BANANA MUFFINS FOR HALLOWEEN

Tomorrow is Halloween.  I made easy banana muffins, decorated with candy worms.  I used store bought icing.  If you are short of time, this is easy to whip up.   The bananas are mashed so, you it is not mushy which is the way we like them.

                          Makes 12 muffins 

1 egg
1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 1/2 cup flour
3 medium size very ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coursely gound walnuts (optional)

Vanilla icing (Optional)

• Spray or oil the muffin cups.  Sprinkle flour at the bottom or line with paper muffin cups
• Mix together the egg, sugar, and milk
• Add the milk, oil, salt and baking podwer and blend well
• Slowly add the flour and blend using a fork.
• Add mashed bananas, chocolate chips and optional walnuts
• Divide batter into the muffin cups equally
• Preheat oven to 350 and bake until golden brown.  Approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Top needs to be golden brown. You can test by sticking a wooden skewer in the middle of one, if it comes out clean, it is done
• Cool them before dekorating with icing and candies

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

CLASSIC FETA FILLED PASTRIES (POGACA)

There are certain foods from childhood that you hold special.  Nothing takes its place.  This is one of those.  Last night, I was watching a Turkish show on the internet.   They were having Pogaca for breakfast with Turkish tea.  I just had to have some.  I prepared "breakfast for dinner" for my family.  This recipe makes a lot of dough so, I made some plain ones to serve with some cold cuts as sandwich bread, flattened some and fried in a little bit of oil as well as Feta filled pastries.

1 cup warm milk

1 cup warm water
1 cup oil
1.5 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon yeast

1.5 teaspoon sugar

4 - 5 cups flour

Fillig
250 gr. Feta Cheese
1 egg white (save the yolk for glaze)
4 table spoon finely chopped parsley (optional)

Glaze
1 egg yolk
Sesame seeds (optional)

• Add 1.5 teasoon of sugar to 1 cup of warm mik.  Stir.  Add yeast and stir again and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the yeast to rise
• Prepare the filling by grading the Feta cheese and mixing with the rest of the filling ingredients
• Put 3 cups of flour in a big bowl.  Make a little dent in the middle.  Add water, oil, salt and the yeast and start mixing to start forming a dough. 
• Continue to knead and add flour to get a soft dough
• Cover and set aside for 2 hours
• When ready, use my easy method (rather than rolling it out and cutting out pieces; although that is certainly an option) by taking small pieces of dough and flatten it in your palm.  Add a teaspoon of the filling and close it over (see the collage at the bottom)
• Put them on a lined pan
• Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of cold water and brush a bit on each of the pogacas
• Sprinkle sesame seeds
• Preheat oven to 350
• Cook until golden brown (approx. 45 minutes)

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving dinner at my house is a tradition.  Menu is always turkey, stuffing, peas, mashed potatos, mashed turnip, borek, salad.  There are other things that change a little bit year to year.  Desert is always brought by other family members.  I forgot to take pictures of the table I set but I took a picture of a cake I bought.  I thought it was very nicely decorated.  Happy thanksgiving!