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.

Cousin Sarah's Famous Mac and Cheese

My cousin Sarah is an excellent cook.  She taught me her wonderful macaroni recipe a few years ago, and as my friends could tell you, it's become a tad famous.  I'm actually a little appalled I haven't put it on the blog yet.  Anyways, the other day I was with some friends and one of them (Zoe) told me how much she missed and was craving my mac and cheese.  Well that convinced me.  It was time for a macaroni night!  So I gathered some friends, and together we demolished the mac and cheese!

Cousin Sarah's Famous Mac and Cheese

1 (8oz) package of fusilli or spiral noodle (it holds the cheese better than elbow)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups good quality shredded cheddar cheese (I think I used 4 cups, whoops)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 onion, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Cook and drain noodles according to package directions; set aside.

3)  In a large saucepan, melt butter and saute onion, until fragrant an translucent. Add flour, salt, and pepper, using a whisk to stir until blended.

4) Pour milk and cream in gradually, stirring constantly.  Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly). Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.

5) Add shredded cheese little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

6) Add noodles to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.  Transfer the macaroni to a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

7) Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

8) Try to stop yourself from eating the whole thing.

This picture doesn't do it justice!  This is one of those meals that you have to force yourself to stop, otherwise you'll catch yourself stealing noodles off someone's plate (sorry Kirsten).  Thank you Zoe, Nick, Erin, Leah, Kirsten, and Sophie for sharing this wonderful meal with me!  And thank you Sarah for teaching me to make it how ever many years ago!

I'm bored. Time to make cookies!

I finished my homework (well most of it), and decided to improvise some cookies.  I found a recipe for Toffee Crunch cookies on Food Network and decided to mess with it!  Instead of toffee candy bits, I made homemade toffee and swirled it in.  Oh, and I added rum.  I don't know why.  It just sounded like a good idea.

Rum-Toffee Cookies

1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Toffee (recipe follows)
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Toffee

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla.  Beat the egg slightly and add to butter mixture; mix well.  Sift flour, salt, and baking soda, then slowly add to the mixture.  Mix thoroughly.  Mix in the oatmeal and almonds.  Put in fridge or freezer to chill while toffee is made.

3) Melt the butter over medium heat.  Once melted, add the sugar and stir until dissolved.  Allow it cook (it may bubble, that's okay), stirring occasionally.  It may seem that the ingredients are not incorporated, I waited until it was a rich caramel color and then added the cream; stir.  The cream allowed the butter and sugar to combine.  Take the toffee off the heat and allow to cool.

4) Stir the still slightly warm toffee into the chilled dough.  Drop in teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Well that was interesting, in the sense that it didn't quite work.  The cookies were incredibly flat and kind of formed one large mega cookie.  I also didn't follow my own advice and used foil, which the cookies stuck to. One the left are a few of the pretty ones.  But you know, they may be a bit funky but they taste great! 

Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Finals week is wrapping up, marking the end to another gloomy winter quarter.  To celebrate, I had a couple of friends, Laura and Andrea, over for dinner.  Last week, during the a dreadful dead week, they had me over for dinner, and it was the bomb dot com.  I wanted to reciprocate and had I recently found a recipe for quinoa mac and cheese on pinterest, and I knew I had to try it!

Quinoa Mac and Cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium leek, halved and sliced
1/2 cauliflower head, cut into florets
1 small sweet potato, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
Salt
a few grinds of seasoning salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs
1 cup milk of your choice
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Bread crumbs for topping
Any optional toppings

1) Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the vegetables; cover and cook for five minutes, or until tender.  Stir in the quinoa and garlic.  Cook uncovered another three to four minutes (or until the grains are opaque).

2) Add three cups of water and season with salt and seasoning salt.  Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer five to ten minutes more, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from heat and let sit for five minutes.

3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat 13 x 9 inch dish with cooking spray.  Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl.  Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese.  Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt.  Transfer to prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Bake 30-35 minutes (or until edges are browned).

I had no idea what this was going to taste like, but it turned out pretty dang good! The picture certainly doesn't do it justice.  Thank you Laura and Andrea!

Parmesan Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries

I had an interesting experience this week.  I was at Haggen (the local grocery store chain) and looking at the meat section.  If you read my blog (so probably just my mom, hi mom), you know I don't cook meat very often. It can be expensive, it can be messy, so I just don't deal with it.  However, in the meat display case, was a chicken breast coated with parmesan and mozzarella and it looked really good.  Imagine my horror when I cooked it, cut it open, and discovered tomatoes hidden inside, nestled between the cheesy breading and the chicken breast.  Well, I tried to scrape off the offending red stuff, but those sneaky tomatoes still gave me heartburn.

I was disappointed in the Haggen chicken, and I wanted to experience parmesan crusted chicken without the icky, hidden tomatoes.  I had my close friend, Roland, over for dinner last night, and we improvised a recipe.  Man-oh-man, do I wish there were leftovers, but there's not because it was just that delicious.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts

2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
Grated Parmesan
Oregano
Garlic powder
Thyme
Olive Oil
2 eggs

1) Using a meat pounder or rolling pin, pound the chicken breast flat.

2) Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.  Combine the bread crumbs, liberal amounts of parmesan, and oregano, garlic powder, and thyme to taste.  (Add as much or as little as you'd like.  I think Roland added more parmesan every time my back was turned.)

3) Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken (one breast at a time, no need to crowd the pan) and allow to cook until dark golden brown on each side.  Always remember to cut open the chicken to look for pink spots.

In addition to the chicken, I also made some sweet potato fries and a salad.

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

2 small sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan

1) Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges or sticks.  Put the sliced potatoes into a large ziplock bag.

2) Add about a tablespoon of oil, a healthy pinch of salt, and pepper to taste in the bag.  Close the bag and shake to evenly disperse and coat the potatoes.

3) Place the potatoes spaced out a foil lined pan.  Sprinkle parmesan on top.  Place in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, flip the potatoes over and put back in for another 15.

This was an incredibly delicious meal, and I thank Roland for helping me make and eat it!