Pandemic Mania

Hi All!

Sorry I haven't posted much lately, I'll be back dating some posts soon.

I've been busy making masks for essential workers while I've been furloughed. Broke my 2 working sewing machines, managed to get 1 of them up and working again and the other is waiting on a "donor" machine for parts.

Yes, I fix sewing machines and I bake, and I work in IT.

I was furloughed back in April, came back from furlough last week only to find my position has been eliminated. So I'm on the job search again, in between studying for certification and making masks.

I'll be back to baking soon and will hopefully have  delightful Summer cake recipe for you. I have an experiment I want to try out again involving lemons and raspberries.

Stay safe, stay healthy, be careful!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These have always been a favorite of mine. I used to make them often as a teenager, being able to bake them in one pan during hot summers made them a go-to recipe for me. I've refined it over the years and these days I put more than plain old chocolate chips in them.

There are a lot of ways you can change this up so go wild and experiment! Swap out the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips, or make it a mix of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. (Don't mind me, I'll be hiding over in the corner fighting a wave of nausea if you pick the last option).

A recipe fit for younger kids with shorter attention spans, it's another one where you don't necessarily need a mixer to make these up.

Groceries Needed

1 cup softened or melted butter

½  cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tsps vanilla extract

2 eggs 

1 tsp baking soda 

3 cups flour

1 package (11 oz) chocolate chips or chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Use parchment paper, baking spray, or grease and flour a 13"x9" pan (or something close to this size)
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars using a mixer or whisk. A wooden spoon works too.   
3. Add the vanilla, eggs, and baking soda. Mix thoroughly using mixer, whisk, or spoon.
4. Add the flour and chips, mixing in by hand. 
5. Turn out dough into baking pan, pushing dough into all corners making dough an even thickness across the baking pan. This works well by hand or using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let it cook before cutting, cut into approximately 2"x2" pieces and grab a nice cold glass of milk!

Suggested Variations

• Mary's Favorite: Ghiradelli chocolate chips and Ghiradelli Caramel Chips (unfortunately theses are no longer being made, send Ghiradelli a note to please bring these back, they're AWESOME!)
• Chocolate chunks and salted caramel chips
• Butterscotch for a "blondie" version
• Peanut Butter chips and milk chocolate chips
• Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips and chopped up maraschino cherries

 

January is a Cervical Cancer month

Let's start this year off right. Check yourself.

January is a Cervical Cancer month; a dear friend of mine got hit by that nasty bugger. Know your own normal and if anything is "off" go get it checked out. Check out www.cancer.org for a list of symptoms.

Don't be afraid to demand tests, don't even hesitate to demand tests. If your doctor won't listen, go find another.

Know your normal. Trust your gut. And NEVER be afraid to be your own advocate. You know you best.

Cookbook News!

I have good news for you all!

The Kindle version of Merry Mary's Marvelous Munchies will be updated with new recipes, and a host of corrections. It will also have DRM enabled, more pictures (because it's easier and doesn't crank up the cost as much on Kindle), and a new ISBN.

It's getting closer as I'm finishing up the format adjustments. A new section is being added: Lip-Pukering Lemon. All things lemony will be moved into the new section. The print edition will be updated after the New Year.

Stay tuned and I'll let you all know when the updated version is available!

Just in Time for Thanksgiving!

Cranberry-Orange Bundt Cake

My grandparents bought an orange grove when my grandfather retired. We grew up with the grove always being in our family and a favorite place for us to visit. Every summer our mom would send us off for at least a few weeks with our grandparents to spend time there, running around the grove, learning new skills, and enjoying “farm” life.

I understandably have a soft spot for anything orange, and fell in love with the taste duo of cranberries and oranges. A dear friend, and former neighbor, loves this combo as well so I worked out this recipe for her. This was my first attempt and I didn’t bother to “make it pretty”.

I am also a terrible photographer so please forgive the poor photos. I’ll add prettier ones at a later date, but I wanted to assure you all that pretty has very little to do with whether or not something gets devoured. This cake didn’t last but maybe 5 minutes when I dropped it off at one of my favorite restaurants for the waitstaff for a beta-tasting.

Groceries Needed

1 cup milk

½  cup melted butter or olive oil

1 cup orange juice

1 tsp orange extract

2 eggs

2 ¼ cups flour plus ¼ cup flour to coat cranberries

1 ½ cups sugar

3 tsps baking powder

½ tsp salt (optional)

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed

For Glaze:

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1or 2 tsps orange extract

3 tblsps milk

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 350°F. Use baking spray, or grease and flour a bundt pan.

2.       Rinse and pat dry the cranberries – they do not have to be completely dry – place the cranberries in a bowl and coat with ¼ cup of flour.

3.       In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt; I use a whisk for this.

4.       In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, orange juice, milk, eggs, and butter together using a mixer or strong wooden spoon.

5.       Add the dry mix and  cranberries and mix by hand – using a stiff spatula or wooden spoon – until just blended.

6.       Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean

7.       While cake cools prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, orange extract, and milk together. Adjust as needed. If too thick add a bit more milk, if too thin add more confectioner’s sugar.

8.       When cake is cool, turn it out of the pan onto a suitable plate, dish, or cake board.

9.       Drizzle or spread glaze on cake and let rest.

10.    Slice and enjoy!

Banana Bread Bar Heaven!

This came about on a day when I was a procrastinating and wanting to experiment in the kitchen instead of work on my writing. I’ve seen this idea bopping about on the internet and, of course, had to play with it a bit. 

This has been a HUGE hit every place I’ve taken it; I believe this is due in big part to the Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting I top it with. I have a few variations for this as I've had requests for some modifications. Nuts can always be added if you like, I tend to not use them when I know I'll be giving most of it away to avoid causing anyone with nut allergies any issues.

Kids love to help with this one. One of my "borrowed" kiddos loves to make the butter go brown and mix the frosting together. 

 Equipment You'll Need:

• Liquid and dry measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Spatula 
• A strong whisk
• Large mixing bowl
• Smaller bowl for mixing dry ingredients
• Wooden spoon or sturdy spatula
• 13”x9” baking dish
• Parchment paper, baking spray, or extra oil to grease and flour pans
• Strong whisk
• Large saucepan
• Medium-large bowl (4+ cups)

 Groceries Needed:

For the bread bars:

1½ cups sugar

½ cup butter (melted) OR ½ olive oil

2 eggs

1¾ cups mashed ripe bananas (usually about 3 or 4)

½ cup buttermilk (or regular milk)

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting:

 ½ cup butter (1 stick)

4 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsps milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsps to 1 tblsp ground cinnamon (flavor to your taste)

 Directions

      For Banana Bread Bars:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the baking dish with parchment paper. It’s ok if it doesn’t cover all the sides, it’s most important to cover the bottom. Baking spray or aluminum can be used if you’re out of parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar until well blended.
3. Add in the milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix well.
4. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and bananas - by hand - until moistened and there's no loose flour in the bowl.
5. Pour or spoon the batter into the baking dish, scrapping out as much batter as possible.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Test with a fork or toothpick until it comes out clean. 
7. Let cool completely before topping with the Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting

For Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting: 

1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl, if you don’t want to sift, measure powdered sugar into a bowl and “fluff” with a fork.
2. Place butter in large saucepan. Melt butter and keep it on medium to high heat until the butter begins bubbling. When the bubbles/foam begins to show tan or brown spots, you’re done. (There are lots of videos showing this on the internet). Remove the pan from heat
3. Add about 1 cup of the powdered sugar, quickly whisking into the butter.
4. Add remaining powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Pour over cake or bread, this will be a thin frosting. Smooth out with a spatula. 

Zucchini variation

1. Substitute 1 banana for 2 cups of shredded zucchini.
2. Peek at the pan when done, if the top looks a bit “wet”, add 3 more minutes to the baking time.

Dried Cherry variation

1. Add 2 cups of dried cherries.

Chocolate Chip variation

1. Add 2 cups of regular or mini chocolate chips. Add more if you’re a chocoholic.

Tip: If you're short on mashed bananas add unsweetened applesauce to make up the difference