grocery store.

I love taking pictures in grocery stores.

Thursday I documented my whole day in pictures, you can see the set here: http://flickr.com/photos/honeyandjam/sets/72157614409006813/

Banana bread

This recipe is my stand-by. It so good, and it always comes out so well. It's just your basic banana bread recipe, but it tastes so homey and just makes you happy. Does anyone else equate tastes and smells to places and feelings? I'm sure we all do it. For me, this is what home should smell like. I made this loaf for a friend.



Banana Bread

3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (I never have self rising, you can just use 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt for every cup to make self rising)

Mix butter into mashed bananas, add sugar, egg and vanilla. Add flour last. Mix well.
Pour in greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

It's best with whole wheat, but I didn't have any ground. White works well too.

get dressed.

new recipes coming soon, i promise.

apple turnovers.

I love apples. I love apple pie, apple bread, apple tarts. But I've never made Apple Turnovers before.



That was remedied today.

I'm a big believer in that puff pastry makes life better. That flakey buttery goodness cures all that ails you. I've never gotten up the courage to make my own (maybe soon!), but I think pepperidge farm does a dang nice job.



Anyway, here's the recipe I used. I just sort of made up the filling part.

Apple Turnovers
makes 4

1 sheet puff pastry
2 apples
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 tablespoons sugar, plus some for sprinkling
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream

On a lightly floured surface, Roll out pastry dough into a rectangle, until about 1/8 inch thick. Using a pastry cutter or pizza cutter cut into 4 squares. Place squares on a baking sheet lined with parchment, cover with foil, chill in fridge until firm, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare fruit filling.

For filling, chop apples into a 1/2 inch dice. In a medium bowl, combine the apples with the cornstarch, cinnamon and sugar.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream, set aside. Divide the filling evenly between the squares, placing it in the center. Brush the edges with egg wash. Fold the dough diagonally over filling to form a triangle, and press to seal. Place filled turnovers on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the over to 375. Brush tops of turnovers with egg wash, being careful not to let it drip over the edges, as this will prevent even puffing. Sprinkle generously with sugar and bake, rotating sheet halfway through until turnovers are puffed and deep golden, 30-35 minutes. Immediately transfer turnovers to a wire rack to cool.

About Me

“I’m not going to start a blog until I have a name I love.” That's what I kept telling myself way back in October of 2008. I spent about a month going back and forth on this name or that. Late one night in November “Honey & Jam” popped into my head. I was drinking tea - with honey and eating toast - with jam. It just worked. In some weird way, it fit me.

I’m Hannah Queen, baker and photographer. I'm 21 and I live in Georgia, I was homeschooled and I love Jesus. I like simple things, fresh ingredients and flowers, tea with honey, good music, bluegrass and big band, trips to the farmers market and early mornings. I’m the happiest when I’m in the kitchen, creating something tasty, and when I’m behind my camera, taking pictures of everything I see.

etsy • twitter • flickr • facebook

Places you might have seen me:

ReadyMade, The Kitchn, Real Simple (and here too!), Gourmet Live (here too), food 52, Eliza Magazine, Artful Blogging Magazine, Style at Home, Lily, Foodies of the World, Saveur (and here) Food News Journal, N.E.E.T. Magazine, Women's Health Magazine, Peanut Butter & Co, The Kitchen Generation, Fine Cooking, Fork Magazine, Chow.com

If you have any questions, I’d love to answer them! Send me an email at honeyandjam@ymail.com.

A couple of FAQ:

What camera do you shoot with? All shots before September 2010 were taken with either a Canon digital rebel xsi or a Canon digital rebel xt, with a 50mm f1.8 lens or a 50mm f1.4 lens. All shots after September 2010 are taken with a Canon 5d mark ii with a 50mm f1.4 lens.

Where do you get your props? They come from all over the place. Ikea, target, anthropologie, shopterrain.com, etsy shops.

What kind of lighting set up do you use? I shoot exclusively with natural light. I have a table set up by a window, and use a piece of foam core board to reflect.

What's your favorite food? Bread. And roasted chicken. And roasted sweet potato. Oh, and these brownies.

scenes from the kitchen.

Supernatural Brownies

I've been terribly sick this last week which has seriously slowed down my baking. Which stinks. So yesterday my mom took pity on me and helped me make these brownies, a recipe I originally found though David Lebovitz' website.

I'm not sure I'd classify them as "supernatural" but they were dang good. Much more fudgy and chewy than the last brownies I made. You're supposed to let these sit overnight before eating them. But it's almost impossible to get my family not to devour them in the first 10 minutes. So only about a quarter made it through the night. Which is a shame because they were a lot better the second day.



Did you know that brownies were created in the US?

Culinary historians have traced the first cake “brownie” to the 1906 edition of The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, edited by Fannie Merritt Farmer. This recipe is an early, less rich and chocolaty version of the brownie we know today, utilizing two squares of melted Baker’s chocolate. You can read more about that here.


the crust is gorgeous!

Supernatural Brownies

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

4 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

One 13x9x2-inch pan, buttered and lined with buttered parchment or foil

1. Set the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and turn off heat. Combine butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set over pan of water. Stir occasionally until melted.

3. Whisk eggs together in a large bowl, then whisk in the salt, sugars, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate and butter mixture, then fold in the flour.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, until top has formed a shiny crust and batter is moderately firm. Cool in pan on a rack. Wrap pan in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature or refrigerated until the next day.

5. To cut brownies, unmold onto a cutting board, remove paper, and replace with another cutting board. Turn cake right side up and trim away edges. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares.

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting

I’m generally a fan of anything that combines bananas and honey. So last night I tried out Martha Stewart’s Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Honey Frosting.

They were really good, the cupcake part is basically mini banana bread, which is awesome. I really liked the frosting too, although I have a feeling that a lot of people might not like the cinnamon/honey mix. So next time I’ll probably just drizzle them with honey and call it a day.



Makes 12

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread tops with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place one on each cupcake, if desired.

Frosting

1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes

signs of spring?

potato soup

Oh, this soup. It’s so good. There’s nothing fancy about it, it’s just the epitome of comfort food.

Everyone in my house has been sick this past week, so today it was up to me to make lunch. You should never leave me to cook, honestly. Baking is my thing. The precise measurements that lead to the perfect cookie. None of that willy-nilly throwing things into a pot and hope they come out alright.



So, ever the baker, I looked around for the best potato soup recipe I could find. I ended up using this one from all recipes, and tweaking it a bit, for what I had here.

It came out amazingly! It was so delicious. I had two bowls, and now I’m feeling a little sick. It is SO filling. I doubled the recipe, but next time I’ll probably double the new one, it doesn’t seem to make that much, probably 7 servings.

Potato Soup

Ingredients:
6 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cube chicken bouillon
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 pinch ground black pepper (same here)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 1/2 cup chopped bacon


Directions:
1. In a large stock pot add potatoes, carrots, onion, chicken bouillon, water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until vegetables become tender.
2. In a separate bowl mix flour and heavy cream. Once it is well blended, add to soup mixture and cook until soup becomes thick.
Stir in cheese, cooked bacon and simmer until cheese is melted.

If you can get it to thicken up enough, just add a little more flour. or cheese, if you want.

You should probably also load the top with green onions. Because green onions are good.



Just saying.

po-ta-to.

no baking today, just working outside, (it was 65 degrees!), cleaning out my herb garden (i can't wait for herbs!) and cutting up these suckers.

I mentioned a couple of months ago that we had left our church. Well, since then we've started attending a fantastic home church. The people are great, and the preaching is awesome. It's been so long since I've actually heard the Word of God, had it made clear so that I could understand. It's really revitalizing and I just feel so uplifted. After the service, we all eat together and fellowship. It's really great.

I'm hoping to get some stuff done outdoors this week, it's supposed to be nice. I hope to till up our front flower garden. I want to plant bells of ireland and snapdragons there. I really need to clean out my herb box, and maybe help my dad build me one or two more. I can't wait for spring.

I also found a recipe for pomegranate chocolate cupcakes and frosting. I'm totally going to make those this week.

granola + yogurt.

Happy nutella day!

Today is world nutella day, in honor of this amazing day, I decided to make nutella-peanut butter brownies. The originial recipe is here.
You can only use delicious so many times before it seems to lose it’s meaning. And when you bake a lot, you seem to say it all the time. I think I need to invest in a good thesaurus.



These brownies are pretty decadent. As in, you might not want to eat more than a couple, unless you want to die.


They are super rich, but oh so tasty. Kind of cakey at first, which I actually like in a brownie, but once they sit a while they get more brownie-ish.



After a minor incidient with the oven, (I thought we were out of propane! Oh No! These just needed a little longer to cook) these came out really well. All in all, a really good brownie. I’ll definitely be making this one again.




Go out there and buy yourself some nutella!

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Over low heat melt the butter, then stir in the sugar and vanilla extract until well combined.

Add the eggs to the sugar mixture, one at a time. With a wooden spoon mix in each egg until well combined.

Add the cocoa mixture to the sugar-egg mixture and whisk until fully combined.

In a microwave safe bowl, add the nutella and the peanut butter. Heat in the microwave in 20 second intervals, until runny.

Pour the batter into a glass 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes (mine took more like 45.) in a 350 degree oven.

scenes from the kitchen.

Today, I made these. Maybe it was just my American taste buds, but I didn’t care for them at all.

They were pretty though.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting.

Ohhh this one is a keeper.

Sometimes I come upon a recipe, think it sounds alright, print it out and then forget about it. That’s what I did with this one. Today I made these, and I’m trying to come up with a word to describe them. Delicious doesn’t seem strong enough. My father, who hates chocolate, even liked these.

They are so light and airy, and the chocolate flavor isn’t overwhelming, which I like, because like my dad, I’m not a huge chocolate fan. The frosting, while tasty, is super sweet, so I plan on using very small quantities next time.

I found the recipe here, it originates from here. I tweaked it just a itty bitty bit.



Devil’s Food Cupcakes
makes about 2 dozen

9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups cake flour or all purpose
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup strong coffee
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup milk

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift together cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.
3. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. (If using a standing electric mixer, stop the mixer as necessary to scrape down the sides to be sure everything is getting mixed in.)
4. Mix together the coffee and milk. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, the add the coffee and milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.
5. Pour into lined cupcake pans, about 3/4 of the way full, and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Raspberry frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
6-8 cups powdered sugar

1. Place butter and jam in a mixing bowl or an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream until well incorporated, about 2 mintues.
2. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until you reach desired consistency.
   

I made chocolate covered strawberries for church yesterday. This was all that was left.