May 31, 2016

BLACKBERRY BUCKLE (a 2 banana level difficulty level)


I have some blackberry bushes at my house that are quite prolific. When the blackberries first start ripening, it's kind of fun to go out & pick blackberries & eat them or make smoothies or share them. After about 2 weeks, it is less fun as I end up picking A LOT of blackberries & my hands start looking like they broke up a fight between 2 cats!

I can eat & freeze so many blackberries before I say 'No mas' so I end up sharing quite a bit.

Up until recently, I had never heard of "Buckle" as it related to baking. However, one of my friends whom I shared some blackberries turned them into a "Blackberry Buckle" and she shared that with me. She described it as a cross between cobbler & a pie & that it was easy to make.

I'm always interested in things that are easy to make AND if it involves baking some of these blackberries, then I'm all for it!

Today, 'this monkey' will show you how to make "Blackberry Buckle"!... As well as a "Peach Buckle" as I did share some of the blackberries with my neighbors and they in turned shared some of their peaches!

WHAT YOU NEED:
4 c Fresh Blackberries (or peaches)
2 T Sugar (brown sugar may work better with the peaches)
1 t Lemon Juice
1 t Lemon Zest (optional)
1 t Vanilla Extract

6 T Butter
1 1/4 c All-Purpose Flour
3/4 c Sugar
2 t Baking Powder
1 t Salt

1 c Milk (Whole Milk is preferred, but Skim, Soy etc will do the trick)
1/2 t Vanilla Extract

2 T Sugar in the Raw for Sprinkling on top

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
9x9" Baking Dish (or equivalent)
2 Small Bowls
Large Bowl
Rubber Spatula
Whisk or Mixer

WHAT YOU DO:
***Remember, I am baking TWO separate buckles...the above ingredients are for ONE buckle, BUT the photos below are showing TWO buckles***
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees
2. In Small Bowl, Combine: Blackberries (or Peaches), Sugar, Lemon Juice (and Zest), Vanilla Extract

3. Combine Milk & Vanilla Extract in another small bowl/container

4. Place Butter in Baking Dish and place in the oven to melt the butter


5. Combine the Dry Ingredients (Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Powder) in a large bowl

 6. Pour the Milk mixture into the Dry Ingredients and gently stir until just combined

7. Carefully remove the hot pan with the melted butter from the oven & pour in most of the batter (Reserve about 1/2-1 c of batter to drizzle over the top). Don't mix the batter into the butter. The melted butter will move out of the way & up onto the batter.


8. Sprinkle the fruit into the batter and very gently press it into the batter.

9. Drizzle the reserve batter over the top

10. Bake for 40-45 minutes...be sure to rotate your pan 180 deg at the 20 min mark for more even baking.
11. Remove from the oven, Sprinkle the sugar on top & bake for about 5 minutes more...until the top is golden brown.




12. Serve with ice cream...we had a 'Lemon Cookie' flavor that tasted GREAT!




Both Buckle varieties (Blackberry & Peach) turned out pretty darned good! I mean they contain fruit, sugar, flour, butter & are served with ice cream so they should taste good...I liked the Blackberry version better. Probably because it is a sweeter fruit to begin with. Perhaps modifying the Peach version with brown sugar may be the way to go as well as just using plain ol' Vanilla Ice Cream for the Peach...any way, I hope you enjoy!

Until next time, your favorite neighbor-web monkey!

December 26, 2015

CAST IRON SKILLET PIZZA (a 3-4 banana difficulty level)

Oh Pizza, how I do love thee...pretty much everyone loves pizza, right?! I saw someone post a link to making "Cast Iron Skillet Pizza" not too long ago and I thought 'hey, I have a cast iron skillet. I should make this!'

I've done pizza making on my pizza stone and even out on my grill. Believe or not, I've even made pizza in my Cast Iron Skillet before...about 5 years ago...and I totally forgot about it. It appears to have been an Eggplant Hummus Pizza. I never did the post...I think we all know why. I mean, Eggplant Hummus Pizza?!?...what was I thinking! Anyway, here's some embarassing photos of the event...


Well, I learned my lesson. Today's pizza had Sausage, Mushrooms, & Onions. 

Now, some of the videos I've seen about making "Cast Iron Skillet Pizza" shows cutting the pizza while it's still in the skillet. Those skillets are tough, but I don't recommend using them as a cutting board. The pizza comes out easily so just use an actual cutting board!

The difficulty level of making homemade pizza varies a bit. How complicated are your toppings? Are you making the sauce from scratch? Is the dough made from scratch? Once those things are taken care of, then the actual baking of the pizza is pretty simple!

Enough talking...let's get started. Today 'this monkey' will show you how to make "Cast Iron Skillet Pizza"!

WHAT YOU NEED:
Pizza Crust: I used this one... Pizza Dough . (It makes enough for 2 pizzas so halve the recipe if you just want 1 pizza)
Sauce (I chose a Spicy Red Pepper Spaghetti Sauce from the store)
Toppings (Why not use the Roasted Sausage, Mushrooms, & Onions  from yesterday)
1-2 c Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella Cheese with a sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese)

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Large Cast Iron Skillet
Spatula (Small Turner)
Cutting Board
Pizza Cutter

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Follow the recipe for making the Pizza Dough. Dough needs to rise. This will take at least 2 hours. 
2. Once the dough is ready, Pre-Heat Oven & the Skillet to 500 degrees & begin shaping the dough into your pizza crust. (I rub my hands with olive oil before I start working with the dough. Also lightly flour your working surface)
1 will go Cast Iron Skillet & the other on the Pizza Stone

3. After everything is pre-heated, carefully slide your dough into the VERY HOT Skillet. To ensure the crust is ready when the toppings are ready, bake the CRUST for 8 minutes before adding the toppings)


4. Remove the Skillet containing the partially baked Crust from the oven & Add the Sauce (keep the sauce from interacting with the Cast Iron Skillet as they don't play nice)

5. Add the Mozzarella Cheese

6. Add your toppings

7. Give it a little sprinkle of the Parmesan Cheese

8. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes, remove from oven, & use a Spatula (Small Turner) to slide your pizza onto the Cutting Board.


9. Serve & Enjoy!

Mom's homemade pizza was one of my favorite meals growing up! In fact, I often request it when I go home for a visit. The process of making homemade pizza is interesting & fun, but it does take patience & prep especially when making the dough from scratch. I know it is easy just to pick up the phone & order from the local pizzeria, but give this one a try!

Until next time...your favorite neighbor-web monkey! 

ROASTED SAUSAGE, MUSHROOMS, and ONIONS with SPINACH (a 2 banana level difficulty)

Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest & best ways to release a lot of goodness! What kicks this up to the next level is that as the sausage roasts it drips down on to the mushrooms & onions. The mushrooms basically act like a sponge & absorb the flavorful drippings. Healthy, no...Delicious, YES!!

This works really well as a topping for pasta & rice dishes. Let's get started...

Today, 'this monkey' will show you how to make Roasted Sausage, Mushrooms, & Onions with Spinach!

WHAT YOU NEED:
1/2 Red Onion (sliced & coarsely chopped)
8 oz Whole Baby Bella Mushrooms (cut in half...feel free to choose the mushrooms that make you happiest!)
1 lb Sausage (cut in small pieces)
2-3 c Spinach

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Large Cast Iron Skillet (or something oven safe)
Chef's Knife
Cutting Board

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 425 degrees with Cast Iron Skillet in the oven to pre-heat as well. Prep your ingredients while the oven & the skillet are pre-heating.
2. Add your Onions to the Hot Skillet


3. Add your Mushrooms on top of the Onions


4. Add the Sausage on top of the Mushrooms & Onions

5. Roast for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Rotate Skillet after 15 minutes for even Roasting.

6. Add the Spinach/Greens & stir into the dish until they are nicely wilted.


7. Serve over a pasta or grain that you like & top with some shredded cheese

This is simply a straightforward dish that 'anymonkeycan' cook! I guess you could just use it as a small side by itself, but the sausage does make it fairly rich.

Enjoy & until next time...your friendly neighbor-web monkey!

(ABRIDGED RECIPE)

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 425 degrees with Cast Iron Skillet in the oven to pre-heat as well. Prep your ingredients while the oven & the skillet are pre-heating.
2. Add your Onions to the Hot Skillet
3. Add your Mushrooms on top of the Onions
4. Add the Sausage on top of the Mushrooms & Onions
5. Roast for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Rotate Skillet after 15 minutes for even Roasting.
6. Add the Spinach/Greens & stir into the dish until they are nicely wilted.
7. Serve over a pasta or grain that you like & top with some shredded cheese.