In the Kitchen with Donald

So last Sunday was Raisin and Spice cake day so I made a copy cat version of the Jane Parker Spanish Bar Cake. Does anybody else remember them?
By the way it was delish but not quite the same as I remember.
 
That looks really good! Can you please share the recipe?
Here you go!
Banana Chip Bars

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter ***113 g
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs ***284 g
  • ¼ cup sugar ***50 g
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup Mashed bananas (about 3) ***227 g
  • 1⅓ cup flaked coconut ***110 g
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ***175
  • 1 cup chopped nuts ***113 g
Steps
  1. Melt butter in saucepan & stir in crumbs and sugar
  2. Press into a 9 X 13 pan OR use a square pan for thicker squares that are easier to pick up!
  3. Mix condensed milk & bananas, pour over the crust & spread evenly.
  4. Sprinkle with coconut, then chips followed by nuts & press down with your hand.
  5. Bake at 350° until browned, about 25 - 30 minutes or longer if in the square pan
  6. Allow to cool before cutting into squares. Can be frozen once cut.
 
my latest foray in home food prep...I jumped on the sourdough wagon! I only just started the starter, so it’ll be a good week before I know how it’s going. I used the instructions from King Arthur Flour, and I’m hoping it starts to look alive soon!

Anyone else make their own starter? Tips or tricks?
I think I have an unhealthy relationship with King Arthur Flour! I love their recipes, their blogs are great and the step-by-step comparisons of recipe techniques are so helpful.

For anyone else who loves to poke around on tried & true recipe sites, you need to at least glance thru their website
King Arthur Flour
 


Here you go!
Banana Chip Bars

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter ***113 g
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs ***284 g
  • ¼ cup sugar ***50 g
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup Mashed bananas (about 3) ***227 g
  • 1⅓ cup flaked coconut ***110 g
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ***175
  • 1 cup chopped nuts ***113 g
Steps
  1. Melt butter in saucepan & stir in crumbs and sugar
  2. Press into a 9 X 13 pan OR use a square pan for thicker squares that are easier to pick up!
  3. Mix condensed milk & bananas, pour over the crust & spread evenly.
  4. Sprinkle with coconut, then chips followed by nuts & press down with your hand.
  5. Bake at 350° until browned, about 25 - 30 minutes or longer if in the square pan
  6. Allow to cool before cutting into squares. Can be frozen once cut.

Thank you. I will try it next time I have ripe bananas but with coconut condensed milk instead.
 
this past week saw my first ever attempt at making pastry. Yes, I've never made a pie crust because I hate pie! One of hubby's favourite foods is chicken pot pie and it's been a long time since he had one he liked (used to get microwavable ones from M & M but they changed the recipe)

here's the end results - apparently it passes
here's the one he ate that night
20200407_181301.jpg
and the other 3 on their way to the freezer
20200407_174033.jpg
frozen and vacuum sealed
20200408_131522.jpg
and the leftover stuff used for little cinnamon cookies20200407_184135.jpg
 


Fun tip: if you have way too much jam in your cabinets... you can make hard candy with it!
I have to go back to the start of this thread and start contributing... my culinary skills have not really been fully flexed yet. Mostly we have eaten pasta dishes and pizza; more than once, baked potato & toppings have been an actual meal.
 
I make pot pies somewhat regularly. I made one last night with my left over turkey...which is my favourite but I will also use chicken. I make it very simply using frozen California mix veg, a can of cream of mushroom soup, grated mozzarella and then I put in anything I have on hand....parmesan cheese, leftover gravy, leftover alfredo sauce, whatever seasoning you like...garlic, S&P, basil etc. I put approx. equal parts of the veg and meat. For the pasty topping I normally use frozen puff pasty but I have also used Pillsbury cresent rolls, corn bread mix, bisquick, breadcrumb/butter au gratin or no topping at all. The one thing that I found is that the frozen veg needs to be thawed out first or it gets watery and doesn't heat through in the time it takes for the topping to brown.
 
Yesterday I made Hot Cross Buns in my bread machine. Turned out quite well.

1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 c. mixed fruit/peel
1/2 c. raisins/currants
4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. bread machine yeast
1 beaten egg white

1. Measure all ingredients except beaten egg white into bread machine in order specified for your machine. Set to dough cycle.

2. When cycle is over, remove dough and knead a few times on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, then flatten into a round.

3. Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 min. Brush with beaten egg white. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross into the top of each bun.

4. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 15-20 min., or until browned. Cool on racks.

5. Optional: when buns are cooled, add decoration with white icing.
 
You are not alone. And are more than welcome to post as many food pictures as you one in here :-)

As someone with food allergies I take pictures of all my meals on our Disney trips and occasionally when eating out elsewhere and at home :-)

SW
The number one reason we go to Disney is for the food, others might be excited about rides, character meet & greets, pools etc but for me? It's all about the amazing chefs and the miracles they can work for my crazy restrictive diet!!!! The freedom to go into a restaurant and know that my food will be safe and (usually) delicious is incredible. This past trip was 3 weeks and I came home around 10 lbs heavier, I was in heaven.

Here's a collage of all my favourite meals the chefs prepared for me at POFQ
488277
 
Yesterday I made pastry for 6 single-crust pies, using the recipe from Canadian Living (as I recall, it is very similar to the one on the Tenderflake Lard box). Froze most of the dough (there’s a quiche or two in my future!), and made an apple pie with the rest.
It’s been a while since I’ve made any pastry at all, and I was very happy with the Canadian Living recipe results. Following the advice I got years ago from a friend’s mother who made great pastry, I substituted 1 T. vodka for the 1 T. vinegar in the recipe, everything else was pretty standard.
 
What do you do when you're left with a bunch of egg yolks? (Sadly I've discovered that only egg whites are safe, you know, the part I despise!) Why you search for a recipe of course! And because you know your hubby loves chocolate you stuff some chippies into a few of the cookies 🍪 he loves them btw20200419_154534.jpg
 
Today i leaned into the savory side of the kitchen for my stress relief. Hubby got Butternut Squash Rolls and Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup for dinner and I was busy for close to 5 hours, win-win!
I made a double batch of the rolls and I'll freeze most of them, we also took 6 over to our girls and hung them on the doorknob!
489826

Hubby's dinner tray so he could eat while watching Impostors (our current Netflix obsession) because life is too short to eat at the table :P
489827
 

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