Monthly Archives: May 2011

About, Cupcakes

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Sprinkles

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Yes, the name is long, but this recipe begs to have all of its wonderful flavours announced to get you salivating and scampering off to the kitchen to make ’em! Granted one needs to be a Peanut Butter Lover to truly appreciate them…

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Sprinkles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/2 cup Butter
1 cup mashed ripe Banana (I used 3 medium sized ‘nanas)
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Banana Flavouring (optional)
3 large Eggs

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

3/4 cup Buttermilk*

*If you don’t have Buttermilk on hand, don’t despair! Pour 1 1/2 teaspoons Lemon Juice or Vinegar into a Liquid one cup measure; add enough milk to make 3/4 cup and set aside for 10 minutes. Do this before you prepare your pans and gather your ingredients and the “Buttermilk” will be ready to use by the time you get to that step!

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In small mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time,  stirring well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl before adding the next egg.
Stir in mashed banana, vanilla and banana flavouring, if using.
Scrape down sides of bowl.
Mix on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add half the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined; on medium speed, continue beating for another 30 seconds.
Scrape down sides of bowl; with mixer on low speed add the milk and gradually increase speed to medium, beat for 30 seconds.
Scrape down sides of bowl.
Add remaining flour, mix on low speed until combined then increase speed to medium-high and beat for two minutes.

Using a 5 ounce scoop fill the prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated 350F oven for 13 minutes, rotate pans and continue baking for another 10 to 13 minutes or until a light golden brown and pick inserted comes out clean.

Cool in pans for about 10 minutes then turn out onto wire cooling rack and cool completely.
Frost with Peanut Butter Frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Shortening, softened
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla

3 cups Icing Sugar
2 – 3 Tablespoons Milk

In large mixing bowl cream together butter, shortening and peanut butter for about 2 minutes.
Scrape down sides of bowl and add 1 cup of icing sugar and the vanilla; beat for 30 seconds.
Scrape down sides of bowl and add another cup of icing sugar; beat for 30 seconds.
Stir in 2 Tablespoons of milk and beat for 30 seconds; scrape down sides of bowl. (you have to use your judgement here and decide whether or not the icing will be the right consistency with or without the extra Tablespoon of milk; in all honesty, I add it and if the resulting Frosting is to thin I add a bit more icing sugar, one Tablespoon at a time until I get the consistency I am after)
Add remaining cup of icing sugar, mix on low speed until combined and gradually increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.

Spread on completely cooled Banana Cupcakes and sprinkle each with Chocolate Sprinkles.

 

 

Muffins and Scones

Ginger Pear Streusel Muffins

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I sent along a pear in my husband’s lunch the other day and lo and behold I came across it BACK in the fruit bowl at the end of the day looking much worse for the wear but still intact. I gave it a wash, along with another pear from the fruit bowl and an  apple, peeled ’em, chopped ’em up and made Muffins. You can bet he will now eat that pear!

Ginger Pear Streusel Muffins with Toasted Walnuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners.*

2 cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Pears, washed, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
1 Apples, washed, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

1 large Egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon grated Ginger
1 teaspoon  Vanilla

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup Flour
2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup chopped Walnuts

In small mixing bowl prepare the Streusel Topping:
Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in chopped walnuts; set aside.

In large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon.
Stir in the chopped fruit to coat with flour.
Make a well in the centre and set aside.

In small mixing combine egg, milk (or soy milk) vegetable oil (or a combination of vegetable oil and melted butter), vanilla and grated ginger.

Pour liquid ingredients all at once into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter will be lumpy.

Using a 5 ounce scoop fill each of the paper lined muffin cups.
Top with Streusel Topping.
Fill each of unused muffin cups with a few tablespoons of water.

Bake in preheated 400F oven for 10 minutes, rotate pans and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and pick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool on racks for 10 minutes.
Carefully pour water out of unused muffin cups then turn muffins out to cool completely on wire racks.

* I like my muffins a lil bigger so fill them to the top of the paper liners. You can make a dozen smaller muffins, if you prefer.
** I often double this recipe.

Pork

Polynesian Pork Chops

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Fraser Valley Meats often has a sale on Maui Pork Chops at 4 for $5; they make fabulous Polynesian Pork Chops…or so I am told as I don’t eat meat.

Polynesian Pork Chops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Maui Pork Chops
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 (284ml) can Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup Water
1 (398ml) can Pineapple Chunks, undrained
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon grated Ginger
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Sliced Green Onion to garnish.

In small mixing bowl combine garlic, mushroom soup, water, pineapple with juices, soy sauce, honey, ginger and pepper; set aside.

In heated oil in electric fry pan brown each pork chop on both sides.
Add chopped onion cook for a few minutes until onions are slightly softened.

Add soup mixture; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes or until ‘chops are no longer pink.

Serve on a bed of Rice, garnish with Sliced Green Onions.

 

Pork

Tomato Basil Pork Chops

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Every now and then Fraser Valley Meats has a great special on Tomato Basil ‘chops. Now I personally do not eat them but the family loves them!

Tomato Basil Pork Chops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Tomato Basil Pork Chops
1 envelope Dry Onion Soup Mix
2 cups Dry Bread Crumbs
1 Tablespoon Basil
Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cup Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup shredded Mozza

Lightly grease a 2litre baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
Preheat oven to 400F.

On large dinner plate combine onion soup mix, bread crumbs, basil, salt and pepper.
Place a pork chop in the bread crumbs, lightly press, flip over and coat the second side.
Place breaded ‘chop in the prepared baking dish.
Crumb all ‘chops, place in baking dish and bake in preheated 400F oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and evenly spread equal amounts of spaghetti sauce on each ‘chop. Sprinkle with mozza and return to oven; bake for another 5 – 7 minutes until cheese is melted and no longer pink.

Serve with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes,  Steamed Broccoli and a Garden Salad.

Serves 4

 

Salads

Broccoli Slaw

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When your garden is producing too much broccoli for you to know what to do with it all! This is a fresh, delightful salad!

Dressing:
3/4 cup Mayo
3 Tbsp Vinegar
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly ground Pepper
1 teaspoon Onion Salt
4 cups Broccoli Florets
2 cups shredded Red Cabbage
1 medium Carrot, grated
1/2 cup snipped Chives
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Sunflowers
In small mixing bowl, combine dressing ingredients, stir well to combine, adjust to taste; add a little more salt, more vinegar etc.
Set aside.
In large salad bowl combine broccoli, cabbage, carrot, chives, raisins and sunflowers.
Add dressing and stir well to coat all the vegetables.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 or 2 hours before serving to allow flavours to blend.