Pistachio Bread

I made my Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread the other day and one of my nieces then requested that I make Pistachio Bread next. As I love it, I quickly agreed and doubled the recipe so everyone could get a small loaf.

I use instant pistachio pudding to give it some real pistachio flavor. I also chop some of the pistachios really small, some roughly and then leave some whole to give the bread lovely texture.

Big tip – as soon as the pudding mix hits the wet ingredients, it will begin to set so make sure that you’ve done all the pan prep, have the pistachios chopped, have the cinnamon sugar out (if using) and the oven preheated before that step.

So delicious and it smelled so good! I had to use threats to keep my Dad from eating it right out of the oven. He couldn’t even wait 15 minutes for it to cool.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 small box instant pistachio pudding mix
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup milk
¼ cup chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 1 large or two small loaf pans with butter.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in instant pudding mix, breaking up any lumps.

In another bowl or in a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla extract, beating well to combine.

With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Add the milk, mixing to combine. Add remaining flour mixture and chopped pistachios, mixing just until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan, smoothing out the top.*

Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for five minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely (or ten more minutes, if you’re my dad).

*Optional – sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar

Meatloaf For a Crowd

My sister and her two adult daughters joined us for lunch so I made a larger meatloaf than usual using 3 lbs of ground beef. There aren’t a lot of embellishments here but it is every bit a comfort food and a satisfying centerpiece for a meal.

Beefy and moist, this was a hit with everyone. And, lucky me, there is enough left over for a couple of sandwiches, too.

3 lbs ground beef (80/20)
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil and turn up the corners to contain the juices.

In a skillet, cook onions in butter over medium low heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Place in a large mixing bowl to cool completely.

In a small bowl, stir milk into breadcrumbs and let stand for 10 minutes.

Combine with the cooled onions the beaten eggs, moistened bread crumbs, ground beef, grated cheese, ketchup, Worcestershire, parsley and pepper. Mix until just combined before adding salt and then mixing it together. Form into a loaf shape on the prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until the interior reaches 160 degrees F. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Pizza Monkey Bread in a Skillet

I like the Dorot Gardens Prepackaged and Portioned Herbs that are stored in the freezer and are available for use whenever the urge to cook strikes. For this recipe, I’m using the crushed garlic and chopped basil for a savory monkey bread.

This twist on traditional pizza is made in a skillet and makes perfect pizza bites that just pull apart. With the garlic basil butter, it is a cross between the best garlic bread you’ve ever had and a pepperoni pizza.

Delicious as a meal or an appetizer. Lovely pizza flavor and everyone went back for more until it was all gone.

16 Bridgford Parkerhouse Roll Dough
1 cup pizza sauce
½ cup butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced or 4 cubes Dorot Crushed Garlic
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped or 2 cubes of Dorot Basil Cubes
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
¼ cup chopped pepperoni
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Thaw the 16 rolls in the refrigerator. Lightly oil a 10 inch cast iron skillet.

Place ¼ cup butter, garlic and basil in a small skillet. Melt the butter and stir to let flavors combine. Remove from heat and set aside. Combine cheese and pepperoni and mix well. Grate the remaining ¼ cup butter into the cheese mixture and stir.

Place ½ cup pizza sauce in the bottom of the skillet. Dredge the thawed rolls of dough in the garlic basil butter. Then dredge in the cheese, pepperoni and butter. Place the rolls in the skillet until filled. Sprinkle over the top any leftover cheese pepperoni mix. Set aside in a draft fee area for 1 hour or until the rolls are puffy. I put mine in the cold oven with the oven light on.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the skillet on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes or until rolls are browned and cheese is bubbly. Put a sheet pan beneath to catch any drips. Allow the monkey bread to sit in the pan for 5 minutes to cool before turning out onto a plate (be careful of the small amount of pizza sauce that wasn’t absorbed by the rolls while cooking). Sprinkle the top with red pepper flakes if using. Warm any remaining pizza sauce for use in dunking.