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.

Slammin SuperBowl Sustenance

Throwing a super bowl party has been a tradition of mine for about 12 years now. As soon as I got my own place I used every excuse to throw a party. The place wasn’t big so the parties were pretty intimate which is really what you want anyway. I mean, everyone needs to have a comfy seat to watch the game right? Well, this year, I just wasn’t in the mood to do it. Not sure what it was, but our dear friends came to the rescue and decided we should hang together at their house that day. Well, I certainly wasn’t going to go over empty handed and just because I wasn’t in the mood to entertain certainly didn’t mean I wasn’t in the mood to cook! Between me and my gracious hosts we put out a spread that was INSANE! Thank goodness the neighborhood came! Below are a few recipes, some old, some new and certainly not to be enjoyed ONLY on game day!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This recipe was given to me by my sister’s friend from Vermont who is quite a cook. It makes a lot and is fine to make the day before and reheat. Remember though, it’s a hot dip. These types of dips get kind of lame after an hour or two sitting around. If you have a hot plate it would be fantastic to use for this. This is a pretty thick dip so use a chip/cracker that can “hold” it. There is nothing lamer than going in for a scoop and having your chip break all over the place. I usually do this in my giant 6qt sauté pan. Remember NO DOUBLE DIPPING!

3 T butter
½ C minced onions
1T + 1 t minced garlic
2T flour
1 ½ C heavy cream
3-10oz boxes of frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
1-14 oz can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
6 oz havarti or fontina cheese (Shredded or cubed small)
½ C grated parmesan
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t salt
¼ t white pepper
¼ t black pepper
½ t cayenne pepper

Melt butter in saucepan
Add onions and sauté until soft, do not brown
Add garlic, sauté 1 minute stirring
Sprinkle flour and stir and cook for 1 minute
Add ¾ C cream stir constantly until thick
Then add remaining ¾ c cream and stir until thick and smooth
Add rest of ingredients and stir until cheese is melted
Adjust seasoning and “heat” to your liking
Serve HOT with toasted crostini or tortilla chips

Tip: to drain spinach I have a tea towel that I ONLY use for spinach. (Its lightweight and dark green). Put all the spinach on the towel and twist the water right out of it. Remember to separate the spinach a bit so it’s not added to your recipe in one big ball.

Buffalo Calzone

OK so you know by now that my husband and I LOVE buffalo wings AND Calzone. This recipe (is it really even a recipe?) does not have MY “wings” in it but if I had the time I totally would put them in. I got the idea MANY years ago back in Boston and it was actually served at a Valentine’s Day party! The hostess used buffalo tenders from Mario’s in Lexington, MA. I loved that place but until that night didn’t know about them. Since then I only make this for Super Bowl although if you substituted the dough for some sub rolls filled it with chicken and spread the blue cheese on top…WHO DAT is right!

1 lb Pizza Dough
1 bag Tyson buffalo chicken tenders cooked according to package

Roll out dough, add wings, wrap up dough, spray top with Pam or EVOO and bake.
Oven temp should be about 425. I like to use my convection.
Bake on a foil lined sheet sprayed with Pam. If you have a seasoned baking stone use that.
Someone suggested adding Provolone cheese to it…

Serve with my Blue Cheese Dressing

Tip: I have been getting my pizza dough from Trader Joes lately in those plastic bags. To have the best crust you can with this prepackaged dough, cut it out of the bag and onto your floured pastry board or wherever you plan on rolling your dough out. Cover the dough with flour so it won’t stick, shape into a ball and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes if you have the time. The dough will stretch better and it raises better in the oven.

Potato Skins

This was a new venture for me and after finding many recipes I came across one on Allrecipes that looked good, easy and as healthy as one would get with tater skins. I don’t know why but these and twice baked potatoes seemed like a daunting experience for me. I also figured that if they were a disaster we had enough back up. I baked the potatoes the day before. Let them cool completely and then stuck them in the fridge. When scooping out the filling DON’T scoop it all out! You want there to be a nice layer of potato still formed around the skin, kind of like a boat. I am using the “insides” for baked potato soup, YUM! This is also another recipe that loses its luster when they get too cold although not sure if it will take that long to get them to disappear. These freeze well and I had 2 leftover and they reheated beautifully in the toaster oven the next day.

4 large baking potatoes, baked
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (save pulp for another use). Place potatoes skins on a greased baking sheet. Combine oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Lawry’s and pepper; brush over both sides of skins. Bake at 475 degrees F for 7 minutes; turn. Bake until crisp, about 7 minutes more. Sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese inside skins. Bake 2 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and green onions. Serve immediately.

Streusel topped Apple Pie
click here for recipe

I LOVE this pie! I wanted to let you know I baked it for this day because it’s an all American pie for an all American event! We served it with some praline ice cream…WOW!

What came first the chicken or the shroom?

This is one of my husbands favorite chicken dishes. Its simple, meaning few ingredients and on the table in about 30 minutes with few dishes to clean up. YUP my type of meal after working and working out. I like eating this after exercising (I usually do it after work) because its not heavy, and its low fat. I found this recipe about 7 years ago in Everyday Food and I have adapted it to the point I really don't need to have the recipe in front of me. I also like cooking with chicken thighs, although you can easily do breast meat (you should pound it relatively thin). My husband will not eat dark meat, he has no idea I have been feeding him dark meat for 7 years…shhh…
Of course as the night wears on our sweet tooth kicks in and we HAVE to have something sweet. Whenever I have sour cream in the house this cake always makes its way to my cake dish. Other than the sour cream I usually have everything in my pantry. AND its another use for all that cake mix that's always on sale.

Braised Chicken and Shrooms4 boneless. Skinless chicken thighs fat removed
Salt/pepper
EVOO
1 pound mushrooms (cremini are my favorite for this) sliced
2 garlic cloves
½ cup white wine
1 ¾ cup chicken stock
2 T chopped fresh parsley


Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T EVOO in large skillet over medium high heat and add chicken and cook until browned on both sides. Transfer to plate and keep warm.
Add 1 T EVOO to skillet and add mushrooms and ¼ t salt. Cover and cook until juices are released. Remove lid and cook over high heat stirring occasionally until mushrooms are almost cooked. Add garlic and wine and cook until evaporated. Add stock and parsley until liquid has reduced by half.
Return chicken to skillet, and simmer over low heat until chicken is cooked through.
Tip: I buy a large bulb of garlic and whirl it in my mini cuisinart and store in the fridge. It stays for a few weeks and you always have fresh chopped garlic on hand.

Marbled Chocolate Cake1 Cup semi sweet morsels
1 package yellow cake mix
4 eggs
¾ C sour cream
½ C oil (vegetable)
¼ C water
¼ C sugar


Preheat oven to 375. Grease pan of choice. I use a Bundt pan.
Microwave chocolate in a medium bowl for 1 minute. Stir and repeat at 10-20 second intervals until melted and smooth.
Combine cake mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water and sugar in large bowl. Beat on low speed until incorporated, then on high speed for 2 minutes
Stir 1 ½ cups batter into melted chocolate. Alternately spoon batters into prepared pan, beginning and ending with yellow batter.
Bake 35-45 minutes until done. Cook in pan 20 minutes then invert on wire rack to cool completely.
As for the cake "dressing". I leave it bare because we cannot come to an agreement in my house. I like caramel and coconut, he likes chocolate syrup and ice cream. Simple powdered sugar will do too.

Risotto…my comfort food

Risotto was one of those dishes that I was intimidated from as a young cook. It was never served in my house and I wasn't really introduced to it until I went to Italy my first time about 15 years ago. I have been fortunate enough to try it all over the world and I don't know what it is but in Italy it ALWAYS tastes better. Kind of like croissants in France…. I really believe that it's the Parmesan Reggiano. I don't care what anyone says but by the time its been cut, transported, and into my fridge its old and dry. If you have the opportunity to get to Italy go to any grocery store and buy a chunk of it vacuum sealed and take it home. I have no idea if this is OK with customs but until I am searched I will keep doing it.

There are so many different variations to risotto but I tend to stick to veggies and shrimp. My favorite is mushroom. Something about the earthiness of the mushrooms and the creamyness of the rice YUM! I have cooked risotto with squash too and it came out fantastic.

Risotto is so incredibly easy! And its not as time consuming as people think it is. I DO NOT stand over the stove and stir for 25 minutes. I stir, walk away, stir, do something else. While yes you need to be in your kitchen you do not need to be at the stove. It can be served as a main dish with a light salad or in smaller portions as a side dish or first course. This dish cant really be done ahead of time but you can do most of it an hour before your guests come.

Mushroom Risotto

1 lb mushrooms sliced (I prefer Portobello)
EVOO
4 cups warm chicken broth (or veggie broth if preferred)
4 T butter
1 small onion minced
Salt/pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine (or apple juice)
½ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano


In a large saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft but no color. Add rice and constantly stir for 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until absorbed stirring occasionally. Add 2 cups of hot broth and simmer over medium low heat until absorbed stirring occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes.Continue adding broth ½ cup (or ladel) at a time and stirring occasionally. In the meantime heat EVOO in pan and add mushrooms. Cook until desired softness and season to taste. When all broth is absorbed and rice is creamy add mushrooms and cheese. Serve hot with extra cheese. You can make this 1 hour ahead of time but leave some extra broth. Before you are ready to serve heat the rice and add the last of the broth stirring constantly, then add mushrooms and cheese.

TIP: since we never drink white wine in my house I never have a bottle opened to justify ½ a cup so I started purchasing those small 4pack bottles of white wine. They are perfect in recipes like this where the wine isn't the star of the dish but there is only a sublte hint of it.

Gadget: Strawberry corer
A couple months ago we threw a large party and had a good size chocolate fountain going. One of the dippers was strawberries. I had a huge tray of them that needed to be hulled. Well, I had to ask my husband to hull them while I was doing other stuff. In my stocking this year for Christmas was this cool strawberry corer. I just tried it out on some fantastic strawberries from the market (I love CA produce) and it was fantastic! I was always one to just lop off the top and lose 1/3 of the strawberry, NOT anymore!
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