New Orleans Carnival Time Recipe: "Flameless Bananas Foster Bundt Cake"

New Orleans is a city dear not only to me, but also to my husband. He was a Hurricane Katrina medical volunteer in NOLA days after that tragedy and went on to spend 6 weeks in the area taking care of patients many times out of a makeshift medical tent. When it came time to choose our honeymoon destination, New Orleans was our unanimous choice. We had an amazing time.

Last month, I returned to New Orleans for the first time since our honeymoon. This was a solo trip due to my husband's work schedule. I decided that life was too short to continue my bucket list wish to visit NOLA during Christmastime, so I checked it off my list! I had the most amazing time. I spent treasured time with my sorority Little Sister Susan. We both have December birthdays and it was priceless to be able to celebrate together. I stayed at our honeymoon hotel, Le Pavillon Hotel in the French Quarter and how wonderful it was to see some of the same staff again.

It is now a time of celebration in NOLA known as "Carnival". This is the pre-Lenten celebration that leads up to Fat Tuesday. One of my favorite desserts was created in New Orleans at Brennan's Restaurant. I've invoked the name of this restaurant beloved in my heart before. Bananas Foster is an amazing mix of bananas, caramel, cinnamon and rum. This dish is traditionally prepared by igniting the rum. I created a recipe for an easy, flameless version. I choose to cook the banana mixture until it thickens and has a syrupy texture. I decided to pay homage to this favorite NOLA recipe in a cake: a bundt swirl cake with a flameless bananas foster filling.
   
In the coming days, I will be sharing reviews of two fabulous New Orleans reads with you, including giving away an autographed copy of one of the books. I will also share about my visit to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. The food, the people, the history: this city has it all.

 

 

"Flameless Bananas Foster Bundt Cake"

 

2 1/2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup light sour cream

1 teaspoon Rodelle pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup "Flameless Bananas Foster Filling"

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 10 inch bundt pan with Baker's Joy spray or coat with cooking spray and sprinkle with flour. In large bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In separate mixing bowl, beat butter with mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and mix well. Slowly add dry flour mixture to creamed butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour half of batter into the prepared pan. Add bananas foster filling mixture by the spoonful over batter around the pan, then lightly swirl together with wooden skewer or spoon handle. Cover with remaining cake batter. Bake 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert cake onto a plate. Enjoy!  

 

"Flameless Bananas Foster Filling"

1 medium banana, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rum OR rum extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add brown sugar, cinnamon and rum. Stir to dissolve brown sugar. When mixture is bubbling at the edges, add chopped bananas and stir to coat bananas. Let bananas cook in the syrup, stirring often, until mixture has a thick and syrupy consistency.

Remembering Elvis' Birthday: "Peanut Butter and Banana Delight Cake"

I was brought up in an Elvis-loving household and I was taught full-well that January 8th was his birthday. Every year, this day doesn't pass that I don't reflect on my fond memories of his music and movies from my childhood years into adulthood. My favorite movie was "Blue Hawaii". Another favorite is "Viva Las Vegas". My favorite songs, well then this would be a very long post, so I will share a few at the top of my list: "A Little Less Conversation", and "Viva Las Vegas" and "It's Now or Never". This day also doesn't pass without memories of my late Aunt Arlena back home in Oklahoma. She had a personality as huge as her hair. She loved all things red. She drove a red Cadillac. When I was in the second grade, one day we were playing in the schoolyard and she drove by in the Cadillac, honked and waved at me. She was wearing a fur coat, so full of life and I thought to myself, "I want to grow up to be like her!" She was a huge Elvis fan and when she passed, her life was celebrated with me giving her eulogy, all of the family wearing red and her favorite Elvis songs playing.  I baked this cake to celebrate Elvis' life today. This cake made my husband so happy he was "All Shook Up". I see peanut butter and banana dessert combinations that tend to have a peanut butter frosting. I serve up my peanut butter and banana cake with a banana buttercream frosting and a light, fluffy peanut butter layer cake. I believe that tonight in the night sky, an especially bright star I see is my Aunt Arlena shining down a shout out from above because I made this cake on Elvis' birthday.

"Peanut Butter and Banana Delight Cake"
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter chips, melted

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon Rodelle pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups 2% milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and dusting of flour. In mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In separate large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add vanilla. Add dry flour mixture in thirds, alternating with milk, until all of dry mixture and milk have been added. Set aside. Melt peanut butter chips on top of stove by placing chips in small saucepan over low heat and stir often until chips are melted OR in microwave by placing chips in microwave-safe bowl and microwave at Medium (50%) for 1 minute and stir. If chips are not melted, microwave at Medium an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and smooth when stirred. Add melted peanut butter chips to mixture and mix until well combined.  Divide batter evenly into baking pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

"Banana Buttercream Frosting"

1/2 stick butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons 2% milk
1 teaspoon banana extract

Place butter in mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed until fluffy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, banana extract and 3 tablespoons milk until all ingredients are blended. Increase to medium speed and beat 5-6 minutes until light and fluffy. If mixture becomes stiff, add additional 1 tablespoon of milk. Spread frosting over cooled cake. Enjoy!

Game Day Recipe Corner: "Easy Crockpot Sausage Queso Dip"

Tonight's going to be a big football game night, especially for Alabama and Notre Dame football fans as their teams play for the national title in the collegiate NCAA National Championship. My husband and I will be tuning in to this game. How about you? Here is a super-easy and tasty crockpot cheese dip recipe I will be serving up at kickoff while we cheer on...the Crimson Tide!

"Southern Fried Bride's Easy Crockpot Sausage Queso Dip"

1 lb. Jimmy Dean light sausage, browned and drained

2 lbs. American cheese, cubed

1 (10 oz.) can Rotel diced tomatoes 

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

Brown sausage. Drain. Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Place crockpot on LOW heat setting. Cover with lid and heat one hour. Keep on LOW setting until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Recipe Corner: "Stampede Trail Bars"

During this time of year which brings all the post-holiday organizing, taking down the decorations and storing them, here is a recipe for a quick and easy snack or dessert. These make great bar cookies or my favorite way of serving them is cutting them in bite-size pieces.   

 

"Southern Fried Bride's Stampede Trail Bars"

 

1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1 egg

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 1/2 cups oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup raisins

Optional: ¼ cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix together peanut butter, honey, egg, oil and almond extract until well blended. Add in oats, brown sugar and salt. Mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips, raisins and coconut. Transfer mixture into 9x13 baking dish. Take spatula or spoon and gently shape mixture to fill entire layer of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 15 square bars or 30 bite-size bars. Enjoy!

New Year's Eve Recipe Corner: Easy Party Cheese Ball

2012 is coming to a close and time for New Year's Eve parties to begin! I am serving up my recipe for my favorite crowd pleasing appetizer. I serve this easy party cheese ball with Ritz snowflake-shaped crackers for a fun touch.

 

 

 

"Southern Fried Bride's Easy Party Cheese Ball"

2 pounds 2% light shredded cheese

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 cup light sour cream

1 package light cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon paprika

Coating mixture:

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

In large mixing bowl, combine cheese, onion powder, sour cream, cream cheese and paprika. Mix until well blended. Form mixture into ball shape. Set aside. On wax paper or standard size plate, combine coating mixture of parsley and chopped nuts. Roll cheese ball over coating mixture until well coated. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Remove wrap before serving. Serve with crackers. Enjoy!

A Review and a New Year, New You Giveaway: Rodan & Fields skin care

The importance of skin care was taught to me by my mother and my maternal grandmother when I was a pre-teen. I have remembered that through the years and as a fair-skinned redhead, it has been even moreso important for me to guard my skin against products that can have a harsh effect on my sensitive skin. It is important to remember that using certain products which taut very good skin care benefits but are not suited to your skin type can have adverse effects on your skin.

There are so many products on the market in this day and age, which can sometimes make finding a right product or products for yourself overwhelming an process. Knowing your skin type is important knowledge to have. Recently my friend Amy Wilson-Culbertson introduced me to the Rodan & Fields line of skin care products.

Here's Amy, a Bama girl through and through. This picture was taken after she started using the R&F skin care products. She had me first fill out an online solution tool on her website so she would know just the right type of products to let me try. Based on my answers to the solution tool, she provided me with products from the SOOTHE line and explained to me about the benefits of using the products in this regiman. According to the R&F website, the SOOTHE products are clinically proven to reduce redness and irritation in as little as 5 minutes, with benefits that include shielding against the biological and environmental aggressors that can trigger inflammation and helping fortify skin’s natural moisture barrier, calms visible redness, and reduces irritation.

She had me first do patch tests with the products before I began using them on my face, trying each product on a small patch of my arm for 24 hours before beginning use of the products to ensure they would not be irritating my skin. I have now been using the products for several months.

I tried the Gentle Cream Wash, the first step in the SOOTHE regiman. I love the easy, non-harsh feel of this cleanser.

Along with this product, I tried the SOOTHE Sensitive Skin Treatment.

 The R&F website lists an attribute of this product as helping to neutralize the look of redness on the face. With my fair skin, redness is a skin trait that often comes to my cheek areas when I start my day in the mornings due to my sensitive skin type. I had seen other products that listed an attribute of helping to neutralize redness, and that always gets my attention. I have tried some, and due to the fact the product was not suited to my skin, the outcome often brought me disappointment. When I tried the SOOTHE Sensitive Skin Treatment, I immediately noticed the redness in my cheeks being neutralized without a harsh after-effect of drying my skin.

Amy also sent me with a sample pack of the ANTI-AGE Night Renewing Serum. 

 

What I view as one of the trickiest characteristics of having sensitive skin is trying to find a balance of using an anti-age product that will not irritate your skin. I have run into this problem for as long as I have been looking for anti-age skin care products. The harshness, the redness after-effect, itching and dryness are all characteristics that have happened to my skin when trying to find an anti-age product for my skin. I tried the Night Renewing Serum samples and contacted Amy to let her know I was going to purchase this product. I can't say enough about how I feel that this product has done for my skin. During the nighttime, I can feel a softness in my skin after using this product. When I wake up in the morning, I feel that same softness in my skin and see a healthy glow effect. I love that the serum is packaged in mono-dose capsules that have a single use of the serum measured out for you in each capsule.

A true test for me is not only the "no-makeup coverage" picture but the stage performance "wearing lots of makeup and removing it" test. Recently, I returned to performing in community theatre productions, which I enjoyed doing in Oklahoma for 18 years. I was elated to play a lead role in the local community theatre's production of the Southern comedy, "The Dixie Swim Club". Night after night of dress rehearsal full stage makeup, then performances in full makeup. Cleansing with the Gentle Cleanse Wash removed every bit of my heavy stage makeup and night after night, did not leave me with the redness after-effect.

Here I am backstage ready to have my stage makeup applied. I had been using the R&F products for 2 months and am shown with my skin cleansed with Gentle Cleanse Wash and the Sensitive Skin Treatment applied, no makeup coverage. I love the glow of my skin in this picture with no makeup and so happy for no cheek redness, only a healthy glow.

I am very happy to have been introduced to Rodan & Fields skin care products and have them as a part of my skin care regiman. If you would like to know more about their products, you can visit Amy's R&F consultant page here. Right now, all orders of $185 or more placed by December 31 will receive a free 30 day supply of ANTI-AGE Night Renewing Serum, valued at $44. Amy also has a special right now if someone signs up as a new R&F preferred customer with her, she will offer to refund the enrollment fee.

Thanks to the amazing Amy, one of you will chime in the new year by winning a jar of Rodan & Fields "ANTI-AGE" Multi-Function Eye Cream valued at $59!

According to the R&F website, this product combines powerful peptides to minimize the appearance of crow’s feet, help reduce the appearance of both puffiness and dark under eye circles while special optical diffusers instantly brighten the eye area.

Mandatory Entry:
"Like" Amy's Rodan & Fields consultant page on Facebook here and leave me a comment letting me know that you did. She has some great skin care tips on her page, shares R&F specials and has fun R&F product giveaways.
 

Extra Entry: Complete the following for 5 extra entries and leave me a separate comment letting me know that you did. 

Find out the Rodan & Fields regiman best-suited to your skin type by filling out the R&F solution tool on Amy's website here.

Entries for this giveaway close on Sunday, December 30 at noon EST. Good luck! 

Disclaimer: I received a Rodan & Fields "SOOTHE" Gentle Cream Wash and Sensitive Skin Treatment and an ANTI-AGE Night Renewing Serum sample pack for a review giving my honest feedback about the products. I also received an eye cream giveaway prize. I was not financially compensated for this blog post. All opinions stated in this blog post are my own.
 

Post-Holiday Recipe Change-Up: Tasty Tex Mex Lasagna

 

This Christmas, a loved one gifted me with a jar of Uncle Gary's Gourmet Pepper Jelly. I couldn't wait to venture in the kitchen and create a dish using this tasty ingredient. My "Tasty Tex Mex Lasagna" is a fun spin on traditional lasagna and the pepper jelly gives it the perfect amount of heat. This is a nice way to change up the post-holiday dinner time.  

 

"Southern Fried Bride's Tasty Tex Mex Lasagna”

8 ounces lasagna noodles

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup Uncle Gary's Pepper Jelly

2 cups tomato sauce

1 (8 oz.) container light sour cream 

1 package (8 ounce) shredded Mozzarella cheese (reduced fat Mozzarella works great)

1/2 cup shredded American cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Drain well. Return beef mixture to skillet. Stir in pepper jelly and tomato sauce. In baking pan, layer 1/3 of lasagna noodles, then 1/3 of meat sauce, 1/3 of sour cream and 1/3 package of monterey jack cheese. Repeat layers twice. Bake lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with ½ cup American cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 8-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serves 6-8. Enjoy!