Cranberry Orange bread

The recipe called for chopping the nuts and cranberries but I prefer them whole.

2 1/2 Cups Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Butter
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tsp Grated Orange zest
1 Cup Fresh Cranberries, chopped
3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Cream butter and honey in mixer. Add juice, egg, vanilla and orange zest.
3. Pour the flour into the butter mixture to combine. Add cranberries, walnuts. 

4. Bake 50-60 mins at 350 in 9x5 pan.
5. Let rest for 5 minutes in the pan, remove to wire rack.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

Aunt Jane's Corn Bread Stuffing - The best you will ever have. 

1 bag of spinach, sauteed in oil, salt, pepper and chopped
2 cans of artichokes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonaise
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup fontina cheese, grated
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese
1/2 tsp Tapatio hot sauce

Mix all ingredients, but fontina. Add fontina to top and bake for 30 mins at 350. Broil to brown at end.

Corn Bread Stuffing

Corn Bread

2 cups cornmeal
2 cups better for bread flour
2 cups milk
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 tbsp shortening

1. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt. Mix in eggs. Mix in milk.
2. Put shortening into 9x13 pan, place in 330 oven to melt. When melted, pour in cornbread mixture and bake for 25 mins.

Stuffing

Corn Bread
1 large onion, chopped
6-9 celery stalks, chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1-2 tsp powdered sage - add small amounts, taste often

1. Crumble corn bread into large bowl. Add 2 cups cubed bread.
2. Melt butter, add oil and garlic. Saute 2 mins then add onion, celery, salt, pepper and  for about ten more minutes. When onion is soft, add in parsley, rosemary. Take off heat.
3. Add veges to corn bread mix. Add chicken broth, sage and more salt, pepper to taste.
4. Butter dish, pour in and bake uncovered at 330 for 1-1 1/4 hour.

Almond and Rosemary Wheat Bread

1 1/3 cup very warm water
1 package yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds
2 3/4 cup bread flour

1. In a large bowl stir together water, yeast sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add oil, rosemary, salt. Add wheat flour, nuts, bread flour.
2. Knead 6-8 mins. Place dough in oiled bowl, turn to grease surface, cover.
3. To bake now, rise for 1 hour. To bake later, chill 2-24 hours. Let stand at room temp for 30 mins before baking.
4. Place dough on floured surface, cover, rest for 10 minutes. Place in 8"x4" roll on greased baking sheet, sprinkle with flour, cover and let rest 30-45 mins.
5. Slice cuts into top of loaf. Brush top with cold water or 1 tbsp water and an egg. Bake 30 mins at 375.

Spicy Apricot and Sausage Bread

Spicy Apricot and Sausage Bread

4 oz andouille sausage, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped

1 tsp red pepper flake

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp honey

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package yeast

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup very warm water

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup olive oil

brush on top of bread

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp water

1. Saute sausage until brown, add in apricots and red pepper - cook for one minute. Add in fresh herbs and honey. Take off heat. 

2. In mixer add 1 cup flour, yeast, salt and water. Let sit 5 mins. Add eggs, oil and beat for medium to combine stopping as necessary to scrape sides. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Remove from mixer, stir in sausage mixture and remaining flour.

3. Knead dough on floured surface 3 to 5 mins. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turn to coat. Cover let rise in warm place 1 hour. 

4. Divide dough into thirds, cover to rest 10 mins. Roll each into 16" rope. Braid. (To serve today, let rise 40 mins. Omit step 5, go to step 6)

5. Chill 2-24 hrs. Let stand at room temp for 30 mins before baking. 

6. Combine egg and water and brush on braid. Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins.

Apple Banana Pineapple Bread

Banana Bread is one of my very favorite things. Recently, I bought and juiced a fresh Maui Pineapple and decided it might add a nice touch to banana bread. In addition to the pineapple, the other gift Hawaii provides to this recipe is the apple banana. It is a slightly sweeter version of the bananas available everywhere else and it adds an amazing additional level of flavor. I actually found some in LA on my last visit. They were grown in Columbia, and they were not labeled apple bananas, but they were similar in size and tasted about as good. They are really small, only about 4-6" long. If you can find them, use them! This bread is amazing.

2 C Flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 C Banana
1 1/4 C Sugar
3/4 C (minus 2 tbsp) Shortening
2 tbsp Butter
1/4 C Pineapple Juice - fresh squeezed if possible
3 eggs

1/3 C 60% Cacao, Bittersweet chocolate - I buy a bar of Ghiradelli and chop to little chunks.
1/3 C chopped nuts - I used Macademia

1. Combine dry ingredients
2. Blend wet ingredients
3. Add dry to wet
4. Pour nuts and chocolate on top. Mix in a bit if you wish - i did.
5. Pour into buttered 8.5x4 baking dish, to about 3/4 full. This recipe makes more than one loaf so I made 24 tiny muffins or you could make about 6 full size. Cook at 350 for 40 mins, then 325 for 20 minutes more (the muffins will be done sooner, mini-15 to 20 and full size-25 to 30.

Pesto pasta salad

BBQ 2!! Happy 4th of July! Our friend Christine hosted today's festivities at a local hillside park with a view of the ocean and the fireworks. We decided to use our leftover basil and bring pesto pasta salad. OMG, we had to taste test, obviously, and it is delicious. Again, pretty light flavor - good for eating outside. I like this recipe because it is not too much garlic and not too much basil. Well balanced.

The leftover sauce is delicious on bread. We are considering using it on a pizza tomorrow. Yum.

Pesto
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c pine nuts, or walnuts or the two mixed
2 c basil leaves, packed
3/4 c olive oil
1/2 c parmesan, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Pasta
1 lb pasta, I used elbow macaroni and a little bit of rotini spiral
2 tbsp olive oil

Pesto, from above
1 bag spinach - saute and cool
1 tbsp lemon juice

10 oz package sliced grape tomatoes- probably 1 1/2 c
1/3 c pine nuts and walnuts mixed
1/2 c parmesan
1/4 tsp pepper

Make pesto:
Put garlic, pine nuts in food processor, puree. Add basil, salt, and pepper to processor. With processor running, add olive oil in through feed tube. Process until thoroughly pureed. Add parm and puree for an additional minute. Leave in processor.

Boil pasta, drain, add olive oil so it won't stick together. Cool.

Sauté spinach in olive oil. Cool.

Add spinach, lemon juice to pesto and puree. Add mixture to cooled pasta with parmesan, nuts, pepper, and tomatoes.