I was so excited to discover a gorgeous fig tree in my backyard this year that I didn't even know I had.  A friend of mine pointed it out to me one day at the end of the summer and to my surprise at closer inspection the tree was covered with about a hundred figs which in a few weeks would be ready to pick.  Ever since that moment I have been slightly obsessed with this tree and going out daily to inspect it and impatiently waiting for one of those hard little green figs to ripen to a big, juicy purple fruit.  Well the other day I was so thrilled to find about a dozen beautiful ripe figs ready to be picked.   So now over the next few weeks I will be testing as many fig recipes as I can find!!  The first of which is this delicious super moist Fig Banana Bread!! YUM YUM YUM!

My fig tree!

 

Figs before they start to ripen

 

Figs starting to ripen

 

 

Nice ripe figs ready to be picked!!

 

Perfect

 

The most deliciously moist Fig Banana Bread straight from the oven.....it smells amazing!

 

Ingredients:

 

4 small very ripe bananas

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 ripe figs, quartered

6 ripe figs, diced

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup white flour 1 cup whole wheat flour)

 

Preparation:

 

In a large bowl beat together coconut oil, brown sugar, bananas and vanilla until combined well.  Add to the mixture 6 figs which have been quartered and beat into the mixture until they are broken down and part of the batter.  Next, beat in eggs until combined.  Sprinkle in baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix.  Add flour one cup at a time until batter is smooth.  Lastly to add more fig flavor and texture mix in the final 6 figs that you have diced.  Mix these in with a spoon to avoid breaking them up completely.  Pour batter into a loaf pan that has been greased with non-stick cooking spray ( I use coconut oil spray).  Bake at 350 degrees F until bread is set in the middle, about 50 minutes.  Allow to cool before slicing.

 

 

 

 

Read More »

This is one of my kids favorite breakfast recipes.  It's fun to make and to eat and of course it's easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

4 whole eggs
4 slices of bread (any kind you like)
butter or margarine
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Take 4 slices of bread and using a circle cookie cutter or the rim of a round glass cut out a circle from the center of each slice of bread.   In a large skillet or on a flat griddle melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter.  Place bread slices on to buttered skillet and then crack an egg into the center of each slice of bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook on med/hi heat on the first side for a few minutes until the bread becomes golden brown and the bottom of the egg begins to set.  Then carefully flip over each egg/bread slice using a large spatula.  (I like to re-butter the skillet before cooking the other side. I just lift up the bread slice slightly and slide another small pat of butter under each bread slice and then flip over).  Cook on second side for another 3 minutes until egg is set to medium.  You want the yolk to be soft and run slightly but not be under cooked.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Read More »

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

I have a "thing" for Irish Soda bread.....maybe it's the Jewish girl in me ;).  I love this recipe.  I made it last year and I thought it was delicious. I hope you'll try it too.

Ingredients:

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 Tbsp butter

1 cup raisins

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.  Using your (clean) fingers (or two knives or a pastry cutter), work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the raisins.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.  Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet). Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.) Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.

Read More »

Guest Blogger of the Week
Jack

My 12 year old son Jack is taking a Home and Careers class this semester. Over the past few weeks the teacher has been focusing on cooking. Jack has been really into learning and replicating the recipes at home. I love that he is so into it. His assignment this week was to take his chosen ingredient...Garlic....and highlight it in a recipe. So, what's better than garlic knots to show off this spice. This recipe is quick and easy and fool proof. It was a big hit at school with all of his classmates!!

Garlic Knots



Ingredients:

2 packages of refrigerator pizza dough (we used thin crust)
olive oil
garlic powder
oregano
salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stretch out pizza dough slightly and lay flat on a cutting board. It will be a rectangle shape. Cut dough in half horizontally. Then cut the dough into 2 inch strips lengthwise. Knot each strip and tuck ends under. Brush knots with olive oil and sprinkle generously with garlic powder and oregano. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Read More »

I wanted to come up with some fun ideas for the kids table.  When searching on the internet for new edible center piece ideas I found this super smart idea of making edible napkin rings out of bread.  I think the kids are really going to love this.  I made homeade whole wheat challah for these fun napkin rings but you can just as easily use frozen bread dough or a boxed bread mix.  I like this particular challah recipe because it has 1 cup of finely grated carrots in it.  I love the little orange specs in the dough and why not get some extra veggies into the kids, while they have no idea it's there.  For these napkin rings you will need 3-4 empty paper towel rolls covered in foil, lightly greased to make the shape of the rings.  Below the recipe are a few pictures of the process.  I hope you will try this!

 

Ingedients:

2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups unbleached flour
1 package active dry yeast
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more to coat bowl and top of dough
3 tablespoons honey
2 eggs, divided
1 cup peeled, finely grated carrots

Preparation:

Combine whole-wheat and unbleached flours.  Place 2 cups flour mixture,
yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl.  (set the other 2 cups flour mixture off to the side)

Heat warm water, oil and honey in a saucepan or microwave oven until
very warm, about 115 to 120 degrees. Add water mixture to flour-yeast
mixture, beating until well blended. Add 1 egg, carrots and enough
reserved flour to make a soft dough. (I needed about 1 1/2 cups of reserved flour)

Turn dough onto a floured board. Knead 5 to 10 minutes, adding additional
reserved flour as needed (I used the remaining 1/2 cup of flour) to make a smooth and elastic dough. Place dough in an oiled bowl.  Oil the top of dough. Cover with a towel; let rise in
a warm place until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

While waiting for dough to rise, Wrap 4 paper towel tubes in foil; grease lightly. Grease baking sheets.

Roll dough on lightly floured surface into two 12×6-inch rectangles. Cut dough into strips (6×1/2-inch) to make 48 strips.  Braid 3 strips of dough together and wrap around prepared tubes, pinching ends of dough to seal. Repeat with remaining dough.  Place on a greased baking sheets. Cover with a towel.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Beat remaining egg and use to brush tops of braids, all the way around. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Read More »

This bread is yummy. It is a nice departure from sweet quick breads. It is still a quick bread but it tastes more like a dense health bread. It isn't very sweet at all. It has a sweet struessel topping and figs inside but those are the only sweet elements in this recipe. This bread would be great for breakfast, brunch or a snack with jam or cream cheese spread on top. It is a must try.

Ingredients:

Bread:
1 C dried figs
1/2 C boiling water
1 T.flour
1 1/2 C white flour
1/2 whole wheat flour
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
3/4 C applesauce
1/3 C plain non-fat yogurt
1/4 C canola oil
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/3 C chopped almonds
1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Streussel:

2 1/2 T brown sugar
2 T. flour
1 1/2 T. coarsely chopped almonds
1 T chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Preparation:

To prepare streussel, combine the streussel ingredients in a small bowl stirring with a fork until crumbly; set aside.

To prepare bread, combine figs and 1/2 cup of boiling water in a small bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon of flour.

Place egg whites and egg in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add applesauce, yogurt, oil, and almond extract; stir well. Add sugar; stir well.

Combine flours and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drain figs, and coarsely chop. Add figs and applesauce mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle streussel over batter. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Read More »