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Banana Nut Bread Waffles

I have a ton of different nicknames for my little poodle, Byrd, and I can’t really explain any of them. Who knows why we call her Byrdle-bee (or Byrdle-bee Tuna, Willow Byrd, Sweetie Wheatie, Little One, Wittle Byrd, Willa Byrd, Bog, or Mike’s favorite, Dyrb)? One day we’ll just be staring at her sweet little face and our tongues will get all twisty and coo-y and she’ll end up with another moniker. And I know I’m not alone in this: my parents’ toy poodle, Abbey, was at one point called Abbey-Jo Louisiana Lewinsky Lorax. Unfortunately, I’m not kidding.

At any rate, regardless of what you call her, Byrd has gotten into the spring spirit with a fresh new haircut. Isn’t she sweet?

Look at her big puppy grin after getting a new toy for being such a good girl at the groomer! Note to Charlotteans: her pretty ‘do is from The Dog Salon, which I love.

My turtle (who has not made any appearance changes for the spring weather besides shedding a few scutes) also has some fun nicknames. He’s Squirt, Squirtle-bee, Mommy’s Little Sandwich, Little Bear, and Squirtle the Myrtle Turtle. Mike tried for awhile to make Bowser stick, but it just never caught on. I don’t see him as the demon turtle type.

I could go on (and on) about how adorable my creatures have been lately, but I know y’all are here for some WAFFLES, and neither animal was allowed to partake. I promise they had their own entertaining breakfast (kibble and meat pellets sound good too, right?) Byrd did look on adoringly as we took every waffly bite, trying her best to make me feel like a bad mother for not indulging her. Somehow I managed to enjoy my breakfast regardless.

Okay, so with golden waffles staring you in the face, you could probably enjoy breakfast while someone repeatedly threw darts at your noggin.

I know you guys are just as excited about fun waffles as I am, since my post on Carrot Cake Waffles was my most popular yet! I promised in that post that another waffle creation was coming up, so here you go (drumroll): Banana Nut Bread Waffles. And if you can believe it, we liked these even better than their carrot cake cousins! They were amazing!

The basic premise was the same. I took two dishes I loved, banana nut bread and waffles, and smushed the recipes together (well, sort of). To a rich buttermilk waffle base, I added the goodies typically found in hearty banana nut bread: mashed ripe bananas, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts. These waffles were the perfect warm, comforting breakfast when served with . . . you guessed it . . .

MAPLE NUT CREAM CHEESE SPREAD! I can’t repeat it enough — this spread is so tasty! It was a perfect complement to the flavors of the Banana Nut Bread Waffles what with the slight tang of the cream cheese and the sweetness of the maple.

Banana Nut Bread flavor with a clean loaf pan should excite you. Hearing that this is a quick and simple waffle recipe should excite you even more! Sometimes you want a fancy breakfast for company — sometimes you just want to hurry up and EAT. These Banana Nut Bread Waffles are perfect for both situations. Frilly enough for a guest, fuss-free enough for a relaxing morning.

Oh, and of course I have to ask: what are your pet nicknames? Don’t just share the kosher ones, either! We want the embarrassingly ridiculous ones! We’ll only laugh a little bit.

Banana Bread Waffles

Recipe by: Adapted using the following recipes:

-Rich Buttermilk Waffles: Smitten Kitchen’s adaptation of Mark Bittman.
-Maple Cream Cheese Spread by Carolyn R. Shaw.
Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Waffle Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups buttermilk* or 1 1/2 cups sour cream or plain yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Cooking spray for waffle iron

Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix together the buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute) and the egg yolks. Stir in the butter, mashed banana, and vanilla.

Spray the waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat it. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with a whisk or electric mixer (make sure bowl and mixer are spotlessly clean) until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter. Stir gently to combine.

Spread a ladleful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your iron. Mix ingredients for Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread together. Serve waffles immediately with a schmear of Maple Nut Cream Cheese, or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

* The buttermilk can be substituted with 1 1/4 cups of milk at room temperature, mixed with two tablespoons white vinegar, left to clabber for 10 minutes.

Happy breakfasting!

P.S. Say happy happy birthday to Mike! Yesterday was a big birthday for him. More on that and his fancy schmancy birthday dinner soon!

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April 9, 2010 by Julie Ruble | 30 Comments

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Raspberry Almond Braid

20 things I love about SPRING BREAK:

1. Wearing sundresses and new dollar store flip-flops.

2. Playing with a dollar store Frisbee in the parking lot with Mike (and realizing that we are truly terrible at Frisbee).

3. Mike’s family’s Easter egg hunt. I ended up with polleny toes and a scraped up arm — but it was worth it. I found 6 eggs! Who says this stuff is just for kids?

4. Playing fetch with Byrd, who has been following me around with her pink rubber bone in her mouth.

5. Running through soft grass barefoot.

6. Witnessing an all-out wasp vs. bees war on my balcony. The gigantic humble bees are bouncing around the new nest the wasps are building, causing an uproar. All of this goes on overhead while I try to focus on photographing my food!

7. Reading books with wet hair after an evening shower.

8. Watching marathons of Undercover Boss online and bawling the entire time. I can’t help it! I’m a softie. Thanks Heidi and Shannon for recommending the show to me!

9. Reminiscing about April Fool’s Day. My 6th grade students received a fake test that they diligently tried to complete with sad looks on their little faces until I finally revealed my trickery (sample question: “What happened on page 148 of the novel?”). The 7th graders were redirected from room to room via signs before finally arriving and being “chewed out” for being late — I’m a good actor when I need to be! They got me pretty good, too: a fake cup of hot chocolate “spilled” all over my desk.

10. Photographing food outside in WARM, SUNNY weather. Such a difference from shivering on my balcony, fiddling with my tripod with numb fingers!

11. Leaving my hair down and letting it swing around my shoulders. Or tying my hair up in pigtails and feeling only a little silly.

12. Eating delicious Indian food before coming home and devouring cheesecake squares.

13. Getting the BEST parking spot outside my apartment building, because everyone else is at work! Mwahaha!

14. Sitting at my desk with the windows thrown open beside me, birds singing, squirrels nesting in the trees, and the occasional lawnmower revving in the distance.

15. Waking up, eating breakfast . . . and then taking a nap.

16. Planning Mike’s BIRTHDAY DINNER and DESSERT for this upcoming weekend! And actually having the time and energy to make it fancy!

17. The spring part.

18. The break part.

19. Everything . . .

20. . . . including this Raspberry Almond Braid.

This Raspberry Almond Braid is a tender, flaky, almond-flavored pastry enveloping rich raspberry preserves and topped with a sweet glaze. I was hunting for something simple and comforting to take to the ladies in my Bible study and decided a raspberry cream cheese coffee cake would be perfect . . . only I couldn’t settle on any of the recipes I found. Some were too heavy and cakey; some involved yeasted dough, which felt too finicky for me today. So when I found this braid — made with a quick cream cheese dough — I was sold.

The cream cheese dough was lovely to work with in that it didn’t stick to my rolling pin or the sheets of wax paper I rolled it out between. It actually felt a lot like the crescent roll dough you can buy in stores, so I’m sure you could whip this braid up with one of those cans — but this tasted a ton better! It was almondy and had an almost creamy flavor. The entire dessert was subtly sweet, rich, satisfying, and created in less than an hour.

And you know what I love the most about this braid? In addition to being easy, fast, and delicious, it’s so pretty! Don’t you love simple recipes that look fancy? Make this Raspberry Almond Braid for a quick breakfast one morning this spring, or for a light dessert. I’ll definitely be rounding up my favorite flavors of preserves to make this again!

Raspberry Almond Braid

Recipe by: Adapted from Luna Cafe
Yields: 10-12 1-in. slivers of braid, or about 4 servings

Dough and Filling Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces best quality cream cheese
1/2 cup milk, minus 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup raspberry preserves (or your favorite preserves)

Icing Ingrdients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds (optional)

Directions:
NOTE: To prepare this braid in advance, complete all steps and assemble the braid but do not bake. Cover the braid on its parchment lined baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Set out in the morning as you preheat the oven and then bake as usual.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture and pulse to cut the fat into the flour (about 6 pulses). Add the milk and almond extract and blend into a loose dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead VERY LIGHTLY for 4-5 strokes. (NOTE: This is the step at which you can ruin the braid. If you overwork the dough, the pastry will be tough. Just gather the dough together and don’t worry about making it smooth. It will still look a little rough. That’s perfect.)

Between two sheets of waxed paper, roll the dough to an 8- by 12-inch rectangle. Turn dough out onto a lightly greased baking sheet and remove the waxed paper. Measure and mark the dough lengthwise into thirds. Spread preserves down the middle third of the dough, keeping it about ½ inch from the mark on both sides.

Make 2¾-inch slight diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals on each the long sides. Do not cut into the center jam-filled area. Fold strips, first one from one side and then one from the other side in a rotating fashion, over the filling. It will now resemble a braid. Bake in a 425° oven for 12-15 minutes, until the dough is cooked through and the top is lightly browned.

In a small glass measuring cup with a pouring spout, combine the sugar, milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Drizzle over the top of the braid. If desired, sprinkle on the toasted sliced almonds while the icing is still wet. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

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April 6, 2010 by Julie Ruble | 47 Comments

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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Squares with Shortbread Crust

This post could also be titled, “Lessons on Planning” (please don’t confuse that with “lesson planning” — I’m on Spring Break!).

My plans this weekend were exciting. I wanted to create a triple layered dessert with joyful Spring flavors. Doesn’t this sound amazing: lemon squares on a shortbread crust with a delicious layer of blueberry cheesecake. Can’t you see the gorgeous, pale shortbread layer; the bright yellow layer of lemony bliss; the creamy cheesecake layer studded with purple blue orbs — all topped with a fine sprinkling of powdered sugar? Well, take a good look at your fantasy, because that’s the only place you’ll be seeing that image.

Not exactly as planned, but delicious.

See, it didn’t quite go according to plan. My blueprints for this recipe began when I saw these delicious lemon blueberry cheesecake squares on Shared Sugar. I started pining for them, but I’ve also been pining for lemon squares. Naturally, it dawned on me that I should combine the two.

My process (which you shouldn’t repeat) was to bake the shortbread crust for lemon squares as usual, top it with a cheesecake layer, pour the lemon mixture on top, and bake. Sounds great. But what actually happened was that the lemon mixture leaked under the parchment paper I’d lined my pan with and coagulated underneath the entire dessert. Um, so in a way, I actually ended up with a quadruple layer dessert . . . if you count the parchment paper?

Flowers from a student’s parents! So gorgeous!

Some of the lemony liquid stayed on top of the cheesecake forming an odd lemon “glaze” of sorts. The entire dessert now looks a bit weepy, but I assure you, it tasted amazing. How can you go wrong with these flavors? Nevertheless, I decided you wouldn’t want to repeat the whole frustrating process. I’ve deleted the lemon layer from the recipe below, leaving you with a simple two layer dessert: lemon blueberry cheesecake squares on a shortbread crust. Still amazing, bright, springy, creamy, indulgent.

So much for plans. I’m a big planner, and it can be hard on me when things don’t work out like I think they should (pat on the back for myself, though, because I think I handled this culinary detour well). Thank God that He’s had big plans since before the foundation of the world — plans to send His only Son as a sacrifice for us, even while we were still sinners ignoring the God who loved us.

And of course, with Easter around the corner, thank God for the miracle He had planned for three days after that sacrifice: Christ’s resurrection from the dead to triumph over death and the grave.

My plans in the kitchen and in life don’t always work out. I leave out the baking soda, don’t thicken the fruit filling enough, or who even knows what else (yeah, I never even posted that travesty). But God says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). His plans worked — thank God — and we can now have abundant and eternal life because of them.

So, I can’t be too upset about my cheesecake squares not having a lemon layer. I’ve tweaked the recipe below so you can now go make these amazing cheesecake squares without worrying about that either. I’ll try again soon — I’m thinking of making lemon squares as usual, and then doing a no-bake cheesecake layer on top. We’ll see how that works. But it’s okay if my plans don’t work out, because you know how planning goes!

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Squares with Shortbread Crust

Recipe by: Adapted from King Arthur Flour (crust) and Shared Sugar (cheesecake)
Yields: about 18 bars

Crust Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Cheesecake Layer Ingredients:
32 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 eggs
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 cup blueberries

powdered sugar for topping

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9 x 13 in. baking dish with a parchment paper sling. Cut the butter into the flour and confectioners’ sugar and press into the baking dish (I used a food processor to cut the fat into the flour, and then the bottom of a dish to press the mixture into the pan). Bake 20 minutes or until light brown. Let cool on wire rack.

In a bowl with an electric mixer, add the cream cheese, eggs, lemon juice and sugar. Mix until the ingredients are creamy and the cream cheese is fully incorporated. Pour into the pan with the cooled crust. Then evenly distribute the blueberries.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until filling is set. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Remove the cheesecake from the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Byrd loves these flowers — imagine a very excited toy poodle with her curly snout stuffed into one of these big blooms. I know: awwww!

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April 3, 2010 by Julie Ruble | 19 Comments

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Pioneer Woman’s Macaroni and Cheese

Permit me a few moments of fangirldom: Pioneer Woman is coming to Charlotte in May! Willow Bird Baking reader Jennifer M. told me about it a few days ago and my family’s been all abuzz since then. I was bummed that she didn’t swing by this-a-way on her last book tour, so I’m pleased as a plum that she’ll be here this time around. My mom, dad, and I are already planning to make some t-shirts, grab some dinner, and make a night out of going to see her. Mike has politely declined, citing the possibility of standing in line for hours. His loss!

In the meantime, I’ll make some macaroni from the PW blog. I was not actually in the market for a new macaroni and cheese recipe (except I would like to get the one Mike’s mom makes . . . mmm!). I have an old family favorite that I could eat every day. It’s more custardy than creamy, though, and Mike’s a creamy guy. So I thought I’d give the P-Dub’s recipe a whirl. (Can I call her that?? To her face? What do you SAY to Pioneer Woman, anyway?? Probably something gushy punctuated with a nervous laugh. We’ll see!)

Mmm, and is this mac and cheese creamy! It starts with a roux (cooked flour and butter), but actually isn’t that fussy. You add in some milk, dry mustard, and spices of your choice, cook until thickened, add your cheese, and voila: a rich, thick, creamy cheese sauce in which to dunk those little noodles up to their elbows (get it?). The creamy macaroni then goes into a baking dish, is topped with cheese, and bakes for 20-25 minutes. Pretty simple, very luxurious.

If you’re a creamy macaroni and cheese fan, this recipe’s for you. Just don’t undersalt! Pioneer Woman charges you with this command at least three times in her post, but I still undersalted mine. Go for it with that salt shaker! You don’t want to feel like you just took in a gulp of ocean or anything, but you do want to enhance the great flavors of the dish.

Pioneer Woman’s Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe by: Adapted from Pioneer Woman
Yields: 9 x 13 in. pan of baked macaroni (4 to 8 servings)

Ingredients:
4 cups dried macaroni
¼ cups (1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons) butter
¼ cups all-purpose flour
2-½ cups whole milk
2 teaspoons (heaping) dry mustard, more if desired
1 whole egg, beaten
1 pound cheese, grated
½ teaspoons salt, more to taste
½ teaspoons seasoned salt, more to taste
½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot (about 5 minutes). Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, whisk until smooth, and turn heat up to medium-high. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Temper eggs: Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT (Would you believe I still undersalted mine, even with this warning? Don’t undersalt the macaroni and cheese, y’all!)

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and a sprinkle of paprika, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.