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Gooseberry Patch

November 10, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

My Wednesday Shout-out this week goes to Gooseberry Patch.

If you’ve never seen one of their catalogs, drooled through a cookbook or checked out their offerings online – do it! You are really missing out!

Their catalog has fun things for your home, for the aspiring cook, and great items for gift giving. They are one of the few places on the planet I can find the Aebelskiver mix I like.

Don’t even get me started on their cookbooks. They are fantastic, fun and full of great recipes, entertaining ideas and so much more. I am currently working my way through the “Flavors of Fall” cookbook. I can’t even begin to tell you how many fantastic recipes and ideas are in this one.

So head on over to Gooseberry Patch and check them out. You’ll be glad you did!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

 

 

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Pumpkin Possibilities

November 9, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

It’s that time of year. When you’ve got leftover pumpkins lingering around the house, calling your name. Or, in my case, an overwhelming desire to eat things containing pumpkin.

I don’t know what it is about November, but my tastebuds shift ever so slightly from their 24/7 obsession with chocolate to throw pumpkin into the mix. Crazy, yes. But absolutely true!

So if you are a pumpkin maniac as well, here are a few ideas to add pumpkins to your menu.

• Make a simple pumpkin soup by adding about four cups of chicken broth to a 28-0unce can of pumpkin. Stir in about 3 ounces of Feta cheese, season with salt and a pinch of nutmeg and enjoy.

• Use canned pumpkin as a thickener. Add it to any type of chili or stew that needs a little thickening.

• Substitute canned pumpkin for half the fat in quick breads. This works well with cinnamon, citrus and chocolate. Or make your tastebuds extra happy and make a loaf of pumpkin bread.

• Add canned pumpkin to half your cheesecake filling. Swirl it into the filling, but don’t mix, before baking to get an awesome design and incredible flavor.

• Mix canned pumpkin into softened ice cream then refreeze for a quick pumpkin dessert. Serve with gingersnaps and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

• Mix a heaping spoonful into grits, top with grated Parmesan cheese and a tiny dollop of butter.

• Mix canned pumpkin with one part apple cider and two parts ginger ale for a fun beverage.

You could also make pumpkin polenta, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin muffins, roasted pumpkin wedges, pumpkin roll or pumpkin seeds.

What fun, out of the box pumpkin recipes can you come up with? I’d love to hear your favorite pumpkin recipe!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

Presentation

November 8, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

Word of the Week:  presentation

pres·en·ta·tion

prez-uhn-tey-shuhn

noun

1. an act of presenting.
2. offering, delivering, or bestowal, as of a gift.
3.a manner or style of speaking, instructing, or putting oneself forward
Presentation is a key ingredient to successful entertaining at home.
When you are entertaining at home, think about presentation. You are giving your friends and family a gift by providing a safe, inviting place for them to gather for a few hours of fun. Why not take it up a notch and knock their socks off through your presentation?
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to make your food look beautiful, your table gorgeous and your home a warm haven. Think about little touches that finish the look and be prepared for your guests to be awed by your presentation of yourself, your food and your home.!

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

Banana Bread

November 5, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

Once in a blue moon, when I have a a bunch of overripe bananas, I will get inspired to bake banana bread.

Hubby is pretty excited when this happens and will eat half the loaf, still warm from the oven, slathered in butter – if I let him. (Have you ever tried stopping a hungry man from eating warm bread? Not an easy task, I assure you!)

This recipe isn’t hard to make and always turns out well.

Cast of characters for banana bread. Please ignore the fact I forget to include butter in the photo.

 

Mix dry ingredients together.

Mash two to three ripe bananas.

You need a cup of smashed-up, gooey bananas.

Add bananas, butter, milk and vanilla to dry ingrdients.

Beat in eggs and flour.

Then the cinnamon.

Add chopped nuts. If you need to chop (or smash to pieces) a meat tenderizer and a ziploc bag works well.

Pour batter into the pan.

Bake at 350 for almost an hour.

Golden brown and ready to enjoy!

Banana Bread

1 3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup butter or shortening

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup nuts

1 tbsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda,  and salt. Mash two to three ripe (or overripe bananas, the riper the banana the stronger the flavor) bananas to make 1 cup. Add banana, butter, vanilla and milk to dry ingredients. Mix on low until blended then beat on high for two minutes. Add eggs and remaining flour, beat until blended. Add cinnamon and nuts. Bake 55-60 minutes or until golden brown and starting to pull away from the edges of the pan.

 

Happy Eating and Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

Posted in bread, Breakfast, Recipes | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

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