The BEST Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Sprak a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk and oil until well beaten together.
3. Add in mashed bananas, both sugars and vanilla and mix well.
4. Sift in flour, baking soda and salt and mix in nicely, do not over mix.
5. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 325 degrees F for about an hour. Check at an hour by doing the toothpick test. Bake longer as needed until cooked through.

Cauliflower "Couscous"

Just to clarify, this is not actually couscous, but a gluten-free substitute made from cauliflower. That’s why I put the quotation marks in the title… in case you were wondering.

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Break the florets away from the rest of the head of cauliflower, making sure to leave behind as much of the stem as possible. Chop the florets into smaller pieces and then transfer to a food processor and pulse until the pieces until they are finally chopped and resemble couscous.

2. Place the dried cranberries in a bowl and pour warm water over them to plump them up. Let sit for 15 minutes.

3. In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add garlic and season with salt and pepper, and, stirring often, cook for another minute.

4. Add the cauliflower couscous to the pan, season with cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and additional salt and black pepper. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

5. In a separate skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat. Make sure to shake the pan frequently to ensure they toast evenly and don’t burn (note: watch them carefully as they can quickly go from perfectly toasted to burnt).

6. Drain the bowl of cranberries and add them, along with the toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley, to the couscous mixture. Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add salt and pepper.

Chicken Gloria

Ingredients:
6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup of flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 (8 oz) container of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup of sherry wine
1 small can of condenced cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup whole milk
6 slices of Muenster cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, dredge lightly in flour to coat both sides. Shake off excess.

Add oil to frying pan and brown chicken in batches on both sides. You don’t need to cook the chicken completely. It will finish cooking in the oven. Transfer the chicken to a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Add the butter to the frying pan and let it melt over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and brown mushrooms until golden. Then add the sherry wine and cook for another minute or two. Add the creamy mushroom soup and milk and mix well.

Pour sauce over the chicken breasts, cover with foil and bake in oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top each piece of chicken with one slice of Muenster cheese. You can fold the cheese in half if it is too wide for the breast.

Place chicken back in oven uncovered and broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Top with chopped fresh parsley and serve.

Half-way to heaven peanut butter cookies

This recipes is nearly all in halves, which makes it super easy to remember. I have to say, I've never been a fan of peanut butter cookies because they are too heavy-tasting for my palate, but the oatmeal in this recipe balances the strong peanut flavor to make it enjoyable for even the most un-peanut-buttery people out there. Good stuff.



 For the cookies:
1 1/2 cups quick oats

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup honey roasted peanut butter (you can find it freshly ground at Whole Foods. all it is is honey roasted peanuts ground into peanut butter, which gives it a slightly sweet, roasted honey flavor)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

 For the filling:


 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 cup smooth peanut butter*

 Preheat an oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter, both sugars, egg, peanut butter, and vanilla. Pour oat mixture into peanut butter mixture, stirring until just mixed. Place rounded teaspoonfuls of batter on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving 2 centimeters between each one. Using your finger, pat dough down so they form small flattened circles. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool completely on cookie sheet.



While the cookies are baking, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and peanut butter until light and airy, about 5 minutes.



On a work surface, place half of the cookies upside down. Whisk the filling to lighten it. Dollop 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each upside down cookie. Place second cookie on top of filling and press together until filling just comes to the edges. Ta-da!

 *do not use natural p.b. for this part- the frosting will come out thick and heavy

Crispy Cauliflower with Capers, Raisins, and Breadcrumbs

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into 2” florets

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, soaked, rinsed, patted dry

3/4 cup fresh coarse breadcrumbs

1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth

1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)

1/3 cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
 Preheat oven to 425°. Toss cauliflower florets with 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl; season mixture with salt and pepper. Divide cauliflower mixture between 2 large rimmed baking sheets, spreading out in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until cauliflower is golden and crispy, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Cauliflower can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Reheat before using.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden, 5–6 minutes. Add capers and cook until they start to pop, about 3 minutes longer. Add breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Cook, stirring often, until breadcrumbs are golden, 2–3 minutes; transfer breadcrumb mixture to a plate and set aside.

Add chicken broth and anchovy paste (if using) to same saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add golden raisins and white wine vinegar and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Do ahead: Breadcrumb and raisin mixtures can be made 2 hours ahead. Rewarm raisin mixture mixture before continuing.

Transfer warm cauliflower to a serving bowl. Scatter raisin mixture over, then toss to distribute evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cauliflower with breadcrumb mixture and parsley. Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/11/crispy-cauliflower-with-capers-raisins-and-breadcrumbs#ixzz2Nx2BYLro

How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother

        One key to perfect pesto is chopping all the ingredients by hand, preferably with a sharp mezzaluna or knife.This pesto will keep a bit in the refrigerator, but it really hits its peak when served soon after it is made.

The technique here is: chop a bit, add some ingredients, chop some more. I think part of the reason it works this way (instead of chopping everything all at once) is because some things get chopped into oblivion, while some not as much - it encourages spectrum of cut sizes throughout the pesto contributing to the overall texture. All told, the chopping took me a leisurely twenty to thirty minutes, I wasn't in any particular rush.

       You'll notice this recipe doesn't have any added salt (just the saltiness from the cheese), make sure your pasta water is well salted if you are going to use this pesto on pasta or the overall flavor profile will fall flat. Also, be sure to adjust for seasoning before serving. With food this simple, you need to get the seasoning right.

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 medium cloves of garlic
One small handful of raw pine nuts
Roughly 3/4 cup Parmesan, loosely packed and FRESHLY GRATED
A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Special equipment: large mezzaluna for chopping

Directions:

Start chopping the garlic along with about 1/3 of the basil leaves. Once this is loosely chopped add more basil, chop some more, add the rest of the basil, chop some more. I scrape and chop, gather and chop. At this point the basil and garlic should be a very fine mince. Add about half the pine nuts, chop. Add the rest of the pine nuts, chop. Add half of the Parmesan, chop. Add the rest of the Parmesan, and chop. In the end you want a chop so fine that you can press all the ingredients into a basil "cake" - see the photo up above. Transfer the pesto "cake" to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake). Cover with a bit of olive oil, it doesn't take much, just a few tablespoons.

You can set this aside or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Just before serving give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of the oil into the basil. She occasionally thins the pesto with a splash of pasta water for more coverage, but for our gnocchi this wasn't necessary.

You can also make a bunch ahead and freeze them in ice cube trays to have just enough to add a cube size to a dish later.

Cooking Spaghetti Squash

Last year my Aunt Michelle introduced me to spaghetti squash. It is now a BIG favorite of mine. My aunt likes to cook it in her crock pot whole which I did a few times and then branched out because there are so many different ways to cook it on Pinterest. So far this is my favorite way of cooking it.
 Baking it.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375
2. Use a sharp knife to cut down the middle of the squash lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds using a spoon.
3. Place the squash cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet.
4. Pop it in the oven for an hour.
5. Once it cools its the fun part. With a fork, pull the strands away from the sides of the squash. Once you have loosened up the sides, you can scoop up all the strands by pulling from under it.

I personally enjoy it plain. But most as well as those in my family like to pour their favorite spaghetti sauce over it. My husband likes just parmesan cheese on it. Others like a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning.

And wa-la!!!

Simple as pie. I like it better than pie. But then again I am a health nut. :)

Tomato Soup with Poached Eggs

This was amazing! And so simple to make!  My husband and I really liked this one. It is a Martha Stewart recipe. The red pepper flakes add a little kick. Not too spicy. It is definitely different than the typical tomato soup and grilled cheese. I prefer this. Feels a little healthier.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for toast and drizzling
3 to 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, plus one clove for toast
Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with juice
3 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs
4 slices rustic bread
Shredded basil, for garnish (or I mixed a little of it in the sauce)

Directions:
In a straight-sided skillet over medium heat, cook the oil, garlic, and pepper flakes until garlic is just beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper.

 Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

Crack one egg into a small bowl. Carefully lower edge of bowl into simmering liquid, allowing egg to slip into pot. Repeat with remaining eggs. Cover pot and cook until whites are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush bread with oil and broil until golden; rub with garlic. Place one slice in each of four shallow bowls; sprinkle with basil. Spoon soup and poached eggs over toast, drizzle with a little more oil, and serve immediately.