Momma's Mango Lassi

I actually made this a while ago, but I've been behind on updating all my recipes. For those of you have no idea what Mango Lassi is, it's a traditional Indian mango smoothie. It's deliciously creamy and is perfect for summer weather. My Mom is the one who taught me this recipe, and as ya'll know, Momma knows best!

And the best part about this drink is that it's embarrassingly easy to make with only three ingredients! (Four, if you count the additional sugar for taste.) Look down and you'll notice that this recipe only has 1 step. Can I get a hallelujah?

Mango Lassi

Makes 2 servings

1 sweet ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup ice
1 tablespoon sugar (to taste)

1. Take the peeled, diced mango and puree in the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients until the all the ice is crushed and it's your desired consistency.

Tips:

If the lassi is too thick add some water and blend well. Also, if the mango is not naturally super sweet then add the additional tablespoon of sugar to the lassi.

Mini Cream Cheese & Parsley Biscuits

During one of my many executions of English Sticky Toffee Pudding, I thought I didn't have enough flour to finish baking my cake. In my frantic search I found not only regular flour but self-rising flour.

After doing a quick google search (and reading the back of the packet) I found out that self-rising flour has salt and baking powder already added in its mixture. It's great for making things like scones or biscuits, which is why I decided to make some mini cream cheese and parsley biscuits!

According to this livestrong.com article, to substitute self-rising flour for regular flour you have to "Read the recipe to see how much baking powder and salt are required. If the amount is less than 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder and 1/2 tsp. of salt per cup of flour, the substitution will not work well. ' If the ratios work, you will then "omit 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder and 1/2 tsp. of salt for every cup of flour in the recipe. In most cases, this means you will not add baking powder or salt at all".


So although I used self-rising flour in my trial, you can use regular all-purpose flour with the additional salt and baking powder requirements! If I have confused you thoroughly, check out the original recipe which I made a twist on. 

Overall, this recipe was very simple: especially for a baked product. The size made them super appealing and I kept grabbing one to eat whenever I was on the go! The parsley adds some freshness and life to a normal buttermilk biscuit whilst the cream cheese makes the biscuit extra moist.

I made my biscuits a little bigger (2 inches in diameter) so I only ended up with 25 biscuits as opposed to 50. And you may think 24 is a lot, but right now there's high demand  for them within my family, and I only have a couple left! Who would have thunk these biscuits would be such a hit. 

Mini Cream Cheese & Parsley Biscuits

Recipe from How Sweet It Is

Serving Size: 2 inch biscuits in diameter- 25 biscuits  

2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into piece
1/2 cup cold whipped cream cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, salt and parsley, stirring well to coat. Using your hands, a fork or a pastry blender, add the butter and mix until coarse crumbles form. ( If you don't have a fancy machine like me, use your hands! It's the easiest way to control the consistency of the mix.)

3.  Once finished, add in the cream cheese in spoonfuls. Once again, use the same technique applied on the butter- but you don't want to mix the cream cheese in as much. Combine the mixture until there are a few larger chunks of cream cheese and it's worked into the flour.

4. Add the buttermilk and stir until it is JUST combined - do not overmix! 

5.  Add some flour to your workspace and place the dough on top.Roll out the dough and pat it into 1/2 inch thick. Take a small biscuit cutter or a (clean) lid to one of your spice containers and cut the biscuits into rounds. You want to use an instrument that is roughly two inches in diameter. 

6. Place biscuits on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until slightly golden. These are best served warm when the cream cheese is still soft!

Tips:

 Make sure to flour your work station so the dough doesn't stick to your table! My advice to you is to watch your oven because these babies cook up REAL fast. One minute too long, and you could end up with blackened bottoms.  My personal serving suggestion is to eat them warm topped with butter. 

Banana Walnut Cake

So whenever there are bananas that are beginning to go bad in my house, my Mom always gives them to me with her signature "You know what to do" look. This time I had 6 black, spotty, mushy bananas which I calculated out to be three batches of banana walnut cake. Yup, you heard me right. I tripled the recipe below.

Which really was a shame because I forgot to add the baking soda and was left with tray upon tray of weirdly-textured banana nut muffins. Oops. The first time I made this was in the 7th grade, so I really have no idea who to give credit to for the recipe. I do promise that the cake is awesome if it's followed correctly!

Banana Walnut Cake

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 mashed bananas, very ripe
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. First, take the walnuts and put them into the food processor. Pulse it to make sure the walnuts get are chopped into small pieces.  Measure 1 cup of chopped walnuts and set aside.
3. Take your two ripe bananas and mash together using a fork. Try to get the bananas as smooth as possible with a paste like consistency.
4. Next mix the flour, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, buttermilk, and baking soda together thoroughly.
5. Crack the eggs and beat them using a wire whisk. To the eggs add the vanilla, bananas, and walnuts.
6. Place all the ingredients into one large bowl and combine using a wire whisk. You may also need to use a rubber spatula to make sure the flour is evenly distributed in the entire batter.
7. Pour into a 9 x 13 greased pan. Cook at 350 degrees F for about 35 minutes.
8. Cook until the top is brown and springs back when touched. Cut into squares and serve.

Tips:

If your bananas aren't squishy to the touch, an easy way to make the bananas bake-worthy is to squish them in the skin! Apply slight pressure to the peel and squeeze the banana until you feel the banana starting to become mushy. Make sure to keep the skin intact during this process because the banana will get everywhere if the peel explodes.  

Also feel free to bake them in muffin pans, but remember that baking time will be much shorter! If you have the mini-mini pans then expect 10-15 minutes and the regular muffin size should take 15-20 minutes. 

Also, don't forget the baking soda.