The Leaf in a Page

    This recipe came from one of those cookbooks that go for sale to raise funds that mom had. The cover is no longer on the book but it did contain most of this recipe. Finding a great banana bread recipe is like finding a shiny coin while out walking.When it turns out perfectly an instant grin spontaniously forms on your face and you have no control over your glee. This one is the shiny coin. For this recipe you can add walnuts, chocolate chips or leave plain. Make muffins or banana bread. If you choose to make muffins you increase the temperature and bake for less time. If you are making the banana bread the temp is 350F for 40 -50 minutes. Most of the quick bread recipes can be either in loaf or muffin form. For these muffins I had a bucket full of mini chocolate chips and really want to use them up. They work perfectly here but there is a saying, "go big or go home". Which means regular size chocolate chips will do just fine. I am a walnut fan and would not hesitate to p...

  Soft Molasses Cookies You have to try this recipe. Especially if you long for a soft molasses cookie you probably had as a child. They are great on their own as a large cookie that fits your whole hand, or made smaller to tease the taste buds. I have put a spicey buttercream in between and turned them into a mini molasses woopie pie. It was so good.  Ingredients: Sugar                                     1 cup Shortening                          ½ cup Butter                                   ½ cup Molasses  ...

                                                                                                                                                                                                               This delightful dessert should be tried long before your 6th decade. Who knew toffee paired with banana could be ultra delightful? Apparently many. The original was created i...

Salt – Why we knead it in Bread. Hey we need it too! Salt is one of those ingredients we need for seasoning food and enhancing flavours. It is known to reduce bitterness while increasing the flavours of savoury, sweet and sour. This is why salt is added to most dishes. It is interesting to learn the role salt has in bread and I wanted to share the important reasons it is required in bread making. Put simply, it conditions the gluten in the bread to make it stronger and more elastic which allows the stretch needed for the little or bigger air bubbles to form cells and give a home to the gas released when yeast is munching on the starches and sugars. Funny how it reminds me that we need salt/sodium for our muscles to work properly. It plays an important role as part of the process that transmits nerve impulses sending messages to our muscles to contract and relax. This includes the muscles we are not always aware of such as heart smooth muscles that contract and relax a...