Virginia Street Banana Nut Bread
George Geary (author of 125 best Cheesecake Recipes) presenting Marina with a second place ribbon for her Chocolate Truffle Brownie Cups for Ghirardelli Chocolates 2009
I announced Monday that two signed copies of Splendour in my Kitchen by Marina Castle are up for auction until Thursday night, to help raise a little extra money for Suzie’s gallbladder surgery. (Click here for more details about half way down-there’s only one bidder so far, so you might get yourself a bargain while helping a good cause.) This blue-ribbon banana bread (Marina has won many blue ribbons for it, actually) is just one of the many fabulous recipes found within the cookbook. Though I’ve had the cookbook for a couple years, I just started making this recipe back in August and have been making it several times a month ever since, and lately in triple batches. This is what I think of as a classic banana bread, but with a few twists that make it extra-special and a real treat.
Photo by Marina Castle
The best thing about this bread is its texture. I have never had a better texture in a recipe for banana bread-it is so soft and smooth, it’s almost silky. It is not too heavy or dense as some banana breads can be, but not fluffy as a cake either. As Goldilocks would say, it’s juuuuust right. It has a great banana flavor, scented with cinnamon, and the combination of nuts, sugar & butter on top give it dessert-quality decadence.
This recipe is also apparently indestructible. I’ve been tripling the recipe and baking it up up in mini aluminum pans to sell in my sister’s shop and at the bake sale at work, and I’ve once miscalculated the amounts, and another time completely left the eggs out, and both times it was still good. Not silky smooth, but really good despite the errors. Hey, I can get down with a forgiving recipe because I’ve had a lot of spazzy kitchen moments lately. LOL! Anyway, if you’d like to bake up a ton of mini pans for holiday gifts, I’ve included a link for a large batch recipe so you (hopefully) won’t make my mistakes.
Enjoy!
Virginia Street Banana Nut Bread
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
Large batch recipe–makes 3 loaves or 10 mini loaves
1 ½ cups (13 oz peeled) mashed ripe bananas
1 tablespoon melted butter, divided
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (8 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1 cup (8 oz) granulated sugar plus 1-2 teaspoons, divided
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, divided
Preheat oven to 325F and grease a large 9×5 loaf pan; set aside.
Mix bananas, 1 teaspoon of the melted butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla in medium bowl until well mixed. Blend flour, 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and add to banana mixture. Stir until mostly mixed, then add nuts, reserving some for the top, and pour mixture into a large 9” x 5″ greased loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining nuts & sugar over top of loaf, then drizzle remaining melted butter over. Bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on wire rack until completely cooled. Wrap well with plastic wrap. Loaf is the better next day.
Makes 1 loaf.
Recipe source: rewritten from Splendour in my Kitchen by Marina Castle
Effortless Ham & White Bean Soup
Sometimes I save a recipe and it takes years for me to get around to making it. Most I’ve never made and probably will never make, despite my best intentions. And sometimes a recipe finds me at just the right moment, like this one, when I’m craving it, or I happen to have everything needed to make it.
This soup really is quite effortless. Mary’s recipe is easy to begin with, as it is made in the slow cooker, but I cut out the step of soaking the beans overnight and now it’s even easier! When I make refried beans in the slow cooker, I don’t soak them overnight and the beans cook up just fine and soft without the soak, so I just used the same amount of water for the soup as if I was making refried beans and it worked great.
Dennis made a point to tell me several times that this soup was “really good.” Like I mentioned before, I usually have to pull food opinions from him like teeth, so for him to offer this one up so many times tells you how good it is. I prefer a ham and bean soup without tomatoes or spices, but did like the addition of the carrots and onions and will definitely include those from now on. This is a quick, nearly effortless meal to throw into the crock before work and when you get home, you can serve some hearty, warm comfort to your family. And don’t forget the cornbread. :)
Effortless Ham and White Bean Soup
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
1 pound dry Cannellini or Great Northern white beans, rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning (or ½ teaspoon each oregano, basil, and parsley)
8 ounces ham, diced (I used ham steak)
9 cups water
1 (14 1/2 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
In a large crockpot, combine all the ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours. Mash some of the beans to make the soup creamier if desired. Serve hot.
Recipe source: adapted from One Perfect Bite
***
I recently finished the book The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. During a walk that originally should have ended at the post office but led him cross country in an effort to reach an old friend dying of cancer, with the unlikely hope his pilgrimage might save her, Harold realized something that resonated with me. Not wanting to squander his retirement, he eventually depended upon the kindness of others during his journey. He realizes, “It was as much a gift to receive as it was to give, requiring as it did both courage & humility.”
I thought of Suzie then, because she has exhibited such courage and humility in the face of her inability to pay for an operation she needs. She has been so thankful in her communications with me, and now extends her gratitude to everyone on her blog today. (You can read it here if you haven’t already.) I think it does take incredible courage and humility to admit you need help and frankly, Suzie, I think we can all say that it truly was a gift to pitch in whatever way we could, if only with well wishes and prayers. We all wish you the best, and thank you for the chance to join with others to make a difference for the better. <3
My socks are missing
Do you know why my socks are missing? Because you rocked them off! I could not have imagined the bake sale going any better than it did. When I imagined what the day would be like, I thought I’d be checking my email once an hour, being excited that there would be maybe one or two new bids, updating my post, and then returning to doing something else in the mean time.
Instead I was glued to my computer the entire day, getting new emails at least every fifteen minutes if not more often. Not every one was a bid, but that’s how often I was receiving emails about the bake sale. And yeah, that collage up there was about how it went for me on Friday, feeling like a train wreck when I had to act like a normal person and wake up at 8 AM (I was up until 4 am, which is actually an early bedtime for me), but then I was pretty much rocking out (not necessarily with banana bread in hand but I think you get the idea-lol) for the majority of the day-it was so exciting the day just flew! And then by the end of it, I was melting with exhaustion. It. was. awesome. (BTW, try not to be too jealous of how photogenic I am!)
I know you’re dying to know how we did with raising money for Suzie so without further ado, here’s the breakdown:
Total bake sale bids: $860
Donations from Suzie’s friends and family: $315
Extra donations from bake sale bidders & bidders that didn’t win anything but donated anyway: $265
Total to date: $1440
I’m so happy with the amount we were able to raise! Her medical expenses will be much more, but $1440 is a whole lot more than she had to put toward them, and she will be that much less in debt after her gallbladder surgery. And I’m not done yet! I have a few more tricks up my sleeve. :)
But first, I want to thank everyone who donated, baked goods or money (in some cases, you did both!) everyone who played a part-not only those who made bids or donated money/baked goods, but also those who tweeted and shared on Facebook and in messages. One friend sent me a message saying she asked Martha (Stewart) to retweet about the bake sale and she was going to hit up Ellen next. Bwah! So that’s why we did so good! ;)
OK, so are you ready to hear about these tricks I have up my sleeve? First of all, I started “selling” my award-winning recipe for carrot cake for donations, and that’s part of the reason why there was so much extra donated from winners and from non-winners that participated in the sale. And I’m now going to open this up to every one. If you make a minimum $5 donation on Suzie’s fundraising page, I will email you my blue ribbon & sweepstakes carrot cake recipe as soon as you forward your donation receipt to VRAKLIS@YAHOO.COM. (Sweepstakes means it won best of all cakes submitted for judging, not just best carrot cake.) I will not be blogging this for at least another year so you will have a recipe that is pretty special and not readily accessible.
The other trick up my sleeve is something else donated that didn’t make it to the bake sale in time. My Foodie Mama, whom I’ve mentioned extensively in many posts, has kindly offered two of her cookbooks, which she will sign to the winners with whatever inscription they choose. Marina has won hundreds (and hundreds!) of ribbons for her recipes, sweet and savory alike, over the last thirty years.
Just a few of Marina’s ribbons.
I have blogged some of the recipes in this book so you can sneak a preview of the yumminess you’re in store for by checking out my posts on Cookie Brittle, Chocolate Eclair Squares, Heavenly Peanut Butter Pie, Crab & Avocado Enchiladas, and Fiesta Chicken & Southwest Cornbread Casserole. She has a special section in the back for some of her award-winning recipes, including that peanut butter pie, and she is also offering to include four bonus recipes with each cookbook: Grace’s Danish Pastries Tea Cakes, Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies, Four Layer Dessert, and Eggnog Pie Apple Pie Cookies (Marina realized too late her Eggnog Pie is already in the cookbook so I had to update this).
Marina’s 4-Layer Pistachio Dessert
If you’d like a cookbook, you can email me at VRAKLIS@YAHOO.COM with your bid ($10 minimum starting bid). The auction on these will run until the end of the week and I’ll email the two highest bidders on Saturday. I will put the current high bids on this post so you can check back from time to time to make sure you’re still one of the high bidders. :) Current High Bids: Joan $10
The last trick I have up my sleeve is something I would need help with. I would like to put together a PDF cookbook holding all my own award-winning recipes so that I could “sell” it for more donations for Suzie. But I simply don’t have the time to put it together. If there is anyone reading this that has mad Adobe skillz and also has time to put the cookbook together, please let me know! I would be so grateful.
I’m terribly sorry this post is so long, I’m done now except for a reminder. Don’t forget the sign-up deadline for the cookie swap is this Friday, November 9th. Click here for details. Peace out my Cornicopi-cats!
P.S. You owe me a pair of socks!
THE Online Bake Sale
Update: The bake sale is over. If you missed it or weren’t a successful bidder, I will make you an offer Monday or Tuesday that you can’t refuse. :) Click here to see how much we’ve raised for Suzie so far!
Welcome to my online bake sale to raise money for Suzie, a friend who fell ill at the beginning of October and needs help paying her medical bills. (You can read more about Suzie’s situation here.) The blogging community, along with some friends, have joined together to make this bake sale happen, and you’d better be ready for some deliciousness because it’s about to smack you in the face!
Below you’ll find a list of yummy goodies that have all been donated by bloggers & friends, which are awaiting your bids. 
Before you start bidding, please review the Rules & Logistics. All funds raised from the Online Bake Sale will go directly to Suzie to pay her medical bills. I will update the ‘bid section’ on the bottom of this post throughout the day, so you can see the high bids for each item. Bidding for the Online Bake Sale will run from now until 10 pm CST tonight and I will notify the winners by email (you can also check the final bids on this page to see the list of winning bidders). A few quick reminders:
- There is a minimum bid of $15 on each item.
- All bids must be emailed to VRAKLIS@YAHOO.COM with the item you are bidding on in the subject (bids in the comment section will not be counted).
- If a baked good does not specify a certain shipping location then it is open to U.S. Residents only. I have put those available for international shipping at the end of the list to make them easier to find. If you have questions, please let me know.
- The funds from winning bids must be posted to Suzie’s fundraising page within 24 hours of receiving the winning confirmation email or the next highest bidder automatically wins.
- Winning bidders can expect to have their product shipped within five (5) to seven (7) days of the bake sale as long as shipping address is received promptly.
Now that we’ve got the rules all figured out let’s get to the fun part! Here’s to you getting the goodie you can’t live without! Let the bidding begin!!!
1 batch (about 2 1/2 dozen) Snickercrinkles (a cross between snickerdoodles and molasses crinkles) from Faith of An Edible Mosaic.
1 batch (about 5 dozen) Florentine Lace Cookies sandwiched with chocolate from Faith of An Edible Mosaic.
1 lb. granola of your choice from Katrina of Baking and Boys! Pictured are 1) Dark Chocolate Raspberry 2) Camilla’s Pecan Stovetop Granola 3) Coconut Lime Granola with Pecans 4) Loaded Fruit & Nut 5) Banana Split 6) Peanut Butter 7) Chunky Monkey 8) Ultimate Healthy Granola, or request a custom blend–Katrina will work with you.
1 dozen large 4″ Jacque Torres’ New York TimesChocolate Chip Cookies from Katrina of Baking and Boys!
2 dozen Wookie Cookies (double chocolate chip, cinnamon-laced cookies) from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy.
Plum Jam and Country Peach Preserves (1 pint each, 2 pints total) from Natasha’s Kitchen.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread made with unsweetened applesauce and flax seed from Jorie of Midwest Maven.
Apple Cider Applesauce Coffee Cake from Suzanne of A Pug in the Kitchen
1 dozen Brownie Pops from Angela, The Squishy Monster.
1 batch (about 6 cups) Pumpkin Granola from Sarah, The Pajama Chef. This item is customizeable-specify with or without nuts, with no or more dried fruit.
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies from Joanne of Eats Well with Others.
A gift basket from Jane of The Healthy Beehive that includes 4 homemade jellies in 12 oz. jars (Raspberry Jam, White Balsamic Peach Jam, cantaloupe jelly, and cherry marmalade), and 4 bars of her homemade soap (2 Vanilla Dreams, 1 Cappucino Layered Soap, and 1 Goat’s Milk Soap).
2 dozen Blue Ribbon Almond Fudge Cookies (gluten-free) from Veronica’s Cornucopia.
1 batch of Cinnabon Caramel Corn, regular or vegan from Veronica’s Cornucopia.
12 half-pint jars of Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa from My Bizzy Kitchen.
Two loaves of super moist Pumpkin Bread from The Gingersnap Girl. Gloria said this ships great, as she has sent it twice to the military overseas (pictured in one of her military shipment boxes).
1 dozen Double Chocolate Biscotti from Heather of Join Us, Pull up a Chair (pictured with nuts but the dozen up for sale will not have nuts).
1 batch (minimum of 20 pieces) of Toot, from Fari & Azita of Fig & Quince. Toot (what a name!) is a Persian confection that translates to Marzipan Mulberry, as they are fashioned to look like mulberries with pistachio “stems” sticking out of the tops.
1/2 pint of Grape Jam with Orange Essence and 1/2 pint of Vintage Secret Family Recipe Grape Jelly, from Debra of Eliot’s Eats. Both are made with her homegrown grapes. Please note that although 7 jars are pictured, only TWO are up for auction.
2 dozen Candy Cookies from Desi of Steak ‘n Potatoes Kinda Gurl.
2 dozen Ginger-Toffee-Molasses Cookies from Chris of The Cafe Sucre Farine.
2 dozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles from Renee of My Kitchen Adventures.
2 dozen Monster Cookies from Julie’s Eats & Treats.
2 half-pint jars of Kelly’s Jelly: Spiced Pear & White Peach. Kelly is a co-worker of mine and she uses fruit from her own trees to make her jelly-it is divine and my absolute favorite jelly. I have both kinds in my fridge right now!
2 dozen large Chocolate Chip Cookies from Adriene Rathbun, a friend that does cooking classes here in Wichita.
2 dozen Butterfly-Stamped Sugar Cookies, individually bagged and tied with ribbons, from my friend Tina Freels. She’s a sugar artist and I can attest to her baking skills! This is a nut-free item.
1 dozen KISD Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies from Lauren of Keep it Sweet Desserts.
3 half pint jars of Robin’s Triple Berry Jam. Ingredients are sugar, pectin, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and butter.
![[May%25202012%2520176%255B2%255D.jpg]](https://i0.wp.com/lh3.ggpht.com/-xR_rE5B0Gz0/T72Kky_Sf5I/AAAAAAAARj0/XLgk1klOMRo/s1600/May%2525202012%252520176%25255B2%25255D.jpg)
1/2 batch (about 3 1/2 cups) of Coconut-Sour Cherry Granola from Melissa Likes to Eat. Will ship internationally.
4 dozen Green Spelt Cookies from Angie’s Recipes. Ships to Germany only.
A pumpkin gift basket including Pumpkin Pie Biscotti drizzled with white chocolate, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and a batch of Spicy Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds from Alice of A Mama, A Baby, and a Shar-pei in the Kitchen. Will ship to the US, Italy, Portugal, Japan, the UK, and Canada – including any APO/FPO addresses.
A signed copy of Faith Gorsky’s An Edible Mosaic cookbook. (!) That’s right, if you win one of the first two items in the bake sale, you will be eating cookies prepared by a famous cookbook author. :) I purchased two copies of Faith’s soon-to-be released Middle-Eastern cookbook and Faith has offered to sign one to the highest bidder with the inscription you desire. Please be aware that you will not receive this until later in the month, as it will ship to Faith on November 6th, when it releases, and then she will ship it to you after signing it. You can preview some of the recipes in it here, here, and here. Will ship internationally.
Bidding is now closed. And just look how well we did! Thank you! If you see your name below and have not received an email from me, please send an email to vraklis@yahoo.com. Bakers, I will send address information to you once the donation for your item has been confirmed.
Current bids:
Faith’s Snickercrinkles: Letty $35.00
Faith’s Florentine Lace Cookies: Emma $25.00
Katrina’s Granola: Suzanne $20.00
Katrina’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies: Suzanne $30.00
Debbi’s Wookie Cookies: Michelle $25.00
Natasha’s Plum Jam & Country Peach Preserves: Emma $25.00
Jorie’s Healthy Pumpkin Bread: Cassandra $15.00
Suzanne’s Apple Cider Applesauce Coffee Cake: Angel $35.00
Angela’s Brownie Pops: MJ $15.00
Sarah’s Pumpkin Granola: Aimee $15.00
Joanne’s Pumpkin Swirl Brownies: Suzanne $35.00
Jane’s Jelly & Soap Gift Basket: Emma $50.00
Veronica’s Almond Fudge Cookies: Emma $25.00
Veronica’s Cinnabon Caramel Corn: Icy $30.00
Biz’s Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa: Christine $100.00
Gloria’s Pumpkin Bread: Erin $25.00
Heather’s Double Chocolate Biscotti: Suzanne $25.00
Fari & Azita’s Persian Toot: Danielle $15.00
Debra’s Grape Jam & Jelly: Biz $15.00
Desi’s Candy Cookies: Dru $20.00
Chris’s Ginger-Toffee-Molasses Cookies: Suzanne $30.00
Renee’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles: Desi $25.00
Julie’s Monster Cookies: Marie $20.00
Kelly’s Spiced Pear & White Peach Jellies: Erin $30.00
Adriene’s Chocolate Chip Cookies: Debbi $15.00
Tina’s Butterfly-Stamped Sugar Cookies: Leslie $25.00
Lauren’s KISD Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies: Katrina $25.00
Robin’s Triple Berry Jam: Erin $25.00
Melissa’s Coconut-Sour Cherry Granola: Aimee $15.00
Angie’s Green Spelt Cookies: Andrea $15.00
Alice’s Pumpkin Gift Basket: Icy $30.00
Faith’s cookbook: Lettie $40.00
Are you excited for THE BAKE SALE?
Update: The bake sale is over. If you missed it, I will make you an offer Monday or Tuesday that you can’t refuse. Click here to see how much we’ve raised for Suzie so far.
Do you know what time it is? The online bake sale fundraiser for Suzie is tomorrow! *happy dance* I’m so excited and anxious to open the sale up to everyone because there are so many delicious treats that have been donated, and certainly something for everyone. And I do mean everyone, even international readers! I should start calling it an “Everything Sale” as there are now jellies, salsa, and even a signed cookbook in the mix! I’ve kept the list of goodies updated as new donations came in, so you can preview everything here while you’re waiting for the sale to officially open.
I am still accepting donations of baked goods (or other) until midnight tonight. I will be getting home from work and checking my email at that time to update the bake sale draft. All I will need is what you are donating, how much of it, a photo, and a link to the recipe if you have a blog and have posted it.
The bake sale will begin at 8 am CST on Friday, November 2nd, and will go all day until 10 pm CST.
I know many of you are curious as to how an online bake sale works, so here’s an outline of the Rules and Logistics, so you have a clear idea of how this works.
Online Bake Sale Rules & Logistics
First of all, please keep in mind that all donations go directly to Suzie to help her pay her medical bills. Her health is improving but she still has at least one surgery she is facing and all the money raised is going to help her pay for it. Most fundraisers benefit charity organizations and you never know which person/people your donation might be helping, but in this case you are directly helping a military mama whose first grandchild was born the same week she came down ill. I thank everyone who is going to help her get well enough to meet her new grand-baby and keep going for all those who need her, including me. :)
Suzie is in the middle with her son next to her.
On Friday, November 2nd (tomorrow!) at 8 am CST, I will post all the items each baker has donated. Each item will have a minimum bid of $15. Once the items are officially posted all buyers will then e-mail vraklis@yahoo.com with a bid of what they would like to purchase.
To have an official bid on an item you must e-mail me at vraklis@yahoo.com. Any bids left in the comments section will not be reviewed, only bids e-mailed will be considered official and affirmative.
Think of the bid as a silent auction of sorts. All buyers will have until 10pm CST to submit their bid for the auction, and can bid as many times as they want.
I will be updating the current bids at the bottom of the bake sale post throughout the day so that you can see the current high bid. I am hoping this will encourage others to bid higher for the items they really want or bid for items that have not had a bid yet.
I will notify the winners by email and each winner will then donate the specified amount on Suzie’s fundraising page. Once the donation goes through I will e-mail the baker the winner’s address and it will be the baker’s responsibility to send the baked goods to the winner within 72 hours.
The winner has 24 hours to make the online donation. If in that time frame the donation is not made, the next highest bidder will be contacted.
If you have any questions, you can leave them in the comments below, and I hope to see you at the bake sale tomorrow! :)
Wait, you didn’t think I’d forget to announce the A Family Farm in Tuscany cookbook winner, did you? OK, so I almost did. ;) Congratulations to Kelly D, who said, “I like Eggplant Parmesan.” A girl after my own heart. <3
Penne alla Boscaiola {Lumberjack Mushroom Penne} & a Giveaway!
A while back I was contacted by Ginny of Cooking With Chopin to participate in a blog tour for the A Family Farm In Tuscany cookbook (her mother published the book!). I agreed because 1) I love Italian food, and 2) I love free stuff and I would get a free cookbook if I participated. Just keepin’ it real, people. If you like free stuff too, keep reading because you’ll have a chance to win a copy for yourself!
Photo by Dario Fusar, Organic Gardening
This is a beautiful softcover cookbook by Sarah Fioroni that follows the activities on her family’s farm in Tuscany throughout a typical year, such as making prosciutto in January & harvesting saffron in November, and of course there are recipes for each month that include seasonal ingredients. This is more than a cookbook, it is the story of Sarah’s heritage and daily life on Fattoria Poggio Alloro (Laurel Hill Farm), and she includes many simple, delicious recipes that her family makes every day.
Photo by Oriano Stefan
I’m usually drawn to cookbooks that feature colorful photos of the finished dishes, and that was my only disappointment with this one. The book is filled with colorful, stunning photos featuring the family, the farm & monthly activities on it, along with a smattering of food photos. However, the more I looked through the cookbook, the less I cared about the meager food photos. I often read cookbooks like novels, and this one you actually can read like a book, as the stories shared in it flow along with the recipes from month to month.
I’ve been thumbing through this cookbook for several weeks and the longer I have it, the more I love it. The recipes are simple everyday recipes, which isn’t usually what I think of in connection with Italian food. I think of long hours in the kitchen and lots of ingredients. But these recipes aren’t meant to impress you with their length or the time it takes to make them. They are simple and they are good. Make that delicious. Everything I’ve made from the cookbook so far is just incredible. I honestly didn’t know recipes with so few ingredients could be so good.
Take this Penne alla Boscaiola, for example. (It isn’t a coincidence that I first chose one of the recipes that included a picture, though I have now ventured forth and tried one without a picture, the Tiramisu Poggio Alloro–do try it, it’s wonderful.) It is so simple, calling for just a few basic ingredients and only one spice. I did rewrite the recipe with my small changes, so I wanted to include a photo of the actual recipe so you could see what I’m talking about when I say this book is full of simple, delicious recipes.
Dennis’ reaction to this was, “This is really good.” *chew chew chew* “I mean really, really good.” *chew chew chew* “I’m almost shocked at how good this is.” I’m not sure if he meant my food usually isn’t this good, or he was just trying to express how incredibly delicious he found it, but either way, you get the idea of how much he enjoyed it. This is a man that rarely comments on the taste of anything I make and I have to pull the reviews out of him like teeth. Not this time. And I whole-heartedly agree. This pasta is shockingly delicious. Shocking because it is just so simple! How can it possibly be this good? You’ll have to make it to believe it. (And make it with the Green Salad from the cookbook, it is another shockingly simple & delicious recipe!)
Penne alla Boscaiola
{Lumberjack Mushroom Penne}
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
1/2 of a medium red onion, finely diced
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
16 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced*
16 oz. pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Italian)
1 (29 oz.) can tomato purée
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
4-6 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
12 oz. penne pasta (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Cook the onion with the olive oil in a large pot/Dutch oven over medium heat for about five minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook until cooked down and browned, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, then use your hands to break the sausage into smaller chunks and add to the pot. Cook for about ten minutes, or until the sausage is cooked through. Add the tomato purée, warm water, red pepper, and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
In another medium pot, bring water and salt to a rolling boil. When the water is boiling, add the penne pasta and stir. Return to a boil and cook until pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes, using the package instructions as a guide. Remove and drain, then add to the large pan of sauce. Stir together and serve hot, topped with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serves 6-8
*Veronica’s notes: I didn’t use fresh garlic because I didn’t realize I was going to miss it until I tasted the sauce without it, so I just added a teaspoon of garlic powder. It was wonderful this way, but I included instructions for using fresh garlic since that is more authentic and most likely would taste even better. Also, a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes did not make this spicy at all so do not fear. Lastly, if you are like me, you will be tempted to cook the sausage separately and drain off the fat before adding it to the sauce. But if you are like me, you will resist in the spirit of authenticity and be rewarded with delicious pasta that is surprisingly grease-free. I think the mushrooms absorb the fat, because there was absolutely no grease to drain after cooking the sausage with the mushrooms. Oh well, more flavor!
Recipe source: Adapted from A Family Farm in Tuscany.
Would you like to win a copy of A Family Farm In Tuscany? Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite Italian dish (comments without this will not be counted in the drawing). For an extra entry, “Like” my Facebook page and leave me a separate comment letting me know you did or do. For a third entry, you can “Like” Sarah’s Facebook page and leave a separate comment telling me you did so. Giveaway is open until Wednesday (10/31/12) at midnight CST, and I will announce the winner on Thursday. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me or I will choose another winner. Good luck!
This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to the winner, Kelly D!
Taco Chili
Usually on the rare occasion I ask Dennis if he will make something while I’m at work, I get the irritated face. The “I hate to cook why must you torture me?” face. The “wouldn’t you rather me rather scrub the toilet and clean the sink drain out by hand instead?” face. Cooking just isn’t his thing. It stresses him out.
But chili is another story. It’s what he lived on as a bachelor and may be the only thing that he really likes to cook. I handed him the recipe for this with instructions for adapting it to what we had, preparing myself for the sound of grinding teeth (worst sound ever!), but there was no teeth grinding and he didn’t even frown a little. He actually seemed excited. It was like I’d been speaking a foreign language all these years and I finally communicated something he understood. Even better, he reported that he “really enjoyed” making it. I think his enjoyment translated into the final product because this chili is incredible! It’s very simple, but oh so good, and if you top it with sour cream and cheese and scoop it up with tortilla chips, you get the total deluxe taco effect. :)
Taco Chili
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
1 lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning (or 2 1/2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning)
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
10 oz package frozen corn kernels (Dennis used fire-roasted frozen corn)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Optional toppings: Additional cilantro, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, etc.
Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain. Combine with remaining ingredients in a large pot and stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until you can stand it no longer. (Dennis simmered his for one hour.) Serve hot with optional toppings.
Veronicas note: There’s no need to remove the seeds from the jalapeno, unless you are very sensitive. Dennis left half the seeds in and this was a mild chili.
Recipe source: adapted from The Comfort of Cooking
Thankful Thursdays #89: one by one
Do you know the hymn “Count Your Blessings?” You can watch the video to hear it, but it’s the song running through my head as I count my blessings over the past couple weeks.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
1. I’m going to give the big one first. Dennis got a job! He starts mid-November and things will be extra-super-duper tight until he gets his first paycheck, but boy howdy are we both glad he’s going back to work! It’s with the same company that laid him off and they’re happy to get him back–when he went in for the interview it was like a family reunion. Anyway, he was so desperate he was about to about to apply for the job there that he really didn’t want as nothing else was working out, but right in the nick of time they started hiring for a project he’s done there before and enjoyed. We’re still hoping that one of the better prospects he had will work out down the road, but at least he’s got a job in the mean time. *Celebrate good times, come on!*
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
2. We were blessed to witness the baptism of another person who decided to give their life over to the Lord. Nick wanted to do it old-school style so after the evening service a couple weeks ago, we all drove out to El Dorado Lake and man…something about the natural setting…it was definitely a night to remember. Our group gathered in a circle with flashlights, sang “Oh Happy Day,” and then watched in hushed silence as we witnessed Nick become our brother in Christ on his happy day. Afterward we said a prayer and welcomed Nick into the family with hugs, each of us getting quite wet in the process! A very happy day indeed. (Speaking of baptism, another blessing is that we finally have our own baptistry at our church! We always went to other churches for baptisms before. But ours was finished yesterday! I will have to share pictures soon.)
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
Ron Halbrook teaching in the Philippines (he has made 48 missionary trips since the mid 1990’s).
3. I was also blessed by brother Ron Halbrook’s gospel meeting last week. A gospel meeting is when a guest preacher comes to hold a week-long meeting with lessons each night on a particular subject, and Ron’s lesson this time was “World Religions,” which taught me a lot about religions I’d never researched before. Anyway, my supervisor wouldn’t allow me to start earlier or later so that I could make the meetings each night, and because she forced me to brainstorm beyond what I usually would, I finally thought of working a split shift and taking a long lunch to make the meetings. And she approved it! So because of that, I am now able to make Wednesday night Bible studies again because I know I can ask to work a split shift those nights. I love it! I just went to my first Bible study in several months last night, and it was wonderful. I need all the help I can get when it comes to studying the Bible, and I’m relieved to no longer be on my own. I love how God works and it’s so fun to look back and see how He has led you a certain direction without you even realizing it.
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
4. I’m incredibly thankful for all the people who have stepped up to help me out with raising money for Miss Suzie. If I told you the stories of these people, your jaw would drop. Nearly every one of them has something big going on in their life, whether it is doing homeschooling and daycare (yes, at the same time!) with kids ranging in age from babies to teenagers, getting ready for their own cookbook to release the week after the bake sale, grieving over the loss of a father and grandmother both within the last month AND training for a marathon AND raising money for cancer research, are two weeks past their due date and just a wee bit excited for the birth of their first child, or are just busy with a full-time job and the minutia of everyday life, I’m just amazed at the goodness and generosity of these people. I hope a lot of people will visit and bid on their goodies on the day of the online bake sale to validate their efforts! And of course, to raise bucks for Suzie’s sucky health-lol. (Update on Suzie–the doctors are now thinking her liver might be in trouble as well as her gallbladder but she still isn’t well enough for surgery and is going in next week for more tests. The good news is she is starting to lose the 18 lbs of water weight she put on from her low potassium. She is so very thankful for everyone’s help!)
What blessings can you count today?
Tips for Shipping Food Items
Many participants in the online bake sale have asked me for tips on shipping baked goods, and since there will also be many needing this information for the cookie swap, and probably others reading who would like to ship food items at some point in their life, I figured it behooved everyone for me to share my tips. I’ve shipped a lot of food items, and have always had success getting my goodies from one place to another, fresh and (mostly) unbroken. You may find a way that suits you better, but this is how I do it.
1. Wrap/package the baked goods very well so that they are air tight. For soft/chewy cookies, I put them together in a Ziploc bag and press the air out before sealing. For more fragile cookies, wrap individually in plastic wrap before putting in a tub or tin. If you are shipping something that will smash or break easily (delicate cookies, marzipan, etc), it is best to place it inside a sturdy container, within the box you are shipping it in.
2. If you put your cookies or other goodies in a tub or tin, fill it to the top or so there’s no room for the goodies to move around in. If you don’t have enough to fill up the tub or tin, fill the empty space with wadded up waxed paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap. The goal is to be able to shake the tin and not hear or feel anything moving around. No movement equals no breakage.
Notice I filled this tin all the way to the top with cookies (Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons). I did have to rearrange them to make sure I could close the lid without smashing them, but when I closed it, there was no room for the cookies to move around when shaken. I shipped this all the way to Afghanistan with no problems. If you need to ship to a very far away place, coconut macaroons are a great cookie to choose as they get better with age, stay moist, and are sturdy.
3. Once the baked goods are in the shipping box, pack well around the them so that they will not shake inside the box. Use packing peanuts, wadded up newspaper, bubble wrap, etc. Fold the box flaps down and shake it to test and make sure that the goodie package within the box does not move around. I find it best to use a box closest to the size of the baked goods possible, so there isn’t much packing necessary. A dozen cookies fits perfectly in a small Flat-Rate Priority box (offered for free at Post Offices everywhere) and you will only need a few peanuts to fill in the open space between your bag of cookies and the box. I have shipped many cookies this way and have seen photos of them after arrival, and they look just as good as the day I baked them. Packing them tight so that they don’t move around during shipping is key.
After taking this photo, I made sure to fill in every gap with peanuts, closed the flaps, shook the box, and put in more peanuts if anything shifted. By the time I sealed the box, those cookies were completely stable inside their box. And as you can see, below, they arrived in the same condition they left in (minus the eaten part, lol). Julie described the cookies favorably as chewy, salty, and sweet (they were Sneaky Snickers Cookies, peanut butter cookies with mini Snickers hiding inside), so they also arrived tasting the same as they left.
4. For bread, wrap well in plastic wrap, making sure it is air tight. You can then place it inside a plastic tub if you can find one that fits, or just put it right inside the box you are mailing it in, preferably one not much larger than the bread. Pack with bubble wrap or peanuts to ensure the bread does not jostle during shipping. Have the postal clerk mark “This Side Up” if you don’t want your box being turned upside down.
5. For glass jars, wrap each jar in bubble wrap before placing in box, secure the bubble wrap with tape, and fill in the empty space in the box very well with wadded newspaper, peanuts, or more bubble wrap. Have the postal clerk mark “Fragile” on your box.
6. Use Priority Mail (2-3 days delivery) or Express Mail (overnight) service. Parcel Post is used a lot by companies shipping heavier items and if you choose this service, which will only be a little cheaper than Priority Mail, not only will it take longer to arrive, it may be placed beneath a heavier package and crushed.
7. Request delivery confirmation. (You will have to fill out a little slip that you can find usually while you are in the Post Office line and fill out the address while you wait.) This allows you to track the progress of your package online and make sure it gets delivered. This really helps when someone wants to know where their package is, then you can just provide a tracking number if need be. It does cost 75 cents extra (free when you ship online with Priority Mail) but it is worth the peace of mind.
There are also a lot of tips here that I did not mention, but are very important to know, such as waiting for your baked goods to cool completely before wrapping/packing, and much more.
What NOT to do…
I once received a package of cookies in a Tyvec bag with no padding. Notice the price she paid to ship it was more than it would have cost to use a small flat rate priority mail box, and the cookies would have been in better condition if she had mailed them that way.
She also would not have had to buy a container if she’d used a flat rate box, just a Ziploc bag. The container had cracked during shipping because of the lack of padding, so it wasn’t air tight. You can see that the cookies got beat up because the tub had a lot of extra room for them to move around in during shipping. Despite all this, the cookies weren’t completely dried out yet and were still very good. But they could have been wonderful if more carefully packaged.
Also, please do not try to ship a frosted cake.
So sad. :( I got this photo here, and you can read the lovely story of how a mother shipped her daughter a birthday cake. Unless you don’t mind your cake arriving in a heap of crumbles like the thankful daughter who received this cake, please leave it to the professionals. (How DO they get them delivered in one piece?! I really wish I could figure that out. But I don’t want to pay the price of delivery to find out for myself-lol.)
I hope this helped you with any concerns you might have had and if you have any questions, just leave me a comment below.
Veronica's Cornucopia 