Eunice's Carrot-Banana Bread

I had the most wonderful mother-in-law ever. Eunice was a sweet lady who grew up in the early 1900s and spent most of her life on cattle ranches and in church charity guilds. I see her thoughtful, kind, good-hearted traits in Joe. I just wish I'd met her (and Joe) sooner.

Eunice spent her retirement serving other people and making them happy. In her late eighties, she'd still go to the Senior Center nearly every day to serve those "old" seventy and eighty-year-olds. When she passed away the day after Mother's Day a few years ago, her funeral was swamped with people from all over the U.S. who had loved her. She truly showed a life well lived.

Joe and his mother Eunice at her 90th birthday party

The first time we traveled to Clear Lake, Iowa to meet her, she made a big loaf of this moist and dense banana-carrot bread for me and the girls. I think Joe got some too, but we might have eaten it all without him. She was so happy that I loved it that every time she knew she was going to see me, she would make a couple of extra loaves of bread for me to take home.

When Joe and I were engaged, I gave Eunice a blank cookbook and asked her to write down some of her favorite recipes and maybe some of Joe's long-time favorites. Her banana-carrot bread is the first one in the "breads" section. I love it that I have this recipe written in her handwriting.

I'm a little teary right now.

Last weekend my parents came to visit, to take me out for my birthday and to take the family to a Cubs game as our Christmas present from last year. I made a double batch of the quick bread batter to make a loaf for breakfast and muffins for Jessie and Erich, since they're working through finals week. The bread tasted just as moist and delicious as when Eunice used to make it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg whites)
2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 or 3)

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a 9x5 loaf pan (or a 12-cup muffin pan)

In a mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Stir together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually blend into the creamed mixture alternately with the mashed bananas. Stir in carrots and nuts. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes (for loaf pan) or 25-30 minutes (for muffins), until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Makes 1 loaf or 12 muffins.

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Elote Dip (Creamy Mexican Corn Dip)

In Pilsen, the Latino neighborhood near the University of Illinois at Chicago, I would often see men pushing compact food carts in spring and summer, or riding bicycle carts and ringing little bells as they passed. The vendors sell all kinds of treats - ice cream, fruit cups, quick tacos, or elote - corn with mayonnaise, cheese, and a bit of spice. Some vendors sell elote as whole ears of corn with a skewer for you to hold onto while you munch. At a Hispanic grocery store near us, a lady sells little cups of cut corn mixed with the creamy elote sauce. Jessie and Jenn used to love to dip into them with tiny plastic spoons while we examined the produce.

Of course, one of the many wonderful things about corn on the cob is that it gives you an extra incentive to floss your teeth (which we're all doing 12 times a day already, right?). But as a dip with tortilla chips, elote has the benefit of very little cleanup afterward.

When my sister and nephew stopped over last week on the way to the National Dive Meet in Minneapolis, I warned them that this dip has no real nutritional value...but that was a lie. Everyone knows that corn is good for you, and corn and cheese eaten with corn chips are especially healthy. Anyway, once you taste this dip you might not care about nutrition, which is why we lightened it up with low-fat dairy ingredients and light corn chips.

Ingredients

6 ears of corn in husks
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 tbsp Mexican-style hot sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup Cotija or Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 bag of tortilla chips

Directions

Soak the ears of corn in water for 10 minutes, while heating the grill to medium temperature. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until just tender. Allow to cool slightly then husk the corn, and cut the kernels off the cobs.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the corn, mayo, yogurt, hot sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper, and cheese. Heat until bubbly. Serve hot, garnished with the cilantro and cayenne.

Makes about 3 cups of dip.

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Wild Berry Lavender Jam

Last weekend when Joe and I went for a walk in the woods, we found wild blackberry vines studded with fresh berries. I'd been out the week before collecting wildflowers, and I expected the berries would be ready soon. This time, I came to the nature preserve with a couple of plastic bags to bring home the fruit.

Wildflowers from the nature preserve - colored pencil drawing.

Thankfully, we were coated with a strong layer of insect repellent. The mosquitoes are fierce and heavy this summer; in some thickets we could hardly breathe through the fog of flying bugs. Nonetheless, the berries were delicious and worth the threat to life and limb.

Those we didn't eat immediately we stirred together with some blueberries and made this fragrant, floral-tinged jam.

Ingredients

Juice of three limes (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup hot water
2 tsp powdered pectin
3 tablespoons lavender buds and leaves
4 cups fresh blackberries
4 cups fresh blueberries
4 cups sugar

Directions

In a large non-reactive saucepan, stir together the water, lime juice, and pectin.

Put the lavender, berries, and sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse until mixed but still slightly lumpy. Add to the saucepan and mix well. Bring the jam to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer on low, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes.

Check to see if the jam is setting by dropping a bit onto a plate and letting it cool for a few minutes. The jam is set when you can tilt the plate sideways and the jam does not slide off the plate.

Sterilize half-pint jars and lids. Heat water in a boiling-water canner until it is at a rolling boil. If you don't like seeds, strain the jam through cheesecloth before putting it in jars. Then fill sterilized jars with the fruit mixture, leaving 1/2" room from the rim. Wipe off the rims and screw down the lids until finger-tight.

Boil in a hot-water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from boiler and cool on a towel. Tighten the lids before storing.

Makes about 8 half pint jars.


You can find other canning and preserving recipes in my book, The Complete Guide to Food Preservation: Step-by-step Instructions on How to Freeze, Dry, Can, and Preserve Food

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Cranberry-Chicken Pasta Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

We love a good pasta salad. In fact, we love pasta in general. This recipe is a quick one, which is helpful on a weeknight or when you're running late to a picnic and you promised to bring a salad. Not that it would ever happen to you, but I'm a little surprised at how often we're rushing to fix something for a party.

On the other hand, if you have plenty of time to make this, I'd recommend starting with steaming or boiling a large boneless skinless chicken breast rather than using canned chicken meat. I'd also suggest toasting the pecan nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes before stirring them into the pasta salad. These extra steps really punch up the flavor.

Creamy poppyseed dressing is really easy to make, too, and brings out the sweet tangy flavor of the cranberries. Altogether delicious.

Ingredients

For the Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup white onion

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground mustard

2 tsp black poppy seeds

For the Salad

1 16 oz box farfalle, elbow, penne, or campanelle pasta (any sort of small shape) 

2 cooked chicken breasts, or 2 5-oz cans cooked chicken 

1 cup chopped celery 

2/3 cup chopped carrot 

2/3 cup chopped white onion 

2/3 cup chopped cucumber 

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1 cup pecan pieces, toasted

Romaine lettuce, for serving

Directions

Blend together all ingredients except the poppy seeds. Stir in the poppy seeds and chill the dressing until the salad is ready.

Cook pasta according to directions, then drain and rinse with cold water. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and drizzle with the dressing. Mix until well combined. Serve over lettuce leaves.

Makes about 6 main-dish servings, or 8-10 side dish servings.

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Turkey Cordon Bleu Casserole

This casserole recipe from my sister-in-law Carolyn is so quick and easy that it's perfect for using up leftover turkey and for feeding holiday houseguests. Why spend all your time in the kitchen, when there's so much fun to be had? It's so delicious that people will forget they're eating leftovers.

This is also perfect for feeding a crowd any time of year. In Iowa, where Carolyn lives, this is a staple on buffets and church hot-dish suppers. The recipe can easily be scaled up for large groups. Substitute chicken if you don't have any turkey.

Ingredients

2 cups plain croutons
2 cups turkey, cubed
2 cups ham, cubed
2 c. grated Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup (we like the low-fat, low-sodium kind)
1 c. water
1 cup finely crushed bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Butter a 2 quart casserole dish. Spread the croutons on the bottom. Add half of the turkey and ham cubes. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the meat. Then pour half of the chicken soup/water mixture over. Repeat meat, cheese, soup mixture.

Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and season with salt and pepper. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

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