Banana Bread

 Banana Bread

    I made banana bread for a work team meeting recently and was so happy that my coworkers really enjoyed it.  This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook The Pillsbury Family Cook Book, published in 1963 and my copy is a 1970 sixth printing.  This bread came out so nice and moist. I made two recipes and got two beautiful loaves. 

  Ingredients:

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup softened butter or shortening (Ooops. I'm writing this a couple weeks after baking this and can't remember if I used butter or shortening)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup (2 medium sized mashed bananas)

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar (I used vinegar)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Sift flour with the soda and salt into a medium bowl. In a separate bowl cream butter/shortening and gradually add the sugar, creaming well. Blend in eggs and banana. Combine thoroughly and add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, alternating with the milk. Begin and end the dry ingredients, blending well after each addition. Stir in nuts and chips if desired. Grease the bottom of a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Pour in batter and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. You'll want the bread to spring back when lightly touched in the center. Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan loosen the bread. Sit the pan on a baking rack to cool and remove from pan after the bread has cooled. 

Beautiful Banana Bread

Beautiful Banana Bread

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Week 49 of 52

Dessert #7

    Yummy, double chocolate cookies!! I'll definitely make this recipe again.  This final dessert recipe of Fifty-two In Twenty-two comes from Best Loved Cookies, published in 2000.  In the book, this recipe is titled Hershey's "Perfectly" Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. You can add nuts if you like. The recipe says you'll get five dozen, but I used my cookie scoop and got a little more than seven dozen. Make this recipe!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt). Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar together in a separate bowl, until fluffy. Stir in vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time, mixing until thoroughly combined. Gradually add your dry ingredients and stir until all dry ingredients are combined. Mix in chocolate chips and nuts if using. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto un-greased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly before transferring from the cookie sheet to a wire rack. Serve with milk. 

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Week 9 - Chicken Salad

 Chicken Salad

Recipe 9 - 52 in 2022

Salad #2

    For this project, I'm delving into many cookbooks I've had for a long time, but have either never used or have used once or twice. The original chicken salad recipe comes from the 1941 (and fourteenth printing) of The Household Searchlight Recipe Book. I wanted to include in this post, that my copy of this book is inscribed on the inside cover "Purchased by Zora Mae Butner in 1941..." I said when I started this blog, my favorite books in my collection are old, very used, have names and or notes handwritten into them and may have coupons or other recipes cut out and stuck into them). 

    I made a couple of substitutions. Cranberries instead of raisins and not really a substitution, but I had wanted to use pecans and didn't have them, so I used almonds. I made a double batch of this recipe and I've shared it with four different people.  That makes me happy! And so far, they've given positive feedback. This recipe was a winner. I think the only thing I'd do different, would be to mince the chicken, instead of dicing. Smaller bits would go better on a sandwich is why I say that. The small chunks I had, were perfect for spooning on top of salad and serving open face on toasted sourdough, like I did for lunch. Try this and let me know what you think!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups diced chicken

1/2 cup chopped nuts (use pecans or almonds)

1/2 cup diced pineapple (I bought a can of pineapple chunks and cut those up)

1 cup diced celery (I think I used a little less than this and it was fine)

2/3 cup diced apple

2/3 cup raisins (I used cranberries)

Mayonnaise (I used 1/3 to 2/3 cup; add more or less mayonnaise to taste)

Directions:

Cook your diced chicken until no longer pink. Steam (or soak) raisins or cranberries until plump. Chop your nuts, pineapple, celery and apple. Combine the first six ingredients together and stir in mayonnaise, mixing lightly. The original recipe says you can serve in "crisp lettuce cups". As I said above, this chicken salad would be good on top of a salad or made into a sandwich. If you want to use in a sandwich, you'll probably want to make finely diced bits. Smaller = better for sandwiches, I think. 

Chicken Salad

**Okay, I knew because of the age of the cookbook, I could guess that Zora Mae Butner passed long ago, but I am sitting here teary-eyed, because I found Mrs. Butner on Ancestry. I've found her with the exact address she wrote in the book. I've found multiple records of her and her husband and a son who died in 2012. I found where she is buried, here in Dallas, Texas. I feel it in my heart, that I need to pay my respects to Mrs. Butner. I just want to say to Zora Mae Butner, that "I hope you got enjoyment out of using this cookbook, like I have."**