Chrissy's Banana Bundt Bread

Recipe Source: Chrissy Teigen's Twitter
INGREDIENTS
2 cups mashed BROWN bananas (about 6)

4 eggs

2/3 cup canola oil

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar

1 3.5 oz box vanilla instant pudding

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2.5 dark chocolate, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, eggs, and oil. 

Add dry ingredients into banana mixture, and combine. Gently fold in coconut. 

Pour batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan, and bake for 1 hour.

Test with a skewer or toothpick around minute 50.

Remove from oven, and let cool slightly. Use a butter knife to gently release from pan- don't forget inner circle, before flipping onto another plate.

Serve warmed up slices with a chunk of sweet-salty butter.

This is one of three ways that bananas should ever be consumed. The other two are: covered in ice cream & syrup, and Bluth's Original Frozen Banana- because there is ALWAYS money in the banana stand. All jokes aside, this is much like the banana bread that we all grew up with but better.
You look at it, and think, "that banana bread is pretentious AF." and then you taste it and realize that it is just a better version of your OG. The addition of vanilla instant pudding ups the moist factor, the shredded coconut brings a nice contrast that isn't nuts (imo- nuts are aways welcome to the party) and if you want to go hugely decadent, the chopped dark chocolate will do just that. Make this.

I did have to adjust Chrissy's recipe by baking this at 350ºF for the suggested time. I live at a high altitude, and the banana bread ended up heavy and gummy when baked at the suggested 325ºF, even after added an additional 20 minutes to the cook time.

Hawaiian Haystacks

INGREDIENTS
Coconut Rice
2 cans reduced fat coconut milk
2 cans* jasmine rice
*use the coconut milk cans to measure rice

Chicken Gravy
1 can coconut milk, divided
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded chicken**
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup whole milk

Toppings

Pineapple tidbits
Sliced black olives
Crunchy chow mein noodles
Shredded coconut
Slivered almonds
Shredded cheese
Shredded carrots

Mandarin orange segments
Frozen green pees, thawed
Diced bell peppers, green, red
Diced tomatoes
Diced green onions
Diced celery

**Make this as easy or involved as you like. Rotisserie chicken is delicious, and so is frozen chicken made in the instant pot and shredded. I guess you could even go the canned chicken route.

DIRECTIONS

In your rice maker, combine jasmine rice and coconut milk, and cook according to package directions. The rice will be moist, and has the potential to burn on the bottom.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 can coconut milk and sour cream. Whisk until combined and then set aside.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.

Add the garlic, continually moving garlic around until lightly browned. Add flour, and whisk in the pan for 1-2 minutes. The longer you cook this portion, the more flavor you will impart on your gravy.

Add salt, black pepper, and onion powder, milk, and half of the coconut milk.

Whisk until combined, and bring to a simmer.

Cook until gravy starts to thicken up, about 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in remaining coconut milk, and the sour cream.

Add chicken, and stir until the gravy has warmed through.

Place all of your toppings in individual bowls, or in rows on a sheet pan for people to pick their own toppings.

To Serve:

Bed of coconut rice, top with chicken gravy and pile toppings as high as your tummy will let you.

Classic Sandwich Bread by Lo's Kitchen

Recipe Source: Lo's Kitchen: Classic White Sandwich Bread
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups water, 115º F
1 1/2 Tbsp Instant Yeast
1/3 cup Raw Honey*
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
2 tsp Sea Salt
7 cups Bread Flour** + more as needed
OR
7 cups AP Flour
2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten

DIRECTIONS
In stand mixer, mix water, yeast, honey, and 3 cups of flour***. Mix until combined. Cover with a clean tea towel, and let sit for 20 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size, and when stirred with have a "sponge-like" structure inside.

Add 2 more cups of flour, salt, and butter to your sponge mixture; and set your mixer to a low speed. Slowly incorporate the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments.

When the dough seems soft, not too sticky, and is gently pulling away from the sides of the bowl, you have added enough flour. Knead for 10 minutes.

After kneading, round out the dough into a ball. Grease the bottom of a bowl, place dow in bowl, and cover. Let rise about 25-30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Grease two 9x5 inch pans.

Punch down the risen dough to release air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly flour surface, gently work dough into a tick rectangle (about 12x8") and fold into thirds- letter fold. Roll it up, and pinch the seams together, and gently thrown loaf on the work surface. Pinch seams down one more time, and gently roll against work surface to elongate the loaf. Repeat with other half of dough.

Place loaves in prepared pans, cover, and let rise for about 25 minutes, or until the peak of the loaf is just arching over the rim of the pan.

While dough rises, preheat oven to 375ºF.

Bake for 25 minute, or until bottoms are golden brown.

Remove from pans, and transfer to cooling rack. Generously lather the tops of loaves with butter.

Let cool completely before slicing.

*130 grams Yack's Unfiltered Honey

**1000 grams Lehi Mills Unbleached Turkey Flour.

    400g at sponge stage, remainder at second stage

**If using APF+VWG, add the vital wheat gluten at this stage.

Fruity Pebble Marshmallow Cookies

Recipe Adapted from: Momofuku Milk Bar: A Cookbook by Christina Tosi

INGREDIENTS
225 g unsalted butter, room temperature
200 g granulated sugar
150 g light brown sugar, packed
2 g vanilla extract
1 large egg
360 g all-purpose flour
2 g baking powder
1.5 g baking soda
5 g kosher salt
3 cups Fruity Pebble Crunch
65 g miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS 

In a medium-sized bowl, combine whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes until pale yellow in color.

Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk over-mixing the dough.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Using a #40 cookie scoop (roughly 2 Tablespoons), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature— they will not bake properly.

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on your oven). The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute or so if that’s not the case.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring them to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs cold
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups Ghirardelli Peppermint Chunks
1 cup miniature pretzels, crushed
Crushed Peppermint Candies
Miniature Pretzels
Flaky Finishing Salt

DIRECTIONS
Using a paddle attachment, further soften butter until lighter in texture.
Cream together granulated and brown sugar, until pale in color. Scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add vanilla extract, and mix to incorporate.
Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Scrape bowl between additions.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. To ensure even distribution of baking soda and salt.
Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl, and pulse until barely incorporated.
Again, scrape the sides of the bowl, and be sure to lift the ingredients from the bottom.
Add remaining flour, and pulse until just mixed. There will probably be some flour still visible.
Again, scrape the sides of the bowl, and be sure to lift the ingredients from the bottom.
Add peppermint chunks, and crushed pretzels, and mix until incorporated.
It's okay if the paddle crushes the pretzels and chunks, the broken pieces are more evenly distributed.
Using a cookie scoop, (I used a #40 scoop, which is about 1.75 Tbsp), scoop your dough.
Place balls of dough on a cookie sheet, and scoop the entire batch.
Roll the top half of the dough in the crushed peppermint candies, and top with a miniature pretzel.
Refrigerate dough for at least half an hour, up to a day. Then bake.
Preheat oven to 375° F; at least 30 minutes before you begin to bake.
Place dough on cookie sheet, at least 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until edges are lightly golden brown.
Top cookies with flaky finishing salt.

This is legitimately my new favorite cookie. I first discovered the flavor combination when I mistakenly thought my niece's favorite thing was white chocolate and peppermint- (she likes it when it's on top of very thick dark chocolate)… so I grabbed a bag of these at Costco, and then quickly became obsessed with them. My favorite flavor of Perk Energy is even inspired by those White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Crisps. So when I was making chocolate chip cookies as a request from my grandma, I figured why the heck not? I grabbed a bag of Ghirardelli Peppermint Chunks from the freezer, crushed some pretzel until I had a cup, decided they didn't look quite festive enough, and bam! my new favorite holiday cookie was born. I took them to work the next day to test on some of our clients, and by the double fisting action that went on, I knew they were winners.

Creamy Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

adapted from Alton Brown's Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

INGREDIENTS
3 cups elbow macaroni
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
2 large eggs
8 ounces evaporated milk
2 tsp sriracha
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
8 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese
8 ounces Medium Cheddar Cheese

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard.

In a large pot, cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot, and over low heat melt in the butter, toss to coat.

Stir egg/milk mixture into the pasta, and add the cheese.

Over low heat, continue to stir for 3-5 minutes, or until creamy.

Enjoy!

You know when the craving for a pot of creamy macaroni and cheese hits, and you're out of the boxed stuff, but you're also going to die before you can whip some homemade goodness up AND pull it out of the oven? Well, that was last Sunday at our home. Everyone was hankering for some hot mac'n'cheese, and none of us wanted to deal with the hassle of a baked mac'n'cheese, but we also didn't have any of the boxed stuff and by the time we got back from the store, even that would have been too long of a wait. So while at the store, I told my sister to throw 3 cups of macaroni in some boiling water, and we would figure it out when we got home. My niece grabbed 8 ounces of cheddar, and 8 ounces of monterey jack when she ran into the store, and we made adjustments based on what we had. I added more evaporated milk, used all the cheese that she bought, the only hot sauce we had was sriracha, and it got doubled because I didn't know how to open it. My niece who hates mac'n'cheese freaking loved this, and it was so easy that it will for sure be how we get our mac'n'cheese on from now on.

I think you could use just about any combination of cheese your heart desires.
This recipe could easily be gluten free if you used a GF pasta.

Cake Blog Favorites

A stacked cake is intimidating to me. However, since discovering Courtney Rich of Cake by Courtney, my confidence in the kitchen when it comes to cake has grown exponentially. Courtney has broken down cake baking and decorating in a way that makes cake fun, accessible, and a way to build your confidence.

If for whatever reason you aren't already obsessed with her, you need to check out her website: cakebycourtney.com right now! I have yet to make a cake from her that I or a friend/family member did not love.

These are my favorites:

CARROT APRICOT CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZEL CRACK FILLING

CLASSIC WHITE CAKE

W/ STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

RED, WHITE AND BLUE BERRY CAKE

RED, WHITE AND BLUE BERRY CAKE

IN A SHEET PAN W/ BUTTERCREAM THAT WON'T STAIN YOUR TEETH

PEACH CRISP CAKE

CHURRO CAKE

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CAKE

W/ SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM FILLING

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE