Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Banana Bread

by Leave a Comment

Covid Banana Bread cut.
Covid Banana Bread!

Zooming…

I was Zooming with my friend Sherry the other day and told her about this new Banana Bread recipe that I had just concocted and shared through a mailbox delivery (a real, snail mail type delivery box in the country – on a post near the roadside) to some local friends and her response was, “Oh! How very Covid of you!” So there you have it! A whole new vocabulary has erupted from this pandemic. Covid has become a verb, adverb and adjective besides always being a noun. Sherry said, “Oh yes, all of them.” And Banana Bread could almost be called Covid Bread because EVERYONE is making it.

It must be that everyone has bought all of those bananas for fear that they might not be there the next time they shop and they can’t possibly eat them all so what’s next? Covid Banana Bread!

And did you notice, “Zooming” is also a new verb.

Then there is my personal favorite, “Quarantini,” where you make a martini and drink it alone, at home. I wonder how many alcoholics will come out of this? I could literally have a cocktail catch-up with friends every single night, which has been using up a lot of my time, fun times albeit, but now I have curbed the commitments. Too much!

Differences in my recipe…

Back to Banana Bread. In this recipe, I upped the eggs (for extra moistness) and went light on the sugar, as I always do, added nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg, which are unusual from what I can see out there.  

I love Banana Bread toasted and then smeared with butter, particularly the end pieces, as the crust holds all the butter goodness in and none can drip out through the bread and onto your plate. Or, put on even a little cream cheese for extra pure decadence. I know, these are silly details but really worth it. For me, it brings back childhood memories as I used to fight over the end pieces with my brothers. And my mother loved putting on some butter AND cream cheese, as she’d put a finger to her lips, “Shhhhussh, don’t tell anyone…”

But really, this recipe is so good and moist, you don’t need a thing!

It freezes well and keeps in the refrigerator nicely.

Make with LOVE and create some of your own special memories.

Covid Banana Bread overhead shot.

BANANA BREAD – 1 loaf

½ cup butter, softened
1 scant cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 – 4 overly ripe bananas, finely mashed with a fork
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¾ cup pecan halves, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F degrees.

Using the paper from the butter, butter and flour a loaf pan, making sure to get into all the corners. Use extra butter if needed.

Cream together butter and sugar.

Add eggs and mashed bananas. Combine well.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add gradually to creamed mixture by large spoonfuls. Add vanilla.

Mix just until combined. Stir in the finely chopped nuts. Do not overmix.

 Pour into buttered and floured loaf pan.

 Bake at 350º F / 180º for 45 – 55 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Keeps well, refrigerated. Also freezes well. Enjoy toasted and spread with LOVE, and butter or cream cheese.

Always add LOVE

Always make and serve with LOVE. Because your food will taste better, without exception! Trust me. Spread LOVE around, not Covid-19. 🙂

Grilled Potato Salad

by 2 Comments

Potato Salad signals summer is here – right? And there are many potato salad recipes out there – with mayo, or sour cream or German style that’s warm with vinegar and the list goes on. But I wanted something different, something a little smoky, but light, and I wanted anchovies and capers, so I came up with this Grilled Potato Salad recipe!

You see, I’ve been quarantining in upstate New York with a grill on the deck. Since I am by myself, and I am not fond of doing dishes, I try to grill whatever I can. Heck, I even grilled a whole baby bok choy the other day – it was pretty good but the leaves burnt in order to get some tenderness to the core…oh well!

But here, I grilled the potato slices and scallions first, then combined them with the oil and lemon juice dressing, trying for a completely new version of the German Potato salad recipe. I find the German one nice for its lightness, (no mayo) but too vinegar-y.

What do you think? Tell me your favorite!

I did get a mayo potato salad in the Tanglewood Cookbook a few years ago. You can check out that recipe here.

Then I also did a riff on a Martha Stewart recipe that is super good, but time consuming and a lot of work. Particularly in peeling all of those Cipollini onions – not fun.

So, this Grilled Potato Salad recipe is quick and easy! It won’t spoil your fun on this Memorial Day Holiday. And, it is best eaten warm.

Make this with LOVE and enjoy!!

GRILLED POTATO SALAD – serves 6

1.5 lbs. small organic gold creamer potatoes, sliced into 1/3” thick slices
10 scallions – use about 8” in length
2 Tbs. EVOO

Dressing:

3 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. grainy mustard
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
5 anchovies, finely chopped
1.5 Tbs. capers, drained, patted dry with a paper towel and chopped
1/3 cup EVOO
Salt – to taste
Pepper – fresh ground to taste
Parsley – chopped for garnish

Method:

Toss the scallions and potatoes with the olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste. Light your grill to medium heat. If your grill is particularly hot – turn it in between medium and low.

Carefully place the potatoes and scallions on a vegetable grill pan, being cautious as the olive oil will cause a flare up, so back off, then spread the potatoes and scallions out in a single layer. Grill for 4 – 5 minutes, check to see if beautifully browned. Remove the scallions at this point as they will most likely be nicely grilled. Use a metal pancake turner to loosen all the potato slices yet keeping the lovely grilled surfaces. Turn each potato slice over with tongs and grill for another 4 – 5 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Meanwhile whisk everything together for the dressing, except for the olive oil, Then slowly add the olive oil, whisking while adding, to emulsify.

Chop up the scallions.

Remove the potatoes to a wide bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Then add the scallions, toss to combine. Add the dressing and fold everything together. Garnish with parsley. This is best served warm and with LOVE.

Let’s give thanks to all of our amazing veterans who keep us safe and democracy alive on this Memorial Day!!

Rhubarb Crisp for an Easy Memorial Day Dessert

by 8 Comments

It’s the season!

I adore rhubarb and right now it is in season! This rhubarb crisp recipe is perfect for an easy Memorial Day Dessert, so you can still relax. Because the recipe has all the specific ingredients I was craving, namely oats and pecans, along with the simplicity in preparation, I vote this as a winner anytime fresh rhubarb is available.

Heck, I think you could even use frozen rhubarb as rhubarb does freeze well. And typically, “crisp” recipes are certainly easier than a pie or a biscuit topping and this one is even super easy because you melt the butter and combine everything with your hands.

I made this as a surprise dessert to take over to Margaret and Wayne’s house for our first pandemic dinner out. We had all been very careful, only going out to buy food while fully gloved and masked. We hadn’t seen anyone else in the last 2 weeks. And we were all feeling great and healthy.

I was asked to bring an appetizer and I had some good store-bought hummus, chopped up some veggies and completed that request.

But now I had this gorgeous, freshly picked rhubarb from my farmer friend, Ethel, and I felt I must put this to work as I thought I remembered that Margaret loved rhubarb and sure enough I was right!

I was running late however with the crisp still in the oven. I texted over the facts, not telling them why I was late, and Wayne said OK. I then asked if they had vanilla ice cream.

Wayne texted back that they already had a dessert.

Surprise!!

I sighed, but ignored him and brought my own vanilla ice cream. (That’s what friends are for, right?)

When I arrived with the still very, very warm crisp, it was greeted with wide smiles and Margaret said, “Don’t you ever listen to my husband if he says we have dessert and you have this in the oven!”

I was glad I didn’t.

You will be glad too when you make this Rhubarb Crisp yourself this weekend! Serve with ice cream and LOVE and sit back and enjoy the compliments!

My apologies – in my rush to get Margaret and Wayne’s, I neglected to take a picture of the finished crisp. Next time!!

RHUBARB CRISP – serves 6

For the filling:

4 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb (about 6 stalks) – ½” pieces
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

For the crisp topping:

6 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats 
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. French Grey salt or Kosher salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Grated fresh nutmeg

For serving:

Use the best quality of vanilla ice cream.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a 10” cast-iron skillet or in a square baking dish, toss rhubarb with filling ingredients until evenly incorporated. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, pecans, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Grate the fresh nutmeg evenly all over. Use your hands to incorporate melted butter into flour mixture until mixture has pea-sized clumps. 

Scatter topping over rhubarb mixture and bake until rhubarb is bubbling and topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

Rhubarb Crisp ready to go into the oven!

Easy peasy!

Pasta all’Amatraciana

by 6 Comments

Pasta All'Amatraciana in a white bowl.

This dish, Pasta all’Amatraciana gives me great joy to make and is so full of amazing memories. You see, when I ran off to Italy by myself for two 3-month periods after Steve passed, I would fly into Milano, to be able to visit with Bianca, and stay at this little boutique hotel, a block and a half away from this very traditional restaurant. I’d order a difficult martini (they really don’t know mixed cocktails very well), 1/2 bottle of chianti, this dish, and literally, just be in heaven. Sigh…!!!

My story…

This was, of course, after the long flight. Then I would walk up and down several blocks numerous times to work it off, go back to the hotel and sleep blissfully all happy and full. In fact, one time, I completely overslept my alarm and missed my train to Arezzo the next day, causing some complications for my dear friend Tiziana.

In this Pasta all’Amatraciana recipe, you must have the heat with the chili flakes. Ideally, you should have bucatini, but in this pandemic time I used leftover spaghetti.

The meat

Ideally, you should use guanciale, which in Italy, is readily available and my absolute favorite ingredient to cook with as it imparts SO much flavor to any dish. Guanciale is the cheek of the pig. Because you might not have any luck finding it here, just use pancetta or really good, high quality, no nitrate, local bacon, which is what I used in these photos. But if you can find it – A. Maz. Ing. – and relish it!

This is a saucy pasta, which is what I remember from my last visit but who knows??? The restaurant was bought by Chinese folks. Only the sweet old Italian waiters were left who wanted to truly please this tired Americana.

They serve you a huge piled plate of pasta. I ate the whole thing.

I walked a lot. I slept very well.

Here’s the recipe to make with LOVE and create some fond memories of your own.

Pasta all’Amatriciana – serves 4 – 6

 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of bucatini or spaghetti pasta
½ pound guanciale, chopped into ½-inch chunks or nitrate-free local bacon
1 medium-to-large-size onion, minced (at least 1 cup’s worth)
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
6 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 can (28 oz.) of San Marzano tomatoes (make sure the can says “D.O.P.”) hand-crushed
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus a little extra for serving
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

The Process

Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the guanciale or bacon and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the onion and saute for another 3 – 5 minutes until the guanciale or bacon starts to get a little brown, stirring constantly. Add the red pepper flakes and let their flavor infuse the oil for about 30 seconds. Next, add the garlic and cook until it softens and starts to get some golden-brown spots, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet. Pour them out of the can and hand crush each tomato into the skillet. Bring to a simmer and then lower the heat and let cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly. Test for salt and add more if necessary. Don’t go too crazy because the guanciale or local bacon will provide ample flavor and the pecorino will add salt too.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously salt the water once it starts boiling with coarse sea salt. Add the pasta and cook until it is just shy of al dente – 2 minutes less than the lesser amount of cooking time it says on the package. Reserve about ¾ cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.

Add the pasta to the tomato-sauce pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes, adding the pasta water little by little to prevent it from getting too dry stirring constantly, making sure the pasta is only cooked to al dente. You should use 1/4 – 1/2 cup as the pasta needs more water to finish cooking. Stir in the Pecorino Romano. Taste and season with pepper and only a little salt if it needs it. Serve with a little extra Pecorino if desired and LOVE!

Enjoy!!

Meatloaf

by 6 Comments

What a time we are in, huh? I so worry about the core of our country and what is happening to our democracy. Because if you follow all the politics behind the scenes, it is distressing. So, I suggest you make a Meatloaf to soothe everyone’s anxiety.

Finished meatloaf on a white platter.
Finished meatloaf!

Nothing can calm nerves better than a good old-fashioned Meatloaf for a weeknight or Sunday dinner, just like Momma used to make, right?

And then, what is better the next day, than a meatloaf sandwich with a little extra catsup? Pure heaven in my book!

I had always thought of meatloaf as a basic dish, nothing special, and really hadn’t made it in such a long time. But as my kids were visiting, and I had a big pack of local ground beef in the fridge and a birthday dinner to make for my son, so I suggested meatloaf!

He was excited!

I was thrilled.

My mom’s finishing touch

Because this meatloaf recipe contains my additions to my mother’s recipe, it’s a little richer but you must know that the finishing touch of Hunt’s Tomato Sauce and dried oregano is all hers. I remember from childhood, loving to scoop up the extra sauce that fell down on the sides in the pan, mixed with some of the fat from the beef and being told, that was a no-no. “Too fatty. Would make me fat.”

Why everyone was worried about my weight, I will never know, as I was not and am not fat.

Geez!

There is one part of me, growing up with six men in the house (five older brothers and Dad), that believes that somehow they wanted me to be perfect – according to a perfection in their eyes. And we all know that that is not possible. C’est la vie.

Your ingredients matter

At any rate, it’s really important to use the best dried oregano that you can find. I use Greek dried oregano, because it is super aromatic and potent.

It is always about the quality of the ingredients to make your dish sing. The Dijon mustard is also super important. And this isn’t just any old meatloaf. This recipe makes a meatloaf that will delight your senses, at least for two days. Because sandwiches the next day are a real treat!

On another note…

I do finally feel like I have broken through my veil of grief of Steve’s passing. It is hard to believe, but it will be 3 years in June. Last weekend was the first weekend I really felt like cooking again. Cooking new dishes, researching recipes, making my shopping lists. My daughter-in-law said, yeah, she finally felt like I was back again.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Meatloaf ready to go into the oven.
Meatloaf ready to go into the oven

MEATLOAF – serves 4 with leftovers

2.5 lbs. ground beef
1 smallish onion, finely chopped
1 egg – lightly beaten with a fork
½ cup whole milk
¾ cup Panko
1 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
20 grinds of fresh black pepper

TOPPING:
I 8oz. can of Hunt’s Tomato Sauce – it’s actually all natural!
Dried Oregano – preferable Greek

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Combine all ingredients for the meatloaf (not the topping) and mix thoroughly but do not overmix. Just get everything blended.

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and shape the meatloaf as shown in the photo.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 F degrees.

Then boost the oven heat up to 425 F degrees and top the meatloaf evenly with Hunt’s Tomato Sauce and sprinkle oregano on top as shown in the photo. Return to the oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes more.

Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes in the pan. Carefully transfer the meatloaf to a warmed platter using 2 pancake turners. Garnish with parsley. Slice to serve.

Serve with LOVE.

Enjoy leftovers as meatloaf sandwiches with catsup and your hero status!

Strawberry Shortcake

by 3 Comments

I first posted a picture of this Strawberry Shortcake on my Instagram account and received so many likes, including a request for the recipe. So, here is my recipe for Strawberry Shortcake that is really quite easy and as you can see, it is one of those things that makes a super luscious, impressive dessert!

I made this as the belated birthday dessert for my daughter-in-law, Kate, and the store had crappy looking strawberries, so we used blackberries and raspberries. Any good berry you like will do! I don’t like my desserts too sweet, so I do not add much sugar to the fruit as I think you really don’t need it. But do add more if you so choose.

Strawberry Shortcake signals spring to me as spring and summer are the height of strawberry season vs. the flavorless variety available in the winter. Agata, my other daughter-in-law in Poland, said the Instagram post made her craving for strawberries. And I found some good ones the next day after serving Kate her special treat.

You can wrap up the shortcake in aluminum foil and warm it in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 7 minutes and it will taste just as fresh as the day you made it – as these pictures show with the strawberries.

The other secret ingredient!

The real secret here is a tip from my mom. Make sure the cake is warm, split it and put super thin little pats of butter on the bottom portion, then lightly salt it, if you are using unsalted butter. Then put a layer of whipped cream on top of the buttered portion, followed by the berries to fall over it. The butter makes everything just a little richer, fresher and yummier.

Some Strawberry Shortcake recipes have a lot of butter in the cake portion. But I prefer a lighter cake and then using the butter fresh, as a finishing touch, as my mom did it. Super delish.

The background story…

When I was a little girl around ten years old, my mom gave me the responsibility to make a dessert every night during the summer. That was my “job”. And now don’t forget that I am the youngest of six, with five older brothers. Growing up in the Midwest, dessert was mandatory, even if it was just simply Jell-O and Cool Whip (a newfangled thing at that time). Yuk!

So, I had to choose the dessert recipe, make sure I had the ingredients and make it in time for dinnertime. Making Strawberry Shortcake, was one of my go-to recipes as it was simple, easy and impressive. And, my mom grew strawberries in our garden in the backyard that were so sweet and delicious!!

In those days, Bisquick was also a relatively newfangled thing that you could use to make biscuits, pancakes, waffles and yes, shortcake. And I often used Bisquick, but because this recipe is so easy and I have an aversion to premade processed food, please go with this recipe. It will not disappoint.

Enjoy!! And serve with LOVE.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE – serves 6 – 8

3 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced, or other mixed berries, leaving 6 – 8 berries whole, with the green tops, for the final decoration when serving.
¼  cup white sugar
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar 
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup unsalted butter – very cold
1 egg – at room temperature
⅔ cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 rounded Tbs. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Slice the strawberries (leave other small berries whole), and toss them with 1/4 cup of white sugar. Cover and set aside so juices will accumulate.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Butter and flour one 8 inch round cake pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. Sift all ingredients together into a bowl. With a pastry blender or knife, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Lightly beat the egg in another small bowl. Beat in the milk to combine.

Make a well in the center of the butter and flour mixture and add the beaten egg and milk. Stir until just combined and no flour is visible. The dough will be more bread-like and sticky. Use your hands for the final mix to combine everything.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. You will have to work at spreading it out. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially in the pan on a wire rack.

The finishing touches

Whip the heavy cream into luscious soft peaks, adding the powdered sugar and vanilla after it first starts to thicken. Do not over whip.

Slice partially cooled cake in wedges and then split each wedge in half, making two layers. Put super thin little pats of butter on the bottom portion, then lightly salt it, if you are using unsalted butter. Then put a layer of whipped cream on top of the buttered portion, top with berries to fall over it and top with the other cake layer. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and one whole strawberry or some small berries as shown in the photos.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy.

Pages

Blog
About
Recipes
Tips and Tools
International Love
Love Notes
Shop
Mary's secret ingredients
  • LOVE - the secret ingredient