Banana Rum Shuttles

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and this is a repeat post. This cold has really kicked me to the curb. Everything has been on hold for a few weeks but I finally gave in and now I've got some powerful antibiotics on board. Here's to recovering quickly and SPEEDBO! 

So, this is a repeat of something  I first learned how to cook a few weeks before my 15th birthday (just a baby!) in France. La voila, Banana Rum Shuttles! Of course, over there they called them "tartes bananes" and they didn't have the little arrow-head end that looks like a loom shuttle. But the recipe I found that was the closest was this "shuttle" version and I thought it was really pretty so... I guess my tartes bananes sont "shuttles" now!

 So, you'll need:
3 bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs rum (or more, depending on what kind of day you've had)
puff pastry, frozen or home made (I've tried to make it many times... I just can't. So, I resolved to stop wasting time on the impossible and buy the frozen stuff.)
1 egg white for glaze

 Cut the bananas length-wise. No reason for this except it's easier to dip them in the rum.

 You can't see the rum, but it's there. Really.

 Mix the sugar, cloves, cinnamon. Roll the rum bananas in the sugar. Lick fingers after ever piece.

 You should end up with bananas coated with sugar and spices and rum. Taste test a few to make sure everything is going well at this point.

 Defrosted pastry. Looks bad. Will taste good.

 Put the banana mix on the puff pastry. Sample a few more pieces that fall off the side. Lick fingers again.

 Seal the sides with the fork, cut the ends at an angle and seal.

 Slice the top for vents. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425F. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take them out, brsh with egg whites, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
                                      

 I served these on plates I picked up in Poland when I attended the Warsaw School of Economics after I graduated from college. It was a little odd to serve something from my years in France on plates I bought ten years later during a sojourn in a completely different country. Then my five year old picked one up and proclaimed it "delicioso" and just like his abuelita's empanadas.  I had to smile at the intersection (collision?) of all these cultures in a small Oregon town.

Wishing you joy in the journey, wherever you are and wherever you're going! Until next time!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread repost!

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and it's that time of year when I repost my FAVORITE pumpkin bread recipe ever. So, without further ado, here it is from 2014. I made a batch just this last week and I'm making it again this evening. I love sharing this with neighbors and friends, and it has never failed me!

  I'm SO excited it's October! I've got great new projects lined up, the kids are just getting over their first cold of the season (as opposed to starting their first cold of the season) and I LOVE FALL. 

So, here's my go-to "welcome to Fall" recipe, Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread. (Don't ask me about the Maine part. I think I stopped in there when I was young, but I don't really remember it. So, in my mind, Mainers sit around and eat this all day. Lucky ducks.)

 Super bright picture of our garden pumpkins! My husband grew a great batch of calabazas this year. In his mountain town, they're serious about growing enough to last through the cooler months. Great vitamins, easy food source.

 I love these looks. "No, Papa! Es MIA!" (No, Daddy, that one's MINE!) For the record, we had about 50 that looked all the same and the littles were convinced it was their special pumpkin every time we cut into one.

 (LOL. Sad face photobomb.)  Here is how you clean out the raw pumpkin.

 Big pot. (Ha! I see my polka dotted shirt. I love polka dots. They're so playful.)

 Someone just brought me a flower.

 So, boiled for about 30 minutes on high, carefully cut away the pumpkin from the skin. It should be really soft. Pie pumpkins are different that the carving pumpkins. Sweeter, easier to cook. Not as stringy.

 Mr. Ninja takes on the cooked pumpkins. Ten seconds. BAM.

 Mmmmm. The first batch was eaten up right away. Cinnamon, sugar, hot from the pot.
 BUT I wanted to make pumpkin bread, so we repeated steps 1-4... except the eating part. One pumpkin gives about two and a half cups of pumpkin. We usually boil about 3 pumpkins at a time so we have some to eat and some to freeze.

• 2 cups of pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups
• 2 teaspoons
• 1 1/2 teaspoons
• 1 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon

So, this is all I have of the process. You'll just have to imagine it. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the eggs, pumpkins, oil, water, and sugar. We also added a cup of walnuts.

Ta-DAH! Of course, this is doubled. Your recipe will either give two small loaves (one to freeze!) or one fat loaf like that above. Now, these are the original, but we also added chocolate chips to a batch. YUM. And then we added a cup of walnuts, a cup of chopped green apples and some golden raisins to another batch and it was like the ultimate Fall bread.
  That's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend!

Mangia, Mangia! Italian biscotti from the Walla Walla Italian Heritage Association- repost

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I bring delicious Italian goodness!! If you've been visiting for 2013 or so, you;ll recognize this recipe. I had planned to do post about the sushi we made but there's a stomach virus going through our family and guess who is the last to get it? That's right... me. So, I promise to type up the sushi post next week. For now, I'll be lazy and cut and paste. Then crawl back into bed. :P

So, here it is!

I was at our homeschool girls' book club last week and spent a few glorious hours in a warm and beautiful kitchen, eating apple crisp with piles of real whipped cream topping! Even though I had eight BAZILLION things to do (like get my hair cut and go to Home Depot- those things are not related) I had a fabulous afternoon chatting and eating. Who cares if our refrigerator is on its last legs? Not me! Or at least, I don't care when I have a plate of warm apple crisp in front of me.

 

Now, as I was chowing down on that deliciousness, I spied a little cookbook on my friend Terri's shelf. You all know I love a good cookbook.

 But... I had an ulterior motive. See, Terri makes the most AMAZING biscotti. If I could get my hands on that recipe, I could have biscotti every day, as much as I wanted! A devious plan was hatched.

 She so sweetly let me borrow the cookbook. I got it home and started to page through it. You know how you can tell a person's favorite Bible verse by how the page looks? Well, I didn't have to look far for her favorite recipe. Past the braccioli, past the tarduci, past thecardiletti, the latte dulce and the cassata alla siciliana, there it was...

 Behold, the page of the biscotti recipe! Ooooo, I rubbed my hands together in maniacal glee! I was never going to want for biscotti again!

1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
3 eggs
3 c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp anise flavoring
1 c chopped nuts
 (The recipe was submitted by Pam Daltoso Hamilton, but there was another underneath by Anna Perfetto, and another by Mary Locati and another Carmy Destito, under that one by Rose Zaro.
Since Terri is a Biagi, I'm assuming she knows her biscotti. And if not, I'll just have to TRY THEM ALL.)

 Small child is having a wonderful time chopping walnuts from our tree. I don't have the heart to tell him that we only need a cup.

 Ooooh, what a pretty bowl! I wonder where I got that? (From Terri, of course!) It smells like... biscotti.

 So, cream the butter, sugar, eggs. In another bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Add them, mix well. Now add the nuts and the anise flavoring. (Of course, I didn't have anise flavoring. I don't even like anise. When I lived in France they drank anise liqueur and it was DISGUSTING. So, I'm assuming that vanilla will be just as good.)

 The dough will be very sticky. Grease the sheet well. Heat the oven to 350F. Shape the dough into long rolls.

 While the biscotti cooks for 30 minutes, browse the rest of the recipes.

 Edna is murmuring to herself. "Questa sembra delizioso!" A few minutes later, she makes a noise. Apparently, the pork sausage/ cinnamon spice cake was not meeting with her approval, even though it says it's great with a caramel frosting. I peeked over her shoulder and said she should definitely try the pizza-by-the-yard recipe. "Vorrei un piatto con formaggio..." she mutters. And there's even a recipe for making your own cheese that dries in a string in the basement! This book has everything! (Of course, we have no basement, but that's no matter...)

 The oven beeped and I checked the biscotti. They were huge and fluffy. But I'd set the timer for 20 minutes, just in case my oven ran hotter than the recipe needed. I put another ten minutes on. Edna was eyeing my new Pinterest activity. It's a heart cut from a map, and the place is my honeymoon. Edna snickered and said it looked like a broken heart! She's so funny. Now all I can see is a framed broken heart.                
     Che romantico!!

 After 30 minutes, remove the biscotti and let cool for 15 minutes. Slice diagonally. Put them back in the oven for ten minutes. This is what makes them super crispy.

 I couldn't even wait for them to cool. It was BISCOTTI time.

Now, I hear these keep well in tupper ware, but they were GONE by the next morning. It wasn't me, I only had two.
Okay, maybe four.
   ALL RIGHT. I lost count! I admit it! I'm a biscotti glutton!

 But now I have the secret recipe and an unending supply, BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

  Fino alla prossimo volta, i miei amici!!

(And now from 2016, I hope everyone is well and enjoy the recipe!)