Banana-Nut Pound Cake

by Irene Lindvall

It's the last official Tuesday of 2014 which makes it the last official night of baking for the bowling ladies! I am sad to report this pound cake didn't even make it the ladies, but not because it didn't taste right. As you can see in the first photo, the outside of the cake looks delicious but there is something suspicious oozing in the middle. Upon cutting into it, I was met with something I have seen several times in my baking endeavors: a near perfect tasting dessert with a small portion that doesn't seem to be cooked all the way through. This one was a little more tricky than past ones in that I thought the small uncooked part was just banana filling, but of course that was just wishful thinking. When I took it out of the oven I also noticed it had oozed over onto the baking racks as well as to the bottom of the oven. Fantastic because cleaning the oven is my favorite thing to do.

Anyhoo, I have no idea what went wrong (as usual with baking). I'm assuming I over whipped/beat/stirred everything. This is the problem I continue to come back to but can't figure out how much is too much. All the problems aside, it was a pretty tasty cake and was a great way to get rid of over-ripe bananas. I should note I used milk instead of bourbon because I didn't have any and the taste was great. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I cannot tell when it is appropriate to stop mixing. 

My NYE resolution will be to take a baking basics cooking class in 2015.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Maybe

The recipe

Mustard

by Irene Lindvall

Today I started two out of six mustards I will be making for a New Year's Eve party on Wednesday night. These two take two-three days at room temperature before they can be made. Technically I have started two new recipes today but I won't be sharing the finished product until Wednesday. Until then a little sneak peak...

Crab Pasta w/Prosecco & Meyer Lemon Sauce

by Irene Lindvall

I have to admit that I haven't been good at making new recipes for the last couple of weeks. This month has been rough and cooking has not been my number one priority. The last couple of days have been especially hard, but today I managed a fancy lunch prepared just in time to watch my Seahawks. I love any excuse to open a bottle of Prosecco (my favorite for the last couple of years) and I can never resist anything that has crab in it so I had very high hopes for this dish.

The pasta turned out to be richer than expected, but I loved the combo of Meyer lemon & Prosecco and how it really elevated the flavor of the crab. Overall, we both really loved the dish, although I think it was a little much for Eric's first meal of the day. The next time I make it I will definitely do it for dinner.

GO HAWKS!

Things I learned from this recipe:

I think I chose a great time to make a recipe that required Prosecco - right before the Seahawks game. As my dad always says, "Prior proper planning precludes piss poor performance."

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely.

The recipe

Candy Cane Trifles

by Irene Lindvall

Merry Christmas! I didn't take Christmas Eve off from cooking, but I unfortunately didn't make anything new. I did however make Eric's dad's recipe for Swedish Oven Pancakes for brunch (a Christmas morning tradition for them) and I made chirashi for dinner so we could have a dinner from my roots. We both great enjoyed both meals.

Back to Christmas. I decided long ago to do a dessert on Christmas since we got to spend all day with my family this year. I knew they would all appreciate the combination of brownies + ice cream, with the little bit of festive feeling from the candy canes. It turns out the candy canes were the big hit. Everyone was surprised at how much they added and it was agreed it was worth despite the extra chewing that was required. Eric and I weren't totally surprised how good they were since we already knew the power of candy canes from my festive angel food cake last week. 

The "NO-fuss brownies" were also a hit on their own. They tasted nothing like regular brownies from the box and had a really light chocolate flavor. I used a biscuit cutter to get them the round shape, and my mom made the excellent call of dropping the cutter in a glass to make sure the cut brownies would fit. Very smart mother. The finished photo doesn't do the dessert justice - it was fantastic and a great way to end the day.

Things I learned from this recipe:

As much as I liked the flavor of the brownies I'm not sure they'd be the best of their own. Coupled with the ice cream they were okay, but I think if I would to just make the brownies again some sort of chocolate or caramel sauce would be a perfect accompaniment. 

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe

Two Recipe Night

by Irene Lindvall

We attend an annual Christmas Music Night with family and friends every December 23 and the night entails homemade soups, Christmas carols and catching up with loved ones. I choose to make a salad every year instead of a soup and this year I did two (the other was the brussels sprout salad form Thanksgiving) as well as a dessert. They were all a hit.

Kale & Apple Salad w/Walnut Dressing

This recipe came from the November issue of Sunset and I kept it because I knew I'd be going places where kale would be appreciated. We are not the biggest fans (except for sautéing it) so tonight was the perfect night to try it out. I like the mixture of kale + Fuji apples and I thought the dressing was just okay. It had a dominating mustard taste that I wasn't in the mood for, but it wasn't bad. Even though I toasted the walnuts with olive oil in the oven they still weren't a taste I care for. I think this is a great salad to bring somewhere where it could be appreciated for what it is - a health-food type of salad.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Still not the biggest fan of kale, and really not a fan of walnuts.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Probably not.

The recipe

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

Now that I posses a little more confidence in the dessert department I decided to bring one to share with this group of 23. My friend from bowling who game me the broccoli salad recipe also gave me this one a few weeks back. She made it for us one night at bowling and we all thought it was great, and she said it was the easiest thing. She was right and it was a hit. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I need to do some reading about cutting baked goods. I'm wondering if I don't have the right tool, or if I need to be waiting longer. I was pretty sure I gave these enough time, but they still didn't cut nicely, and while it didn't look appetizing it sure tasted great.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe as given to me:

Take a box of Angel Food Cake mix (do not follow the directions on the box) & coming it with a 20oz can of crushed pineapple in its own juice.

Stir the cake mix and pineapple & juice together with a spoon (do not use mixer).

The mixture starts to froth & it turns into an amazingly airy, fluffy bowl of deliciousness right before your eyes.

Once it is all mixed up, grease and pour it into a 9x13 cake pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.