Dutch Baby Pancake with Nectarines

Do you like popovers? Have you ever had one? 

They are crispy on the outside (yay butter) and almost pillowy on the inside. Like a marshmallow and a dinner roll had a baby. 

Now, instead of individual cupcake-sized servings of dinner roll/marshmallow goodness, envision one HUGE popover. Mmmmm, baby!

A Dutch Baby, apparently.

And for some reason, they (both popovers and Dutch babies) have intimidated me in the kitchen. I think it's the soufflé complex popping up again. Pun fully intended.

So, Sunday morning of Memorial Day Weekend, with a sick baby and recovering adult population - I decided to face my fears. 

And it was so, so worth it!

(My basil plant from TJs is still living! It's been a month! Woo hoo!)

Besides, Martha promised that it would take 30 minutes to make and we were hungry! And Martha has yet to steer me wrong.

Melt butter in a medium-sized cast iron skillet. Set aside.

In a bowl (or a blender) beat flour, eggs, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, and a touch of almond extract (optional) until frothy.

Pour batter into pan.

Put in oven. Wait 20 minutes. Pull out of oven.

Now the race begins! Dob on butter and pour on fruit and race to the table as it deflates.

Not that it's less pretty or less tasty when it's fallen, it's just fun to watch it fall together.

Eat large pieces. Yum!

Dutch Baby Pancakes with Nectarines

Adapted from Martha

2 tbsp butter
3 eggs
3/4 c milk
1/2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional, but tasty)

2 nectarines, cut into chunks and tossed with a bit of sugar for topping
A little butter, syrup, or whatever else you want to put on (chocolate sauce? I won't judge)

Heat your oven to 425 degrees. 

In a medium cast iron skillet (or any pan that can go in the oven) melt butter over medium heat. Set aside. 

In a medium sized bowl, mix eggs, milk, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, and almond extract until frothy (about a minute or two). You can also mix in a blender, as Martha suggests, but I always pierce myself on the blender blades. Electric mixer is safer. 

Pour batter into buttery pan. Put in oven for 20 minutes. Watch as it puffs! Remove from oven and top with fruit, butter, etc. 

Enjoy!

Perhaps a watermelon dish will be appearing soon!

The Rut

Mr. S has been on a lot of business trips recently, including one that stretched from Thursday to Wednesday (yes, over the weekend).

And there are a lot more coming.

We're just in that season of life right now. Me working part-time and taking care of The Bean 24/7.

And let me tell you, I am in a Rut the size of Texas. 

It's not that I'm not cooking. I am. Sorta. A girl's still gotta eat. But what I'm not doing is spending hours making, photographing, and writing.

When the end of the day comes, after The Bean is finally asleep (7:45), bottles are washed and filled for the next day (8:00), and I've had a chance to talk with Mr. S, there's not much energy left. Thus, a dinosaur bowl full of tortellini with pesto. There's a bowl of roasted broccoli too, it just didn't make the photo.

So we continue on, with this little corner of the internet getting as dusty as the knickknacks on my book shelf. 

There is something I made recently that I want to tell you about - a cross between a quiche and chicken and dumplings. It's delicious, even several days later, reheated in the microwave. 

But I'll get to that later. For now? Rest. 

Cause tomorrow I do it all over again. Me and The Bean. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Year Ago....

Happy Easter! It was a year ago that we first shared about little Miss B. Now, at nearly 7 months old, I can't even imagine life without her. We are blessed beyond belief.

It's a small, low-key holiday for us this year. Just enjoying the company of each other. My birthday (29! Eeek!) is tomorrow, and Mr. S took me to Fogo on Saturday to celebrate. It was spectacular. Dinner and a show, definitely. He also got me a bike. Woo hoo! 

Spring has been inspiring (and exhausting) me recently. I feel like there's so much potential. Which is both great and horrible at the same time. I could do this, and this, and this! But then I feel so pressured by all those plans that I end up doing nothing.... And by nothing, I mean playing with The Bean until we're both so tired that we end up lying on the floor in a heap. Here's to hoping I can muster a bit of productivity at some point.

Simple Banana Bread

Does your freezer ever look like this?

Mine does. And that's after I already made one loaf of banana bread!

Ever since learning that bananas freeze and then thaw to a perfectly mushy consistency, I have been hordeing them. And by that, I mean I toss any slightly brown bananas into the freezer. For safekeeping. 

But now their time has come! 

That, and my dear friend Nicole asked for mom's banana bread recipe noting with great dismay that she couldn't find it on this blog. Shame, Megan. For shame!

Since I'm now taking requests, anyone who wants a specific one of the Miller/Crane family recipes should feel free to comment. I may just feel guilty enough to post! Ha!

In any case, back to the deliciousness at hand. My momma, Jeanne, makes a mean banana bread. It's really the best I've ever tasted. And I'm not biased at all!  

Who knows where the recipe came from (though I bet it's from an oooooooold cookbook), but it's stood the test of time. 

And it's ridiculously simple too.

Bowl. Cream butter and sugar. With electric mixer, or wooden spoon and elbow grease.

Add two eggs. Stir. (I blew mine out since Easter is this Sunday).

Next up, mushy banana. Beat.

Now sift in flour, salt, and baking soda.

Stir it all up and add a touch of vanilla. 

Let sit 20 minutes if you have time - or just throw in the oven.

The only difference - letting it sit gives an airier crumb. Baking immediately makes it more like pound cake. Neither is bad!

Out it comes - 

Yum!!!! 

You should wait 5 minutes before de-panning and slicing.

Patience has never been one of my strengths.

Simple Banana Bread

From Momma Jeanne's recipe box

1/2 c butter, softened 

1 c sugar

2 eggs

3 mushy bananas

2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat eggs, mix in. Scrape and mash bananas, mix in. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix in. Stir in vanilla. Pour into greased loaf pan. Let rest 20 minutes for lighter bread, toss right in oven for dense bread.

Bake at 350 for 50-65 minutes. Or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Makes only one loaf!

Did you really think I'd not include one adorable little banana-eater?

Gratuitous Bean!

Happy Tuesday

It's spring! Well, according to Costco (Mr S is sooooooo lucky I couldn't fit that entire play set into the car with the stroller ).

Our plum tree seems to be in agreement. And the mangosteen? tree that I thought had been bettered by the freezing weather, it's budding!! Thank goodness. We had just sorta figured out what the heck it was.

Bean has on her Winnie the Pooh outfit today. It's appropriate, given how many diaper changes we've done so far. Pooh. Humph. 

And we're loving our Eric Carle books. Butterfly! Serious reading involved.

The weather has been rainy, but I threw caution to the wind and tried to make almond flavored meringue nests. Needless to say, it was a fool's errand. Oh well. At least they'll taste good....

Coconut Cream Pie - with Stabilized Whipped Cream!

If you don't like coconut, too bad. 

This pie is amazing, and there's no way that the rest of y'all should miss out. 

The first time I fell in love with coconut cream pie was when I was nannying in DC. The family had this outrageous recipe. It was simple. It was quick. It was DELICIOUS. It could be whipped up in an afternoon during nap time - unless you were brave and could handle sharing spatula licking duty. 

I had that recipe at one time. I swear I did. I remember asking specifically for it. AND NOW I'VE LOST IT. 

*Cue the symphony of tiny violins*

But I've found one that is nearly as good. I think. 

Quite frankly, I'm still in mourning. But The Bean's cuteness is helping cheer me up.

Don't you feel better? I know I do. 

And then I have a slice of pie....  

Mmmm. Pie. 

Start off with egg yolks, cream, coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a pot. Whisk really well to get everything nice and smooth. 

Put it on the heat and whisk CONSTANTLY until it thickens and boils.

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, coconut extract (optional), and tiny pulverized coconut (optional). If you want a super smooth pie - omit the pulverized coconut. If you don't want to spend $5.35 on a tiny bottle of coconut extract, omit the extract. Your pie will still taste delicious, if a little less coconutty. 

Pour in a baked pie shell. Refrigerate. 

I love this pie with real whipped cream mounded on top. The only problem is that real whipped cream - when it's just cream and sugar - is pretty unstable. It tends to loosen up after a few hours and makes a yucky mess on your pie. I usually wait until I see my guests' eyeballs before whipping up the cream. 

But, my friends, I have found a solution! It involves gelatin. The unflavored powdered kind. Trust me, I was skeptical. This a girl who has spent her entire life avoiding jello. Cause it's gross. Things that wobble like that just aren't meant for eating. 

But if you add unflavored powdered gelatin - just 3/4 of a tsp for 1.5 cups of whipped cream - you get beautiful whipped cream that TASTES LIKE WHIPPED CREAM and can stand up overnight. Really. Promise.

This may or may not have revolutionized my dessert making. 

Top your pie with your stabilized whipped cream and sprinkle on some toasted coconut. 

See if you can keep from eating it all before dinner. Oooof. 

Coconut Cream Pie
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen and Today's Mama

1 baked 9" pie crust (I use a Pillsbury one. No judgement here!)

For filling:
1 can coconut milk
~1 c heavy cream (you need 3 c. of liquid - coconut milk + cream)
1/3 c cornstarch
3 egg yolks
3/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp coconut extract (optional)
1/2 c unsweetened finely shredded coconut - I find this at my local Ranch 99 Asian market (optional)

For stabilized whipped cream:
1 1/2 c + 2 tbsp heavy cream
3/4 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
1/3 c sugar
toasted coconut (about a 1/4 c. or more, if you like to snack on it....)

Bake off the pie shell, according to the instructions on the box - or the recipe. Whichever floats your boat. 

For filling:
Open the can of coconut milk and pour into large measuring cup. Add cream until you reach 3 cups. Separate your eggs - I crack the eggs into a bowl and then use my fingers to gently take out the yolks - and reserve whites for a later use. (Omelets anyone?) 

In a large pot, off the heat, whisk together the coconut milk, cream, cornstarch, egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Put pot on medium low heat and whisk constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat, add vanilla, coconut extract (optional), and shredded coconut (optional). Pour into cooled baked pie shell. Refrigerate. 

For stabilized whipped cream:
In a small microwave-safe bowl, pour 3/4 tsp of unflavored powdered gelatin over 2 tbsp of heavy cream. Let sit 5 minutes to bloom. Put bowl in microwave for 20 seconds. Stir with fork until gelatin is melted into the cream. 

Whip 1 1/2 c of cream and sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Drizzle in the cream/gelatin mixture and beat until you have stiff-ish peaks. Spoon onto top of pie and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Refrigerate!

-------

PS - So we ate this pie both the day I made it and the day after. It was better the next day! Not joking. We had friends over for pie (Who does that?? But we should all totally do that.), and they thought it was ridiculous. On day two. It cut perfectly and the whipped cream had gelled just a bit. 

This is my favorite pie ever. 

Why yes, I would like another slice.

Simple Roasted Carrot Soup

There are some days when you just need something simple and delicious. 

No "complex flavors". No needing polysyllabic adjectives to describe the taste. 

This soup has 4 ingredients, not counting salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

So if you're a novice cook, or just want to take a break from all that fancy stuff - this is your soup. 

Or if you're a busy mom and have zero time to come up with dinner and are looking to save a few bucks since someone seems to be going through diapers faster than you're going through Baileys.

Ahem. 

Back to the soup!

Carrots and onion, on a sheet pan. 

Drizzle olive oil over them and sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. 

Roast for an hour and 15 minutes. In a large pot, dump all your roasted veg into the boiling vegetable broth. 

Use a stick blender to blitz until you like the consistency. If you want a creamier soup, add cream (or almonds if you're vegan) and blitz until smooth. 

Serve with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper on top. And little bread soldiers. Cause while you didn't have time to clean the bathrooms, you did manage to find time to make bread.... Oy. Motherhood.

Simple Roasted Carrot Soup

1 2lb bag of baby carrots
1/2 red onion, quartered
1 tsp fresh rosemary
olive oil
salt
pepper
vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water (4-8 c)
cream or almonds if desired
bread for serving

Preheat oven to 375. On a large sheet tray, lay out carrots and onion quarters. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper - use plenty. Sprinkle on rosemary. Roast for an hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven. 

In a large saucepan, bring 4 c. of your chosen liquid (vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water) to a boil. Add in the contents of the roasting pan. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree. Or gently transfer to a blender and pulse until smooth. 

Taste the soup. Add more salt and pepper if needed. If you want it creamier, add cream or almonds and blitz again. 

Serve with a few drops of olive oil and more salt and pepper. And some bread. Delicious!