Applesauce Nut Bread (makes one 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ – inch loaf)

On a recent perusal through my revised 13th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, I came across this recipe in the quick breads section. I made it once several years ago finding it quick to make as well as another way to use homemade applesauce. 

 

Applesauce Nut Bread 

 

½ cup shortening 

¼ cup sugar 

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 cups white flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 cup applesauce 

¾ cup chopped walnuts 

 

Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Butter or grease loaf pan or set aside non-stick loaf pan. 

 

 In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract to sugar mixture and mix well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg to batter and stir well to blend. Stir applesauce and walnuts into the batter. 

 

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Remove bread from pan and cool on rack for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in air-tight container.

No Mayonnaise Tuna Salad for One

This recipe is roughly based on the “Salad Nicoise” recipe in my 13th edition of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. It's egg-free, dairy-free, anchovy-free, can be mixed in the serving bowl to cut down on the number of dishes to clean afterwards and can be easily doubled to serve two. Using a slightly warm potato gives salad a creamy mouth feel. 

 

1 tablespoon vinegar (red wine vinegar recommended) 

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 

¼ teaspoon table salt or 1/16 (pinch) kosher salt (optional)

1/8 - ¼ teaspoon minced garlic 

¼ cup olive oil 

 

1 – 1 ½ cup salad greens (i.e. romaine lettuce, baby spinach, ready to serve salad mix) 

1/3 cup or half of 4 – 5 ounce can tuna fish, drained 

1 small potato or 1 hash brown cooked and diced, slightly warm if possible 

4 black olives 

 

In serving bowl mix the vinegar, pepper, salt (if using) and garlic. Let stand one minute. Stir in olive oil. Add salad greens and toss until coated with dressing. Add tuna fish, potato and olives. Gently toss. Serve. 

 

 

Salad with baby spinach, hash brown, 

tuna and pitted kalamata olives 

ready to serve

 

Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles with cheddar cheese

Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles with cheddar cheese As with the Ginger Cake and Cucumber Sandwich recipes, this is also from “The Book of Afternoon Tea” by Lesley Mackey. 

 

Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles (makes 8 triangles) 

1 (5 ounce) can tuna 

3 medium-sized tomatoes washed and patted dry 

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

4 slices bread 

Butter, softened 

 

1) Place oven rack on middle rung setting. 

2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. 

3) Drain tuna. Into a bowl, place tuna and flake. 

 

4) Slice tomatoes. 

5) Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter. Place buttered sides down on a baking sheet. 

 

6) Spread tuna over bread. Arrange tomato slices on top and cover with cheddar cheese. 

 

7) Bake in pre-heated 400 degree farenheit oven 8-10 minutes, until bubbling. 

 

8) Remove from oven, cool 1 minute, then cut each slice of bread across into 2 triangles. 

 

9) Serve hot.

Cold brew iced tea using teabags (makes 1 pint or 16 ounces)

One of my favorite summer time drinks is iced tea made with tea. As a child, my mother would buy instant iced tea mix which I could not acquire a taste for.

Several years ago, I decided to learn how to make iced tea using tea, not an instant iced tea mix. I found many recipes in my research and settled on this variation from epicurious website using empty pint-size glass jars with lids which have been cleaned. 
 
1 tea bag
16 ounces or 1 pint water either cold or at room temperature 
Lemon juice, optional
Sugar, optional

Place tea bag in cleaned empty pint-size glass jar. Pour water into jar covering tea bag. Affix lid to jar and place in refrigerator for at least 1 ½ hours.

Remove jar from refrigerator. Pour tea into glass or serving pitcher, diluting with water and adding lemon juice or sugar to taste, if desired. 

 

On left: jar ready to be put in refrigerator for cold brew tea. 

On right: cold brew tea ready to be served. 

Cucumber Sandwiches

This is a variation of the Cucumber and Dill Hearts recipe from “The Book of Afternoon Tea” by Lesley Mackey.

 

Cucumber Sandwiches

¼ cucumber washed and dried (optional to peel)

½ teaspoon red wine vinegar 

½ teaspoon table salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

4 slices white bread

Pepper

1) Cut cucumber into paper thin slices. Place in a colander and sprinkle with vinegar and salt. Let sit for 30 minutes.

2) Pat cucumber dry on paper towles.

3) Butter bread.

4) Arrange cucumber slices on buttered sides of 2 bread slices. Season cucumber with pepper.

5) Cover with remaining bread slices, buttered side down. Gently press together.

6) Cut each sandwich into either 4 triangles or rectangles.

Cucumber Sandwiches ready to be eaten

Ginger Cake

 
I was recently going through my copy of “The Book of Afternoon Tea”by Lesley Mackey and found the page for this recipe dog-earred with hand written notations around the recipe which means the ginger cake recipe provide here is a varation.


Ginger Cake

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
5 teaspoons light corn syrup
4 teaspoon applesauce
5 teaspoons milk
pinch molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon baking powder
pinch allspice


1) Place oven rack on middle rung setting.

2) Preheat oven to 325 degrees farenheit. 

3) Grease an 11-inch by 7-inch or 8-inch square baking pan and line with waxed paper.

4) In a large bowl, cream butter or margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs, syrup, applesauce, milk, molasses. Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, allspice and beat until well mixed.

5) Pour batter into pan and bake 45 – 50 minutes or until well risen and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

6) Cool in pan 30 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

“Crunchy” Granola Bars or What to do with One (or half) Ripe Banana

 This is another “What to do with One Ripe Banana” recipe which is a blending of my OneBanana Oat Cookie recipe with my Pecan Cranberry Granola recipe and an attempt to make a crunchy granola bar. This recipe can be used to make “loose” granola if you prefer or halved if all you have is half a banana.

Whole (one banana) recipe (makes about 20 bars)

1 ripe banana, mashed

3 cups quick cook old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts or chopped pecans or chopped almonds

3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B or organic agave nectar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)

1) Place oven rack on middle run setting.

2) Preheat oven to 300 degrees farenheit.

3) Place the oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, nuts, salt, cinnamon, ginger (optional), turmeric (optional) in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.

4) Add the mashed banana, olive oil, maple syrup or agave nectar. Mix until dry ingredients are coated. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes before moving to next step.

5) If making crunchy granola bars shape into bars about 4 ½ inches long by 1 inch wide by 1/8 inch tall on medium- to large-size non-stick cookie sheet. If making “loose” granola spread mixture in an even layer on a medium- to large-size cookie sheet.

6) Bake 30-55 minutes until granola bars are toasty dark brown on the edges. If making “loose” granola, bake 30-55 minutes until a golden to toasty bown.

7) Remove granola from oven and let cool completely on cookie sheet. 

8) Store granola in airtight container. 

Half (one half banana) recipe (makes about 10 bars)

1/2 ripe banana, mashed

1 1/2 cups quick cook old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cups raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or chopped pecans or chopped almonds

3/8 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B or organic agave nectar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)

1) Place oven rack on middle run setting.

2) Preheat oven to 300 degrees farenheit.

3) Place the oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, nuts, salt, cinnamon, ginger (optional), turmeric (optional) in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.

4) Add the mashed banana, olive oil, maple syrup or agave nectar. Mix until dry ingredients are coated. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes before moving to next step.

5) If making crunchy granola bars shape into bars about 4 ½ inches long by 1 inch wide by 1/8 inch tall on medium- to large-size non-stick cookie sheet. If making “loose” granola spread mixture in an even layer on a medium- to large-size cookie sheet.

6) Bake 25-45 minutes until granola bars are toasty dark brown on the edges. If making “loose” granola, bake 25-45 minutes until a golden to toasty bown.

7) Remove granola from oven and let cool completely on cookie sheet. 

8) Store granola in airtight container. 

Crunchy Granola Bars Cooling on Cookie Sheet