Strawberry Hazelnut Buttermilk Quick Bread

Once upon a time, I was afraid of yeast. Though it feels like a long time ago to me now, it's really only been about 5 years. Now I bake yeast breads of all shapes, sizes, and skill levels. And I find myself shunning the quick breads that were so good to me for so many  years.

I don't mean to. And every time I realize what I'm doing, I reach for the brown bananas posthaste. My (now) 5th generation banana bread always makes the family feel warm and fuzzy. It takes me back to being 10 years old in my grandma's kitchen.

Occasionally I feel the need to venture out and put things like zucchini, carrots, lemon, sweet potato, or pumpkin into the batter. A batter that can be stirred together in, like, 5 minutes flat by the way.

Boozy Coconut White Hot Chocolate + Spiked Banana Bread #CaptainsTable

Round two of the #CaptainsTable challenge is underway, and the theme this time round is simply "the holidays".  My mind wandered in so many directions with this one.  I have a little list of ideas that I just add to each time something comes to mind, and it wound up being a page and a half long before I decided it was time to just make something.  As I looked outside at the six inches of snow blanketing everything in sight, my ultimate decision turned to warmth.

So...warmth.  Bundling up against the bitter wind that can make you lose your breath.  Thawing out after a day of snowball fights, snow forts, and sledding.  Wrapped in a blanket in front of a crackling fire while a storm rages outside of your cozy walls.  Wrapping presents while singing along with the endless stream of Christmas songs being played on the radio.  That kind of warmth.

For me, that means a mug of steaming hot chocolate and something warm and freshly baked from the oven.  I was in the mood for white hot chocolate, and I couldn't imagine how anything could tie it and rum together like coconut would.  What a combination!  It warms you from your frozen toes to your Rudolph-nose.

Strawberry Arugula Salad w/ Hazelnuts & Blue Cheese - 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food): #48 Cat Cora

the "Gourmet" prompt...

48. Cat Cora- Being the only female Iron Chef earns Cora a spot on the list. Plus, her telegenic glamour and golden locks surely help in hooking folks on cooking—and having four sons with her wife, well, that’s just cool.

Cat grew up around food.  She's Greek, and we all know that the two go hand-in-hand, right!? Big family gatherings.  Family-owned restaurants.  Roasting meat on spits in the front yard.  What?  That's not every Greek family?  Okay fine.

Appeasing my inner goddess...with Cranberry Orange Pudding

What does your inner goddess crave? Something sweet and sinful? Something tart and tangy? Something earthy and rich? My inner goddess is just the root of my outer desires. And I desire....everything. Just depends on the day...or on my mood. Sometimes I can't even decide, so I let fate guide me. While looking for a goddess goodie last night, my guide was my pantry. And my fridge. And my computer. What Nigella recipe could I find to satisfy my inner urges right then with ingredients I already had on hand (because I was not leaving the house. Nope. Wasn't gonna do it.) Luckily, I stock pile cranberries this time of year and I found a lusty sounding recipe for a pudding. A pudding that used orange oil as a flavor component. I didn't have any orange oil, but I happened to have some orange liqueur. Even better! This goddess was in business. And fortunately, I read the reviews of this recipe so that I knew that I was likely to get a heavenly mess at the bottom of my oven...which didn't convince me to use a bigger pan, because I think the goddess is a bit of a rebel, as well (throwing caution to the wind and all)...but I was wise enough to line the bottom with foil. Next time I'll use a bigger pan, too...but it didn't spoil the dish. Spilled it. Didn't spoil it. Cranberry Orange Pudding slightly adapted from Nigella Lawson yield: 4-6 svgs. For the fruit: 1/2 stick unsalted butter 4 1/2 cups cranberries 3 tablespoons sugar I added a good splash of Cointreau For the batter: 1 1/4 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 3/4 cups, plus 2 tablespoons sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 stick unsalted butter, melted Few drops orange oil I used Cointreau 1/3 cup flaked almonds I actually used a couple handfuls of chopped hazelnuts Turbinado sugar, to sprinkle over Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Melt 1/2 stick butter in a wide saucepan, then add the cranberries and sugar and a good splash of orange liqueur. Cook over a fairly high heat until the fruit begins to pop. This will take hardly anytime if the cranberries are fresh, and about 10 minutes if they're frozen. Remove the pan from the heat. Combine the flour, baking powder, soda and sugar in a large bowl and add the eggs, melted butter and orange oil or liqueur. Mix until smooth. Pour half of the batter into a 2-pint round pie dish this is your subconscious...bigger one...use a bigger one... Cover with the cranberries, then top with the remaining batter; don't worry if the cranberries are not covered completely. Sprinkle flaked almonds or hazelnuts in my case and turbinado sugar on top... ...don't forget to line your oven with foil. Wanna know why? Because within 10 minutes, I heard drips hitting the bottom and starting to smell overly toasty...and smoke was pouring out the holes in the top of the stove...oh yeah, turn on the hood...extremely important. But I soldiered on. The goddess would not be beaten or deterred. Just see what happens. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour took mine 53 minutes, until the top is golden brown and set. See, good thing I soldiered on, because it was gorgeously, sinfully delicious! A crusty top and a gooey, rich and tangy center. About a bite of so in, I realized it would be good with a glop of homemade Mascarpone, as well. Oh yes, it was. More richness...but in a creamy, complimentary way! Our theme this week over at I Heart Cooking Clubs is Goddess Goodies...and this satisfied my inner goddess superbly. Join us or come on over to see what everyone else's inner (or outer) goddesses craved.

Upside Down Apple Pie

Apparently it takes me a whole week to post recipes for a single dinner. How do people post everything before or on the actual day? How? Do you test everything in advance? Or maybe it's pictures from previous years? Or perhaps you are superwoman/man? Whatever the method...color me impressed. But I will be content with bringing up the rear. Bringing up the rear with pies, even!

At our turkey day dinner...there is always pie. Pies. Plural. The dinner is NOT complete without at least a Pumpkin pie and a Pecan pie. At. Least. There is usually at least one more pie...and occasionally even another type of dessert thrown in. This year we ended up with 4 pies.

Grandma already said she was bringing the pumpkin and pecan...so I was left coming up with the alternate. Many years that ends up being a Bourbon Sweet Potato pie...which is a favorite or Apple w/ a Cheddar crust, a favorite as well...but this year, when I was blog surfing, I happened upon a scrumptious looking beauty from Ingrid over at 3 B's! I knew the minute I saw it that this would be the one to try this year. Ingrid's pie called for a store-bought Pillsbury pie crust. While I usually like to make my own pie crust, I'm not averse to using store-bought ones. Sometimes convenience is key.