Banana Nut Muffins & Banana Blueberry Nut Muffins


BANANA NUT MUFFINS
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 jumbo eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 VERY ripe bananas*
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup crushed walnuts

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a medium saucepan melt one stick of butter.
  • Puree bananas.
  • Add brown sugar, raisins and pureed banana. Stir until well blended and remove from heat.
  • In a large mixing bowl cream together 1 stick of butter, eggs and sugar.
  • Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
  • Gradually add flour mixture into creamed mixture until well blended.
  • Add in the brown sugar mixture until smooth and consistent.
  • If making the Banana Blueberry version, fold in the blueberries last.
  • Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes.

*to make Banana Blueberry Nut use one less banana and add 1+ cup blueberries.

Recipes shared with:
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table is hosted by Cole at All the Small Stuff
Tempt my Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Lisa at Blessed with Grace
Try A New Recipe Day is hosted by Min at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN
Vintage Recipe Thursday is hosted by Joy at Joy of Desserts
Foodie Friday is hosted by Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum
Save Room for Dessert is hosted by Joy at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN
What Did you Bake Today? is hosted by Kristen at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN
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Let’s Make Magical Mondays

You must be wondering who is this Chaya who has been granted the honor and fun of hosting Mondays with Cooking With Chaya. Some of you may know me from my blogs, Chaya’s Comfy Cook and Sweet and Savory Says it All. I hope the rest of you will get to know me and I will get to know you.

I am Chaya, a woman who is finding herself as a cook and baker. I want to cook or bake everything but everything is too much. Time and error keep me from reaching close to achieving a fraction of what I would like. I make my share of mistakes and I am willing to share them with you. Some have been shocked that I did share my burnt creations but I believe we learn from our mistakes. Of course, I hope there are many more successes to talk about. I would like you to come along with me on my journey, finding out who Chaya the Cook is. Hopefully, we will have fun doing this and come up with some good eating to put on our tables. Please, leave your recipes for all of us to try. Click on If you have another version of what I made, please add your comments. I want to learn from you. Together, we can make Magical Mondays.

I had no idea what recipe to start with and changed my mind a dozen times. Finally, I decided, I would share the last thing I made and stop agonizing. Here it is.

Candied Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes

I have made candied sweet potatoes for years but not like this and never with the butternut squash. I actually made the recipe, in the morning, with just sweet potatoes but found a lonely butternut squash in the refrigerator and decided to up the recipe with this delicious vegetable. I am presenting the recipe as baked together.

Ingredients:
Spray cooking oil
4 medium sweet potatoes

1 butternut squash
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Method:
Preheat oven 400 degrees.
Spray a medium size to large baking dish.
If you have a microwave, microwave the butternut squash for a few minutes to make it easier to peel.
Peel both the sweet potatoes and squash and cut into chunks about an inch and one half in size.
Sprinkle these with salt and pepper.
Bake in over for 30 minutes.
While the vegetables are baking, make the marinade by mixing all ingredients together.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and cover them with the marinade.
Make sure each piece is well coated.
Put back in oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
With a large spoon, once again, spoon the marinade from the pan onto the sweet potatoes and squash. If it has all been incorporated into the glaze on the vegetables, skip this step.
My sweet potatoes held the glaze better than the squash did.
This is the kind of dish you can serve with meat, fish and poultry. Its sweetness sets off other flavors.

Growing pains with benefits

Hi everyone. We are just about 6 months old here at OuR kRaZy KiTcHeN and going through a few more growing pains, but with benefits. Martha from Menagerie formally of Simple Supper Saturday and most recently of Monday Munchies will be returning to Simple Saturday as Heather from girlichef will be taking a sabbatical. We are fortunate and excited to be gaining Chaya of Sweet & Savory Says it All who will be joining our team with a new meme, Cooking with Chaya on Mondays and Min of The Bad Girl’s Kitchen with her new meme, Try A New Recipe Day on Tuesdays. Be sure and join us tomorrow and Tuesday to welcome Chaya and Min.

And let’s not forget to mention that Dave from A Year On The Grill will Start New Year’s Eve with another great new meme, I CAN COOK THAT! We know that Dave’s quick wit and awesome style will bridge many a food gap!

Don’t forget we’re looking for avid foodies with a passion for cooking and the limelight for guest posts in the upcoming year. Please leave a comment and we’ll email you to set up a date.
abbey-oyster-white-kitchens

Chaya, Dave and Min all have some wonderful ideas on making us better here at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN. Chaya jumped in with both feet and helped us develop our newest idea of featuring a special blogger each week from the recipe links we receive. So, we will be searching through the recipe links each month and will be featuring one awesome blogger the last Sunday night of the month beginning on the 27th. of December. Help us choose YOU! by linking your recipes with one of our daily memes throughout each week.
KK Feature Award

Parsley Herb Noodles OR Linguini & Clams ~ Cooking with Chaya at OuR KrAzY kItChEn

PARSLEY HERB NOODLES / LINGUINI & CLAMS
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound linguini, cooked and drained well, reserving pasta water as needed
4-6 cloves minced garlic
(2) 7 1/2 ounce cans minced clams, drained well, but retaining 8 ounces of the juice
1 cup white wine
1 shallot, minced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
salt & pepper to taste

  • Heat butter and oil together.
  • Add shallot, green onions and garlic cooking until golden and fragrant.
  • Add clam juice and white wine and simmer uncovered 10 minutes.
  • Add clams, parsley, salt and pepper, to taste and most of the Parmesan cheese,  heating until cheese is melted.
  • Toss with the linguini.
  • Serve with fresh grated Parmesan Cheese.

ORIGINALLY POSTED 12-21-2009 for my FIL’s birthday

BANANA CREAM PIE ~ SIMPLY DELICIOUS SUNDAY



BANANA CREAM PIE
CRUST
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water
  • In a large bowl sift together flour and salt.
  • Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball.
  • Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for several hours. Overnight is better.
  • Preheat oven 350°.
  • Roll dough.
  • Place crust in 9 inch pie plate.
  • Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
  • Flute the edges with a fork.
  • Bake 12-15 minutes until flaky and JUST golden. It will finish baking after you have filled it.
  • Cool.

FILLING
3/4 cup fine sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups whole milk
3 Jumbo egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted & cooled
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 just ripe bananas, sliced
1 extra ripe small banana, pureed

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • In a medium saucepan heat milk slowly.
  • Sift together the sugar, flour and salt.
  • Add the flour mixture gradually while stirring gently.
  • Add in banana puree.
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
  • Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture back into the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Remove the mixture from the stove immediately adding the butter, lemon juice, maple and vanilla extracts stirring constantly until a smooth consistency is reached. (Do not cool for too long before pouring over the sliced bananas.)
  • Slice the bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell.
  • Top immediately with pudding mixture.
  • Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Chill for several hours before serving. Overnight is best.
  • Top with whipped cream.

TOPPING
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon maple extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

  • In a large bowl (I use my copper one and pre-chill it and my whisk in the freezer), whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks are just about to form.
  • Beat in maple extract, vanilla powder and powdered sugar until peaks form, making sure not to over-beat.

Penne with Spicy Vodka Sauce & a ta-ta for now…~Simple Saturday with girlichef

As life would have it, my Saturdays (and other days) have not been too simple lately. In fact, I’m in a somewhat madhouse period right now, and have come to realize that I have over-extended myself. Meaning? Meaning that this is going to be my last regular Simple Saturday post. I have really enjoyed my time here in Our KrAzY KiTcHeN and will miss visiting with you on Saturdays… but I’ll be around whenever possible!! And never fear, the wonderful Martha of Martha’s Menagerie and our very own Krazy Kitchen will be stepping back in to take over Saturdays!

SimpleSaturdaysKrAzYKiTcHeN

To say so long for now, I cooked up something quick & simple…Pasta with Spicy Vodka Sauce
by girlichef
~1/2 lb. uncooked pasta
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pinches crushed red chiles
pinch salt
1 (14.5 oz) can Fire-roasted, diced tomatoes w/ juice
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. Absolut Peppar Vodka (or other chile pepper infused vodka)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook your pasta in boiling, salted water until just al dente. Drain, reserving ~1/4 c. or so of pasta water. While your pasta is boiling, heat oil in large skillet over medium and saute garlic, salt and crushed red pepper for a minute or so, then add tomatoes and their juices. Simmer for a few minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down a bit. Add cream, vodka and reserved pasta water…give it a quick stir. Toss with warm pasta and season to taste. Grate fresh Parmesan over top and serve!
It’s been so great meeting so many great foodies and I will definitely see you around the Krazy Kitchen… and the blogosphere… get ready for Martha 🙂

Salted Chocolate, one of our newer favorites is always a winner!

SALTED CHOCOLATE
16 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
Sea Salt
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
PURE

  • Spray a jelly roll pan with an even coat of PURE.
  • Microwave chocolate in 20 second intervals until melted.
  • Spread chocolate out evenly.
  • Sprinkle sea salt across the entire layer of chocolate.
  • Sprinkle top with crushed walnuts.
  • Gently press nuts into the chocolate.
  • Cool in refrigerator uncovered for 30 minutes until hardened.
  • Break up into pieces and store in cool dark dry place.

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Baked Smoked Turkey in a Slow Cooker: What Did You Bake Today?

I realize that I am completely pushing the limits of the whole “bake” thing with this post.  Hopefully, you will have it in your hearts to hear me out.  This is a new technique I learned reading Cheater BBQ by Mindy Merrill and R.B. Quinn.  The premise being that slow cookers can act as mini ovens on occasion.  By wrapping meat tightly in foil, it doesn’t end up like the typical crockpot stew but stays firm as though it were cooked in the oven.
 
Now, here’s the bad news.  This is the only picture I took of the turkey breast.  Yep!  You have to use your imagination and trust me a Lot!
Smoked Turkey Breast (based on the Cheater BBQ Hobo Crock Turkey Breast)
One thawed turkey breast
4 Tbls butter, melted
1/4 cup liquid smoke
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
Line the crockpot with foil large enough to completely encase the turkey breast.  Place the turkey in the middle of it.  Combine the spices and rub them all over the meat, including in the cavity.  Combine the butter and liquid smoke and pour it all over everything.  Wrap the foil over the turkey, sealing snuggly.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.  I cooked mine for the originally prescribed 10 hours and had a very dry bird.   Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce.
We only ate half of the meat.  With the leftovers, I borrowed another recipe from the Cheater BBQ cookbook…..and I really baked it in the oven.
Cornbread Turkey Bean Casserole:
3 cups chopped leftover smoked turkey
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 Tbls olive oil
2 cans Texas Ranch style beans (ranch brand)
1 can hickory bbq beans (bush’s brand)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can green chilies
Saute the onion in the oil until soft.  Combine the meat, beans and onion and pour into the bottom of a greased casserole dish.  Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.  Stir in the milk until moistened.  Add the cheese and chilies.  Spread the mixture over the beans.  Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until cornbread is done.  (Note: if, like me, you take it out of the oven a bit too soon and find that there is a thin layer of not done cornbread between the beans and the baked cornbread…microwave it for 3 minutes.)
 What Did You Bake Today?
 

White chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookie Mix in a Jar Recipe

C & H Sugar (called Domino Sugar in some regions) recently contacted us at Our Krazy Kitchen and offered for us to use any of their recipes, and link to them for a sweet recipe exchange. There’s no better time than for Save Room for Dessert and tomorrow’s Cookie Party. They have a lot more sweet holiday recipes, gift ideas, shipping tips, even a campaign to raise funds for hungry children. Here’s a sample recipe below, complete with printable gift tag.

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookie Mix in a Jar
Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firmly packed C&H Golden Brown Sugar
1/3 cup C&H Pure Cane Sugar
3/4 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped
1 cup – (6-oz package) vanilla milk chips

Instructions:
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Spoon into 1-quart, widemouthed canning jar. Layer remaining ingredients in order given, making sure to pack down each layer firmly. Clean inside of jar with a dry paper towel after each layer. Decorate lid by cutting fabric into a 7-inch wide square or circle. Secure with a rubber band and tie with a decorative ribbon and accents.

Download PDF file and attach these instructions to the jar: In a large mixing bowl, cream together 2/3 cup softened butter or margarine, 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until combined. Slowly add contents of jar and mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned.

Quick Tip: Toasting heightens the flavor of nuts. To toast macadamia nuts, spread the nuts in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown, watching carefully and stirring once or twice to brown evenly.

Full Disclosure: In the interest of full disclosure we were contacted and asked to voice opinion and C&H/Domino Sugar links in exchange for a gift card. We did this because we believe in the product and the recipes and not for payment.

Don’t forget tomorrow’s Cookie Party!

and Save Room for Dessert!

Pick your favorite badge!

In the spirit of the season! God does work in miraculous ways.

This story came across my email again recently and I was reminded that it is a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas Holiday spirit so I thought I’d share. it again. This is such a beautiful story that makes you understand that things truly do happen for a reason. Don’t forget to grab the tissue box.

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc… and on December 18th they were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

On December 19th a terrible tempest – a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.

On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc… to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. ‘Pastor,’ she asked, ‘where did you get that tablecloth?’ The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria
The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth, but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a house cleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving.

The man asked him where he got the Tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike.

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.

He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

This true Story was submitted by Pastor Rob Reid.

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Christmas is almost here!

TMS
Christmas is just 10 days away. Are you ready? I am, well sort of. My packages are wrapped and tagged, but there’s no tree to put them under. The ingredients for my goodies are purchased, but I’m not assembling them until I get where I’m going so I don’t have any new pictures yet of the Artichoke Garlic Cheese bread and Toasted Bleu Cheese Dip and Rum Balls and Holiday Wreaths that I’m going to be spending the 23rd making. I’ll be sure to link the recipes though to the upcoming Christmas Party at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN that starts Thursday!

Click Button for Party Details!

 

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