Roasted Banana Puddin'

If you love banana puddin' as much as I do, you have to try this recipe. It's amazing. Really. I had never roasted bananas before but it was easy so don't be put off by this unusual step. The bananas will turn black on the outside and soft on the inside.

This recipe appeared in Cookin.g Ligh.t August 2011. I made some alterations including making my own whipped cream rather than use frozen whipped topping. I also used slightly less sugar than is listed below as well as deciding it is not worth the time to roast the remaining bananas for an additional 20 minutes. If you like sweet use the full 2/3 cups sugar, if you like a little-bit sweet use less. I also listed the specific kind of vanilla wafers and whipping cream I used but understand those folks who are not local will have to use whatever brand they can find.

Roasted Banana Puddin'

6 ripe unpeeled bananas

2 cups 2% milk

2/3 cup sugar, divided

2 TBS cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 TBS butter

3 tsp vanilla extract, divided

1 pint whipping cream (Maple View dairy)

vanilla wafers (Trader Jo.es)

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place 4 bananas on a jelly-roll pan covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Carefully peel and place the bananas in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.

(the recipe calls for removing 3 of the bananas and to continue to roast the remaining bananas for an additional 20 minutes. I did this but could not really tell the difference in taste or texture and recommend removing all the bananas at this time)

3. Peel remaining 2 un-roasted bananas and slice. Set aside.

4. Combine milk and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly (do NOT boil). I used a scant 1/3 cup of sugar.

5. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir well with a whisk. Gradually add hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Return mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 3 minutes). Add mashed bananas, butter and 2 tsp. vanilla, stirring until butter melts. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until mixture comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

6. Spread 1 cup custard evening over the bottom of 11X7 inch baking dish. Top with some vanilla wafers and some banana slices. Repeat layers ending with wafers. Refrigerate for 1 hour until chilled.

7. While dish is cooling, make the whipped cream. Pour whipping cream into a large bowl, add ~ 1 tsp. sugar (or more to taste) and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, whip on med-high or high until fluffy and peaks can be formed. Spread over banana puddin' before serving.

ENJOY!

Cheese Making

My girlfriends and I embarked upon a mozzarella cheese making adventure this weekend. Having read the wonderful and inspiring book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, we really wanted to try her 30-minute mozzarella recipe. After months and months of talking about making cheese, we finally did!

While I had my doubts about mozzarella being made in 30 minutes, it is true. The recipe is easy and the cheese tasty. I'm lucky to have a foodie friend that just happened to have rennet and citric acid to share.

We used 1/2 gallon of 2% milk and 1/2 gallon of whole milk from a local dairy. This seemed to work out well since the recipe does not specify fat content of the milk. We also realized that it may be good to save some whey to store extra mozzarella as it dries out in the fridge. If you don't want to store it in whey, try making an olive oil marinade with some spices...

So, tie on your aprons and make some cheese!

30-minute mozzarella (as written in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver)

Measure out all additives before you start, in clean glass or ceramic cups. Use unchlorinated water.

1 gallon pasteurized milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized)
1 1/2 level teaspoons citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water

Stir the milk on the stove in a stainless steal kettle, heating very gently. At 55 degrees add the citric acid solution and mix thoroughly. At 88 degrees it should begin to curdle.

1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet, diluted in 1/4 cup cool water

Gently stir in diluted rennet with up-and-down motion, and continue heating the milk to just over 100 degrees then turn off the heat. Curds should be pulling away from sides of pot, ready to scoop out. The whey should be clear (if it is milky, wait a few minutes).

Use a large slotted spoon or ladle to move curds from the pot to a 2 qt. microwaveable bowl. Press curds gently with hands to remove as much whey as possible, and pour it off. Microwave the curds on high for one minute, then knead the cheese again with hands or a spoon to remove more whey (Rubber gloves help - this gets hot!). Microwave 2 more times (about 35 seconds each), kneading between each heating.

At this point, salt the cheese to taste, then knead and pull until it's smooth and elastic. When you can stretch it into ropes like taffy, you are done. If the curds break instead, they need to be reheated a little bit. Once cheese is smooth and shiny, roll it into small balls to eat warm or store for later in the refrigerator.

Lacking a microwave, you can use the pot of hot whey on the stove from the heating-and-kneading steps. Put the ball of curd back in with a big slotted spoon, and heat it until it's almost too hot to touch. Good stretching temp is 175 degrees.

Cheddar beer soup

If you love cheddar cheese and beer you will probably love this soup. I've made this yummy soup a couple of times now but am going to try something a little different tonight; this pot of soup will have an added potato for a little extra yumminess!

Cheddar beer soup

(Inspired by Cooking Light)

2 cups chopped onion

1 potato, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (12 oz) bottle of beer (not dark ... stick to a pale ale or lager)

4 cups veggie broth, divided

1/2 cup flour

2 cups 2% milk, divided

3/4 to 1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (or less if you are watching your weight/ calories)

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh chives

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add onion and potato, saute for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 more minute.

2. Pour in beer, stirring to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until onion and potato is tender.

3. Place beer mixture and 1 cup broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid. Place clean towel over opening in blender lid and blend until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

4. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife. Combine flour and 1 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and remaining 1 cup milk to pan. Cook 12 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat. Gradually add cheese, stirring until smooth. Sir in pepper.

Enjoy!

Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Penne Salad with Goat Cheese

I love the warm weather of Spring after a very long Winter. Not only does it feel so good to shed the bulky winter wear and finally have some sun on my skin, but my body also appreciates the fresh food that can now be prepared!

Wednesday evening was warm, enough so that the windows were closed and the air conditioner was on. Not only that, but my husband was out of town, so I did not want to prepare a large meal with lots of dishes to wash myself. Luckily I has the perfect dish for such a night!

This salad is super delicious and good for you. If you don't like goat cheese, try sprinkle a bit of feta cheese on the salad instead. Left over salad makes a great lunch the next day ... Enjoy!

Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Penne Salad with Goat Cheese

Modified slightly from Cooking Light May 2011

2 cups uncooked penne or other tube-shaped pasta

1 bunch asparagus spears

12 or more cherry tomatoes

4 TBS olive oil, divided

salt and pepper

1 TBS minced shallots

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1 tsp dried herbs de Provence

1 1/2 tsp honey

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

2 cups or more baby arugula

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

3. Place asparagus and tomatoes on a jell-roll pan. Drizzle with 1 TBS olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat. Arrange asparagus and tomato mixture in a single layer and bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove asparagus from pan. Place back in oven and bake tomatoes an additional 4 minutes. Remove tomatoes from pan, let asparagus and tomatoes stand for 10 minutes. Cut asparagus into 1-inch lengths.

4. Combine shallots and the next 4 ingredients (through honey) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 3 TBS olive oil, stirring with a whisk. Stir in a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

5. Place pasta and asparagus/ tomato mixture in a large bowl. Add arugula and olives. Drizzle with dressing and gently toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Meatless Monday: Fingerling potatoes with swiss chard and eggs

Alright... the title does not sound terribly appealing but do not let that scare you from trying this amazingly tasty dish! Loaded with goodness and flavor, this is a great Meatless Monday meal. Give it a try ... I bet you will like it!

Fingerling Potato-leek hash with Swiss chard and eggs

(From cooking light)

2 TBS olive oil

2 cups sliced leeks, rinsed well (about 2 large)

12 oz. fingerling potatoes, cut lengthwise into quarters

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/4 tsp Spanish smoked paprika, divided

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

4 cups thinly sliced trimmed Swiss chard

4 eggs

1/4 shredded Gruyere cheese (or more!)

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan. Add leeks, cook 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add potatoes and garlic, cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Add small amount of water if needed to prevent burning. Can deglaze pan with water or small amount of wine.

2. Stir in 1 tsp. paprika, 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Add chard, cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Using a spoon, push potato mixture aside to make 4 egg-size spaces. Crack 1 egg into each space; sprinkle with remaining salt, pepper and paprika. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over potato mixture. Cover and cook 2 more minutes or until egg yolks are lightly set.

Chicken tacos and confetti salad

Looking for an easy dinner that is also loaded with flavor and goodness? Here you go! We had this for dinner Wednesday evening and I used some of the leftovers for a salad on Thursday for lunch.

Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream with a side Southwest Confetti Salad!

Tacos:

(adapted from Cooking Li.ght)

1 lb. skinless boneless chicken tenders, cut into 1/4 inch strips

3/4 tsp ancho chile powder (I used normal chili powder)

1/2 tsp garlic salt (I used 1/4 tsp or so of garlic powder)

1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 TBS fresh lime juice, divided

1/4 cup low fat sour cream

2 TBS 2% milk

1 ripe peeled avocado, sliced

2 cups packaged angel hair slaw

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 TBS olive oil

8 (6 inch) corn or flour tortillas

1. Heat small amount of oil in a large skillet over med- high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with chile powder, garlic salt and cumin. Add chicken to pan and cook 4 - 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove chicken from pan.

2. Combine 1 TBS lime juice and next 3 ingredients (through avocado) in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

3. Combine remaining 1 TBS lime juice, slaw, onions, cilantro and olive oil, and a large dollop of the avocado cream; toss to coat. Add a small sprinkle of salt if you desire.

4. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas. Top each tortilla with some of the avocado cream and slaw mixture. Yum!

Confetti Salad:

1 cup can corn, drained

1 cup coarsely chopped zucchini

1 cup grated carrot

1 cup diced tomato

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/4 cup green onions, diced

2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

1 TBS fresh lime juice

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring to combine.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

Yesterday was the warmest day of the year yet and I had a serious case of spring fever! Rather than cook a meal, I wanted something fresh and light and this dish fit the bill. We ate outside on the back deck, enjoying the amazing spring weather and savoring the deliciousness of this meal!

Tuna and White Bean Salad

1 bunch asparagus spears

1 TBS or less capers, drained

1/2 TBS or more chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 TBS white wine vinegar

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 (15 oz) can white beans, rinsed and drained (any white beans you like)

4 - 6 cups of salad greens

2 (5 oz) cans solid white tuna packed in olive oil, drained and broken into chunks

1. Snap off tough ends of asparagus spears and cut into 2 inch pieces. Steam asparagus, covered for 3 - 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain.

2. Combine capers and next 6 ingredients through pepper in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

3. Place 1/4 cup juice mixture, cherry tomatoes and beans in a small bowl; toss gently to combine. Reserve remaining dressing.

4. Place asparagus and lettuce into a large bowl, gently toss. Sprinkle tuna chunks on top of lettuce.

5. Place some lettuce onto plate, drizzle with a bit of the reserved dressing, top with some of the tomato mixture.

Serve with a hearty dinner bread for a lovely spring or summer time meal!