Peach Cobbler

There's debate as to whether this is really a cobbler or not.  I think someone described it as closer to a "buckle" (I would agree) but regardless it went well with our Southern Food-themed Super Bowl get-together.

I used a frozen fruit mix (thawed) and added canned peaches because that's all I had on hand.  I'd recommend at least 20 ounces of fruit.  The recipe looked really weird going into the oven but came out delicious and normal-looking.  I also used 1/4 cup of sugar for the fruit.

Thanks to Suellen Anderson for posting this on Food.com!

Peach Cobbler

Batter
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup room temperature milk
1 room temperature egg

Filling
1 (28 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1 Melt butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2 Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.
3 Stir in milk & egg.
4 Pour evenly over melted butter.
5 Combine peaches, sugar & spices and spread over batter-DO NOT STIR!
6 Bake 35-45 minutes at 350°F until batter comes to the top and is golden brown.
7 Serve warm with ice cream.

Martha Stewart's Banana Bread

I love my other banana bread recipe but this one made good use of what I had: two bananas and sour cream.  My sister-in-law liked it because it didn't taste too banana-y (she's a good sport for trying it even though she doesn't love bananas) and my mother-in-law even called to say how much she liked it.  

Thanks, Martha Stewart!

Martha Stewart's Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Pumpkin Dip

Part of my job on the cardiology floor was to monitor patients' heart rhythms while they were getting tests done.  It was stressful if the patient's condition was a little precarious, but most of the time it was just a precaution.  I ventured down to MRI one time and noticed that one of the MRI techs had made pumpkin dip for the rest of her coworkers.  I didn't try any but I asked for the recipe since it smelled great.  She graciously printed a copy for me and I made it for my coworkers to celebrate my preceptee's last day of orientation.  My coworkers liked it so much that I ended up printing copies for them, too.

Making sure the cream cheese is softened is KEY.  Microwave it (out of the foil packet, of course) or leave it out at room temperature to get the consistency you need.  I omitted the orange juice and it still tasted fine- I think it's more for color than taste.  I served it with graham crackers, apple slices, and honey wheat pretzel braids.

Thanks to the MRI tech and Sue from Allrecipes!

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon frozen orange juice concentrate

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and orange juice until smooth and well blended. Chill until serving.

thank goodness for rice flour

Last year I trained a lovely new RN who ate gluten-free.  People would bring food and snacks to our unit, but she often couldn't eat them because they had gluten in them.  For her birthday I was determined to bring only snacks that she could eat so she could consume without abandon, and this cake was definitely the star of the snack tray.  Don't get me wrong- people like rice crackers, veggies, hummus, and Pirate's Booty, but nothing says "birthday" like cake.

Like I mentioned above, it uses rice flour for its chewy texture.  A box of it is less than $2 at the Asian grocery store.  I made the cake for guests this past weekend and they liked the mochi-ness of it.

Thanks to Kirbie for the recipe!  Strawberry mochi cake

Ingredients

• 16 oz mochiko rice flour (or can substitute for any brand of glutinous rice flour)
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into small cubes

Instructions
1. Cream the butter with sugar.  It helps to melt the butter a little first.
2. Mix in the evaporated milk to the butter/sugar mixture.
3. Mix eggs into the mixture.
4. Mix in the rice flour, baking powder and vanilla.
5. Stir in the strawberries.
6. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan.
7. Bake for approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees.
8. Let cake completely cool, allowing the mochi to set, before cutting and serving.

***
I've also made a pumpkin version of this for my sister-in-law's birthday from Week of Menus (one of my favorite food bloggers ever!  Expect to see a lot of links to her recipes):
pumpkin mochi cake

Pumpkin Mochi Cake
Makes one 9x13 pan

1 lb box mochiko (sweet rice flour - equivalent to 3 cups)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) melted
14 oz can of pumpkin puree
12 oz can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan. (I find it easiest to just use cooking spray oil like Pam).

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: mochiko, brown and white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and salt.

In another large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients: melted butter, pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla extract.

Carefully pour wet ingredients over dry mixture and whisk until mixture is uniform and smooth. Pour into greased pan. Bake for 75 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Allow to cool 10 minutes and then serve.

***
Best eaten the day you make it, if not store it at room temperature loosely covered with foil.  I usually only make it if there are a lot of people around to eat it.