Vanilla

When I return from hopefully sunny and warm Florida, I will post some musings on my vanilla conspiracy theory. For now, here are some interesting facts you may not know.

Vanilla is derived from a specific orchid originally only pollinated by a particular bee native to Mexico and Central America.  The orchid blooms for one day.  The bee has that one day to polinate it. The vanilla bean is the fruit from that flower.  It is widely believed  vanilla is a flavor potentiator-"meaning it enhances our ability to taste other foods including chocolate, coffee, fruit, and
nuts, and boosts our perception of sweetness." (Taken from America's Test Kitchen site)

Vanilla was once so rare and expensive that it was only available to royalty.

Vanilla was once considered an aphrodisiac.
Vanilla was used as a remedy to calm upset stomachs.
The first Vanilla extracts were made in apothecary shops.

Vanilla is one of the most complex tastes in the world, with over 250 organic components creating its unique flavor and aroma.
The scent of Vanilla may ease tension and anxiety and seems to promote feelings of safety and security.
Consumption of vanilla beans in the US is approximately 1,200 tons per year! (Taken from Watkins)

Blueberry cream cheese oat bars-redux again!

I was checking out Katrina's Baking and Boys! blog and stumbled across a picture of one of the most delicious looking bars I've seen!  These bars morphed from a blueberry bar (courtesy of Anna at Cookie Madness) to Katrina's blueberry cream cheese bar.  I read the recipe and realized I had everything in my pantry to make these scrumptious bars. I did a big yippee because that meant I didn't have to go out in below zero weather!
This recipe has a few steps, but each step is simple.  It is a great way to use up frozen fruit. I used blueberries per the recipe on Katrina's site, but you could probably use frozen raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries also. The recipe is versatile and: It is delicious AND pretty AND a bit healthy too!
Here is a picture before I cut them up.

Here is a picture of the cut bars-I was surprised how easily they cut and held their shape!

Here is the recipe with my modifications. You can find the original recipe on Baking And Boys!

 

Blueberry Cream Cheese Oat Bars, adapted from Baking and Boys!

Crust and topping:

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (whole wheat pastry flour would probably work too)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if you are using salted butter)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (I used salted butter)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans  (I used chopped pecans)

Blueberry Filling:
1 2/3 cup frozen blueberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cream Cheese Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

Pinch salt

                           

Heat oven to 350. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick foil or parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts (or leave nuts out of the crust and add them to the crumble topping later). Add melted butter and stir with fork until evenly moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 2/3 cup crumb mixture for topping-mix nuts into this if you didn't incorporate them earlier; Press remaining mixture firmly over bottom of foil-lined pan. Bake 8 minutes to set crust.

Prepare Cream Cheese Filling:

In bowl of electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar, orange extract, and salt. Beat well.  Add egg and mix until combined.  Pour filling evenly over baked crust.

Prepare fruit filling:
In a small saucepan combine blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch. Stir in lemon juice. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until mixture begins to thicken slightly (it will not be too thick) about seven minutes. Remove from heat and pour evenly over the cream cheese filling.
Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top. Bake 30 minutes at 350° or until top is browned and filling is bubbly (mine were done at 25 minutes). Let cool completely in pan set on a wire rack. When cool, chill for an hour before cutting. Lift foil by ends onto a cutting board and peel off foil. Cut into nine bars. Store in the refrigerator loosely covered, but serve at room temperature.

Not so bad for you Blueberry Banana Brownies

I was in the mood for blueberries.  And chocolate.  And bananas.    I remembered how much I enjoyed eating the chocolate covered blueberries I used to get at Trader Joe's. So I thought why not fold fresh blueberries into banana brownies?  I also just happened to have some whole wheat pastry flour to use up.  If you like a fudgy brownie with a shiny, crackly top that has some fruit hidden in it, these are for you!  You could probably use dried blueberries or some other dried fruit-be creative!
I had two taste testers-one just got her braces and didn't want to be photographed with chocolate teeth-the other one would do anything for a brownie!  Here is my lovely niece Lilah ready to eat her second brownie.... They both gave the brownies two thumbs-up!
As you can see below, you might want to have a few blueberries ready to poke into the batter after you pour it into the pan so they look like they are more evenly distributed.

Here is the recipe:

6 oz semi sweet chocolate (or about 1 cup of chips)

6 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs  lightly beaten
1/2 of a small banana-well mashed
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup regular sifted all-purpose flour

1 T unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt plus a pinch

1/2 cup fresh (***or frozen), washed and patted dry blueberries

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans
*** If using frozen blueberries, take them out up the freezer about five minutes before you are going to mix them into the batter.  Toss them with a little bit of flour in a small bowl to completely coat them before mixing them into the batter.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray cooking spray on bottom only of an 8 inch metal pan.
Or use non-stick foil to line the pan.
Mix flour, cocoa, and salt together and set aside.
Combine sugar, eggs, and banana in a separate bowl-stir until combined (I use a hand-held mixer on low for about 15 seconds).
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat, then reduce heat to low and add 1 cup of chocolate chips. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Cool 5 minutes.
Pour melted chocolate into sugar, egg, banana mixture-stir quickly until combined.
Stir dry ingredients into chocolate mixture until just combined.
Fold in that last 1/2 cup chips and toasted nuts.
Gently fold in blueberries.  Save a few for poking into the batter after it is in the pan.
Bake 45 min to 53 minutes, but check at 45  (my oven runs hot so I bake them for 53 minutes at 320°).
Cool completely before cutting.  I use plastic knives to cut brownies-you may break a few of the knives, but nothing sticks to the plastic so the cuts are clean!



Close up Mixed nut caramel orange pie-see post below!

Turns out peanuts are too strong...so general consensus is leave peanuts out.

Mixed nut caramel orange pie

Experimenting with pecan pie today because I have Mah Jongg players-AKA dessert testers-coming over tonight.  My recipe is adapted from Cookie Madness Browned Butter pecan pie-the best pecan pie I have tasted. I thought it might be fun to find out what other nuts and flavors would taste good in this pie.  Caramel is made with sugar and butter, yes?  Maybe a stretch to call this pie caramel...not sure!
The peanut flavor and pecan flavor are the strongest.  I liked it.  I think you could add chocolate chips too.  So here is what I changed from the recipe at Cookie Madness   Instead of vanilla I added 1/2 teaspoon orange extract.  Instead of 1 cup toasted chopped pecans I added 1/4 cup toasted pecans, 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds, and a 1/4 cup lightly salted canned cashews.  I think I might leave out the almonds next time...they look like weird sticks to me! I apologize for the crust-I'm still learning!

Banana Brownies

I originally tweaked a brownie recipe from Cookie Madness and they morphed into banana Brownies.
I love brownies with shiny tops. If you make of these according to the recipe, you should get a shiny crackly top. They won a 3rd  prize ribbon at the Minnesota State fair in 2009.  Cookie Madness posted my recipe. 
I am going to copy and paste from the Cookie Madness site because Anna does a great job of posting recipes!

Gloria’s State Fair Chocolate-Banana Brownies

5 oz semi sweet chocolate (or about 3/4 of a cup)
1 oz bittersweet chocolate (or about 1/4 of a cup)
6 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 of a small banana-well mashed
3/4 cup sifted flour
1 T unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter, add an extra pinch)
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray cooking spray on bottom only of an 8 inch metal pan.
Or use non-stick foil to line the pan.
Mix flour, cocoa, and salt together and set aside.
Combine sugar, eggs, and banana in a separate bowl-stir until combined.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat, then reduce heat to low and add 5 oz and 1 oz of chocolates. Cook and stir over low until smooth. Cool 5 minutes.
Add chocolate to sugar egg/banana mixture-stir until combined.
Stir in dry ingredients until just combined.
Fold in that last 1/2 cup chips and nuts
Bake 35-40 min, check at 35 (Anna’s note: I baked a full 45 min)
Cool completely before cutting.  I use plastic knives to cut the Brownies-you may break a few of them, but nothing sticks to the plastic so the cuts are clean!

State Fair Blue Ribbon African Violets

Not food related, but I love going to the Minnesota State Fair on the days African Violets are being shown. These are not the typical flowering kind. Mine typically die. Click on the picture and note the unusual glossy leaves on the smaller dark green violet in the cup.  If only all my baked goods could turn out so naturally beautiful!!