Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding

Luke has been asking for this recipe. I'm delivering. H made this for my birthday back when we were dating. That's when I knew I wanted to marry her. It wasn't quite the same as the original (sorry H), but it was pretty darn close. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking and experimenting one could get it undeniably close.

This is word-for-word from the official Magnolia Bakery cookbook:

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1.5 cups ice cold water
• 1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 12-ounch box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
• 4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped ream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5 quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the bananas and one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours--or up to 8 hours, but no longer!--before serving.

Serves 12-15 (or 1 Jed)

Enjoy!

PS. If you've never had banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery in NYC, I'm sorry first of all, but second of all, you NEED to try this recipe, even--actually, especially--if you don't normally like banana pudding.

The End of Overeating

I just finished a good book about food: The End of Overeating by David Kessler. I'd put it in a class of books with Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Here are some things I wrote in my review of the book on Goodreads:

Do you ever argue with yourself over whether you should have an unhealthy treat? Those cookies look good. They're bad for me; I don't need them. I want one. I shouldn't have any. Just one won't hurt... And then you decide you'll have one (or more), just to stop the internal argument.

Or do you find yourself unconsciously reaching for another tortilla chip, even though you're already full and still have an entrée on the way?

The End of Overeating gets at the heart of why these things happen. It explains the impact that foods loaded with fat, sugar, and salt have on the brain. It suggests that food can literally be addictive and talks about how to break the cycle.

Along the way, the book conveys a lot of interesting information, like how cereal manufacturers disguise how much sweetener they put in a cereal by using four or five different sweeteners so that no individual sweetener appears too high on the ingredients list. (I checked my box of Basic 4 to see for myself. Sure enough, it uses sugar, brown sugar, barley malt syrup, brown sugar syrup, and honey.)

An interview with the author on the Colbert Report sparked my interest. You can watch it here: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/226155/april-29-2009/david-kessler.

The book is a bit dry, but it's a quick read and it's worthwhile. It might change the way you think about food. I'm hoping it changes the way I do.

The Stinky Cheese Burger

Luke and I have been perfecting this burger for years. It's time to share. Get ready for the best burger of your life...

Before the grill:

Make the patties by mixing ground hamburger with crushed soda crackers, about 1 cracker per 1/4 pound of meat. (This helps the patties stick together.)

Make the buffalo sauce by combining equal parts Franks Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce and brown sugar. Heat the sauce just barely to a boil, and then let cool.

On the grill:

Cook the burgers according to your liking, coating liberally with buffalo sauce at the beginning, and after each flip. 3 minutes before the burgers are done, add gorgonzola cheese crumbles to each patty while still on the grill (the gorgonzola takes a few minutes to fully melt).

After the grill:

Spread a bit of spicy brown mustard on the bun. Top the burger with a slice of tomato, a couple sliced rings of a red onion, and a few slices of avocado. If you like the spicy stuff, you could add a bit more buffalo sauce here.

Now eat.

Yummy.

Which Wich

Which Wich is a new sandwich shop in Frisco. (It's actually a nationwide chain, though there aren't any in Utah, Idaho, New York or Virginia). Our inaugural visit this evening was very successful. We've already declared it a favorite. I had the Thank You Turkey, which is turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It was super yummy. In future visits, I hope to try The Hula (ham & pineapple), the Elvis Wich (PB, honey & banana), the Tomato & Avocado and The Monte Cristo (ham, turkey, grape jelly and powdered sugar). I think I'm going to pass on the Spam Classic, though.

Buttermilk Syrup

This recipe comes from our good friend. It's yummy on everything, but particularly yummy on Ableskivers. I thought it might be a nice addition to Sarah's post.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat

2. Add buttermilk and sugar

3. Whisk to dissolve and bring to a boil

4. Cook for 2-3 minutes, make sure the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has thickened

5. Remove from heat and add vanilla

6. Add baking soda and watch the syrup foam

7. Serve immediately

TIPS: Be sure to use a big enough sauce pan for the syrup to triple in size! The syrup can be reheated for future use. And the syrup can also be kept at a slow-rolling boil if you are waiting for other items to cook, just don't add the baking soda until you are ready to serve.

Bread

Having recently freed my family from our dependence on store-bought hamburger buns, I feel our ultimate goal (nothing but homemade bread) is well within reach. These are two of my favorite bread recipes. I make them both in my 6-quart Kitchenaid and I have to cut the wheat bread recipe in half.

Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

10-12 cups of whole wheat flour
2 tbls dry yeast
1/2 cup wheat gluten
4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey (do the oil first and the honey just slides out!)
1 tbls salt

Place 6 cups flour into mixer bowl with kneading arm. Add dry yeast and gluten; mix well. Add water and mix one minute. Cover and let sit 10 minutes. (This makes the bread lighter). Add oil, honey, and salt. Turn on mixer and add remaining flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft to the touch not to stiff. Knead 7-10 minutes or by hand 12 to 15. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide dough into equal parts. Shape each part into a loaf. Place in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch baking pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (If you use glass baking pans, reduce oven temperature to 325). Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. honey

1/3 c. butter

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 c. flour

1 c. quick oats

2 tsp. salt

2 pkgs. active dry yeast

2 eggs

1 egg white

1 tbsp. water

oatmeal (I use regular rolled oats here. They're much prettier).

Place water, honey, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until mixture is very warm (120-130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Place 5 cups flour, oats, salt and yeast in mixer bowl. Mix with dough hook on speed 2 about 15 seconds. Continue mixing, gradually adding warm water mixture and mix for 1 minute. Add eggs and mix 1 minute longer. Still on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans side of bowl. Knead on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch baking pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Beat egg white and water together with a fork. Brush top of loaves with mixture. Sprinkle with oatmeal. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (If you use glass baking pans, reduce temperature to 350). Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Turkey Sandwich

Today for lunch I made myself a turkey sandwich. On a whim I spread a little bit of Sarah's homemade Strawberry jam on it. I've never done that before, but before you question my sanity consider that it's not that different from cranberry jelly. On another whim I crumbled some Shropshire Blue cheese on it. It was delicious. The sweetness of the strawberry was a great compliment to the bitterness of the cheese. I kept thinking about the sandwich for the rest of the day.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

I got more adventurous with my pasta making today. I made Butternut Squash Ravioli. I used a recipe from the Food Network:

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• Pinch cinnamon
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped orange zest
• 2 teaspoons chipotle puree
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 sheets pasta dough, 12 to 14 inches long by 4 inches wide
• 2 eggs mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place squash on a baking sheet and roast until soft 30 to 40 minutes. Scoop out flesh and run though a food mill. Place the puree into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat until almost dry. Add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay a sheet of pasta dough on a lightly floured work surface and distribute a heaping teaspoon-sized portion of the filling at least 2 inches apart. Use your fingertip or a brush to moisten the edges of the pasta sheet with the egg wash. Carefully place a second sheet of the pasta dough on top of the first and press with your fingertips to separate the rows of filling. Repeat with the remaining dough. With a ravioli cutter or pastry wheel, cut along straight lines on the vertical and horizontal to form each ravioli square. Press the edges closed with your fingertips to seal well. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop in the ravioli and cook for about 5 minutes.

I deviated from the recipe by not putting anything else in the filling except for squash, cinnamon, and nutmeg, partly because I didn't have some ingredients on hand and partly because Sarah's laying off all dairy products for a while. The recipe called for a butter sauce to top the ravioli, but we just topped them with a store-bought marinara sauce.

It being my first time, the ravioli didn't turn out as pretty as what you'd get in a restaurant, but they tasted good. Justin said he like the "applesauce" filling and sucked it out of his ravioli. That's a good enough endorsement for me.

Homemade Pasta

I don't have a fancy recipe to share... more of a food experience. Sarah gave me a pasta maker for my birthday. Yesterday, I tried it out for the first time.

I mixed 2 cups of flour and 3 eggs in her Kitchenaid mixer to make pasta dough, then rolled and cut the pasta with the pasta maker to make fettucine. It turned out great. It reminded me of the homemade pasta we used to get at the Brick Oven in Provo. The kids loved it too. The only shortcoming is that we didn't have homemade sauce. I'll get to that once I have some home grown tomatoes, once I have a garden...

Apple Pudding Cake

I love making this for the holidays - super moist! Great chocolate alternative!

2 C sugar

1/2 C butter

2 eggs

4 C grated apples

2 C flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients and pour into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Sauce

Heat over medium heat:

1 C brown sugar

1 T butter

1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine 1 C cold water and 1 T cornstarch. Add slowly to brown sugar mixture. Stir until slightly thick. Spoon a small amount over individual servings of cake.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

We had this when everyone was out here for Josie's blessing.

1 3/4 C boiling water

1 C uncooked quick oatmeal

1 stick margarine

Mix all ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes.

Cream together:

1 C brown sugar

1 C white sugar

2 large eggs

Add oatmeal mixture and mix.

Then add:

1 3/4 C flour

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 T cocoa

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pour into greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle with another 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 C chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Serve with Cool Whip.

Ebelskivers

Eric helped figure out that this is a Danish dish. I'm sure you could fill them with just about anything!

2 C buttermilk

2 C flour

3 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 T sugar

applesauce

oil

Beat egg yolks; add sugar, salt and milk. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder and add to mixture (I hardly ever sift it). In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; fold into mixture. Batter should be slightly lumpy with visible drops of egg white.

Heat a small amount of oil in each cup of the pan. Over medium-low heat, fill each cup 1/2 full with batter. Place a small drop of applesauce on top of batter, then cover with another drop of batter. Cook until bubbly, then turn carefully with a fork.

Serve topped with applesauce. Enjoy!

You can buy the pan at Williams Sonoma and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Caramel Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Mix together:

2 c. flour

2 c. oatmeal

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Melt 1 1/2 c. real butter. Pour over mixture and mix until moist.

Take half the mixture and put on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Bake @ 375 degrees

for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Take pan out of oven and pour one

package of milk chocolate chips and one jar of Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch

Caramel Topping over the top of bottom layer. Put on the rest of the mixture by

spooning it on and patting it down. Put it in the oven for another 10-15 minutes

until golden brown.

Trust me, you'll want to try these!