Going Bananas!

Who is bored with banana bread? ME! Ever since I started going food shopping bananas are always in my cart. You can't buy them in individual stages of ripeness, NO, you have to buy 1 bunch and hope that you get to them before they go bad. Well, I always have good intentions in finishing them but there is always that one or two bananas left, staring at me, making me feel guilty. It's not my fault; I just can't eat over-ripe bananas. And I am just saying…Chiquita is the best…if you can get them you are lucky…

SO here I am yet another time staring at two lowly bananas and thinking to myself "no WAY am I going to bake another banana bread!" I have done ALL different variety of banana breads—regular banana bread, chocolate chip BB, Coconut BB, Chocolate BB. Then of course there are the banana cakes, muffins and smoothies. Banana pudding and cream pies are amazing but you need to eat those desserts the same day and since there is only 2 in my household that would be quite a challenge.

On the phone with my sister yet again talking food, I started complaining about the bananas and the thought about making yet another banana bread. Now, don't get me wrong, banana breads are amazing I just need something different right now. Sis suggested…coooookies….HA! On to my quest for some variety of a banana cookie! I came across several and chose one with Oatmeal in it. I was trying to find one with peanut butter in it and will experiment with it next time but I was still very skeptical of using a banana in a "cookie". I was also looking for a recipe to use 2 large bananas. I am not convinced that you would be able to taste the banana in a recipe that uses only 1 with all the other stuff you put into making the cookie.

A little history on this cookie…So this is a very old recipe and you will notice it calls for shortening. This was a recipe that was used during wartime because there were no rationed goods used like butter. Oatmeal was also a replacement for wheat. This is also a cookie that ships very well and was often sent to troops overseas.

Would LOVE to hear from you about what you do with your leftover bananas!!!

Gadget: ice cream scoop—I always use this when I am making cookies. I like this particular one because it has a squeeze handle and not the trigger for your thumb. You can get these at most kitchen stores in a variety of sizes. So think about what size cookies you like to make while picking out your size.

Notes: When I say to cream the shortening and sugar that doesn't mean until it comes together, it means until its light and fluffy almost like a frosting. I do this in my KA mixer and add in the quartered bananas, I like to have little chunks of banana in the cookie. If you do use an ice cream scoop for these cookies keep in mind they do not spread a lot so if you like a flatter cookie then flatten the dough. I used my silpat but feel free to bake these on parchment. I chose not to frost mine but feel free to frost yours!

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Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from


1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Cream together the shortening and sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, banana, oatmeal and nuts/chips. Mix well.
Add dry ingredients, mix well and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until edges turn lightly brown. Cool on wire rack. Store in a closed container.

Chinese Food Experiment

I have always loved Chinese food. Where I grew up we had some amazing Chinese food restaurants. Every Wednesday growing up we went to the local Chinese food restaurant for the Pu Pu Platter and some Shirley temples for me and my sis. I couldn't get enough of the appetizers. Not sure if it was the food or the FIRE that was in the middle of our platter that enthralled me more. My sister and I would fight over who could stick their chicken wing in the fire first to burn the skin. I know, gross…I still love the appetizers but as I got older I actually branched out and started trying the dishes. As I started to get into cooking I tried my hardest to figure out the ingredients to no avail. When I go to the grocery store all I am familiar with is soy sauce. Actually, wrong. My mom used to BBQ spareribs in that Ah So sauce, I have to admit it was pretty good…

On my quest to overcome my fears (publicly) I attempted to make a Chinese food dish. I wanted one that I have had before in a restaurant so I could at least compare it with my version and I needed to pick something that my husband would eat since he isn't nearly as adventurous as I am. His requirement is that it not be spicy. I chose two recipes from Allrecipes and off I went to the supermarket. To my delight most of the ingredients I was somewhat familiar with, the only foreign one was the oyster sauce. To me it sounds gross but hey I was on an adventure.

Both of these recipes came out fantastic! Are they restaurant quality, probably not, BUT when a husband who refuses to eat leftovers asks if we are having leftovers that night for dinner, you know you did something right. To many, this dish might be on the sweet side so feel free to throw in some heat (maybe chili?). I did the beef in my wok and the rice in my 6qt sauté pan. Next time I would just serve the beef dish with plain jasmine rice. The fried rice was a meal in itself. You might want to double the sauce it was so good especially over plain rice. I wish I could come up with something else to do with the sauce. ..

Crispy Orange Beef
1 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons orange zest
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

Toss dried beef in cornstarch to coat. Lay beef strips out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Allow to dry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, rice vinegar, orange juice concentrate, salt and soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Fry in the hot oil in small batches until crispy and golden brown; set aside. Drain all of the oil from the wok except about 1 tablespoon.
Add orange zest, ginger and garlic to the remaining oil, and cook briefly until fragrant. Add the soy sauce mixture to the wok, bring to a boil, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Add beef, and heat through, stirring to coat.

Fried Rice

2 cups enriched white rice (I use Jasmine)
4 cups water
1 ½ Cup frozen peas & carrots thawed and drained
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 scallions sliced thin
soy sauce to taste (I used 2 T)
sesame oil, to taste (optional) (I used about ¼ t)
oyster sauce (I used 2T)

In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, boil carrots in water about 3 to 5 minutes. Drop peas into boiling water, and drain.

Heat wok over high heat. Pour in oil, then stir in carrots and peas; cook about 30 seconds. Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs and scallions with vegetables. Stir in cooked rice. Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.

Notes: If you can make the rice in advance this dish is much better. The drier the rice the better. If you want to add in shrimp do so with the peas and carrots.