Mexican Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins

I had a bunch of overripe bananas that my husband brought home from his trip to the Sasquatch Music Festival and decided they'd be perfect in a batch of banana muffins with some added healthy ingredients — dark cocoa powder, cinnamon, olive oil, walnuts and non-fat yogurt.

The muffins were quick to mix up and turned out great. I'm glad I took the time to take notes as I made them because the recipe is definitely a keeper.

Mexican Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins
(makes 18 regular or 12 large muffins)

 3 large overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except the flour and walnuts. Mix well.

Add the flour and walnuts and mix just until combined.

Muffins ready for the oven.

 Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Everyone Is Welcome

Dedicated volunteer Dan, getting a meal to eat with guests.

 

What I love most about the Wednesday Community Meal is that everyone is welcome. The doors open  at 11 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th, Portland, OR) and all you have to do is come inside.

Carol, a long-term volunteer in our dining room told me today that she notices the first time when someone comes in to eat, they usually seem shy, keep their head down and are hesitant to make eye contact.

But she said, once they've come a few times and get to know us, they come alive. She said she loves it when their eyes light up, they smile and they make friends with the other guests and volunteers.

To feed the hungry is the main reason we serve a meal on Wednesdays but there are so many other benefits like solace, fellowship and friendship. And these benefits are for everyone, guests and volunteers.

We served 317 meals today and as always, everyone was welcome.

Fresh fruit cups ready to be served.

Lime Macarons

After a rainy and cloudy Memorial Day weekend here in Portland, I thought I'd sweeten the atmosphere with a sunny lime macaron.

I like sweet and sour macaron combinations because the sour cuts the sweet. I'm not a fan of super sweet desserts and macaron shells are plenty sweet.  Creamy and lightly sweet is always my goal for a macaron filling. 

For me, these lime macarons are just right.

Lime Macarons
180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar
green food coloring

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside.

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts.  Towards the end of mixing, add the food coloring.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Macarons waiting to be baked.

 Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.

While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with Lime Cream Filling

Lime Cream Filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
Juice of 3 limes
zest of 3 limes
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Juice and zest of three limes.

In a small saucepan, combine lime juice, lime zest  and sugar. Over medium heat, reduce mixture by half until it is a thick syrup. Be sure to watch closely and stir frequently. This takes 4 to 7 minutes. The lime zest will loose it's bright green color after cooking but that's okay. Set aside to cool completely. You may put the syrup in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

Whip butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add cooled lime syrup and vanilla. Whip again and use a piping bag to fill macarons.

Berry Cobbler

If you need an easy dessert for your Memorial Day gathering, consider a berry cobbler.

It can be pulled together in minutes, makes the house smell great and is a breeze to serve —Just drop a portion into a pretty bowl and add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

For some reason, berry cobbler is not a dessert you find at many bakeries or restaurants. It's primarily made at home. Maybe that's why it holds a special place in the hearts of many.



Berry Cobbler
2 3/4 cups mixed berries, fresh or defrosted frozen berries
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add sugar and vanilla to berries, mix well and set aside.

Defrosted mixed berries with sugar and vanilla.

In another bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk and mix well. Stir in melted butter and pour into a 9'' ungreased baking dish.

Drop the berries in spoonfuls over the batter. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.

Berry cobbler ready for the oven.

My niece Maya with the finished cobbler.

Chocolate Raspberry Macarons

My latest French macaron creation is an ode to the classic flavor combination of chocolate and raspberry.

To make chocolate macarons just add 10 grams of sifted cocoa powder to the dry ingredients. The raspberry filling is just cream cheese, butter and raspberry preserves.

No coloring is needed since these macarons are natural beauties.

Chocolate Raspberry Macarons
180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
10g cocoa powder

150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar


Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and set aside.

Just add 10g of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients to make chocolate macarons.

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.

While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with Raspberry Filling.

Raspberry Filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup reduced sugar raspberry preserves

Whip butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add raspberry preserves and mix well.

Use a pastry bag to fill the macarons.

Sasquatch Sustenance

This is the third Memorial Day weekend in a row that my husband, our oldest daughter Una and few of her friends are off enjoying the Sasquatch Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheater near George, Washington.

My daughter looks forward to the festival every year and says part of the fun is enduring the rudimentary overnight camping conditions — row after row of tents, portapotties and that's about it.
 I'm so glad it's my husband and not me who is taking her.


For food, they rely on no-cook portable fare so I thought I could at least treat them to a big batch of homemade energy bars.

The bars are better than anything you can buy and full of healthy whole grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. If there's a nut or fruit that you don't like, just substitute it with something else. And, the cinnamon can be replaced with other flavorings. Ginger and dried cherries go really well together.
The options are endless.

Una and her friend Bo are all set for the music festival with energy bars and their Sasquatch mascot.

 
Energy Bars
(makes 24 bars)

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup flax seeds
2/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
2/3 cup raw almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup non-fat powdered milk
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix all the ingredients except the eggs and maple syrup in a large bowl.  In a food processor, process the mixture in batches until it is finely chopped.  You process it in batches so that you don't overload the food processor.

Combine all the finely chopped ingredients and add the maple syrup and eggs. Mix until it holds together. Press it evenly into the baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until it is lightly brown and firm to the touch. Immediately cut into bars and let cool in the pan before removing.


These bars keep for weeks in the refrigerator and even freeze well. Keep them on hand for a healthy snack or meal on the run.

Healthy energy bars ready to be enjoyed.

Honeycomb Sugar Cookies

A cute little bumble bee cutter inspired me to try to create a honeycomb cookie to compliment them on dessert tray.

This was my first attempt so I'm feeling confident that I can do a better job next time. The one thing I think I can improve on is the definition of the honeycomb shapes. My icing was a bit too thin and it spread too much and distorted the shape of the hexagonal pattern.

Oh well, live and learn. They still taste great.

Here's my method:

The bee cookie cutter that inspired me.

Flood square cut sugar cookies with royal icing and let dry.

With a #1 tip and pastry bag, make straight lines across cookie about 1/4 inch apart.

Continue making straight lines.

Make short lines evenly spaced between long lines.

Stagger the next row of short lines. Try your best to keep them evenly spaced.

When you are done, it will look like this.

Make a zigzag line connecting the points of the shorter lines.

Continue making zigzags over the cookie.

Finally, add a straight line border around the cookie.

Four done, and lots more to go.

These aren't perfect, but they're still cute and delicious. When you have the time, just bake up a batch of cookies, practice and have fun.

Here's my favorite recipe for royal icing:

Royal Icing
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Food coloring

In a large bowl combine meringue powder, water and lemon juice and stir until meringue powder is dissolved. Add powdered sugar and with an electric mixer on low speed, beat until evenly moistened. Then beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Divide and tint as desired and add water a teaspoon at a time to get desired consistency.

Fresh Produce

Besides feeding the hungry, I see the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral as an opportunity to treat our guests to healthy and delicious foods like fresh fruit and vegetables.

Our bodies crave and need fresh produce but it's very hard to find for free when you rely on food donations.

Today we were blessed to be able to serve 320 meals accompanied by beautiful salads, bowls of soup and cake for dessert.

Thanks to the generosity of Good Sam Hospital, Trader Joe's, Phil's Meat Market, Pizza Schmizza and Baker & Spice, we had plenty of food, just not a lot of a single item. The guests were appreciative and understanding about us having to change the menu a few times.

Between servings of Meatloaf and Chili, there was Chicken Parmesan, Chicken with Mushroom Sauce, Enchiladas, Sweet and Sour Shrimp, Indian Curry, Roasted Pork, Pizza and Ribs.

I'm definitely looking forward to the Summer gardening season and hopefully being able to serve our guests more fresh produce.

Brushed Embroidery On Cookies

My latest attempt at brushed embroidery on sugar cookies.

For Valentine's Day this year, I experimented with brushed embroidery on sugar cookies. It was a technique I'd been wanting to try for some time but was hesitant because it seemed so complicated.
 

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it actually was. And, I think the results of my first attempt are pretty good.

But there's always room for improvement and cooking decorating is a constant learning process. Sometimes you just need to bake a batch and practice.

My first attempt at brushed embroidery.

So taking my own advice, I thought today was a good time to give it another whirl.

What's most important when decorating with brushed embroidery is having the right consistency of icing.

You need a stiff icing for the outlining of your brushed embroidery so that when you pull the icing inward from the edges, you see the ridges and lines of your strokes.

And, the base coat of your cookie needs to be completely dry before even attempting brushed embroidery.

Don't skimp on the drying time or you'll be frustrated. Flood icing can take anywhere from 4 to 24 hours to dry completely.

It all depends on the humidity, the amount of coloring and the amount of water needed to thin your icing.

Wait for the base coat of flood icing to dry completely before attempting brushed embroidery.

Using a stiff icing and a #2 tip, squiggle the outline of flower petals onto the cookie. Using the side of a damp square-tip brush, pull the icing towards the edge of the cookie.

Experiment with different shaped flowers and leaves. I find that random placement looks best.

Different shapes and patterns look striking when placed together. And, a border around the edges finishes them nicely.

Toasted Coconut Macarons

I think I'm addicted to making macarons. In fact, I know I am.

It's so much fun coming up with new flavors that I don't see an end in sight. Good thing I have lots of willing taste testers.

Today, it's toasted coconut macarons. Why?

Well, my sister gave me a bottle of coconut extract, I had shredded coconut in my pantry and I thought it would be interesting to make up a batch of macarons without adding any coloring to the batter.

I like the way they turned out — simple but beautiful.
Toasting the coconut enhances the flavor of the filling as well as adding a nice texture.

A perfect macaron should be dense, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Here's the recipe:

Toasted Coconut Macarons
180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside.

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.

Piped macarons need to set out at room temperature before baking.

While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave them on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with coconut cream cheese filling

Even macarons without coloring are beautiful! Be sure to let the macarons cool completely before lifting them off the parchment paper.

Coconut Cream Cheese Filling
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons coconut extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread shredded coconut onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5 to 8 minutes or  until coconut is lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.

Lightly toasting the coconut enhances the flavor of the filling.

Whip butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and coconut extract. Whip until thoroughly mixed and add toasted coconut.

Use a pastry bag without a tip to fill the macarons.

Packaged macarons ready to give.

Winging It

Jeff, serving the very popular rosemary and lemon roasted chicken.

The hardest part of planning and serving the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is that you don't know how many guests you'll have.

The meal is free and everyone is welcome. Our guest range has been anywhere from 180 to 340, so preparing the right amount is always a challenge.

We want to prepare enough food to fully satisfy everyone but we also don't want to waste any food. Wednesday after Wednesday, it just seems to work out.

Our secret to success?  — work hard, be creative, stay positive and really just wing it.

We served 268 meals today and at the end of the day had nothing leftover to refrigerate or freeze.

Our menu today was rosemary and lemon roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, roasted tomatoes, soup, salad and dessert.

The chicken was especially popular thanks to our volunteer Jeff who on the fly created a lemon and rosemary marinade and patiently basted both sides of each and every piece.  One guest came to the kitchen window to tell us it was the best meal he'd had in months.


I hope we can treat him to another great meal next week.

Roasted tomatoes with herbs and Parmesan cheese.

Salad with watermelon and grapes.

Orange Cream Macarons

Once you've mastered making macarons, it's fun to experiment with new flavors and colors.

My niece Maya has been requesting for some time an orange macaron so here it is, my newest creation — Orange Cream Macarons.

To make them, I made a basic macaron batter and added orange coloring.

For the filling, I made a reduction of fresh squeezed orange juice, zest, sugar and a touch of orange extract and added it to whipped butter and cream cheese. I finished it off with a touch of vanilla extract.

Here's the recipe:


Orange Cream Macarons

180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar
orange food coloring

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside. 

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts.  Towards the end of mixing, add the food coloring.

Egg white mixture with the orange coloring.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Piped macarons.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.

While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with Orange Cream Filling

Macarons ready to be filled.

Orange Cream Filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, orange zest, sugar and orange extract. Over medium heat, reduce mixture by half until it is a thick syrup. Be sure to watch closely and stir frequently. This takes about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. You may put the syrup in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

The zest of one orange. Be sure to use an organic orange and rinse it before zesting.

Reducing the orange juice, zest, sugar and orange extract.

The finished orange reduction.

In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and whip again.
Add cooled orange mixture and whip again.

Put the filling into a piping bag and fill macarons.

Refrigerate macarons and bring to room temperature before serving. Macarons taste best after two days in the fridge.

Wrapped macarons for my sweet niece Maya.