Handwritten Recipes: Aunt Viola's Heirloom Banana Bread

In case you're wondering, the 'i' in 'Viola' is a long vowel sound - not like the instrument.  Say it with me: "Vie-OH-lah."  Yes, that's it.  Aunt Viola was my great great aunt, my great-grandmother's sister.  This recipe has made its way to my hands via my most excellent cousin Becky.  She knows me well (for proof, look closely at what's in parenthesis beside the chocolate chips in the ingredient list).  Cousin Becky, you're a winner.  

Aunt Viola's Heirloom Banana Bread

1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
4 mashed bananas, frozen then thawed (this is extremely important.  Don't you dare use fresh bananas)
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. nuts (optional)
1/2 c. chocolate chips (not optional)

Mix until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Pour in greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 about 1 hour or until cooked through.

What's been keeping us busy, you ask?  Besides, of course, making and eating banana bread, naturally. 

 

Well, things like this: a 17-month old who's chatty and likes to pull books off of shelves (and then smiles a melting smile and flashes those blue eyes) - and preparing for my first ever CRAFT FAIR on Saturday 4/26 - and getting a community garden plot (20'x20' of local investment!) - and trying to firm up some farmer's market plans.  Oh, and neighbors and friends and visitors from out of town and local restaurants and spring time and surprise snows and kids.

Just a few little things.  But there's always time for family, and Aunt Viola's banana bread.  Naturally.

Handwritten Recipes: Chicken Potpie

This recipe comes from my friend Sara in Virginia - she's also got two little girls and a knack for the handmade!  She posts on a 52-week project blog called Rocktree Creations (it makes my little heart pretty happy).  Thanks for sharing, Sara!

Chicken Potpie - A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dish from the More with Less Cookbook (this is more like chicken and dumplings than a casserole, just so you know ...)

Cook in a large kettle until tender:
1 large chicken fryer
2-3 qt. water
salt and pepper
Remove chicken, cool, and remove meat from bones.

Prepare vegetables:
2-3 potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 c. parsley, chopped

Prepare potpie dough:
Combine 2 c. flour and 1/4 c. salt
Cut in 1 Tbsp. lard or shortening or butter
Add 1/4 c. water and 1 large egg, slightly beaten.
Mix to form a ball.  Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Add vegetables and meat to broth.  Cook until vegetables are tender.  On a floured surfact roll out dough as thin as possible, cut into 1 1/2" squares, and drop into broth.  Cook 5-10 min and serve.

First of all, the use of the word "kettle" in the directions meant that I couldn't wait to make this one.  Not a pot, or even a stockpot ... nope, a kettle.  So, I found myself a kettle and cooked away.  The resulting soup was delicious and really hearty - and just so simple!  I love simple.  And REAL!  All this talk about "real food" as if it's a new fad - nope, it's been going on for ages.

Back to the recipe.  If I needed a shortcut, I would boil chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken - either thighs (because I love dark meat) or boneless skinless chicken breasts (because of ease).  The potpie dough was a little salty - 1/4 cup of salt will make that happen - but we like salty here so we went with it.  I think next time though I might add a tablespoon or two less.  But because there's not any salt added anywhere else in the recipe (except for boiling the chicken), it does add flavor to the rest of the soup.

I know, I know - it's not soup season anywhere else in the world - except for New England.  We've had some really lovely days, and some chillier days.  We're still waiting on the trees to bud, actually.  Not a leaf in sight in my neighborhood, folks.  All the snow is gone (thankfully) but we're still waiting on spring!  So, bring on the potpie!

Handwritten Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Casserole

This one comes from my uncle - I knew as soon as I saw it that I would love it.  Indeed - it was the kind of perfect comfort food that I need on cold winter nights.  We all went back for seconds.  I may have even gotten thirds.

It pairs so nicely with a salad and some hearty toast, and leftovers (if there happen to be any) are incredible.

*Parenthetical notes in the recipe are mine

Bake 4 chicken breasts in oven at 400 degrees (this took about 25-30 minutes for 2 pounds of chicken).  If necessary, take off bone.  Cut up.

Butter a casserole dish (I used a 9x13" pan) and add juices from chicken.

Layer the following ingredients with the cut-up chicken:

-9 corn tortillas

-1/2 lb. of grated jack or cheddar ceese

-mixture of 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can green chili salsa (salsa verde is what I used), 1 chopped onion, and 1 can chopped black olives.

(I layered in the following order: half of the chicken, half of the tortillas, half of the cheese, half the soup mixture, half of the chicken, half of the tortillas, half of the soup, and topped it with the rest of the cheese.  I'm not sure if this is how it's meant to be or not, but I exercised some creativity and it seemed to work).

Cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.  Bake covered for 1.5 hours at 325.

Handwritten Recipe: Hello Dollies

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted (3/4 c.)
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
12 oz. chocolate chips (1 bag)
2 c. shredded coconut
2 small bags pecan pieces
2 cans sweetened condensed milk

Mix butter and crumbs, put in a 13x9" pan.  Layer chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans.  Top with milk.  Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until browned.  Loosen sides while warm; cut when cool.

Do you know about Hello Dollies?  If not, let me introduce you to what might be the most indulgent dessert you'll meet in 2014.  Butter.  Chocolate.  Coconut + nuts.  Sugary creamy gooeyness.  They are stick-in-your-molars delicious, and if you're anything like me you'll tell your kid it's a pan of Parent Food for After Bedtime.

These cookie bars are also known as Magic Bars, Outrageous Bars, and Seven Layer Bars (though, honestly, I don't know why ... I only count six ingredients, and five actual layers).  This particular one comes from a friend of my mom's.  It must've been dictated to her (or kindly copied from an email), because that's my mother dear's handwriting.

If you're looking for something to literally throw together from ingredients you have on hand, this would be it.

Please excuse me now.  I hear Parent Food calling.

Handwritten Recipe: Black Bean and Quinoa Soup

I just celebrated a big birthday, and you all helped me out tremendously!  I (shamelessly) asked for you to send me handwritten recipes that I could work my way through in 2014.  I've got quite the stash going, though if you still wanted to send one my way I wouldn't protest.

Here's one that I tried today - black bean and quinoa soup - and I have to confess that it was a pretty stellar way to kick off the handwritten recipe project.  So, without further ado ...

 This recipe comes from a family friend who taught me in 2nd and 3rd grade!  She lives with her husband and four kids in South Carolina.  Thanks for the handwritten recipe, Becky!

1 tsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. fresh tomato
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c. quinoa
1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
4 c. vegetable broth
1 24-ounce can black beans
1/2 c. chopped cilantro

Saute onion in oil for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute.  Stir in tomatoes.  Add cumin, oregano, and crushed red pepper.  Add quinoa, carrots, and bay leaves with 2 cups of the broth.  Boil 5 minutes. Add remaining broth and the black beans, bring to a boil then simmer 10 minutes.  Let sit for about 10 more minutes, remove bay leaves, and enjoy!

It was simple, delicious, and hearty!  I definitely be making this again.  As far as I can tell, it's vegan, which means it's also vegetarian.  Nice one to have up my sleeve if the need arises!

What I Want For My Birthday (A Shameless Request)

Friends, I will just go ahead and say it.  December is my birth month.  And this year it's a big one ...  Thirty!  30.  3-0.  Three decades of life.  I'm getting excited already.

I know what I want for my birthday.  Do you mind if I go ahead and ask?  I know, once you get past about 16 you can't really say what you want for your birthday ... people who might get you gifts are just supposed to know.

But I'm going to break the norm here.  For my 30th birthday, I want you to give me a handwritten recipe.

Just one.

But written down.  By hand.  On some kind of paper.  My little recipe box (above) holds index cards, so that's a great size.  But really, any kind of paper will do.  Just paper, and pen, and your recipe.

See, I've been contemplating some kind of food project for 2014 ... I've had so much fun with the "Year of Food" in 2013 that I realized it's nice to have some overarching theme/goal/purpose in trying new recipes and cooking new things.  On Thanksgiving Day I was moving some things around in the kitchen and the little recipe box fell off a top shelf.  Cards went flying all over.  I picked them up and realized I had never looked in that recipe box that had been my grandmother's.  I don't even know how I ended up with her recipe box (according to my dad she wasn't really much of a cook anyway, bless her soul), but there are just some really cool notes in there.

Like the page from a daily diary ... Friday May 2: blue cheese, cheese roll sharp, pecans ... what the heck will that be, I wonder?  I'm thinking some kind of appetizer cheese ball, but she didn't bother to title it so maybe it's self explanatory.  If you come over on May 2, 2014, we will be eating this, whatever it is.

That story is all to say that my Food Goal for 2014 will be cooking from Handwritten Recipes.  I've got that box of my grandmother's to go through, but I'd love to add a recipe or two from you folks, if you've got a second to jot something down and send it my way.  It doesn't need to be fancy (my wise-guy brother already called the "pour cereal in a bowl and add milk; eat with spoon" recipe).

So there you have it.

For my thirtieth birthday, I want handwriting on paper.  I'm pretty easy to please.