Almond Blueberry Banana Bread #BreadBakers

Almond flour is the secret ingredient that adds richness and extra flavor to this almond blueberry banana bread, making it buttery, without any butter. As a bonus to many, it's also gluten free!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about friendship and what it is that creates those bonds. Sometimes it’s a hobby or interest in common that brings us together. Other times it’s weathering a storm or difficult circumstances or even living in a challenging place at the same time. As expats in far-flung locations, we come to depend on each other, become like family, because we have no one else who understands us, who gets what we are going through.

The blogging world is like that too. I can’t compare starting my food blog with moving to places like Balikpapan, Indonesia or Macaé, Brazil, but back in 2011, typing up words and sending out a recipe for possibly no one to read and comment on felt equally as solitary at the beginning. (Six years ago this very month!)

Like moving to a new city and country, finding friends in the food blogging corner of cyberspace takes time. My first blog, started in 2007, was set to private. I didn’t see it as a way to connect with anyone but family. I told stories of our holidays and posted photos of our girls. But with the public food blog, all that changed. I was a nervous wreck the first time I actually shared a post link on Facebook with friends. What would they think? Would anyone read it? Worse, would they laugh?

My confidence grew as I made blogger friends, joined the Food Bloggers Network group on Facebook, exchanged tips and comments on cooking and recipe writing and photography and social media. I learned the meaning of foreign terms like SEO and white balance and bounce rates, including the mysterious ways of Google analytics. I began participating in themed group events, like Sunday Supper and Bundt-a-Month and Muffin Mondays.

I might never have believed it before, but my online friends, my fellow bloggers, became real friends. We chat privately, in twos and in groups. We commiserate with each other. We support each other. We laugh and we vent. We are a community drawn together by our like interests, our love of cooking, our frustration with changing social media algorithms and learning new technology, and the profound knowledge that we are understood.

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This month my Bread Bakers group is using nut flours to bake our breads at the instigation of our host Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings. I’ve been enamored of using almond flour in baked goods since I first read Nigella Lawson’s languorous description in her How To Eat of the clementine cake she makes every Christmastime.

While the gluten free flour mix in this recipe can be easily substituted with all-purpose flour, I chose to make a gluten free recipe today to honor my friend and fellow blogger, T.R. Crumbley of Gluten Free Crumbley, one of our community who left us too soon, not even 30 years old.

As a member of the Sunday Supper, Movement, I got to know T.R. through our group events. He was a sweetheart, quick to volunteer his help, the first to crack a joke and at our annual Food Wine Conference, the life of the party. I’m so sorry that he was too sick to join us in person this year where he was honored as Bloggers' Choice Blogger of the Year. He’d have been in his element at the Strawberry Bash on Saturday night. He accepted his award by Skype so he did get to hear the cheers and applause of the crowd.

As managing editor of Sunday Supper, I corresponded from time to time with T.R. over the last year. He graciously gave me permission to expand the Weekday Supper posts that he had contributed over the years, to include the full recipe. His only request was that I let him know when I was going to republish one, so that he could be sure to share it again on social media. That was T.R. all over.

If you or someone you know eats gluten free, please check out Gluten Free Crumbley. T.R.’s family plans to keep his blog going both as a tribute and because it would be a shame to let all of his hard work go to waste. He loved to cook for family and friends. He especially loved sharing his recipes. I like to think he'd enjoy this almond blueberry banana bread. I hope he knows how much we miss him.

Ingredients
3 medium ripe bananas
1 large egg
3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
3 tablespoons or 45ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for pan if not lining with parchment
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup or 120g almond flour
1 1/4 cup or 200g gluten free bread flour blend (I used Dove Farms.)
1 1/4 cup or 120g quick cooking oats
1/2 cup or 100g dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup or 140g fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw first, if using frozen)

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease a 9x5in or 23 x 13cm pan or line it with baking parchment.

Use a whisk to mash your bananas in a bowl and then add in the egg, oil vanilla and milk. Whisk to combine.

In another large bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add in the blueberries and stir to coat.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry and use a wooden spoon to mix well until the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined with the dry. Unlike in quick breads made with all-purpose flour, gluten free flour batters need to be completely wet before baking.

Pour the thick batter into your prepared pan.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature of your Almond Blueberry Banana Bread reaches 210°F or 99°C on an instant read thermometer. Cover the loaf with foil if it is getting too browned before it is cooked inside.

Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Enjoy!

Do you love baking with nut flours too? You might enjoy making my White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies, Staffordshire Yeomanry Pudding, Almond Raspberry Cake or Passover Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars as well.

And check out this creative nut flour recipe list from my fellow Bread Bakers. Many thanks to our host Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings for all of her hard work behind the scenes.

• Almond Blueberry Banana Bread by Stacy at Food Lust People Love.
• Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins by Pavani at Cook's Hideout.
• Almond Flour Bread by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story.
• Almond Flour Sandwich Buns by Gayathri at Gayathri’s Cook Spot.
• Almond Pear Bread by Cindy at Cindy’s Recipes and Writings.
• Carrot Nut Bread by Mayuri at Mayuri's Jakoni
• Citrus Bread with Macadamia Nuts by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• Fig and Walnut Bread by Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories.
• Fig Date Walnut Bread by Sneha at Sneha's Recipe.
• Mixed Berry Almond Loaf by Namita at Ambrosia.
• Peanut Brittle Ring Bread by Sharanya at Sara’s Tasty Buds.
• Peanut Butter Breakfast Loaf by Sue at Palatable Pastime.
• Quick Almond Bread by Kalyani at Sizzling Tastebuds.
• Whole Grain Date Walnut Bread by Sona at Spill the Spices.

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a delicious twist on a family favorite, adding extra nutrients to our comfort food. No one can resist the cheesy goodness!

We talk about eating the rainbow for optimum health, which seems to imply that only the most colorful vegetables are high in nutrients. But despite its bland appearance, cauliflower is actually one of the most nutritious vegetables, with one serving supplying more than 70 percent of our daily recommended intake of vitamin C, along other vitamins and nutrients. It makes the top 30 list compiled by the Center of Disease Control.

For this cauliflower mac and cheese, I like to choose macaroni that is a bit bigger than your average elbow variety. Then I chop the cauliflower florets into pieces about the same size as the macaroni will be when it is cooked. This gives the dish a more homogeneous look and texture, so if you are feeding picky eaters who would normally try to separate the veggies from the pasta, they likely won't even notice the cauliflower. The sharp cheddar sauce makes it all taste like deliciously normal mac and cheese.

Love cauliflower? You might enjoy my Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust, Cauliflower Cheese Waffles and Cauliflower Leek Roquefort Tart. All three are seriously good. 

Variations on Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Sometimes I make this cauliflower mac and cheese with bacon, as outlined below; sometimes I make it without. Either way, it’s delicious and filling enough to be a main course. It’s also very tasty with some chopped frozen spinach thawed then added to the cheese sauce. Serve it alongside a fresh green salad, or with some sun-ripe summer tomatoes simply seasoned with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Ingredients
8 oz or 227g pasta
1 small head cauliflower (about 11 1/2 oz or 325g florets), divided into florets and chopped
6 1/3 oz or 180g smoked streaky bacon, chopped – about 5 thick-cut slices (or 3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil)
4 tablespoons flour
1 small onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 cups or 480ml cold milk
12 oz or 340g extra sharp cheddar or cheese of your choice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne - optional
1/2 cup or 35g fresh bread crumbs

Method
Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, setting the timer for half of the recommended al dente cooking time. Add in the chopped cauliflower when your timer goes off. Cook pasta till al dente.

Drain and set aside, still in the colander, while you make the cheese sauce.

Fry the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and all but three tablespoons bacon fat. If you don’t have enough fat, make up the difference with butter, canola or olive oil.

If you don’t want to add bacon, start with three tablespoons of butter, canola or olive oil.

Sprinkle in the flour and mix well to make a roux.  Cook the roux for a few minutes to get rid of the floury taste.

Add the minced onion and garlic into the roux. Cook over a low fire until they are softened.

All at once, whisk in the milk, whisking quickly so that the flour and milk don’t form lumps.

Cook until the sauce thickens and reduces in volume, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350° or 180°C and butter or grease a baking pan or casserole dish.

Add in three quarters of the grated cheese and stir until melted. Add in the dried mustard and stir.  Season with salt, black pepper and a little cayenne, if desired.

Pour the cauliflower and pasta back into the pot with the bacon, saving a little of the bacon to sprinkle on top.

Pour on the sauce and fold to combine. In case you are wondering why it isn't orange, my favorite extra sharp cheddar is an Australian brand. They don't tend to put the coloring in it that many American cheesemakers do.

Spoon the mixture into your prepared baking pan or read note below.

Note: If the pan you cooked everything in is ovenproof, you could skip transferring the mixture to a baking dish, and move on to the next step - the topping- but for me, the best cauliflower mac and cheese is all about the crunchy, chewy top covered with extra cheese and bread crumbs, baked till golden. So I like to spread mine out in a wide dish to maximize the square footage of that top.

Combine the reserved cheese and bacon with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the cauliflower mac and cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy on top.

Enjoy!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you that while my husband and I will fight over the crispiest bits, our younger daughter would have you skip the last step altogether. She likes her mac and cheese straight from the pot, unbaked and sans crunchy pieces. If your kids feel the same, the last step can indeed be skipped.

After all, today’s Sunday Supper event is all about getting kids and other picky eaters to eat their veggies. If you are looking for delicious recipes that will add more healthy vegetables to your family menu, check out this week's kid friendly vegetable recipes for picky eaters. Many thanks to our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections and our host for this event, Anne from Simple and Savory for all of their work behind the scenes.

Kid Friendly Vegetable Recipes for Picky Eaters

Breakfast

• Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Creamy Kid Sized Smoothies by The Freshman Cook
• Sweet Potato Crust Quiche by Pies and Plots
• Sweet Potato Muffins with Veggie Cream Cheese by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Dinners

• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese by Food Lust People Love
• Chicken and Broccoli Shells and Cheese by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Eat Your Veggies Beef Tacos by Simple and Savory
• Hidden Vegetable Pasta Sauce for Orange Orzo by Caroline's Cooking
• Veggie Ramen by NinjaBaker.com

Sides

• Broccoli Tots by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Cheesy Cauliflower by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Kid-Friendly Baked Potato Fries by Hardly A Goddess
• Salad on a Stick by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Zuppa di Ravioli by Gourmet Everyday

Snacks

• Dairy Free Veggie Ice Pops by Our Good Life
• Healthy Homemade Taquitos by Cricket’s Confections
• Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies by A Mind Full Mom
• Veggie Egg Rolls by My Savory Spoon

 

Pin this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese!

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Bulago Gin Breeze Cocktail #FoodieExtravaganza

With equal parts gin, orange juice, Campari and tonic, a Bulago Gin Breeze Cocktail is super refreshing and a doddle to make.

For the last few years, I've been hearing my friends David and Nicky talking about a small home they have on Bulago Island in the Ugandan portion of Lake Victoria. It's a sweet retreat from the hectic world, where there is scarcely any internet and lazy days are best spent sipping cocktails, doing 1,000-piece puzzles, reading and watching the wildlife.

We finally got ourselves organized for a trip last April. It's less than a five-hour flight from the United Arab Emirates. Completely do-able for a long weekend.

The whole trip was a joy and Bulago is indeed a treasure. The birds alone require a reference volume for birds of East Africa because there are so many that inhabit the island, including enormous Hornbills and colorful Kingfishers and the Egyptian geese that wandered our garden. A pair of binoculars were always at the ready and I kept my telephoto lens on my camera as well. One never knew who or what would turn up.

One afternoon, as my husband and I were sitting out on the lawn reading, I heard a noise in the tree branches overheard. I thought it was some of the birds building nests because they had been going back and forth in an exhaustingly productive manner. Imagine my surprise, when this is what I saw.

I beat a hasty retreat to the house since he looked like he was about to leap down upon me. After my less than endearing experiences with monkeys when we lived in Malaysia, I am not a fan. Eventually he lost interest and we went back to our state of relative inactivity, reading and watching this scenery, keeping an eye out for otters and alligators. (Saw some of both!) There may have been Bulago Gin Breeze Cocktails involved, if not that day, certainly the next.

 Hardly anyone swims in this part of Lake Victoria. Now you know why.

We arrived on Bulago with two bottles of gin, one bottle of vodka and a box of red wine. There was some mix up in our grocery order so a whole case - 12 liters - of orange juice was delivered, along with tonic, beer and fresh vegetables. The store cupboard revealed an elderly bottle of Campari. And so our host created this new drink we aptly named a Bulago Breeze. When the breeze is blowing (or flowing) on Bulago, there is no more pleasant place to be.

Ingredients for one 8 oz drink
1/4 cup or 60ml orange juice
1/4 cup or 60ml Campari
1/4 cup or 60ml gin
1/4 cup or 60ml tonic
Ice

Method
Mix together all the ingredients in a glass. Add ice. It couldn't be more simple.

And enjoy. Cheers!

Today my fellow Foodie Extravaganza friends are sharing recipes with gin, six in all. Many thanks to our event host, Caroline of Caroline's Cooking for her hard work behind the scenes.

Need some gin-piration? Check out our link list:

• Bulago Gin Breeze from Food Lust People Love
• Gin-Steamed Bratwurst with Kraut Slaw from Palatable Pastime
• Grapefruit Salty Dog with Fizz from Hardly A Goddess
• Jamuntini from Sneha's Recipes
• Raspberry Collins Cocktail from Caroline's Cooking
• Shrimp Martini from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

Pin it!

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Crawfish Pie Muffins #MuffinMonday

Crawfish pie muffins are not for the faint of heart. They have a half cup of melted butter, a full cup of peeled crawfish with fat included, and a little cayenne for zip. On the other hand, I've also included one cup of iron-fortified quick grits and some fresh green onions.

Every year when I come home for a visit in the spring, boiled crawfish are at the top of my list of Things I Want to Eat. We like to buy them live and cook them ourselves because we can season them to our taste but most importantly, because they are substantially cheaper that way. They are sold by the sack and you have to buy the whole thing (usually between 30-40 pounds) because stores won't divide them. This year the price is $1.97/lb, which is pretty darn good. Deliveries are only made on Friday, Saturday and sometimes Sunday so I plan my trips accordingly. I need at least one weekend here to take advantage.

Last Friday, I bought a 35 lb sack and boiled them in three batches. It was just my elder daughter, my mother and me so we ate till we couldn’t eat any more and, of course, there were plenty, I mean PLENTY, of leftovers. I ate cold boiled crawfish (delicious!) on Saturday. And on Sunday my mom came over and we both ate lots more. Then I peeled a bunch and made these tasty crawfish pie muffins. And there are still crawfish in my refrigerator! I don’t think I could ever get tired of eating boiled crawfish but this is going to be the test.

Meanwhile, the muffins turned out perfectly. The cooked grits add great flavor and texture, kind of a little like cornbread but with a much softer crumb.

Ingredients 
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour
1 cup or 170g cooked, peeled crawfish, with fat
Small bunch green onions, just the green parts, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 large eggs
3/4 cup or 360ml milk
1/2 cup or 113g butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing pan
1 cup or 242g cooked grits, cooled

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Lightly grease 12-cup muffin pan with butter.

Measure your flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne into a large mixing bowl, along with the green onions and peeled crawfish. Mix well to combine and coat the crawfish with the seasoned flour.

Whisk the eggs together with the cooled grits. Add in the butter and milk and whisk again.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and stir until just mixed together.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the muffins are baked through and golden on the outside.

Enjoy!

Check out all the lovely muffins my Muffin Monday bakers have for you today!

• Cheesy Zucchini and Basil Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Coconut Raisin Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Corn Dog Bites from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Crawfish Pie Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Garlic Scape & Ricotta Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Strawberry Cantaloupe Muffins from Palatable Pastime

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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Grilled Red Snapper with Cilantro and Onion Stuffing or حمراء مشوية مع حشوة

Grilled red snapper is a deliciously easy dish, cooked over a charcoal fire. The snapper stays moist of you grill with the scales on - and flavor is added - when you fill it with cilantro and onion stuffing, a traditional recipe from my current home, the United Arab Emirates.

I grew up with a father that fished and hunted so I am not unfamiliar with guts and eyeballs on foodstuff. But honestly, the first time I remember seeing a whole fish on a plate was probably when I was 10 or 11 years old, visiting Daddy in Venezuela or Peru and my stepmother not only ordered a whole fish but she popped out the eyeball and ate it with relish saying it was a delicacy.  Needless to say, as a child, I was repulsed. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of the fish though!

Then when we lived in Abu Dhabi back in late Eighties and I was the editor at a small publishing house, my boss was an Omani gentleman who taught me that the sweetest part of the fish was the cheek, which is found behind the eye in a little pocket.  I always go for that little piece first because he was so right. (Thanks, Saleh!) If you’ve never cooked a whole fish, I’d like to encourage you to try it.  There is no way a fish filet can be as tasty as a whole fish cooked on the bones.  If the eyes really offend you, get your fish guy to cut off the head, but leave the rest of the fish intact.

Our theme is grilling this week but I wanted especially to make something from the United Arab Emirates, since this is home right now.  This recipe comes to me from a fellow Texan who married an Emirati and moved to the UAE.  Her blog is filled with delicious local fare, with complete explanations and photos, and is a treasure trove of ideas for anyone interested in Emirati cooking.  MaryAnn is a sweetheart and I am grateful to her for her advice and expertise.  You can find her blog at Emiratican Kitchen. She hasn't updated in a while because she is a beautiful seamstress and that has become her focus. but the recipes are all still there. If you leave her a comment, please tell her Stacy sent you.

In Arabic, red snapper is hamra, grilled is meshwiya and stuffing is hashwa, so this is hashwa meshwiyah m’a hashwa or as MaryAnn put it more simply, grilled hamra with hashwa.  Whatever you call it, it is delicious!  For her recipe, I was supposed to use a large red snapper of one kilo or about 2.2 pounds, but sometimes those are hard to come by.  I substituted two smaller snappers so the cooking time was much shorter.  And since we were just two eating that night, I ended up freezing the second one. It made a beautiful dinner another night.

Grilled Red Snapper with Cilantro and Onion Stuffing

Grilling a whole fish with scales on keeps it from sticking to the hot grill.  Stuffing it with onions, cilantro and spices infuses the whole fish with lovely flavors and keeps it from drying out on the grill.

Ingredients
Hamra (Red Snapper) 2 lbs plus or 1 kg - or larger (Whole – do not scale or trim fins)

For the stuffing:
1 medium-sized onion
1 medium-sized green bell pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 thumb-sized knob fresh ginger
1 bunch cilantro or fresh coriander
1/4 cup or 60ml extra virgin olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin powder

Method
Gut the fish from the belly to leave a space for the stuffing.  (I let the fish guy at my local market do this job for me.)  Make sure to leave the scales on so the fish won’t stick to the grill.

Chop your onion and bell pepper finely.  Peel and mince your garlic and ginger.  Wash your cilantro thoroughly and trim off the end hard woody ends of the stems.  Chop the stems of the cilantro very finely and then chop the leaves roughly.

In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly mix the onion, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic and ginger with all of the spices and the olive oil.

Fill the cavity in the fish with the stuffing.

Using a large needle and some kitchen string (I used poultry string, normally used for trussing a chicken for roasting) sew sides of the fish belly back together.  (I could not find my large needles, so I used an ice pick to poke the holes.  Then I put the stuffing in and tied the knots.)

Tie knots as you go to make sure the sewing is secure.

Meanwhile, light your fire in the barbecue pit.  When the coals are light grey all around the edges, they are ready.

Place the fish on the grill and put the cover on the pit with a little opening to make sure there is enough air getting in so you don’t smother the coals.

Cook for about 10-12 minutes on each side, ideally turning only once so your fish doesn’t fall apart.   If you are fortunate to find a larger fish, MaryAnn says to cook it for 30 minutes on each side.

Put a knife in at the thickest part and look at the bones to make sure the fish is cooked all the way down.  When the fish meat is completely white and opaque, the fish is done.

To serve, peel the charred skin and scales off with a knife and lift the meat off the bones.

Lift the meat off the bones with a knife or spatula. 

Lift the bones off to get to the other side. 

Traditionally, MaryAnn says this is served with white rice and fresh greens.  I didn’t take a photo of it, but we topped the fish with a little of the stuffing and it was delicious.

Enjoy!

 Easy BBQ Recipes

Best Burgers and Sandwiches

• Barbecue Rib Burgers with Low Carb Sauce by My Life Cookbook
• Caribbean Jerk Chicken Burgers by Simple and Savory
• Guava-Ale BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich by Gourmet Everyday
• Turkapple Burgers with Yumback Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Grill Master Mains

• Grilled Red Snapper with Cilantro and Onion Stuffing by Food Lust People Love
• Honey Glazed Chicken Kabobs by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Homemade Coleslaw by A Mind Full Mom
• Spicy Grilled Leg of Lamb by Sunday Supper Movement

Mop Worthy Sauces

• Blueberry Sriracha Barbecue Sauce by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Homemade “End of Season” Ketchup by What Smells So Good?

Searing Starters and Sides

• Campfire Corn and Tomatoes by Cricket’s Confections
• Grilled Lime Beer Ritas with Smoky Lime Salt by Our Good Life
• Honey Chipotle BBQ Wings by Soulfully Made
• Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce by Asian In America

Sizzling Sweets

• All-American Pie Shooter Trio by The Crumby Cupcake
• Flourless Fudge Brownies by Pies and Plots
• Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone by Caroline’s Cooking
• Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Mini No Bake Coconut Cheescakes by Jonesin’ For Taste

Chorizo and Date Skewers - Brochetas de Chorizo y Datiles

Chorizo and date skewers or brochetas de chorizo y datiles are a fabulous combination of sweet and salty, rich and chewy. Best of all, they are simple and quick to put together.

A couple of months back we were in Atlanta for our nephew’s wedding. We arrived a couple of days early, thinking it would give us time to recover from the trip and also to spend some time with the relatives.

That first night we dropped our bags off at our hotel before heading to dinner at Eclipse de Luna, a tapas restaurant and one of their favorite places. My sister-in-law insisted upon ordering two plates of these little beauties because she wanted a whole skewer to herself. They are that good. The best part is that they are so simple to make at home.

This weekend I am in Orlando attending the fifth annual Food Wine Conference. I’m looking forward to all of the delicious food and the informative sessions but the best part is always the company of my colleagues at the Sunday Supper Movement and my fellow bloggers.

Just like last year, on Sunday evening we will gather for the last time at Tapa Toro, a lovely Spanish tapas restaurant for our live Twitter chat. For those of you who won’t be joining us, we thought it would be a good idea to share some tapas recipes, like these chorizo and date skewers. Scroll down to the bottom for more details.

Chorizo and Date Skewers or Brochetas de Chorizo y Datiles

Ingredients
9 3/4 oz or 275g Spanish chorizo, skin removed -  I like the extra picante.
12 Medjool dates, pitted
6 slices smoked bacon
1 3/4 oz or 50g blue cheese

Also needed:
6 wooden or metal skewers
6 toothpicks

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C.

Cut the chorizo into 18 pieces and line them up chorizo/date/chorizo/date/chorizo.

Poke the pointy end of the skewer through one end of the bacon and through one group of dates and chorizo.

Wrap the bacon around the end and secure it with a toothpick. Lay the chorizo and date skewers in a baking pan.

Bake in your preheated hot oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the bacon is cooked.

Remove from the oven and arrange two per plate on small saucers. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our event manager, Em, and this week's host, Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures for all of their hard work behind the scenes.

Small Starters

• Crispy Prosciutto Cups with Pear & Mascarpone by The Crumby Cupcake
• Cucumber Finger Sandwiches by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Fiesta Pinwheels by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Grilled Polenta Bruschetta by Simple and Savory
• Spinach Feta Pinwheels by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sweet Sriracha Almonds by Jersey Girl Cooks
• Waffled Twice Baked Potato Pancake Bites by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Wild Mushroom and Grape Crostini by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Pint-sized Protein

• Bacon-wrapped Chorizo and Date Skewers – Brochetas de Chorizo y Datiles by Food Lust People Love
• Chicken Caprese Bites by Books n’ Cooks
• Chicken Sausage & Fig Naan Bites by Soulfully Made
• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms by My Savory Spoon
• Easy Chicken Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Croissants by Jonesin’ For Taste
• Grass Fed Beef Meatballs and Cauliflower Cilantro Smear by Our Good Life
• Greek Chicken Gyro Mini Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce by Hardly A Goddess
• Mini Salmon Cakes with Anise Aioli by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Salmon Poke on Wonton Crisps by Authentically Candace
• Sausage Stuffed Jalapeños by Gourmet Everyday
• Tuscan Chicken Bites by The Freshman Cook

Demi-Desserts

• Healthy Meringue Bites with Raspberry Yogurt by Cricket’s Confections
• Lemon Bars with Poppy Seed Shortbread by Pies and Plots
• Lime Mascarpone Cheesecake Shooters by Caroline’s Cooking

Pin these chorizo date skewers! 

 

Double Pork Stuffed Pork Roast

Double Pork Stuffed Pork Roast is pork belly with crackling, stuffed with two pork tenderloins and sausage stuffing made with ground pork and Italian sausage. It's a feast of a beast, perfect for a huge family meal. Best of all, the leftovers make fabulous sandwiches.

This week our Sunday Supper tastemakers are sharing their favorite meal ideas for Mother's Day. I made this double pork stuffed pork roast for my mom a while back and she actually took these photos. I can promise you that this was one of her favorite meals, especially the leftovers, which she used to make pork roast sandwiches, slathered in mayo. Another of her favorite things.

I'm not going to give specific weight amounts for his double pork stuffed pork roast since the size of your half pork belly and fillets will vary by the size of the pig. Likewise, if you have a favorite stuffing recipe, you can certainly use it instead. I will tell you that the total weight of all the meat for my double pork stuffed pork roast was about 10 pounds or 4.5kg.

Ready to make this double pork stuffed pork roast? Let's go!

Ingredients
1 half pork belly, skin intact
2 pork fillets
About 2 lbs or 1kg pork stuffing
Sea salt flakes (like Maldon)
Fresh ground black pepper

For the stuffing:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb or 450g fresh hot Italian sausage
1 lb or 450g ground pork
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
Cayenne
1 cup or 60g fresh bread crumbs

Method
Sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the olive oil, until they are just softened. Set aside to cool.

Remove the Italian sausage from the casing and mix it together with the ground pork. Add in the cooled vegetables and bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Add a sprinkle of salt, (keeping in the mind that there is already salt in the Italian sausage) a good couple of grinds of black pepper and a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, depending on how much spice your family likes. Mix well and fry a teaspoon of the mixture till cooked through, to taste. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Start with the pork belly laying it flat on a cutting board and score the skin diagonally both ways so the pieces can crisp in the oven. The crackling is divine!

Turn the belly over and spread it with the stuffing mixture. Lay the two fillets of pork in the middle, fat ends alternating, top to tail. Sprinkle each with some salt, black pepper and cayenne.

Then tie the whole thing in a roast-like shape, using baking twine or silicone bands. 

Rub it liberally with sea salt and a good couple of grinds of black pepper.

Pop it in the preheated oven, lowering the temperature after 30 minutes to 300°F or 150°C. Cook for around three hours or until your thermometer registers 150°F or 65°C. (The safe internal temperature when ground pork is included in a recipe vs. a solid pork roast is 160°F or 72°C. The temperature will continue to rise as you let the roast rest.)

Let it rest, covered with a tent of foil for 10 minutes while you make the gravy from the pan drippings. (You may have to spoon off a lot of the grease first.)

Enjoy!

What are you Mother's Day plans? How about making something special for your mom? Check out this great list of dishes from our Sunday Supper tastemakers. Many thanks to our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections and our event host, Amy from My World Simplified.

Sunday Supper Mother's Day Food Ideas

Chocolate Treats

• Hot Fudge Ice Cream Cake by Pies and Plots
• Toasted Almond Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies by Helpful Homemade
• Triple Chocolate Strawberry Cake Truffles by The Freshman Cook
• White Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• White Chocolate-Filled Snickerdoodles by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes

Entrees

• Double Pork Stuffed Pork Roast by Food Lust People Love
• Italian Stuffed Caprese Chicken by My World Simplified
• Japanese Chicken Curry by What Smells So Good?
• Lightened-Up Shrimp Scampi by My Savory Spoon

Sides and Salads

• Mom’s Easy Clam Dip by Cricket’s Confections
• Salmon and Capers Panzanella Salad by And She Cooks
• Swedish Creamy Potato Casserole (Jansson’s Frestelse) by Sunday Supper Movement

Sweets

• Berry Chantilly Trifle by The Crumby Cupcake
• Blackberry Cobbler with Brown Sugar Pecan Biscuits by Soulfully Made
• Lemon Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries by Our Good Life
• Lemon Cooler by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Mom’s Southwest Georgia Pound Cake by Family Around The Table
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp by Caroline’s Cooking
• Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote by Wholistic Woman

Cheesy Pizza Roses #BreadBakers

Cheesy pizza roses are the perfect Mother’s Day breakfast (or gift!) for moms who are fans of savory pepperoni pizza. After all, who doesn’t love fresh baked bread rolls?

This month my Bread Bakers group is baking up breads inspired by flowers or Mother’s Day. A Google image search revealed all sorts of rose-shaped buns filled with jams but since my mom isn’t with me right now, I am going to have to eat these rolls myself. And I much prefer savory fillings.

Plus, doesn’t the pepperoni make them look even more like roses? I think so!

Ingredients for 12 cheesy pizza roses
1 package (¼ oz.) active dry yeast (I use Fleishmann’s Rapid Rise.)
About 4½ cups or 560g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups or 355ml warm water
Olive oil
3/4 cup or 180ml pizza sauce
8 oz or 226g mozzarella cheese, grated
7 oz or 200g sliced pepperoni

Method
In a large bowl, combine yeast, 2 cups or 250g of flour and 1 teaspoon salt. In a microwaveable measuring pitcher or a saucepan, heat water until warm but not hot. With mixer at low speed, just blend water into dry ingredients.

At medium speed, beat two minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in 1/2 cup or 60g of flour to make a thick batter.  Beat two minutes more.

Stir in about 1 1/2 cups or 190g of flour to make a soft dough.  Knead dough by hand or with a bread hook for a few minutes.

Pour a little olive oil in the bowl and put the dough in to rest for 15 minutes (if using Rapid Rise yeast) or to rise for 30-45 minutes (if using regular yeast) covered with a damp cloth.

Note: If you want to bake these fresh in the morning, you can punch the dough down and rest it overnight in the refrigerator at this point. Cover the bowl in cling film so it doesn't dry out.

Punch the dough down and shape it into a round disk. Use a sharp knife to cut it into 12 equal pieces.

Shape each piece into a round dough ball.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF or 180ºC and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with olive oil.

Use a rolling pin to flatten each ball out into a circle and cut it as shown (pic 1) with the tip of your sharp knife. Spread a couple of teaspoons of pizza sauce on the dough and sprinkle on some grated mozzarella. Add two pepperoni slices to one side of the cross and fold the dough up and around the pepperoni. (pic 2) Do the same to the opposite side, this time wrapping the corners of the dough around the first side. (pic 3) Repeat with the third side. (pic 4)

Finally, add two slices of pepperoni to the fourth side and bring it up and around the others. Pinch the edges to get it to stick.

Tuck the pizza rose into your greased muffin pan. Repeat the process until all the pizza roses are made. Top each with an extra teaspoon of the pizza sauce in the middle.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown and puffy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Complete cooling on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our host this month, Julie at Hostess At Heart. Check out the rest of the lovely flower or Mother’s Day inspired breads we have for you today!

• Almond Rose Bread by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Apricot Sweet Rolls by Cook's Hideout
• Banana and Chocolate Chip Flower Cake by Sneha's Recipe
• Beetroot Cinnamon Rolls by Herbivore Cucina
• Blueberry Muffin Cups with Warm Lemon Sauce by A Salad For All Seasons
• Cherry Almond Kugelhopf by Hostess At Heart
• Cheesy Pizza Roses by Food Lust People Love
• Flower Bread with Savoury Onion Filling by Sara's Tasty Buds
• Lemon Poppyseed Muffins by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Orange Marmalade Rolls by Ambrosia
• Peynirli Cicek Pogaca/ Turkish Cheese Flower Bread by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Pogaca -Turkish Breakfast Bread by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Pumpkin Lavender Coconut Biscuits by The Schizo Chef
• Sfoof by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sunflower Crumb Muffins by Baking Sense

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin it! 

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