Superhero

Do you have a favorite Superhero? Superman is my husband's favorite. we have the collection of Smallville on DVD, all the seasons of Smallville. We have many Superman movies even Superman Returns. My youngest daughter's favorite Superhero is Supergirl. She is a Daddy's girl! My son's favorite is Spider-man (which is why our dog is named Parker). My oldest daughter says her favorite is Wolverine. Can you tell who my favorite Superhero is?

I saw this recipe for a pudding drink and I figured I would try it. My oldest did not like it since she isn't a big fan of pudding. My two little ones loved it. Since they are such a fan of this drink, I figured I would post it. I am going to post the original recipe but I used vanilla pudding. 

 White Hot Chocolate Drink

1 1/2 Tbsp white chocolate flavor instant pudding mix
1 1/2 cup milk
Toppings if desired: whip cream, crushed peppermint candies, or chocolate

Directions:

1. Mix the milk and pudding mix in a microwavable mug.
2. Microwave for 1 minute on high.
3. Top with the desired toppings. 

Recipe adapted from Disney Family Fun.

Did you already know........
-Wolverine and Spider-man are from Marvel comics.
-Superman and Wonder Woman are from DC comics.
-Superman was first published in 1983.

Sore Back

My husband said his back hurt so our two youngest children volunteered to message it. So, my husband laid down to see if it would help. My son squeezed the back of his neck like he was chocking my husband. Then my son and youngest daughter karate chopped his back. Just in case my husband wasn't in enough pain at this point, they pushed their elbows into my poor husband's back. My son asked, "Doesn't this feel good, Daddy?"  Lesson learned: if you want your back to feel better, do not allow my two young children to help you out. Days later he is still recovering! My husband is so thoughtful that he volunteered for them to do my back next. I ran away.

I asked my son what kind of birthday cupcakes would he like. He said he wanted Power Rangers. I said not what type of decorations but what type of flavor did he want. He thought about it and told me he wanted banana. How many little kids ask for banana cake? I make banana bread all the time but I have never made banana cake before. I figured Martha Stewart would have a recipe for a banana cake. I am glad I trusted my instincts because these cupcakes are great. The cupcakes have a subtle banana taste. To top the cupcakes, I used a buttercream recipe found in my now favorite book The Pastry Queen. 

Banana Cake
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
4 very ripe large bananas, mashed
3/4 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
5. Add 1 egg at a time incorporating well.
6. Add the bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
7. Slowly, add about 1 cup of the flour mixture at a time and incorporate well. Continue to add the flour mixture until all combined.
8. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full.
9. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
10. Let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before frosting. 

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart. There is a link for a caramel buttercream recipe which I have not tried.

Did you already know..........
-Bananas are harvested everyday of the year.
-Bananas are the most popular fruit in the U.S.
-The Cavendish banana is the typical banana eaten in the U.S.
-Other types of bananas are Goldfinger, Latundan, Red bananas.

PQ: Pound Cake Rum or No Rum?

Rum or no rum? Rum or no rum? Dilemma's of life! This weeks Project Pastry Queen was the Totally Rummy Pound Cake picked by Shawnda. I just couldn't decide if I wanted to go with Rum. Why? It isn't because we don't like rum in this household. (If you shy around alcohol, you need to be absent from my husband's birthday bashes.) Since it was my son's birthday weekend, (yes weekend since it was a sleepover), I figured I would make a twist.

I decided to substitute the rum with lemons and blueberries. A lot of snow has melted and I am crossing my fingers for Spring. I really do try to ignore that groundhog especially when he predicts 6/8/12 more weeks of winter-remember I live in Maine.

I thought maybe one loaf pan would be enough. I was wrong. Since I had a lot of batter left over, I did a lot of mini loafs. Another great thing about mini loafs size is they are easier to ship to family members.

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
1 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted lightly (optional)
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease bread pans with cooking spray.
3. Arrange the toasted almonds on the bottom of the bread pans.
4. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy about 1 minute.
5. After scrapping down the sides, add the sugar. Beat for 2 minutes on medium-high speed until incorporated.
6. Scrap down the sides of the bowl again and then add 1 egg at a time until mixture is fluffy about 1 to 2 minutes.
7. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
8. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and alternate with the sour cream until all the flour and sour cream is incorporated on medium-low speed.
9. Stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the lemon juice. Mix well. 
10. Gently fold in 2/3 cups of the blueberries. 
11. Spoon the batter evenly into the pans about 2/3 full. Top the batter with the remaining blueberries.
12. Bake the pound cakes for about 1 hour and 20 minutes for the large loaf pan and about 30 minutes for the mini loaf pans. If the top is browning too quickly before the loafs are completely cooked through, cover the cakes with parchment paper. The pound cakes are done when the cake springs back when touched lightly.
13. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook.

Please check out the other Project Pastry Queen members posting of the Totally Rummy Pound Cake or if desired a glaze for the pound cake. Then you will have to decide rum or no rum in the glaze. Enjoy!

Almond crust

Did you already know.............
-In 1934, Myers's Rum was introduced in the US. 
-(Prohibition ended in 1933 for any curious minds.)
-Myers's Rum is made with pure Jamaican molasses.
-Myers's Rum is matured for about four years in oak barrels.

Southern Charm

Did you know Southern charm is an inheritable trait? My son must have received this trait from his Southern Grandfather. Now, I will admit honey works better than vinegar with me. My son knows this so he continues to call me, his sweet, sweet Momma. "Sweet, sweet Momma, can you make this for dinner?" "Sweet, sweet Momma, can I play the DS?" He even tries for extra points with, "I want to hold sweet, sweet Momma's hand." I will admit I try to be strong and not fold but wouldn't you if someone is calling you sweet? I guess I could change the blog's name to Sweet, sweet Momma but then I would feel old.

In celebration of my son's birthday, I wanted to make him one of his favorite dishes. He loves macaroni and cheese in the blue box. I refuse to make it. I will buy it since it is a dish my oldest daughter likes to cook. She adds tuna fish when she makes it.

I have made this dish several times before and it taste a lot better than the blue box. It is perfect for a weeknight. I know all the ingredients and there is no unknown orange powder going into the meal. The original recipe calls for elbow macaroni but I used Campanelle pasta to be fancy. You didn't realize macaroni and cheese could be fancy, huh? Also, I doubled the original recipe to feed six people as a meal.

Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

1 lb  Campanelle pasta
7 Tbsp of butter, unsalted
4 eggs
12 oz evaporated milk, 2%
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded


Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package directions to al dente.
2. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot.
3. Add the butter and allow the butter to melt. Toss to coat the pasta. 
4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the pasta.
6. Add the cheese and stir.
7. Over low heat, stir the pasta for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is creamy.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.

Did you already know........
-The Italian word campanelle means bells.
-Campanelle pasta is a fluted, hollow pasta with a ruffled edge.
-Other substitutes for campanelle are gigli, riccioli, fusilli, ziti, etc.
-Check out the National Pasta Association link for even more unusual shapes of pasta.

Fruit Smoothie

The other morning my son and I walked outside. We could hear a loud strange noise coming from the next street over. My son turned to me and asked me what could it be. (I think the noise was someone testing their generator) I asked him, "Doesn't it sound like aliens invading?"  Unconcerned, he shrugged and asked me, "What should we do?" I told him  not to worry since I eat my young. I did playfully try to chase him. He thought it was funny. Later in the car, he asked, "What would we do if aliens invade?" What would you do?

I told my son that he would probably go into hiding with his two older sisters with the pantry full of food while Daddy and I would have to fight. (So if we are ever invaded, you will know where to find me.) He told me he would fight too. I wasn't sure if it was just the thought of being stuck hiding with his two older, bossier sisters because that scared him more than facing aliens.

I still was surprised since I would have thought he would be happy with a pantry of food at his disposal which consisted mostly of cereal. I probably have more boxes of cereal than cans in my pantry. So next time you were wondering why I didn't blog that day, we probably ordered pizza, cereal, or a smoothie. I love smoothies. To me, it is a healthy treat. I didn't add any sweeteners to mine but the children did to their smoothie.

Fruit Smoothies


2 cups blueberries, frozen
2 kiwi, chopped
16 strawberries, frozen
1 cup mint leaves, torn
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup milk
optional: agava syrup, honey, or sugar to taste


Directions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth.


Recipe adapted to a smooth from: Williams-Sonoma. For additional juice recipes or to adapt to a smooth, check the link out. 

Did you already know.............

-Extraterrestrial Highway is 92 miles long located near Area 51.
-Area 51 is an Air Force Base located about 100 miles from Las Vegas.
-"No federal funds have been spent searching for radio signals from extraterrestrials since 1993" according to the New York Times article.