Dairy Freed

Banana Muffins with Peanut Butter Filling

Okay, old bananas may not look the best but what's underneath that ugly, black banana peel is just what you need for this recipe.  As bananas age they convert the majority of their starch into simple sugars, which is why older bananas tend to taste sweeter than their prettier, unblemished brothers. When they reach this point they are perfect for muffins and quick breads. 

And what's better with bananas than peanut butter?  Well, maybe some rum, crushed ice and a blender, but that's another blog post. 

Blueberry Muffins with Maple Streusel Topping

It's funny what memories stick with you.  For instance, every summer my family would drive from Wisconsin to Massachusetts to visit my grandparents. There were trips to Boston, Lexington and Concord and Rockport. While these were all fun (and educational) some of the best times we had were spent with Grandpa on his walks. He loved to walk and would go out at least once, usually twice, a day.  Of course, my sister, brother and I jumped at the chance to go with him because it was a real treat having Grandpa all to ourselves.

One of his favorite routes took him by the old Jordan Marsh store in Framingham. We always hoped he would take this route because the next best thing to spending time with him was a trip to the bakery inside to pick up a box of their famous blueberry muffins. Although the muffins were fantastic, I loved going there for another reason.

Peach and Blueberry Tart

A few days ago I created a "fancy" peach tart that has a cheesecake-like layer inside a graham cracker crust and topped with peaches and blueberries.  Since I had leftover peaches and blueberries I decided to create a simple "cheese-less" version, something I'd be more prone to whip up on a work day evening. It's also fantastic the next morning for breakfast.

5 Unusual Thirst Quenching Drinks

While walking around Valenica one warm afternoon, I stopped at the Sant Jaume bar to rest my blistered feet and get something to drink.  Four older men were at the table next to me all drinking what I thought was beer.  When the waitress came I nodded to the gentlemen and asked "cervesa?" She replied with "Clara" and then turned and walked off.  She came back with what I assumed was a cloudy unfiltered beer from a brewery named Clara.  It turned out to be a very lemony, sweet beer. 

Orange Almond Cake

 

 Looking back at the two weeks I just spent in Spain, I remember eating way too many tapas and numerous pounds of Jamón Ibérico, but the one thing I didn't eat a lot of was dessert. Mostly because I was too full to even think about dessert but also most of the offerings were full of cream or butter. 

While this cake isn't Spanish it was inspired by two of it's biggest crops; oranges and almonds. I'll admit this isn't your normal, "refined" cake. It has more of a rustic quality about it.  The texture is coarse, it's not too sweet and it's slightly bitter from the orange peel, three things I find very appealing.