williams Sonoma and The Sprouted Kitchen

2 overripe bananas (fresh or frozen or some of each)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cups almond butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup almond milk, divided
1/4 cup almond flour
Optional: for extra sweetness, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey

Place bananas, cocoa powder, almond butter, cinnamon and salt in a blender or food processor. Add about 1/8 cup almond milk. Blend until everything is mixed together but not yet smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrap down the sides of blender or food processor.

Add almond flour and another 1/8 cup almond milk. Blend until smooth, adding more splashes of almond milk as needed to smooth out texture. (Adding the almond flour at the end prevents clumping in the bottom of the blender.)

Transfer to four small bowls. Enjoy immediately, especially if you used frozen bananas.

If you used fresh bananas, this pudding tastes great chilled. Cover bowls with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for an hour or more. You can make this pudding ahead. It holds up well in the refrigerator for about three days.

Sprinkle with banana slices and nuts, like sliced toasted almonds or chopped pecans. My Sam says it's even better with whipped cream on top.