NaNa NaNa NaNa Banana Bread!

Sometimes you just get an urge to make banana bread.  This is one of those times. I've just moved into a house for the summer (which is both sad because I miss my lovely little apartment and exciting because I now live with two of my best friends).  So this is my first blog post from this kitchen! The recipe is a bit improvised, but I think it turned out very well!

Banana Bread

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups flour

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) With a wooden spoon, mix the butter  the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.  Add the flour in last, mix.

3) Pour mixture into a prepared pan (4 x 8 is recommended, I only had an 8 x 8).  Bake for 1 hour.  Cool on a rack.  Remove from pan and slice.

The smell is heavenly!

Cherry Mojitos

A couple of summers ago, we threw a surprise party for my dad's 60th birthday.  Our neighbor (and gracious host), Darby, is a master of mixed drinks. She made cherry mojitos that were to die for.  I am home for a few days before I begin my last class at Western, and I decided to try my hand at cherry mojitos for my parents.  I believe this is the first cocktail to make it on my blog, and I must admit that I am writing this blog post quite tipsy!

Cherry Mojitos (makes 3 drinks)

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pound cherries (sour or sweet, preferably sweet), pitted and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons lime juice
6 ounces light rum
24 ounces sparkling water

1) Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan on the stove.  Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and add the chopped cherries. Allow to cool, or refrigerate.

2) Put a tablespoon of chopped mint into each glass, followed by 1/4 cup of the cherry simple syrup, and 1 tablespoon lime juice.  Using the end of a wooden spoon, muddle the mixture together.

3) Add 2 ounces of rum and a cup of sparkling water to each glass. Add ice and serve with mint and extra cherries.

My mom sucked that baby down fast! It was delicious and just what we all desperately needed after moving half my stuff from Bellingham to Seattle.  Make, Drink, Enjoy.

Garlic-Oil and Artichoke Pasta

I have been the busiest of bees.  Meaning, I haven't had the time to cook a real meal in awhile (thank goodness for Trader Joe's).  Tonight, I tried another one of my hospital magazine recipes.  Jouir.

Garlic-Oil and Artichoke Pasta

Pasta (I chose thin spaghetti)

Olive oil

1 large clove garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Thyme

Basil, sliced or chopped

Frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and patted dry

1) Thinly coat the bottom of a skillet with oil.  Toast the garlic in the oil, and remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl.  Increase the heat to medium-high.

2) Season the artichokes with kosher salt.  Cook, cut side down, until golden-brown.

3) Stir in lemon juice and about 1 tablespoon thyme.  Toss with the pasta and garlic.  Top with fresh basil and serve.

Très délicieux. This would be great tossed with other veggies too!

Strawberry Tart

Yesterday was just the day I needed.  I wasn't called into work.  My afternoon class was cancelled.  And I didn't volunteer at the hospital because I still have a cough.  It was beautiful.  I was finally able to go buy a fuchsia to plant and run some errands.  I took a blissful two hour nap.  Finally, in the evening I watched War Horse and baked a rustic strawberry tart.

Rustic Strawberry Tart

1 frozen puff pastry sheet (or pie crust), thawed*
1 pound organic strawberries, destemmed and quartered
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Juice from half a lemon
water for brushing
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling (or more regular sugar)
*I learned it is very important to remember to thaw the dough

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2) Wash, destem, and quarter the strawberries.  Add them to a large bowl with the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.  Stir and set aside to marinate.

3) Roll out the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick.  Transfer to baking sheet.  Spoon strawberry mixture into center of the dough, leaving about an inch and a half at the border.  Fold up the sides of the dough.  Lightly brush the sides with water and sprinkle with sugar.

4) Bake for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden and strawberries are bubbling.  Let cool 5 to 10 minutes.

Beautiful and delicious. I wish everyday could be like yesterday.

Homemade Pho Ga

I caught a cold this week.  It's my third time being sick in the past month, and the whole time I've been craving a large, warm, cozy bowl of Pho Ga (chicken pho).  My friend Sophie and I had a dinner date, so we improvised a pho recipe!

Pho Ga

Chicken broth
1/2 onion, chopped
2 inches of ginger root, minced
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 pound rice noodles
3 cloves
1/4 teaspoon coriander
basil
hosin sauce
(if you have them, we didn't: scallions)

1) In a large pot, bring broth to a boil (or make broth with water and chicken bouillon).  Add onions and ginger. Let simmer a few minutes.

2) Add chicken, cloves, and coriander.  Allow to simmer while cooking rice noodles.

3) Put dried noodles in a large bowl.  Boil enough water to completely cover the noodles.  Pour the water over the noodles and gently stir.  Let noodles sit in hot water for 3-8 minutes (depending on thickness of noodle), and drain when ready.

4) Put portions of noodles in bowls and spoon the broth over them.  Serve immediately with basil and sauces (to taste).  Also, feel free to experiment with whatever else you think would taste great, such as bean sprouts or lime.

It was perfect.  Exactly what I needed to get through the end of my cold.  Thanks Sophie!

Spinach Pesto

I always really like the idea of pesto.  I love basil and I love cheese.   However, for some reason basil pesto can be too rich for me sometimes so I don't have it very often.  I always end up buying a jar of it, using it once, and then leaving it in a far corner of the fridge to slowly go bad.  While at the hospital, I found a recipe for pesto made from spinach instead of basil.  It seemed a lot healthier and the magazine also included a few fun variants on how to make it (such as using roasted red peppers).  My best friend, Noel, came over for dinner and we made this savory pesto.

Spinach Pesto

2 tablespoons roasted almonds
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 ounces baby spinach (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pecornio or parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Pasta of choice (I used tri-colored fusilli)

1) Cook pasta according to directions. Reserve some cooking water.

2) In a food processor, pulse almonds, garlic, and zest until finely chopped.

3) Add spinach, oil, and cheese. Puree until smooth.

4) Toss with pasta and some reserved pasta water if necessary.

5) Serve with best friend and an episode of Sherlock.

Thanks Noel!

Homemade Taquitos

I found a recipe for homemade baked chicken taquitos, and I just couldn't say no.  I altered the original recipe, found on the blog Chef in Training, partly because it was too spicy to be acid reflux friendly and partly because I didn't realize I didn't have the right ingredients. For instance, onion powder is not the same thing as garlic powder. Go figure.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese (or cheddar)
small corn tortillas
kosher salt cooking spray

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2) In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, lime juice, cumin, onion powder, and garlic.  Once combined, add the cilantro and green onions.  Add the chicken and the cheese and mix thoroughly,

3) Working with 2-3 tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (20-30 seconds).

4) Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla.  Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

5) Placed the rolled tortilla seam down on the baking sheet.  Repeat until mixture is gone.  Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

6) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

They turned out great! And tasted fantastic (despite missing a couple ingredients)!  I ate 3 and froze the rest for lunch this weekend.  I'm glad I gave this recipe a try.