Cheap Eating: Mashed Potato Pancakes, Banana Bread, 1-2-3-4 Cake, Poor Man's Cake, Poor Man's Pudding

Banana Bread

Just got a letter from Statistics Canada asking how we were doing.
Well, wasn’t that sweet of them?

Statistics Canada, formed in 1971, is the Government of Canada agency which produces statistics to help understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture.

Basically they’d like to know how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected our financial well-being, and they want us to take part in a survey.
They said this survey can make a difference.
I find that hard to believe but, well, surveys keep the folks in Stats Can employed.

They have quite a few questions…
Are families able to save for retirement and for their children’s education?
Are pension savings adequate as more Canadians move toward retirement?
What financial challenges face those just entering the workforce?

Paul and I are in our early 70s.
Years ago we did what we could to save for our retirement.
Our middle-aged son entered the workforce about 20 years ago.
Frankly I don’t know what we can tell them that'll help, but we’ll do our best.


There have been quite a few news stories about the rising food and gas prices.
This is a food blog and my best hint is to use every bit of the food you buy.
it is hard to know exactly how much to prepare for a meal, or how much fresh fruit to buy.
But the leftovers and over ripe fruit can easily be recycled into something tasty.


Hints:

About the Mashed Potato Pancakes…
This recipe works best with dryish mashed potatoes. If your leftovers are creamy, add more flour for them to hold a patty shape. Do not stir in instant mashed potatoes.

You could also leftover mashed potatoes to make gnocchi:

Anna Sultana’s Gnocchi with Sausage & Tomatoes or with Peas & Pancetta; Homemade Gnocchi
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2022/11/anna-sultanas-gnocchi-with-sausage.html

Carmela Soprano's Gnocchi
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2014/01/carmela-sopranos-gnocchi.html

Don’t have leftover mashed potatoes? Make some… NOW.
Peel and quarter
2 pounds or about 7 medium russet potatoes
Fill a large pot with water.
Add
1 Tablespoon salt
the prepared potatoes
Cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
Drain well and mash in
4 Tablespoons butter
Let cool to room temperature and mash.
Mashed potatoes can be made up to 3 days in advance for the patties.


About the Banana Bread…
Over the years I’ve posted quite a few banana bread, cake, and dessert recipes.
Just type ‘banana’ in the search bar under my intro, click search and enjoy.


About the 1-2-3-4 Cake…
Sift the flour first and then measure 3 Cups.
This cake is usually baked in three 9 inch round cake pans for 20 minutes.
You can also bake the batter in a bundt pan for 40 minutes.
Use any kind of frosting on this basic cake.


About the Poor Man's Cake…
This classic cake recipe was created during the Depression Era in the 1930s.
You could add nuts, such as walnuts, to the batter.

Adjust the confectioners sugar depending on how stiff you'd like the icing to be.
The cake is also fine without frosting, or with just a sprinkling of confectioners sugar.

                        Mashed Potato Patties

Place in a large mixing bowl
4 Cups mashed potatoes
2 Cups (8 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 large egg
1/4 to 1/2 Cup flour
2 1/2 Tablespoons chopped chives or dill
Use a large spoon or potato masher to mash the mixture together.

Form a heaping tablespoonful of potato mixture into a round, 1/3 inch thick patty.
If the potatoes are too moist to hold a shape, add flour a Tablespoon at a time.
Dredge both sides of the patty in
1/2 Cup plain bread crumbs
Set patty aside and repeat with remaining mashed potatoes.

Place in a large non-stick pan
2 Tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil
Heat over medium heat and, once oil is hot, add patties in a single layer.
Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown, remove then set aside.
Repeat with remaining patties, adding more oil if needed.
Serve hot with sour cream or apple sauce.


                        Banana Bread

2 loaves

Grease well 2 9x5x3 inch loaf pans

Sift together in a medium bowl
3 1/2 Cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Place in a large bowl
5 ounces oil
Stir in 1/4 Cup at a time
1 1/2 Cups sugar
Continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add
4 eggs
Beat well.

Preheat oven to 350º F
Making 3 dry and 2 wet additions, add the flour mixture alternately with
2 Cups mashed, fully ripe bananas
Mix after each addition only enough to moisten the dry ingredients.
Turn into prepared pans.
Bake for 70 minutes or until it tests done in the middle.


                        1-2-3-4 Cake

Grease a 9x13 baking pan

Sift into a medium bowl
3 Cups pre-sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
2 Cups white sugar
Cream until fluffy.
Add one at a time, beating after each addition
4 large eggs
Stir in
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350º F

Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, add
the sifted flour mixture
1 Cup milk
Just stir enough to lightly blend.
Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes until brown on top and tests done in the middle.
Let cool before frosting.

Easy Chocolate Frosting

Sift together into a medium bowl
3 Cups confectioners sugar 
1/2 Cup cocoa

Place in a clean large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1/4 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk, more or less
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat to blend well.
Gradually add the confectioners sugar / cocoa mixture
Mix all ingredients with mixer until smooth.
Spread on cooled cake.


                        Poor Man's Cake

Grease a 9x13 baking pan

Place in a large pot
2 Cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
15 ounces raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
2 Cups hot water
Stirring, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Combine in a cup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water

Stir into the spiced sugar mixture
the dissolved baking soda
3 Cups flour
Stir well to form a batter and pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool in the pan. Frost, if you wish.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Place in a medium mixer bowl
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)
Beat until smooth.
Gradually beat in
2 to 2 1/4 Cups sifted confectioners sugar
Beat until smooth.
Frost cake and top with chopped walnuts (optional)


                        Poor Man's Pudding

Makes 6 servings

Grease a 9x13 baking pan

Place in a medium pot
3 Tablespoons butter
Melt over medium heat.
Stir in
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar
1 1/2 Cups water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir over medium heat until well blended, then bring to a boil to make a syrup.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Sift together in small bowl
1 1/2 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350º F

Place in a medium bowl
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
Cream together.
Stir into the creamed butter
the flour mixture
Add
3/4 Cup milk

Pour syrup into the prepared pan.
Drop the dough by spoonfuls over the syrup.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Can be served with berries or chopped fruit and topped with whipped cream.

Anna Sultana’s Banana Bread # 2 and Round Banana Bread

 

Covid-19 is still having an affect on what we can find on our stores' shelves.
People haven't been panic buying the way they did two years ago.
But the supply chains for everything have still been having a few glitches.
Just because the flyer says an item is on sale doesn't mean it'll be in the store.
Well, matters could be worse.

Covid-19 is also causing prices to rise, especially in the grocery stores.
One item that is still selling at its pre-Covid price is bananas.
Lucky for us bananas are available year-round.
So make them a regular part of your menu planning.

When bananas start getting brown and mushy, you can peel them, toss them in a freezer container, mash them and freeze for later baking.
But they do tend to get a rather nasty look.
Don’t let their look scare you.
The riper they are the strong the banana flavour will be.

As the old saying goes, ‘When life hands you bananas, make banana bread’.


Hints:

Cutting back on butter? Substitute 1/2 Cup margarine or 3 ounces oil for 1/2 Cup butter.

Creaming the butter and sugar together will make your banana bread lighter and more cake-like with a finer texture.
If you use oil or melted butter the bread will be denser and less crumbly.

There’s no rule on how smooth the mashed bananas should be.
If you prefer a few chunks of banana in your batter, that’s fine.

Substitute whole wheat or any whole-grain flour for up to half of the all-purpose flour.

Brown sugar gives you a denser, moister bread.
You could also use another sugar or sweetener, such as honey or molasses.

Use almond milk, kefir, buttermilk or water for the liquid in any banana bread recipe.

Don’t have the number of eggs called for in the recipe? No problem.
You can use less eggs or substitute egg whites for the eggs.

Baking time is affected by the moisture and sugar in your bananas and sweetener.
Start checking 10 minutes before it's supposed to be done and then every 5 minutes after.

To make muffins, line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill each cup about 3/4 full.
Check for doneness after 20 minutes.

Wrapped leftovers can be stored at room temperature for several days.
You can wrap the bread in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

About Banana Bread # 2…
You can add 2 Cups semisweet chocolate chips or 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the flour mixture or you could add both.
You could add nuts or a different spice, such as nutmeg to your batter.

For a stronger nut flavour toast them in the oven for 10 minutes.

About Round Banana Bread…
The topping of banana slices and butter is optional.
 

More banana recipes:

Anna Sultana’s Banana Bread
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2014/05/anna-sultanas-banana-bread.html

Anna Sultana’s Spiced Banana Cake
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2015/11/anna-sultanas-spiced-banana-cake-and.html

Anna Sultana’s Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2015/10/anna-sultanas-banana-oatmeal-crumb-cake.html

Anna Sultana’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2015/10/anna-sultanas-banana-pound-cake-with.html

Anna Sultana’s Easy Banana Ice Cream & Frozen Bananas Treats
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2017/07/anna-sultanas-easy-banana-ice-cream.html

Anna Sultana’s Pumpkin or Banana Smoothie
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2015/09/anna-sultanas-pumpkin-smoothie.html

Banana Daiquiri
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2015/06/strawberries-and-gardening-by-margaret.html


                        Banana Bread # 2

Makes 2 loaves

Grease 2  9x5x3-inch loaf pans

Place in a large bowl
6 ripe bananas, mashed
1 Cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon baking soda
Let stand for 5 minutes.

While the bananas are soaking, sift together into another bowl
4 1/2 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Set aside.

Preheat oven 350º F

Place in a large bowl
1 1/2 Cups butter, softened
2 Cups brown sugar, packed
Beat together until fluffy.
Add, one at a time, beating after each addition
2 large Eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
the banana/buttermilk mixture
Add the sifted dry ingredients.
Stir until combined.
Scrape the mixture into the 2 prepared loaf pans.
Bake 60 to 70 minutes.
Cake tester inserted into centre should come out clean.
Remove pans from oven and place on a rack.
Let cool 15 minutes, then turn loaves out onto a rack.
Let cool another 10 minutes before slicing.


                        Round Banana Bread

Makes 3 loaves 

Melt
1/2 Cup butter

Brush melted butter on the inside of 3 9-inch round cake pans

Sift together
3 Cups Flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
Set aside.

Peel and place in a large bowl
8 very ripe bananas
Mash and set aside.

Preheat oven 425º F

Place in a large mixer bowl
2 Cups butter
3 Cups sugar
Cream together until pale and fluffy.
Add, 2 at a time, while beating at medium speed
8 large eggs
Carefully scrape down the sides of the bowl while beating.
Add the mashed bananas and continue mixing while scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until the batter is blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

While the bread is baking slice
1 to 4 bananas
 
Remove pans and top with banana slices.
Brush with melted butter.
Continue baking for 30 minutes. 
Remove from oven and place on racks.
Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pans.
Let cool on racks another 10 minutes.

Anna Sultana’s Easy Banana Ice Cream & Frozen Bananas Treats

A few weeks ago there was a quirky little story floating around the internet.

Seems an 87-year-old woman had left a unique legacy for her grandchildren - a refrigerator full of bananas. 

To be exact: 3,400 bananas.

Poor old Mrs. Gibson had always meant to make a loaf or two of banana bread, and, well, she died regretting that she never got around to doing the deed.

Time just flew and well, she was busy with other things. It happens.

Hopefully her heirs, duly named in her will, would enjoy the fruits of her labour.

Okay… it was a joke. Just a little something to give us all a giggle.

But it reminded me of a quick little dessert Ma threw together every so often.

It really is hard to figure out how much to buy for a family of seven. 

I mean, you don’t want food to go bad, but then you don’t want run short, especially of something as healthy as fresh fruit.

Picture it… seven people reaching for a banana and there are only six in the bowl. 

It could get ugly.

So, Ma bought extra and sometimes she had the opposite problem - bananas which had turned from gold to freckled to brown. 

And they changed so quickly when it got hot in the summer!

Well, Ma wasn’t one to throw away food, so she went from plan A, serving fresh, as is, to plan B, using it as an ingredient in a recipe. Hopefully an easy quick recipe. Same as there was a limit to the fresh fruit’s life span, there was a limit to her energy and time.

Of course Ma knew that past their prime bananas were great for making:

Anna Sultana’s Spiced Banana Cake 

Anna Sultana’s Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake

Anna Sultana’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze

Anna Sultana’s Pumpkin Smoothie

Anna Sultana’s Banana Bread

Her breads and cakes were terrific desserts during the winter. 

In the summer, not so much.

Summer is the time for something cold, like ice cream.

The mushy, spotty bananas had lost their je ne sais quoi for serving in a banana split.

But they were just perfect for Ma to use to make a quick ice cream.

Some market chains regularly bag a couple of pounds of over ripe bananas and sell them for a dollar.

Next time you see them grab yourself one or two to make yourself some ice cream.

It’s easy and doesn’t need an ice cream maker or other ingredients.

Unless you want to get creative… and super delicious.

Hints:

The banana chunks will keep in the freezer for at least a week.

One large banana will make about a cup of ice cream.

Some addition ideas:

A Tablespoon of peanut butter

A drizzle of honey

A half Cup of chocolate chips

Berries

Chopped almonds or pecans or walnuts or peanuts or any kind of nut

A Tablespoon of Nutella

A Tablespoon of cocoa powder

Half a teaspoon of cinnamon, cardamom, or ginger

A few drops of peppermint oil and some chocolate chips

A few drops of vanilla and a few frozen cherries (chocolate is good in this, too)

A Tablespoon or two of cocoa powder and some unsweetened coconut

A Tablespoon or two of peanut butter with a half Cup of raisins

You could make a big batch of ice cream in advance. Set out an assortment of additions and let your guests add their favourites to their own servings.

You can also make a Banana Fruit Smoothie. 

Just place a few chunks of frozen banana, along with any other fruits you’d like, in a blender. Add a spoon of honey and a cup of milk or yogurt. Blend until smooth.

The smoothie mixture could also be placed in a popsicle tray. 

Add sticks, allow to freeze a few hours, and you’ll have a frozen treat for the kiddies.

                        Banana Ice Cream

Peel the ripe bananas and cut them into 1/2 inch chunks.

Place the chunks in a plastic freezer bag or container to freeze at least two hours until solid (overnight is better).

Place about a cup of banana chunks in the blender or food processor and pulse or blend until smooth. Occasionally scrape down so that all chunks are used.

You want a smooth and creamy frozen dessert, like soft serve ice cream, so don’t over-process or you’ll melt the ice cream.

Add your favourite additions (optional - see Hints) and pulse for a few seconds.

If you’re not adding anything, blend for a few more seconds to aerate the ice cream.

You can eat the ice cream immediately, but it will be quite soft.

It can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for a firmer dessert.

If you don’t want to mess a blender, you could make 

                        Chocolate, Nut-Covered Frozen Bananas Treats

Melt chocolate (dark, semi-sweet or milk) in a bowl over boiling water or in the microwave, stirring occasionally and scraping the sides of the bowl.

Place wax paper over a baking sheet for easier clean up.

Push a popsicle stick inside each banana.

Dip the bananas in the melted chocolate, and carefully place them on the wax paper.

Sprinkle your freshly dipped bananas with chopped peanuts, pecan, walnuts, etc. 

Your choice to have nuts or not.

Freeze for at least an hour or until frozen.

About the sky this week and next, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

July 20 - Look to the eastern horizon about an hour before sunrise to see Venus and the waning crescent Moon.

July 21 - The waning crescent Moon will be at perigee, its closest point to the Earth. 

An easy way to remember: Apogee has an “A” = Away, so Perigee = closest.

July 23 - New Moon at 5:46 a.m.  Take my word for it. You can’t see it.

July 24 - Almost due south at around 11 p.m. is Sagittarius, the archer. Some people see a teapot here. If you search this area with binoculars on a dark, moonless night, you’ll be rewarded with a night filled with discoveries — you can find at least 15 Messier objects, including M8 (Lagoon); M17, (Omega); M20, (Trifid).

July 28 - Look to the southwest at dusk to find the Moon, Jupiter, and Spica, the brightest start in the constellation Virgo the Maiden, forming a trio in the night sky.

Anna Sultana’s Spiced Banana Cake and the North Taurids Meteor Shower

Sometimes recipes can be like the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the three bears.

One recipe is too big, or one recipe is too small for one’s own needs.

Luckily, as in the tale, one can always find a recipe that is just right for the situation.

Last month I posted the recipe for Anna Sultana’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze.

For a few of you that recipe made a cake that was too big.

I then posted Anna Sultana’s Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake.

An easy recipe that you can make for an everyday dessert.

I got a few messages asking if bananas can be used in a cake with icing.

Of course they can, and I’m posting a recipe for that today.

Hints:

Over ripe bananas are also great for Anna Sultana’s Banana Bread.

Have a half a banana left over?

Make a banana daiquiri.

If you have bananas that haven’t reached that stage you can use them when you make Sweetened Condensed Milk Cheesecake with fruit.

This post also has the recipe for Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk.

                        Spiced Banana Cake

Grease and flour 2 9 inch round pans

For the Cake

Combine together in a medium bowl

1 1/4 Cups flour 

3/4 Cup rolled oats 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

3/4 teaspoon baking powder 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Set aside.

Peel and place in a measuring cup (a 2 Cup size gives you room to work)

2 very ripe bananas

Mash well.

You want to have 1 Cup of mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 350º F

Place in a large mixer bowl

1/2 Cup butter, softened 

Cream until fluffy.

Add

1 Cup light brown sugar, packed  

1/2 Cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Beat until light and fluffy. 

Beat in

2 eggs 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture; mix well. 

Add 

1/3 cup sour cream 

Mix well. 

Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients; mix well. 

Add half of the bananas; mix well. 

Repeat with remaining 1/3 of the dry ingredients and remaining bananas. 

Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Place the pans on a wire rack.

Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then turn onto wire rack to cool. 

When completely cool, place one layer on a serving plate.

Frost with half of Allspice Cream Cheese Frosting.

Top with second layer and repeat.

For the Allspice Cream Cheese Frosting

Place in a medium bowl

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1⁄3 Cup butter, softened

3⁄4 teaspoon allspice

Beat until blended.

Gradually add 

4 cups confectioners' sugar

Mix until well combined.

Stir in 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Gradually add 

2 tablespoons milk

Beat until frosting is of spreading consistency.

About the sky this week…

According to the Farmers Almanac:

November 7 — Before dawn, look to the southeast to see the tiny, waning crescent Moon paired up with Venus, with Mars nearby, and Jupiter above them.  The Moon is also it’s farthest from Earth.

November 9 – Start your Monday off early – see the tiny, waning crescent Moon paired up with the blue-white star, Spica, way low in the horizon before dawn. Venus, Mars and Jupiter will be high above them.

November 11 — New Moon, 12:47 p.m. The Moon is not illuminated and is completely invisible to the naked eye. After that, it will now start growing!

November 12-14— North Taurids Meteor Shower, best viewing direction south 12 – 2 a.m. EST. The Taurids are actually two annual meteor showers created by the comet Encke. They are named for constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky.

Anna Sultana’s Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake - Full Hunter’s Moon

A little while ago I posted the recipe for Ma’s 

Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze.

It is a great way to use overripe bananas.

And it makes an impressive dessert if you’re having the family over for a big meal.

But it is big if you’re cooking for a small family.

And it does take a bit of time to bake.

Ma had a a quicker recipe that uses the bananas.

This is a smaller cake, so it’s just right for a regular meal.

Hints:

If you don’t like a caramel flavour use regular sugar.

If you’d like to dress it up you could dust it with confectioners’ sugar.

You could also make a quick glaze and squiggle it over the cooled cake.

This is a small amount and is a bit runny.

Don’t try to ice a whole cake with it.

In a small bowl combine

1/4 Cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

a dash of salt

Add 

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 Cup sifted icing sugar

Beat well until smooth.

You want it to be runny but still solid enough to hold its shape.

Drizzle over the cake.

If you’d like a mocha flavour add 1 Tablespoon instant coffee.

Still have a few more overripe bananas?

Why not make a few loaves of Ma’s Banana Bread?

                        Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake

Grease and flour an  8 inch square pan

For the Crumb Topping

Place in a medium bowl
3/4 Cup rolled oats
1/3 Cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter, melted 

Cut the ingredients together until crumbly.

Set aside.

For the Cake

Stir together in a medium bowl

3/4 Cup all-purpose flour 

1 1/3 Cups rolled oats 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon baking soda

Set aside.

Peel and place in a measuring cup (a 2 Cup size gives you room to work)

2 very ripe bananas

Mash well.

You want to have 1 Cup of mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 350º F

Combine in a large mixer bowl

1/2 Cup butter, softened
2/3 Cup brown sugar, packed  

Beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Add the mashed bananas.

Add the combined dry ingredients.

Stir just enough to blend.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle over the batter

2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts 

Top with the crumb topping.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

About the sky this week…

According to the Farmers Almanac:

The large, waxing Moon will be right between planets Uranus and Neptune. Because the Moon will be so big and bright, you might not be able to see the two planets. Look to the southeast in the evening.

October 26 – Venus reaches its greatest elongation west of the Sun in the morning sky. Look to the east, before dawn: Venus is also very close to Jupiter and Mars, which will be the closest for all of 2015. We won’t see this close of a grouping of planets until January 2021. 

Bonus: look for Mercury near the eastern horizon while it’s still dark.

October 26— The nearly-full Hunter’s Moon will be at it’s closest point to Earth.

October 27 – Full Hunter’s Moon, astronomically full at 8:05 a.m. The entire disc of the Moon is fully illuminated by direct sunlight. Though the Moon is only technically in this phase for a few seconds, it is considered “full” for the entire day of the event, and appears full for three days.

I think the kiddies will be calling it the Halloween Moon!

Anna Sultana’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze

Our grocery store recently had a pretty good sale on bananas.

So I got way more than we could finish before they started turning brown.

Which was just fine by me.

They’re perfect for making a cake.

Canadian Thanksgiving is next week.

Squash, carrots and/or yams are usually served with the turkey.

Now that’s quite a bit of orange coloured food for one meal.

Pumpkin pie - yes pumpkin is another squash - always seemed like just too much of a good thing to serve at the same meal.

Ma’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze looks very festive.

And it uses four overripe bananas. 

Now would be a perfect time to make it.

Still have a few more overripe bananas?

Why not make a few loaves of Ma’s Banana Bread?

Hints:

Have a fluted tube pan or bundt pan?

Now’s a great time to use it.

If you’d like a stronger caramel flavour in your glaze you could use only brown sugar.

Don’t like caramel? Use only regular sugar.

Don’t want to make a glaze?

After the cake has complete cooled, place it on a pretty platter and then dust it with confectioners’ sugar.

Hey, you worked hard enough making the turkey dinner!

                        Banana Pound Cake

Heavily grease and flour an angel food cake pan

Sift together

3 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt 

Set aside

Peel and place in a large bowl

4 large very ripe bananas

Mash well.

Preheat oven to 325º

Combine in a large mixer bowl

1 Cup butter
1/2 Cup vegetable shortening
2 Cups brown sugar
1 Cup sugar

Beat until light and fluffy.

Add the mashed bananas.

Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition

5 large eggs

Beat in

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with

1/2 Cup milk

(3 liquid, 2 dry additions)

Stir just enough to blend.

Stir in

1 Cup chopped pecans 

Stir just enough to evenly blend in the nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.

Carefully remove the cake and cool it on a wire rack.

Place the cake on a pretty serving platter.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze:

                        Caramel Glaze

Combine in a small bowl

1/4 Cup brown sugar 

1/4 Cup sugar 

1 Tablespoon cornstarch 

Place in a medium saucepan

1/2 Cup butter 

Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted.

Stir in

the sugar / cornstarch mixture

Stir continuously over medium heat until it is thickened. 

Stir in

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/4 Cup heavy cream

Simmer for 1 minute.

Cool for 20 minutes.

Pour over the cooled cake.  

Anna Sultana’s Pumpkin Smoothie

I got a few emails.

You’re absolutely right.

The Thanksgiving ads are all around us.

They’ll be followed by Christmas ads.

And each ad will have a pumpkin pie in it.

Oh, yeah... and topped with whipped cream.  For sure.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars and Pumpkin Pie are not a dieter’s best friends.

But to paraphrase an old saying…

The taste buds want what the taste buds want.

What’s a dieter to do?

Make a smoothie.

Really.

A smoothie is similar to a fruit milkshake.

They have been popular for quite a while around the world.

Smoothies are found in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine.

Health food stores on the U. S. West Coast sold smoothies in the 1930s.

By the late 1960s smoothies were widely sold across the states by ice cream vendors as well as health food stores. 

From the early 1970s ice milk was sometimes added to create the fruit shake.

Smoothies are easy to make.

And, like any good Maltese recipe, open to lots of variations.

So what are you waiting for?

This smoothie is like a liquid pumpkin pie… with less calories!!

Hints:

If you have frozen bananas, you can use one in this recipe.

If not, a regular banana will be fine.

A frozen banana will give the smoothie a thicker texture. 

Chilling the pumpkin will help the smoothie stay cold when you blend it. 

Add more milk to thin it out, if it is too thick. 

Add more ice cubes for a thicker texture, if desired. 

Add more or less spices to taste.

Try adding nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice or cinnamon for more punch.

Use whatever milk or yogurt you prefer.

It’s your smoothie!

                        Pumpkin Smoothie

Place in a blender

1 banana

1/2 Cup vanilla or plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1/2 Cup milk

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

2/3 Cup pumpkin (canned or cooked and pureed)

1 Cup ice

Blend on high for 5 minutes or more until smooth.

Scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.

Garnish with

whipped cream and nutmeg (optional)

Anna Sultana’s Banana Bread

Decisions, decisions, decisions….

Every so often there’s a bulk sale that makes one wonder.

If it’s something you can toss in the freezer, like frozen fish, no problem.

But then there’s the problem of fresh produce, like bananas.

Okay, when bananas start getting brown and mushy, you can peel them, toss them in a freezer container, mash them and freeze for later baking.

But they do tend to get a rather nasty look.

Another option is to bake some Banana Bread… now.

No yeast is involved.

It makes a nice easy dessert, and it’s healthier than cake.

                        Banana Bread

Makes 2 loaves 

Grease well 2 9x5x3-inch loaf pans.

Sift together

4 Cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

Peel and place in a medium bowl

6 large very ripe bananas

Mash well.

Preheat oven to 350º

Combine in a large bowl

1 Cup margarine or 6 ounces oil

2 Cups packed brown sugar

Beat together until fluffy.

Add, one at a time, beating after each addition

4 eggs 

Add the mashed bananas and the sifted dry ingredients

(3 banana, 2 dry additions)

Stir in

1 Cup raisins

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Place the mixture in 2 prepared pans.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Let cool 5 minutes and remove from pans.

Oh, if your carrots are looking sad, why not make a Carrot Loaf?