banana bread with cinnamon sugar crumble topping

so i've been making this banana bread for years. don't really remember where i found it, probably from an ancient scroll in a sarcophagus of a kitty. actually, that's 100% correct.

 this is my favorite recipe, mostly because it uses honey and a crumble topping. it might just make you have amnesia, key and peele style, though. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

auditory pairing: arcade fire - reflektor

before being baked

NOOICE!

banana bread with cinnamon sugar crumble
yields 1 loaf

bread:
- 1.5 c flour
- 1 c sugar ( i use turbinado)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 ripe bananas (you can also settle for 2 if that's all you have)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 1/4 c honey
- 1/4 c water

crumble:
- 2 tbsp sugar (i use turbinado)
- 2.5 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon

1. preheat oven to 350 F, butter and flour a loaf pan
2. in medium bowl, whisk flour, 1 c sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, baking soda, and salt
3. in large bowl, whisk mashed bananas, eggs, vegetable oil, honey,and water until smooth
4. add dry ingredients to wet, pour into pan
5. in a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp sugar, 2.5 tbsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon with your fingers
6. sprinkle on top of batter
7. bake for 1 hr
8. remove and cool in the pan for 10-30 minutes.
9. CONSUME!!!

mini pretzel dogs

i'm more of a soccer and basketball kinda girl. but football is fine for ONE REASON ONLY: an excuse to test recipes to the masses. bless you, super bowl.


auditory pairing: fun. - we are young

pretzel-y goodness

before the rise

a scale REALLY helps with splitting them into 16 equal parts

before boiling in water + baking soda

after being boiled

with egg wash and kosher salt

serve with your favorite mustard!

mini pretzel dogs
yields 16 pretzel dogs
from joy the baker (her photos are wondrous)


- 8 hot dogs 
for the dough:
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2.25 tsp (1 package) active dry yeast
- 22 oz all purpose flour (best if scale is used, if not, about 4.5 cups)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
for the boiling part:
- 8 qt saucepan filled 1/2 the way with water (about 14 c water)
- 1 cup baking soda
for the wash:
- 1 large egg, beaten, w/ splash of water
- kosher salt for topping


1. add dough ingredients to bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions, use dough cycle. (if using a stand mixer, go here)
2. while dough rises in machine, place racks in center and and upper third of oven, preheat to 425 F
3. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and brush with a little oil to prevent boiled dough from sticking
4. combine water and baking soda in saucepan, bring to boil
5. while waiting for that, turn dough onto a lightly oiled surface
6. split into 16 pieces (scale works wonders here, too)
7. roll each piece into a 12 inch rope (start with fingers of both hands in center, roll, moving out as you do)
8. cut each hot dog in half
9. wrap each half hot dog with a dough rope, making sure to seal the ends. (next time i do this, i will also make sure to seal it everywhere, not just the ends, as mine tended to bake apart.)
10. when water is boiling, drop a few pretzel dogs in for 30 seconds. remove with slotted spatula or the like.
11. place on prepared baking sheet and brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt
12. bake until deep golden brown, 12-14 minutes.
13. transfer to a cooling rack
14. serve warm, with your favorite mustard

almond roca

oh man oh man oh man oh man!!! toffee + chocolate + salted almonds = THIS. please, make this. you will not regret.

auditory pairing: stars - sleep tonight (junior boys mix)

almond roca

from recipe girl

yields 3 cups

1.5 c chopped salted almonds

1 c packed light brown sugar

1 c (2 sticks) salted butter

3-4 bars hershey's chocolate (depending on what size pan you use)

candy thermometer (optional)

cocoa powder (optional)

1. butter a 7 x 11 inch pan (i just used a 9 x 9), sprinkle half the almonds (3/4 c) in the pan

2. in a heavy saucepan at medium-high, melt butter and add brown sugar

3. stir until gently boiling

4. reduce heat to medium/medium-low and boil, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 300 F

4a. if you don't have a candy thermometer, boil until the color turns a rich caramel, this may happen between 5 and 12 minutes (mine was closer to 5)

5. remove toffee mixture from heat, and pour into pan over almonds

6. sprinkle a little cocoa powder over the toffee (this helps the toffee and chocolate bind to each other)

7. place chocolate bars on top in a single layer

8. let sit for a minute or so until melted

9. using the back of a spoon, spread the chocolate around carefully

10. sprinkle with remaining toasted almonds (3/4 c), and gently press them in

11. cool completely, then break into chunks with a knife

12. EAT THEM ALL IMMEDIATELY (or store in a covered container)

and MERRY XMAS! 

prosciutto-wrapped fingerling potatoes with dill sour cream

whenever i see the term fingerling potatoes, i am forever reminded of this SNL skit (they come from the FINGER LAKES) which makes absolutely no sense but is magical.


these lil guys are super fun and easy to make, and the saltiness from the prosciutto makes you wanna bop your head like this lil doggie.


auditory pairing: starfucker - rawnald gregory erickson the second

proscuitto-wrapped fingerling potatoes with dill sour cream
potatoes from xai eats a lot (super super amazing photos, please check him out)
yields 4 servings (or more as a party food)


1 lb fingerling potatoes
1/2 lb sliced prosciutto
salt, pepper, olive oil
small tub sour cream (8oz or less)
1 tbsp fresh dill
sprinkling lemon pepper seasoning (or fresh lemon)


1. place potatoes in a pot and cover with water an inch over the potatoes, season with salt liberally
2. bring to a boil, cook for 25mins or until fork tender
3. drain the potatoes and let dry while preheating the oven to 450 F
4. wrap each potato with a piece of prosciutto (the amount to your choosing)
5. set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
6. place in the oven for 15-20mins, until prosciutto has crisped up
7. while potatoes are in the oven, mix sour cream, dill, and lemon pepper seasoning together
8. once potatoes are done, serve with the dill sour cream dip


enjoy!

apple pie in a brown paper bag

when i baked this, i was convinced my kitchen was going to catch on fire. i stood there dutifully for 20 mins with a fire extinguisher until my ADD kicked in and i wandered off. the good news: CRISIS AVERTED! no kitchen fire from this recipe. the good-er news: this shit is on point. 


auditory pairing: the temper trap - sweet disposition

apple pie in a brown paper bag
yields 8-10 slices
slightly changed from secret life of a chef's wife (please check out her post, her pics are amaze-balls)


1 prepared 9 inch deep dish pie crust, not pre-baked (i like alton brown's recipe & video)
filling:
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
2 tbsp all purpose flour
5 c sliced apples, not sliced too thinly (i used fuji)
topping:
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter


1. preheat the oven to 350 F
2. combine and mix all filling ingredients sans apples in a large bowl
3. toss the apples in and coat well, pour into pie shell
4. for the topping, mix the flour and sugar in a medium bowl
5. cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and toss into the bowl
6. cut the butter into the flour sugar mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly
7. sprinkle topping over pie filling
8. place pie in large grocery-sized brown paper bag, giving the pie as much room as possible. if you can get the sides not to touch, this is ideal. i was only half successful at this but it still came out great.
9. fold the end of the bag over a couple of times, and staple shut
10. place in oven, making sure the bag isnt touching any heating elements
11. bake at 350 F for 1 hour and 55 minutes
12. after its done, remove pie in bag and tear open the wrapper
13. ITS AMAZING LOOKING, RIGHT?!


serve warm with cream (ice or whipped)


a big thanks to my beautiful taste testers: mary and megan <3

caramel stuffed apple cider cookies

i may or may not have an obsession with "secret hidden" things in food, like the caramel hidden in the middle of these cookies. it's a secret between you and the cookie that only you two know about. y'all mfs just got on a deeper plane of existence. 


auditory pairing: the black keys - tighten up

caramel stuffed apple cider cookies
yields ~3 dozen cookies
from scrambled henfruit and the cooking photographer


1 c salted butter, softened
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 box (7.4 oz) instant apple cider mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 c all purpose flour
1 (14 oz) bag kraft caramels
GLOVES (oh how you need gloves)
parchment paper


1. in a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon
2. in a mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and all packets of apple cider mix powder, until light and fluffy
3. beat in eggs, add vanilla
4. gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, mix just until combined
5. refrigerate for an hour (this step can be skipped if pressed for time)
--
6. preheat oven to 350 F
7. unwrap caramels
8. put gloves on and scoop out walnut-sized cookie dough balls
9. roll into a ball, then flatten. place an unwrapped caramel in the center, and seal the dough around it
10. place on parchment-lined cookie sheets 2 inches apart
11. bake 12-14 minutes, until VERY lightly browned around the edges. try not to over-bake.
12. once done, slide parchment sheet off cookie sheet and onto counter
13. once cooled a little more, twist off cookies and flip them over to cool some more
14. if some are hard to twist off, placing them in the freezer for a bit will help twist them off


serve warm! <3
if cookies aren't warm any more, putting them in the microwave for a few seconds softens the middle enough to give you 20 mouthgasms, not 19.

blueberry-tini jelly shots

friends·giv·ing: \'frends-ˈgi-viŋ\

1

: the act of giving thanks with friends

2

: a prayer expressing inebriation

3   : a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine fullness

auditory pairing:  generationals - victim of trap

thanks for all the fun, friends!

blueberry-tini jelly shots

adapted slightly from jelly shot test kitchen

yields 15-18 servings

2/3 c prepared lemonade (strained to remove solids)

2/3 c lemon lime soda 

3 envelopes gelatin (these were quite thick, if you're not unmolding them, i think 2 envelopes might do)

2/3 c blueberry vodka

fresh blueberries

plastic shot glasses or similar

1. plop 3 blueberries each in 15 plastic shot glass containers or similar, have a few extra of each on hand in case you make slightly smaller portions

2. combine lemonade and soda in a small saucepan and sprinkle with the gelatin

3. allow gelatin to soak for a minute or two

4. heat on low for 5 mins, while stirring, constantly until gelatin is dissolved

5. remove from heat and stir in vodka

6. pour into plastic containers, and refrigerate for several hours

7. serve!