Mocha Butterscotch Pudding

This basic recipe is from February's Gourmet and is excellent. Trick is, at the end before it cools, add 1 tsp. or so of instant coffee. The heat from the pudding mixture will melt the little grinds. Then you have a mocha butterscotch! It was quite a hit at my firm's potluck! Enjoy!

• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1- 2 tsp of instant coffee grinds
  

• For topping:
  lightly sweetened whipped cream

• Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt in a heavy medium saucepan, then whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently, then boil, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Pour into a bowl, then cover surface with buttered wax paper and chill until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Banana Expresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe courtesy of a great little baking book called Baked, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. See the website for this Brooklyn, NYC at: http://bakednyc.com/

Yield: 12 muffins (somehow, I got more muffins out of this recipe than that)


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1 1/2 tsps baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg.
• In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 mins., until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
• Move the muffin pan to a cooling rack, and let cool for 15 mins. After 15 mins, remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack.
• Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days. (They also freeze quite well if you wrap them individually in saran wrap.)
  

Enjoy!

Pumpkin or Squash Enchiladas

Courtesy of New Seasons Market chefs... I love that store! I did not add any meat and these were perfectly filling.

1 16-oz can enchilada sauce

12 corn tortillas

3 c. cooked squash or pumpkin, cubed

1- 15oz can black beans, drained

1 1/2 c. frozen corn, or 1 can of corn, drained

1- 4oz. can mild or hot green chiles, diced

3 c. shredded jack or pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9"13 inch pan, spread 1/4 c. enchilada sauce over bottom. Layer tortillas over, breaking them as needed to evenly cover the bottom. Evenly spread half the squash, half the beans, half the chiles, half the corn, and half the remaining enchilada sauce and then 1/3 of the cheese over tortillas. Repeat, layering tortillas, but no enchilada sauce on second layer. Layer last 4 tortillas, remaining enchilada sauce and remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 min. or until bubbly.

Options: Add shredded cooked chicken or beef.