Blueberry Banana Bread

Ever spend time trying to decide between two specific types of muffins?  Last weekend I kept wavering between baking banana bread or blueberry muffins...that's a tough one right?  I wondered what would happen if I didn't choose.  Turns out what happens is happy times and a little party in your mouth. 

This has all the fantastic moist banana flavor of banana bread with big juicy bursting pops of blueberry.  

I had a killer long week at work so I'll leave today's writing at that.  This bread is definitely good stuff!

Blueberry Banana Bread

Ingredients
3 c all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (8oz)
2 c sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
4 very ripe banana, mashed ( 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup plain greek yogurt 

1.5 c blueberries, washed and drained

2 tbsp flour for dusting blueberries

For the Glaze(optional):
2 tbsp butter melted
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp hot water

Directions

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F 
2. Generously grease and flour a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. 
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. 
5. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. 
6. Add vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after addition of each egg
7. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas--batter will curdle
8. Alternately mix in 1/2 of dry ingredients then  and 1/2 yogurt mixing only well enough to combine.
9. Toss blueberries with 2 tbsp flour,  Gently fold into banana batter. 
10. Pour the batter into the pan, tap the pan on the counter to remove bubbles.
11. Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes - if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 5-10 minutes.
12. Flip cake onto plate and then again onto cooling rack and cool to room temperature. 
13. When cake is completely cool, prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.
14. Line baking sheet with waxed paper and place under rack. 
15. Drizzle glaze over top of banana bread and let set. 

2 Minute Beer Margaritas

I am not a summer person.  I know I'm in the minority but give me a good snowstorm over 90 degree heat any day.  When the temperature begins to spike (that's anything over 70 degrees in my book), a little margarita is sometimes called for.  My friend Mel made these beer margs, or beergaritas as they are sometimes called in restaurants, for us and I've been hooked since then.  If you are rarely in the mood to freshly squeeze eleventy hundred limes and the neon green mixes at the stores are out of the question, these margs might just be up your alley.  

There's really no recipe here, you just take one bottle of beer (Corona's kind of implied for a margarita, si?) one can of limeade concentrate, one can of Sprite/7up and some tequila.  Pour the Sprite, limeade concentrate (don't add water and make it into limeade) and beer into a pitcher.  Use the limeade can to measure out some tequila.  I like about 2/3 of the can worth of Jose's goodness, but that's a preference thing.  I think Mel used a full can.  I like to add a tsp of salt directly to the marg pitcher as well because I do love the salt but don't always love the licking the rim of cup thing.   Mix, pour over ice, garnish with a lime and marvel that you just made a pretty fantastic marg in 2 minutes and without using the neon green stuff.   This one has a great fresh (as fresh as concentrate can be) lime flavor, the beer cuts the sweetness quite a bit and the carbonation is subtle but my favorite part.  Love these suckas, especially when it's.....um...77 degrees out. (????)  I swear it feels hotter than that.  

In puppy news, we have a guest over for the weekend, and I have to admit, I've never realized what a little stinker Brooklyn really is.  It takes a lot of chutzpah to obstinately stake a claim on a crate belonging to a guy that outweighs you by 100 lbs.  It takes even more chutzpah to dart in and steal his treats from right under his nose.  I didn't get that shot because I was immobilized by the sheer shock that such things could happen.  I may have to admit she's a little bratty.

Who'd have thunk they could be such buds?  

Funfetti waffles

Who doesn't like sprinkles?  Even if you don't think the world of their fun sprinkle flavor (valid flavor descriptor I'm sure), the burst of colorful happiness they bring is bound to make even a grinch smile. 

Or at least it should. 

These waffles are made using a bit of funfetti cake mix.  I made the first waffle and thought the sprinkles were a little sad so I suggest bumping it up a notch.  Just sprinkle them right over the top of the waffle batter....

Now you can really see 'em.

You could of course be really ambitious and make a glaze type syrup for these, but I thought they were just fantastic with maple syrup.  Yes indeedy.  

Easy, fun to look at and quick to throw together--the best kind of lunch in my opinion. 

Boston baby shot of the day. 

Funfetti Waffles

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. Funfetti cake mix

2 c all purpose flour

1/4 c  Sugar

2 1/2  c milk

2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1/4 c canola oil

Lots of delightful sprinkles

Directions:

1. To make the waffles, whisk together the flour, cake mix,  sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 
2. Add eggs, milk, oil and extracts and whisk together until smooth. 
3. Lightly grease the waffle maker and heat the waffle maker per manufacturers instructions. 
4. Carefully ladle batter into the middle of the waffle maker and close to the edges.  Top with sprinkles and close and bake until the edges are brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes depending on your waffle maker. 
5. Repeat with the remaining batter.

July 4th Celebrations

Independence Day falls right behind Christmas in the race for my favorite holiday.  Now, nothing can ever compare with Christmas so it's not even a real race, but that's not the 4th of July's fault.   If Christmas wasn't so warm and festive and jolly and snowy and cozy, well, the 4th would easily slide into first place. 

What's not to love?  Flags, americana, sparklers, fireworks, barbecues, parades and watermelon--yes, this is a happy day of the year indeed.  When I lived in NY, my friends and I always had a little 4th of July road trip each year...DC, Boston Pops, Virginia Beach, Philly, NYC...all cities that know how to celebrate the 4th in style. 

This year I was craving a little 4th of July road trip and headed back to America's heartland to visit family in Iowa.  Different kind of feeling than DC, but there's a lot to be said for small town charm. 

This was the first place I have full memories of as a child.  We lived exactly where I am standing to take this photo.  I remember the lake being more massive and well, lake like. Needless to say, I grew up with a fishing pole in my hand--a Snoopy one to be precise.  While the charms of fishing have eluded me since then, there's nothing like visiting old haunts to stir up a little nostalgia. 

And this is just a ways up the road....

I love a great worn barn.

And of course the food part of the post.  This is another Pinterest special--who of us didn't pin the bacon wrapped corn onto one of our boards?  This is one of the few Pinterest pins I've actually executed and it was yummy as bacon always is.  

It did however make a ginormous mess and grease fire in the barbecue.  Just  a little warning for you. 

Hope all who celebrated had a wonderful and safe 4th!

Wonton Lasagna by the Campfire

Who says camping food has to be hot dogs on a stick?  After a long day in the high country sun, there's nothing like a nice helping of hearty lasagna to stave off the chill of cool Rocky Mountain nights.  And while lasagna may sound like a lot of work, a little prep at home and some wonton wrappers make it ultra campfire friendly. 

Yes, wonton wrappers.  They're fantastic.

This recipe is as easy as mixing the ricotta and eggs at home, packing in a ziploc baggie and then bringing the wonton wrappers, ricotta mixture, pasta sauce, garlic, cheese and 1 lb of ground chickie (or ground beef) to the campsite. 

You start off by browning the chicken in a heavy cast iron over the fire--add 2 cloves of minced garlic.  If using ground beef, drain off the fat.  Add the pasta sauce and mix well.

Remove 2/3 of the meat and sauce mixture.  Spread remaining meat mixture evenly across bottom of pan and then layer wonton wrappers over the top of the meat mixture.  

Top with 1/2 of the remaining meat mixture.  Snip corner of ricotta and squeeze half of the ricotta over the pasta sauce and meat.  Try and do it so it doesn't look this unfortunate and questionable.  No worries though, it still tastes fantastic.

Spread evenly and then top with shredded cheese.  Add one more layer of wontons and repeat above steps. 

Make sure the top layer has a nice cheesy layer. 

This recipe works super duper well in a cast iron dutch oven with feet because you keep the pot off of direct flames and heap coals on top.  I used a skillet so had to keep the flames really low.  Cover with lid or foil and let cook through, about 30 minutes.  

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving and enjoy.  

I have not quite figured out my personal need for a macro lens.  This is a very cute Boston puppy eye  nonetheless.  Yes, I promise l'll work on the macro photography skills.

Campfire Lasagna

Ingredients

1 1.5 cups ricotta

1 egg

2 tbsp italian seasonings

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

3-4 cups tomato pasta sauce

1 pkg wonton wrappers

1 lb ground chicken

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bag shredded italian cheese blend 

Directions

1. Before leaving home prepare ricotta mixture by stirring together ricotta, egg, italian seasoning and 1/2 cup parmesan.  Store mixture in Ziploc baggie. 
2. At camp site, brown ground chicken in a well seasoned cast iron skillet or dutch oven
3. add minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant
4. Add tomato sauce and stir well
5. Remove 2/3 of meat/tomato sauce mixure
6. Spread remaining meat mixture evenly over bottom of pan
7. Layer wonton wrappers over top, overlapping slightly
8. Top with 1/3 of the meat sauce, half of the ricotta and half italian cheese mixture
9. Repeat step
10. Cover with foil or lid and cook 30-40 minutes until heated through and wonton wrappers are cooked
11. Let sit 10 mins and serve