Monday, November 26, 2012

Banana Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

 Thanks to everyone for your kind words last week!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Brown butter adds such depth to the flavor of these bars.  Most of my experience with brown butter has been in savory cooking with recipes like this Brown Butter Sage Pasta.  When I saw this recipe for Banana Bars with Brown Butter Frosting, I couldn't wait to give them a try.

The trick to perfect brown butter is to brown the butter slowly, swirling the pan while the butter browns.  If you brown it too quickly it will burn and that's not good!!!  You frost this cake while it's still warm.  I used a trick I learned a number of years ago with this banana bread, I poked holes into the cake allowing the frosting to seep down inside the cake.

These banana bars are delicious and dense like a pumpkin bar.  The brown butter frosting is heavenly and puts these bars over the top. 



Banana Bread Bars:
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. milk

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 375F.  Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.  For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy.  Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute.  Stir in walnuts.

2.  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3.  Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.  Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.

4.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.  Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting).  Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm). 

Yield: 2 dozen large bars

I am linking this recipe to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Goldie June Johnson 04/21/20 - 11/12/12





Goldie June Johnson, 92, passed away quietly at the Life Care Center of Kansas City, on Monday, November 12, 2012. June was born on April 21, 1920 in Benton City, Missouri. She lived most of her life in Kansas City, Missouri or Kansas, and was a graduate of Rosedale High School. She also lived in Clark, Missouri, California and Nebraska. June was a Regional Manager for Russell Stover's Candies, and a homemaker. June and Robert W. Johnson, her husband and sweetheart, were married August 3, 1988.  She was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend. June enriched the lives of all who knew her, and she leaves many in sorrow but with gratitude for having had her in their lives. 

June was my Bonus Mother (I never liked the word step mother).  (My Mother passed away when I was 16.)
  Having June in our lives brought us all great joy.   She will be missed!!!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Chicken Enchilada Pasta - Secret Recipe Club

It's Secret Recipe Club time! For those of you who aren't familiar with SRC, it works like this. Each month, we're assigned a blog and choose one of their recipes to feature on reveal day. For this month's reveal, I was assigned Cheese Curd in Paradise.  Congratulations to Ashley, she's about to welcome a new baby, Kellen, into this world.

 I try to choose a savory recipe for SRC since I never have any trouble coming up with a new sweet recipe to make! I love Chicken Enchilada's. When I saw this recipe for Chicken Enchilada Pasta, I decided that was the recipe I was going to choose. I omitted the red peppers (none on hand) and used some leftover cream cheese instead of the sour cream. This recipe tastes just like chicken enchiladas. I think next time I might try adding a few black beans, more protein and more color.



Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (you can add more chicken if you like a meaty pasta)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 10 oz. cans green chili enchilada sauce (I used medium heat)
1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce (I used mild heat)
2 cups shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup light sour cream
1 lb Penne pasta

Toppings:
Avocado
Green Onion
Sour Cream
Cheese
Black Olives

Instructions
In a large rimmed skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir. Add chicken, spices, chilies, and enchilada sauces. Simmer for 15 minutes.  While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta, drain and set aside.

Lower the heat for the sauce and stir in the cheese. Allow mixture to stop bubbling and stir in the sour cream. Be careful not to boil the sauce because the sour cream will break and curdle.

Return drained pasta to the original pot and pour sauce over pasta. Toss pasta with sauce so it is evenly coated. Plate and top with desired toppings.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Taco Bake

Looking for a new hamburger recipe, here's one that's easy and uses ingredients you may have on hand.  This dish is cheesy and the leftovers, if you have any, are delicious the next day!



Taco Bake
Recipe Courtesy of The Country Cook
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
* water as called for on back of seasoning packet
3 large flour tortillas (8-inch size)
1/2 cup Salsa Con Queso
1 1/2-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:
Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.
Add in taco seasoning and water (following directions on back of seasoning packet).

Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and had in 1/2 cup salsa con queso.
I like a mild salsa con queso. This is a spicy dish so a hot salsa con queso would just be too spicy for us.
If you have anyone in your family that is very sensitive to spicy dishes, you could always use a regular, spreadable cheese dip.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Layer the bottom of  the pan with a flour tortilla.
Now add about 1/3 of the meat filling.  Then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Continue until you are done with all of the layers.
Bake a 350 for 15 - 20 minutes. 
Allow to cool for a few minutes, cut into wedges.  Top with salsa or sour cream.   

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

In The Mood Intimates - Lace Boyshorts Review

Are you an online shopper?  I am!  I buy make up, shoes, clothes, gifts, books and kitchen items on line.  It's easy and such a time saver, find what you want and click click, it's done.

One thing I've never purchased on line is intimate apparel.  Seems like that's something I always put off purchasing and I am not sure why.  Everyone deserves to wear something beautiful underneath their clothes.  For me that's about to change,  recently I was contacted by In The Mood Intimates.  They were looking for some blog ambassadors.  I quickly responded and said, sign me up!!!


For this month's review, I received a pair of their Hanky Panky Signature Lace Boyshorts.  I love boyshorts.  Their fit is perfect and they are so comfortable.  These were no exception, comfy....check, good fit....check and to top it off they are a beautiful pink color.  (I have to clarify this, no that's not me in the boyshorts, I only wish I looked like that when wearing them.)


If you're looking to treat yourself or need a beautiful holiday gift for someone, check out In The Mood Intimates.  They have a great selection, reasonable pricing and $5.00 shipping (unless you spend $70.00 and then shipping is free.)

Disclosure:  I’m a member of the In  The Mood Intimates Ambassador program and received a review item in exchange for this post.  The opinions are my own.