Boston Brown Bread Recipe | St. Patricks Day | Homemade Bread

This is a recipe for Boston Brown Bread, a New England favorite.  Serve all fall and winter together with some homemade soup or franks and beans for an old-fashion Saturday night supper.

Boston Brown Bread

Of course, most old-time New England folk serve the traditional Irish Soda Bread along with their favorite corned beef and cabbage dinners or Shepard's Pie on St. Patrick's Day.

It has really been rough trying to find Brown Bread, either with or without raisins in the grocery stores.  It was a favorite of our with Hot Dogs and Beans (Saturday night supper) when I was growing up.

When I was growing up, we always had Boston Brown Bread and Hot Dogs and Baked Beans as a supper about once a month.

This easy recipe for homemade bread can be whipped up in just about an hour!

Serve with a side dish of your favorite Baked Beans recipe, or as a dipping bread along with my Irish Pub Corned Beef Dip recipe !

Easy clean-up with my old-fashioned Handmade Crochet Dishcloths from my Moomettes Crochet Shop !

Boston Brown Bread

2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup molasses
1 cup graham flour
1 cup white flour or whole wheat white flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup melted shortening or EVOO
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt

Combine the ingredients and bake for one hour in a greased loaf pan in a 350 degree oven
Notes

You may add a handful of raisins or currents if desired. Graham flour, a/k/a whole meal flour or whole wheat flour

© Frugal New England Kitchen

Hungarian Garden Fresh String Green Bean Soup with Spoon Noodles

This is a tried and true homemade Hungarian Green Bean Soup recipe made from fresh string beans and served with spoon noodles. I've only made this summer soup from green beans, but imagine it would taste just as delicious with yellow wax beans.

Early in the morning one day last week I stopped at a local farm stand to pick up some fresh blueberries for the grandchildren on the way to my daughter's new home in Petticoat Junction as we were going to go on a camping trip.

As I surveyed all the freshly picked veggies that were on display I had in mind to make the recipe for fried green beans casserole that I make using French's Onion Rings. Then I remembered the Hungarian Green Bean Soup recipe that I hadn't made it in quite some time, and thought I'd introduce it to my charming son-in-law.

This summer I'm trying the soup recipe with these magnificent Long Beans or sometimes called Pole Beans from our local farm stand,  "Big Mouse Farm"

This is an easy recipe for a light supper on a summer night - serve with croutons or French bread and a salad. This summer soup recipe is also a great way to get the kids or grandkids to eat their vegetables!

Hungarian Green Bean Soup Recipe

This original Hungarian String Bean Soup recipe was given to me by my next-door neighbor. She and I both had joined the Junior Woman's Club in town when we were young moms and worked together on the fundraising committee publish a local cookbook of favorite recipes from the Club's members.

Easy clean up with my crochet Handmade Kitchen Dish Cloths from Moomettes Crochet Shop !

Green Bean String Bean Soup Recipe

*Soup*
3 c. green beans (preferably fresh)
1 Tbl. shortening (butter, EVOO, your choice, but use more EVOO if that's your preference)
2-3 Tbl. flour (I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour)
1 Tbl. parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, Paprika, to taste

*Spoon Noodles*
1 egg
salt
flour (I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, but you can use white flour also)

Cut beans into one-half inch pieces
Boil in 1-1/2 quarters water and 1/2 tsp. salt for one-half hour (Use a 3 quarter pot or larger)
Melt 1 Tbl. shortening in a small skillet
Add about 2-3 Tbl. flour, 1 Tbl. chopped parsley and a few shakes of pepper (This makes a mixture called a "Roux")
This should make a mixture slightly thicker than gravy.
Pour about one cup or so of the bean liquid into the skillet, stirring constantly.
Pour that mixture back into the rest of the bean liquid.
This makes the soup, but the complete recipe calls for the homemade "Spoon Noodles."

*Noodles:*
Mix 1 egg, dash of salt and flour (enough for a slightly stiff batter.)
Using the edge of a soup or tablespoon, form long slender noodles and drop into the soup which has been brought to a boil.
Boil 10 minutes and lower to simmer until ready to serve.

© Frugal New England Kitchen

Simple Banana Bread Recipe

Oftentimes we all have good intentions of trying to eat more fruit.  If you find yourself with too many leftover bananas that have ripened, make a simple Banana Bread.

This family recipe for a quick banana bread is an easy grab and go out the door to head to school, work, or sit down and enjoy at home.

If you buy bananas to specifically make banana bread, they will ripen faster if you place them in a brown paper bag, such as a brown lunch bag.

If chocolate is your thing, be sure to check out my recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread

Looking for a quick snack the kids can help with?  Check out my Cake Mix Banana Muffins with Chocolate chips! 

Easy clean up with Handmade Cotton Dish Cloths from Moomettes Crochet Shop

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp.  vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon or nutmeg
1-1/4 c. sugar or substitute honey equivalent in proportion 
1/2 c. vegetable or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
2 tb. milk
3 bananas, mashed with a little milk
Chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Add  flour, baking soda and salt and cinnamon to a mixing bowl to set aside
Mix egg, sugar and oil.  Stir until well blended.  Mixture will be a little thick
Add milk, vanilla and bananas and sir, mixing well
Add nuts to batter if desired
Sprinkle with a sugar/cinnamon mixture on top if desired.
Bake 50-70 minutes, checking until  a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack

© Frugal New England Kitchen