Overstuffed Nutters

Baking Out LoudGoing Nutty

The inhabitants of my household eat A LOT of peanut butter. PB&J, apples & peanut butter, celery & peanut butter, peanut butter pretzels. If we can put peanut butter on or in it, we will eat it.

This time of year though, that becomes a problem because peanut butter is not allowed at school. For my boys—not an issue. A turkey sandwich is fine. For my daughter, it’s more of a challenge. Either way, it means that we get our peanut butter fix after school and on weekends.

When I saw the recipe below I knew I had to make them. Talk about your peanut butter bomb! Throw in the fact that my husband is a big fan of Nutter Butters and this was a no-brainer.

These Overstuffed Nutters are somewhat easy to make and definitely worth it. But these are not cookies you whip up fast, like a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Your house will smell like peanuts, but don’t worry it will fade. Just beware the altruistic soul who offers to “taste them to check for poison”. You could end up with half a batch…  Read more…

Banana Bread

Banana BreadGoing Bananas

Next week my kids will be returning to school. I am both dreading and looking forward to the start of the new school year. I look forward to it because the kids will be occupied with learning new things, and getting back to their regular extra curricular activities. I also dread it because they will be occupied with learning new things, and getting back to their regular extra curricular activities.

The start of the school year is an adjustment. All of a sudden the lazy days of summer, sitting by the pool when questions like ” Yes, you’ve been in the pool but when was the last time soap touched your body?” turn into, “We need to eat by six because you have homework and you have to shower off the grime from soccer practice so that you can get to bed on time because I don’t want to have to tell you fifty times to get out of bed the following morning.” (This quote is one of many that can be found in the Mom’s Time Honored Phrase Library right next to “I am not the maid”, “Because I said so”, “You’ll put an eye out”, “Your Father said WHAT?” and “Don’t run with the scissors”

It is also a time when I try to think ahead so that I have different meals on hand for when it gets crazy. Mornings are usually the worst, so having something easy and available makes a huge difference. One of my favorites is banana bread. Because I always have bananas on hand, and because they don’t always get eaten in time, it’s easy to throw a batch together using the over-ripe ones. A slice of banana bread along with a fried egg and some juice make for a fast and easy breakfast.

Since I make it frequently, I play around with the ingredients. Sometimes I add nuts (usually pecans because I’m not a huge walnut fan). Sometimes I throw a handful of shredded coconut in the batter. If i’m feeling tropical I’ll throw some pineapple chunks in with the coconut. For banana bread with a bit of a praline flavor, I’ll substitute 1/2 of the white sugar for dark brown sugar and definitely add pecans. Blueberries are good too. Streusel topping or granola can make it interesting. So can some Rum, but that’s true of a lot of things. The bread makes pretty tasty french toast as well, or bread pudding…the possibilities are endless.

Below is the basic recipe I use for perfect banana bread. Try it out and give it your own twist.   Read more…

The Great Waffle Debate

Waffles Two Ways or The Great Waffle DebateBreakfast is a big deal in my house. At least one morning each weekend, sometimes two, we will have a big breakfast. By big it means doing something more than pouring milk over cereal, or pushing down the lever on a toaster.

Breakfast on the weekend means breaking some eggs, scooping out some flour and stirring in some milk. Omelets are good, and my husband is the Omelet King. Pancakes of all kinds are always a hit, but I think waffles are by far the family favorite.

I have one of those waffle irons that spins two at a time. It was my favorite present from Christmas a couple of years ago. I LOVE it. Being able to produce buttery, crispy goodness quickly is the key to a happy Sunday morning.

At our last Cookbook Club dinner, one of the kids suggested that the next book we choose should be about breakfast. We chose The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham.

As you would expect, the book contains a number of tasty breakfast recipes and, of course, there are a few for waffles. The Classic Waffle recipe which is the version that most of us are used to, but a few recipes might be challenging to those who see themselves as “waffle purists”. Last weekend I tried the Raised Waffle recipe which uses yeast to make the waffles fluffy. I got mixed reviews.

The boys thought they were great. My daughter, who is a staunch waffle purist, likes the other version better of course. My husband liked the fact that the Raised Waffles were really light and crispy. For me, I thought they were good but I’ll stick to the tried and true, old school waffles.

I have listed the recipe for you give them a try, and see where you fall in the great waffle debate.  Read more…

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet CakeThis Red Velvet Cake is adapted from the Sweet Southern Dreams article in Saveur Magazine’s March 2012 Issue. It’s dedicated to all you cake enthusiasts out there.

Red Velvet Cake
Although cream cheese frosting is typically used these days on red velvet cake, this frosting makes for a more balanced sweetness.   Read more…