ambrosia dessert: May 2012

Not Your Ordinary Banana Bread

With chocolate chips on top and pineapple inside, this certainly isn't like our usual banana bread recipe. That's good because I feel like trying something different. I found this recipe on one of my favorite recipe blogs, the girl who ate everything. She promises that this banana bread will turn out very moist. I hope so!

Ingredients (printable recipe)
3/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 ½ cup brown sugar

4 medium mashed bananas (2 cups)

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

1/2 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinammon

2 ½ cups flour

2 cups chocolate chips (11-12 ounce bag)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour bottoms of 3 medium bread pans.*

Cream butter, eggs, brown sugar, bananas, applesauce, crushed pineapple and vanilla with a mixer. Add baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Mix well.

Pour into prepared bread pans. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the batter. Bake at 325 for 55 minutes to 1 hour.

*Original recipe suggests using tin foil pans. Removing these moist loaves with gooey chocolate chips on top wasn't easy. I would go with the tin foil pans next time!

Adapted slightly from The Girl Who Ate Everything

The Results...
Did everyone like this 'out of the ordinary' banana bread? Yes, we did! It did turn out very moist and we liked the chocolate chips on top. Now we have a new favorite banana bread recipe!

This Recipe is shared at:
Mom's Test Meal Mondays @ Mom's Test Kitchen

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Animal Cupcakes

May is birthday month at our house. Four of us have birthdays in May. That's A LOT of cake in one month! Last Saturday we had a birthday party for our daughter and some of her friends at the park. She LOVES animals, so we decided to have an animal themed party. Instead of a cake, we had a cupcake bar. The girls all made at least 2-3 cupcakes each, so I think it was a hit. I made these simple animal cupcakes for examples.

First, make your favorite cupcakes from scratch or from a box. Too make things easier I made mine from a box and also used store bought frosting.

Monkey Cupcakes

Chocolate frosting

Nilla Wafers

Mini Nilla Wafers

Black Decorating Gel

After frosting cupcake, place Nilla wafer on bottom half of cupcake for monkey mouth and nose area. Cut a mini Nilla wafer in half and place on sides for the ears. Use black decorating gel for eyes, nose and mouth. You could use red decorating gel for the mouth---I didn't have any on hand.

Idea from bigflavors.blogspot.com

"Cub"cakes

White frosting

Coconut flakes

Mint Patties

Junior Mints

After frosting cupcake, dip into coconut. Add mint patty and 3 Junior mints. So easy!

Idea from Family Fun

Piggy Cupcake

Pink/Strawberry frosting

Pink marshmallows

Chocolate chips

Mini chocolate chips

After frosting cupcake, cut pink marshmallow in half (I used kitchen shears. You might want to butter them or use cooking spray to keep the marshmallows from sticking to them.) Place marshmallow half on cupcake as snout, sticky side up. Place two mini chocolate chips on top for nostrils. Take the other half of the marshmallow and cut in half again. Place the 2 pieces on top for the ears. Add 2 regular chocolate chips for the eyes.

Idea from All Things Cupcake

The Results...
We thought these were really cute cupcakes and they are simple enough for kids to make. Out of all the things we had planned for the party, I'd say the cupcake bar was one of their favorites.

I share recipes at these linky parties.

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Ground Beef Stroganoff

Stroganoff is a simple and quick meal to make on a busy weeknight. I've tried many different Stroganoff recipes over the years, but we haven't found one that is a keeper. I'm trying another one tonight, Ground Beef Stroganoff.

Ingredients (printable recipe)

1 pound ground beef
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup sour cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Handful of mushrooms, (about 8 oz.)roughly chopped (optional)
3 tbsp. flour
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Egg Noodles, cooked according to package directions (or Rotini--I was out of egg noodles and Rotini worked fine)

Directions
Bring a pot of water to boil and begin to cook noodles according to package directions.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown ground beef until thoroughly cooked.

Drain ground beef to remove excess grease from pan.

Put pan back on stove (setting aside the ground beef), add 2-3 tbsp butter and also the chopped onions and mushrooms (if using). Saute the onions and mushrooms, over medium heat, until onions are soft and then add garlic.
Only cook for another 1-2 minutes so garlic doesn't burn.

Add flour to pan, stir and let it absorb butter. Now add beef broth and whisk vigorously to remove any lumps, turning the heat up to high, bringing it to a boil for 2-3 minutes until you see it thicken slightly.

Bring temperature down to medium and whisk in sour cream and
cream of mushroom soup. Stir until mixture is thoroughly incorporated.

Add salt & pepper. Keep tasting mixture until it is seasoned the way you like. I probably use a good teaspoon and half or more of salt and pepper (and sometimes a bit of garlic powder, for good measure). If it gets too thick on you, just add a tad more beef broth.

Add ground beef back to mixture until reheated.

Serve over hot noodles.

Notes: Mushrooms are optional in this.

Adapted slightly from The Country Cook

The Results...
Is this Stroganoff recipe a keeper? Yes, it is! My husband especially liked this recipe and suggested I put it here on our Family Favorites list---so I won't lose it. He said it was much more flavorful than the other Stroganoffs I've made in the past. The kids all liked it, too. This one's definitely a keeper!

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Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: Best Funny Mothers Day Quotes, Trivia, Photography, Poetry

Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: Best Funny Mothers Day Quotes, Trivia, Photography, Poetry: From Denny: Today is the day we honor the mothers in our lives. Sometimes, those mothering women are our fond memories of those who helped us to become better and stronger people today.

They may be our biological or adoptive mothers, grandmothers, aunts, older friends who mentored us, fabulous school teachers. Whoever the best women are in your lives, take a moment today and this week to enjoy the best of what they gave to you.

As I've blogged over the past few years, there are now a happy pile of women inspired posts and some very funny Mother's Day quotes to enjoy:

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The Soul Calendar: 51 Spectacular New 2012 Super Moon Photos

Super Moon in Clouds 2012 - Newfoundland, Canada

The Soul Calendar: 51 Spectacular New 2012 Super Moon Photos: From Denny: Forget what the main stream media put up for Supermoon photos. I found some superior ones over at flickr from both amateur and professional photographers. They also tell you how they constructed these photos or video from a series of photos. In this post are 49 photos and two videos.

And, yeah, I like to promote photographers so any info they provided with their awesome photos is posted here too so you can purchase prints or visit their websites. Most of these photos are All Rights Reserved, some are Creative Commons, some ask to be licensed for Getty Images. All have embed codes available for your blog or site. Be sure to click on the photos to take you to their flickr pages for more wonderful photography to enjoy!

Related articles

Astronomy: Sky Watch Biggest 2012 Super Moon Saturday

Astronomy: Tonite Trio Saturn, Moon and Star Spica Triple Threat

Space: Strange Different Neighborhood Just Outside Our Solar System

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Baked Scallops

One of my favorite things to order at a seafood restaurant is scallops. When they're cooked just right they are slightly sweet and melt in your mouth. Our local grocery store had a big seafood sale recently and I bought some baby bay scallops. I've never cooked scallops before and was worried about ruining them. When I found a highly rated recipe for Baked Scallops on Allrecipes.com, I decided it was time to give it a try.

Ingredients (printable recipe)

5 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted

4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 lbs. bay scallops, rinsed, drained and patted dry

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoon minced onion

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika or regular paprika

3/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

fresh lemon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Melt butter and minced garlic cloves together in a 3 qt. or 9x13 casserole dish in a preheated oven (it takes about 3 mins). Add scallops and distribute evenly with the butter inside the dish.

3. Combine the bread crumbs, minced onion, garlic powder, paprika, parsley, and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle this mixture over the scallops.

4. Bake scallops in pre-heated oven for 15 mins. Finish under the broiler for about 5-6 mins. Eat them with a sprinkle of lemon juice.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Here it is, right out of the oven. I only used a little more than half of the breadcrumb mixture. Next time, I will adjust the recipe and make less.

The Results...
Did I ruin the scallops? I did not! I didn't realize how small "baby" bay scallops are. Next time I will try a larger scallop. This recipe was quite simple and the scallops turned out tender. The garlicky, butter sauce and seasoned bread crumbs complimented the scallops well. A sprinkle of fresh lemon juice added a nice tanginess, too. My husband doesn't really like scallops, but the rest of us do. We decided this was a 3 1/2 star recipe. Not bad for my first try!

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Mexican Stuffed Shells

We eat Mexican food a lot at our house (tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc). Mexican Stuffed Shells is pasta, but with the Mexican flavors we like. This is different from our usual Mexican dishes. Will we like Mexican pasta?

Ingredients (printable recipe)
1 lb. ground beef
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning

4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce (This is a smooth, tomato based sauce found in the Mexican section)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream

Black olives
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.

In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

Source: The Way to his Heart and A Pinch of This and That

*You could turn this into a freezer meal. Prepare as directed in a tinfoil casserole pan with a cover and freeze instead of baking. Just make sure when freezing that the shells are covered with sauce so they don’t get freezer burned. When ready to cook, thaw and cook as directed.

The Results...
We liked these shells topped with lots of green onions, olives and sour cream. My little 4 yr. old helped me stuff the shells with the meat mixture. We decided to give this recipe 3 1/2 stars (out of 5). It was fun to try something different.

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Dennys Art Sanctuary: Music: Fun Cartoon Video, Beatles Hard Days Night

Dennys Art Sanctuary: Music: Fun Cartoon Video, Beatles Hard Days Night: From Denny: Need a fun break away from your routine? This little video is just the answer for a head trip to get you laughing once again. Courtesy of The Beatles of a Blast From The Past - 1964 to be exact. :)

By the way some previously unreleased black and white photos from 1964 of The Beatles is up for auction this month. The 87-year-old photographer did not realize he was sitting on a gold mine.

No one has seen these photos of the band as they have been hidden away in the old guy's photo album for almost 50 years. Old people; gotta love 'em!

The photographer was Peter Allchorne, the studio props manager for the movie. He seemed to ignore the ban on taking photos on the set and did it anyway.

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