Sometimes when life hands you aging bananas - you need to make - Monkey Butter! So many uses as a fruit topping, stirred into cake fillings, add over ice cream, stir into oatmeal or yoghurt! The one problem is that this cannot be canned for shelf stability - there is ONE safe recipe given by Ball that has banana and orange juice but, I have heard mixed reviews on its taste. I prefer making THIS with the intention of using quickly and keeping refrigerated.... Enjoy! Diane
Monkey Butter *not for canning 4 large bananas, well ripened, cut out any brown spots on banana. 1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes 20 oz can of pineapple tidbits with juice 2 cups sugar pinch of salt juice of half a lemon Peel your over-ripened bananas and cut out any brown spots, add to large pot along with all the other ingredients. Cook down on low for about an hour. This mixture can scorch so, keep the heat low and keep an eye, stirring often. Once the mixture has cooked down and thickened to your preference, pour into a heat safe container and let cool on your counter, store in fridge once cooled and use within 2 weeks. Remember - THIS RECIPE IS NOT SAFE TO CAN - THIS IS NOT A SHELF STABLE PRODUCT. Recipe and Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home
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Strawberry French Toast Bake
Ingredients: 3-4 slices of challah, sliced (regular or thick, depending on preference) 2 cups freshly sliced strawberries; cleaned, stemmed, cut 4 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cups milk 1 1/2 Tbs brown sugar ** 1 teaspoon Rodelle Vanilla - bean paste, or extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ** dash of nutmeg 1-2 Tbs butter, cubed Maple Syrup * Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a small baking dish with butter or baking spray (I like Pam with Flour Baking Spray), then fill with the slices of challah spread in one layer. Fill in all the spaces with torn pieces of bread if necessary. Tuck strawberry slices all around the bread in dish. Mix together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg - pour over the challah & strawberries. Let prepared dish sit on your counter for at least 10 mins for bread to absorb egg mixture. **add a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon over the top if preferred. Dot top with cubed butter pieces. Bake for 30 minutes until the eggs are set - * Spoon a bit of maple syrup over the hot french toast bake the last 5 mins. of cooking time if preferred. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup on the side. Suggestions: Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar before serving. Recipe & Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home recipe can be doubled. Super quick weeknight meal can be made in under 30 minutes, add in a side salad, some steamed vegetables and this is a complete meal. I love the taste of the balsamic. Enjoy! Diane
Ingredients: 2 pounds fresh chicken sausage 2 cups chicken stock, I use my home canned (recipe here) 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large sweet onion, sliced Put all ingredients in a large high sided sauté pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and cook until stock has evaporated and a glaze has formed over all. With tongs toss sausages with onions and serve over cooked egg noodles. This recipe can be cut in half. Over the years I've baked up many scone recipes - each have slight variations that usually stem from cultural/geographical differences. The one common thread running through each recipe is that they are all fantastic tasting and all are tried and true!! If you want decadent, savory, fruity or sweet - this is the place to pick one to try!! or TRY THEM ALL! Enjoy! Diane
I have a lot of recipes for scones and this is one of my favorites. This recipe works well with raspberries too (I cut my raspberries in half for this recipe, if they are larger then I quarter them.) It's important to refrigerate these once cooled, for longer storage. We pop the scones in the toaster oven to warm them up and serve with a little butter or strawberry jam on the side. Enjoy! Diane
Homemade Strawberry Scones makes 16 scones Ingredients Scones: 2 cups strawberries; cleaned, stemmed and cut into small pieces 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 Tablespoons sugar, divided 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter 2/3 cup milk Topping: 1 egg, whisked for egg wash 2 Tablespoons demerara sugar Directions Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Clean and cut the strawberries into small pieces, add to a bowl with 1 Tablespoon of the sugar. In a separate large bowl, place the flour, salt, baking powder and remaining sugar. Add the butter and using 2 knives or a pastry blender start cutting into the butter. Use your hands if necessary but the mixture needs to resemble small peas. Add the strawberries to the bowl and coat well with the dry mixture. In a small bowl mix the egg and milk together then add to the flour bowl. Using a spatula mix everything well. Add in more flour, as needed, if dough is too wet (if it sticks to your hands too much.) Turn dough onto a well floured surface and shape into two equal rounds. Cut each round of dough into 8 triangles, just like you would cut pizza and place the triangles over a cookie tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with demerara sugar. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Kitchen Tip: The butter in scones needs to be super COLD. IF you've handled your dough too much, you will want to set your scones in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before baking. In the Winter, its cold enough here that can I set my baking tray, covered in saran, outside on our patio table to chill before baking. |