by Jane Thomson
Bring Something To Pass ”“ a potluck.
The first recipe is from my daughter Rose. Some years ago, when she was a teenager, I was out of the kitchen for long periods of time, and not hanging over her telling what to do. She made some cookies that won a prize at the Sherburne County Fair (we lived in Elk River at the time). Of course, I have kidded her endlessly about the time she made pancakes on a warming tray and wondered why they were taking so long to get done.
This recipe is from her fairly recently, in her adult years. These days I have more to learn from Rose than to teach her.
CURRIED TUNA SALAD – about 8 or 10 potluck side-dish servings
2 cans tuna packed in water
1 red bell pepper
¾ of a purple onion
1 apple
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons of curry powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 teaspoon honey or sugar
½ teaspoon dried dill
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vinegar, preferably balsamic
dash of cumin
Of course, this being a salad and not baked goods, you can adjust these ingredients to your taste. Drain the tuna. Dice the bell pepper, onion, celery and apple, and mix with the tuna. Mince the garlic and mix it with the spices, honey, vinegar and mayonnaise.
Mix the dressing mixture with the tuna/ veggie/apples. This salad is better if it stands a few hours before serving. It keeps in the fridge for several days.
This recipe is from the Pioneer Press, 3/17/11.
SOUR-CREAM BANANA BARS
Bars:
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup sour cream (I used low-fat)
½ cup butter, well softened
2 eggs
1 ½ cups of , or 3 large, ripe bananas
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup chopped nuts
Brown-butter icing:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
1-2 teaspoons hot water
Heat over to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 9”x13” pan. Mash bananas. Combine sugar, flour, sour cream, butter and eggs. Add bananas and vanilla, and mix well. Combine dry ingredients, add to creamy mixture and beat in well. Stir in nuts. Spread in pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until light brown. Cool.
To prepare brown-butter icing (and this step is important to the special flavor): Heat butter over medium heat until it is a delicate brown. Remove from heat and mix in powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and milk until smooth and of spreading consistency. This is where the hot water comes in, for smoothness and thinning.
