Test Kitchen Tuesday: Adventures in Strawberry Bread

There is a very good reason this post is delayed (just FYI, it's not Tuesday, but whatev).

With an ill little boy at home, I didn't actually make it to the grocery store this weekend. We're not eating ramen noodles yet, but there was definitely no trip to get the items needed for a full meal on Test Kitchen Tuesday.

Looking in my fridge I saw strawberries on the brink of disaster, and a box of eggs (note: check inside the box when assuming you actually have eggs. Just sayin.)

So I did a quick search for the most logical answer - Strawberry Bread. A version of the classic banana bread but, ya know, with strawberries. Easy enough right.

Apparently Not.for.me. If baking is an exact science, then I my friends, am a no Einstein. Surprising I know.

So here's the grocery list and then I'll share how this Strawberry Bread went down.
(Original Recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (I only used 3)
  
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (I recommend the Greek Yogurt substitution)
  
• 4 eggs, beaten (this is debatable - see below)
  
• 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans (totally optional, right?)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. No problem here, simple enough.

Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well.
Got it covered. All strawberries sliced and bread mixture ingredients prepped.At this point, we're moving along nicely.
Now I'd like to introduce the idea of a 2-year old sous chef. Great for learning. Not for bread.

Dressed like a Rock Star. That's her words, not mine. Promise. And Yes it's past her bedtime, but remember, she's a rock star.

Ok, blend oil and eggs into strawberries.
I open up the egg carton to find only one (1!) egg left. Refer to your notes above - you need four (4!). Ok, don't panic. We like our neighbors. They like us right? So I put in a quick call. And miraculously 2 more eggs appear at my door. With my handy highschool education, I devise that I now have 3 eggs. Still not enough - but we're gonna wing it. Me and E. Until I turn my back and E decides to "crack the egg myself mama." Oh good. And in slow motion I watch one egg crack and ooze to the floor.
Even.better. So 2 eggs. Had I deployed the other half of my highschool math I would have realized that I could have halved the recipe and saved one half until I got more eggs. But it fails me at the most convenient times... so I went with it. All 2 eggs, me, and the sous chef moved to the next step.

Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans (we did not). Divide batter into pans.

OMG! It looks like paste. Whoopdie-doo.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.
And Ta-DA.

It actually doesn't taste bad. I've been eating it for breakfast. Maybe not a disaster, but not the finest moments in Sugarbritches land. I loved every.stinkin.minute!


Ratings (out of 5):

Weeknight Worthy - 4 eggs. Really simple. Maybe make sure your sous chef is off duty. And you have all the ingredients.

Family Friendly - 4 eggs. We really do like it. E asks for it for breakfast. Too much sugar though. I recommend cutting it down (half or 2/3 maybe?)

Clean-Up - 3 eggs. Baking is a mess. But this was relatively simple. Clean as you go. Or as eggs break. Whatev.

Freeze-ability - 5 eggs. Absolutely! I love to freeze breads for a quick breakfast when I didn't get to the store all weekend. Throw some almond butter on it head out!

Test Kitchen Tuesday

My personal new year challenge it to get out of a cooking rut. Therefore, welcome to "Test Kitchen Tuesday."

As a family, we are trying to eat at home more. But running in the house at 5:00 and hoping to have quality time, eat, baths, bedtime stories, and sleeping children by 8:00 (9:00 if I'm being honest) is quite overwhelming.

Searching my cookbooks, blogs, and pinterest there are so many inspiring food ideas. But pair being a not so fabulous cook with a meat-and-potatoes husband and a add dash of borrowed time you have a recipe for disaster - or Wendy's. Take your pick.

So here is my first Test Kitchen Tuesday. I'll be sharing a recipe and a true-life assessment of how it fared in Sugarbritches land. Here we go...

First recipe -

Pablano Chicken Chowder
(Paula Deen's recipe. Because when you its cold outside, I reach for my comfort food cookbook. Lady.and.Son's style.)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 5 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/8 cup minced garlic
• 2 to 3 small poblano peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
• 3 quarts chicken broth
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, minced
• 3 cups diced (large pieces) grilled chicken
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, poblano peppers, salt, white pepper, cumin, and thyme. Saute for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.

Stir in the chicken bouillon. Add the chicken broth and cilantro, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chowder is thick and the chicken is heated through. Shortly before the chowder is done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes to cook the flour. Do not allow the mixture to brown! Ladle 1 cup of the hot liquid from the stockpot into the skillet, whisking constantly.

When the first cup of liquid is incorporated, add another 2 cups of liquid, 1 at a time. Pour the mixture in the skillet into the stockpot, whisking to blend. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the mixture begins to thicken.

(Note: This is where I got really nervous. "Begins to thicken" looked like biscuit dough. I thought it was over right about here. But I followed the next directions, wisking thoroughly, and all was well. Don't be scaeerrrt.)

Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the hot sauce, then the cream, and serve.

(Note: For meat-and-potatoes Hubs, we added some rice to the soup to make more of a gumbo. It has to be hearty for Hubs or as for as he's concerned, we didn't eat. Just saying.)

Ratings (out of 5 ):

Weeknight Worthy? 2 spoons. The prep takes a minute, so make the night before. (In fact, we grilled the chicken a couple of nights before while we had it fired up for some burgers and fish. Think ahead.)

Family Friendly? 5 spoons. To quote the family "Best soup you ever made," and "I wike it, Mom!"

Clean Up? 4 spoons. It's not one-pot, but it's close.

Freeze-ability? 5 spoons. It made such a huge pot. We ate it for lunch and I had it again for dinner one night. Still put 3 bags in the freezer. Quick dinner fo' sho.