When most people refer to "the toy store," they're talking about Toys 'R Us, KB Toys, or something similar. When I refer to "the toy store," I'm talking Bed, Bath & Beyond. I'm generally not a "big box" store shopper, but kitchen gadgets and supplies are hard to come by around here. If I can't get what I need at my dad's hardware store (which has a great housewares department!), a trip to BB&B is in order.
Kevin and I went there Monday looking for a new, exciting tube pan for yesterday's banana cake. Mine is just a plain, round, two-piece pan. I had seen a Bundt Pan in my newest Baker's Catalogue that I totally fell in love with (search for "Cathedral Bundt" and you'll find the one I mean), and hoped to find something similar. Unfortunately, all BB&B had was one just like mine, and one shaped like the Jello mold nightmares are made of. I was out of luck...
... in the Bundt pan department. But then, I was looking at the funky candy display near the exit, and found these movie-theater-sized boxes of candy:
Call me an impulse shopper, but I had to make them mine. I couldn't remember the last time I had a Charleston Chew, and who can resist the mini version of a childhood favorite? The box came home with me. Impatience won out on the trip home, and the box was opened. The candies are about 1/4" x 1/4" x 1." There's something almost caterpillar-like about them, but not enough to turn us off from trying them. They didn't disappoint. They're quite a bit softer than their big brothers, with the same flavors. I remarked to Kevin, "this chocolatey coating is amazingly lifelike!" They are, of course, coated with a rather waxy chocolate substitute. Not that there's anything wrong with that! I don't mean to sound negative. Mini Charleston Chews are every bit as good as the "regular" version, and just as fun. I put the remainder in the freezer when I got home that afternoon. I think the big ones say something to the effect of "freeze then smash..." The minis freeze just as well, and don't need to be smashed!
Not that I've told you a lot about my diet yet, but these probably don't seem quite like something you'd think I'd buy... and they're not. I'm pretty sure there's not one naturally occurring substance in these candies, and probably nothing I can pronounce. I haven't dared look at the ingredients list. But everyone gets sugar cravings once in a while!
Mini Charleston Chews are a fun twist on a blast from the past. Pick up a box next time you're at "the toy store!"
My image hosting site, photobucket, is experiencing some technical difficulties, so you may or may not be able to see the beautiful eggs I bought yesterday (but trust me -- they're adorable!), or any other photos I've posted. Photobucket assures its users that the problem is being addressed, and that everything should be back to normal soon. Here's hoping...
But I did it anyway. I've had banana cake on the brain for a few days now, and I just couldn't fight it any longer. But first... look at these beautiful eggs I bought today!
And it's not even Easter yet!
In my advanced years (ha ha ha), I have become more careful about what I put into my body. My latest kick is trying not to eat anything I can't pronounce, and to buy as much organic food as possible -- especially dairy and eggs. It just seems right. I was at my local health food store today and realized I was almost out of eggs, and needed some for my baking projects. Perusing the egg selection, I noticed some cartons labelled "Gentle Ways Farm," which I had never heard of, which just so happens to be in my home town! Like that wasn't exciting enough, the eggs inside said cartons were smaller than the average egg, in adorable assorted pastel colors! Pink, green, blue, yellow, white, and ever-so-pale tan. I was aware of the existence of these eggs, and had seen them on TV, but had never seen them in person. I couldn't resist. I only hope the picture does them justice.
One of the white eggs went into the following tried-and-true recipe (I couldn't bear to sacrifice a colored one yet):
Banana Ring Cake
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 medium, ripe bananas, mashed (1-1/2 cups)
Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly oil a 10-inch tube pan, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well.
In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except bananas. Mix with fork or wire whisk until blended. Add bananas and whisk again.
Add banana mixture to dry ingredients. Mix just until all ingredients are moistened. Place in prepared pan (mixture will be shallow in pan).
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes, them remove cake to rack. Serve warm for best flavor.
This recipe comes from another of my favorite cookbooks with another dorky title: "Lean, Luscious, and Meatless," by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder. Yes, the same Bobbie who brought us "Oat Cuisine." Where do you think I heard about "Oat Cuisine!" =) "Lean, Luscious, and Meatless" is a great vegetarian book full of simple, homey recipes that use fairly "normal" ingredients. It's easily one of my most-used cookbooks. And this is one of my most-used recipes. I usually have a couple bananas that get away from me when I'm near the end of the bunch, which I tend to throw in the freezer to use for smoothies (but that's another show, as my man Alton Brown would say!). Sometimes there are just too many to put in back stock. That's when the banana cake recipe calls out "pick me, pick me!" So I do. And here is the finished product...
Do you like my artistic dusting of powdered sugar? Bam! I like the way it hit the edges of the plate.
The cake didn't rise as high as it usually does, which I blamed on today's humidity... until I was typing the recipe here and realized I'd forgotten the baking powder (I thought it was strange that the recipe called for baking soda, but no powder!). Oh, well. You'd never know it was missing from tasting it. Other than this one-time mistake, I don't usually futz with this recipe too much. Except... I use one whole egg instead of two whites, for reasons I explained in my "raspberry corn muffins" entry, and I use 1-1/2% milk, for reasons I explained in my "raspberry corn muffins" entry. I use four bananas and leave out the oil. And I use sucanat, an unrefined sugar, which I find to be sweeter than white sugar, so I use a bit less than is called for. I also like to leave the bananas kind of chunky, so I get the pretty yellow pieces you can (almost) see on the top of the cake.
So there it is. A staple in our diet... good for a sugar craving, and almost guilt-free! Kevin is always very happy when I make this.
"Summer, summer fruits, it wouldn't be summer without 'em..." That was a TV ad campaign not too many years ago about, well, summer fruits! It's a cheesy jingle, but I am a big believer in summer fruits. The ads referred mostly to stone fruits... plums, peaches, apricots, and my favorite, nectarines. I am always ecstatic when they appear in stores in late spring and early summer. I practically buy them by the dozen! Well, it's that time of year. Nectarines are in abundance at my local Hannaford. A few days ago, I got brave and went for the white fleshed nectarines as my first of the season. I've heard that they're sweeter, juicier, and lower in acid than the yellow ones, but I've always been a bit too nervous to stray from what I know. They were labelled as "tree-ripened" and "ready to eat," but that's always a bit misleading. I like my stone fruits slightly soft and heavy with juice. These ones clearly needed a few days. As I was packing my lunch last night, I checked on them... I opened the bag and was greeted by the sweetest perfume I've smelled in ages. A quick squeeze told me it was time to put one of those gems in my lunch box.
Snack time rolled around late this morning, and I opened my lunch box. Again, there was that perfume. It really transcends description. I couldn't wait to taste it! After quick trip to the break room to rinse the nectarine, I was on my way back to my desk... and Nirvana. One bite was all it took... I was hooked. I have never had a sweeter, juicier piece of fruit in all my life. It was so good, I had to have another one for supper... along with my other favorite late spring fruit, fresh cherries. There aren't enough fresh cherries on the planet for me. The season is far too short. I've bought several pounds of them in the past two weeks. Well chilled, they were a juicy, refreshing snack for my stuffy head when I was sick last week. Now that I'm feeling better, they're just plain good.
Now, you ask, what are those swirly little toasts on the plate with my fruit? Those are Wasa brand Rusks that came home from Paris with me in April (thanks to Clotilde, of Chocolate and Zucchini fame, for her post that motivated me to look for them while I was there!). They're very hard to describe... I guess the closest thing we have to them are Melba toasts, but the rusks aren't as hard as Melbas. They're lighter and crispier. These ones are malt flavor, so they have that sweet, almost fizzy taste you may know from malted milkshakes or malted milk balls. The rusks are meant to be dipped in coffee, tea, or the hot beverage of your choosing, but I just like them straight up. The funniest thing about my acquisition of them is that I scoured every grocery store I passed in Paris looking for them, and finally found them on one of my last days there in a seedy little convenience store just around the corner from the apartment Kevin and I had sublet! The quest paid off. I really like them. And best of all, they've kept for two whole months already! I guess it's hard for something to go stale when it's essentially supposed to be that way. But in a good way.
I just ran out of cherries... I think I need a few more before I settle down for the night... =)
OK, so my first attempt at food photography isn't anything to write home about... but let me tell you about the subject of the above photo...
One of my favorite cookbooks, dorky as the title may sound, is "Oat Cuisine" by Bobbie Hinman. It works oats, or oat bran, or oat groats into every recipe imaginable. Yes, it's nauseatingly healthy. =) But it has some great bread recipes. One I tried a few weeks ago is called "Applesauce Cornbread." It was fine, but not too exciting... a little bland in fact. Here's the recipe as it's published in the book:
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 375.
Lightly oil a 6x10 inch baking pan, or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mix well.
In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Beat with a fork or wire whisk until blended. Add to dry mixture, mixing just until all ingredients are moistened.
Place mixture in prepared pan.
Bake 25 minutes, until firm.
Cool in pan on rack.
Here is my spin on the recipe:
I used 5/8 cup fine cornmeal and 1/8 cup coarse cornmeal.
I used one whole egg instead of two egg whites -- I'm not quite as obsessive about fat and cholesterol as the author!
I used 1 1/2% milk, because that's what I had in the fridge.
When the ingredients were almost mixed, I added one cup of frozen raspberries, and then finished mixing.
I made muffins instead of a loaf. Using an ice-cream scoop to measure the batter into a muffin tin lined with papers, I got 10 muffins.
I rarely time anything I cook, but I would guess these took 20 - 25 minutes to bake at 350. My muffin tin is dark, and I hate dark brown baked goods, so I always reduce baking temps by 25 degrees.
Kevin and I were very pleased with the results. The muffins are a bit denser and moister than your usual bakery muffin. The oat bran adds a bit of chewiness and texture. The coarse cornmeal adds crunch. The raspberries add a nice tartness. The cinnamon is a subtle, but noticeable flavor in the background. And this was our Sunday morning breakfast.
