Going bananas

My new office has baskets of bananas and apples throughout the suite.  At first I thought these were decorations, but nope, they are for eating.  I will never buy an apple or banana again.  I asked a coworker what happens with the bananas at the end of the week and she said "YOU take them home, make banana bread and bring it back on Monday.  70% of us like nuts."  Oh.  Well.  OK.  I have not yet been brave enough to stuff my purse full of brown bananas but I am almost there.

In the meantime, I purchased some bananas and made banana pudding.  I used this recipe for the pudding.  It's creamy and delicious.  Then I got all fancy and put it in a pie, using this recipe as the go-by, but again using the other recipe for the pudding.  One recipe of the pudding was enough for two pies.  I skipped the lemon juice and mixed the wafers and banana slices in the pudding.  Spoon it in the pie shell, scatter on more wafers, drizzle the caramel sauce and dot with whipped cream.  After setting up in the refrigerator it does actually slice nicely.  Or, just got at it with a spoon.  Either way.

September 13, 2015

We met at my house on Sunday, September 13, 2015.  (Note to self:  never make anything curried EVER AGAIN.  My house STILL smells like curry, 4 days later.  Chad thinks it smells like celery and has said as much about 10 times. It’s not celery, dear.)

Appetizer:  Angelica, Curried Cauliflower Soup

Cocktail:  Angie, Porch-side Paloma

Salad:  Mary, Indian Spiced Chickpea Salad

Main Dish:  Angie, Curried Chicken and Rice

Dessert:  Tonya, Chai Latte Cupcakes

The cocktail is similar to one I have made before.  This one has a fancy twist with the jalapeno honey syrup.  Jalapenos in drinks seem to be the fad right now.  The after-taste of heat is an interesting twist.

Porch-side Paloma

 

1 ½ part tequila

1 part grapefruit juice

1 part lime juice

½ part jalapeno honey syrup*

Combine all and shake with ice.  Or, I made it in a big pitcher.

*Add 1 cup honey, 3 jalapeno slices (or more if you want more heat, but 3 seems good) and ½ a cup of water.  Bring to a boil, stir and take off heat.  Cool then strain.

The soup Angelica prepared perfectly fit with the curry theme (and smell).  I’m KIDDING.  The soup is thick and rich and would be a great main dish with some hearty bread.   

 

Mary’s salad was most unique!  Like the soup, it is healthy and full of vegetables.  The yogurt makes for a creamy dressing and the spices make the taste complex.  I love chickpeas, and like the soup, this could easily be a main course with the addition of a protein like chicken or shrimp.  I even think canned tuna would pair well.  

The main dish is a play on one of my favorites:  chicken and rice.   This dish came together pretty easily and started on the stove but finished in the oven.  The rice was perfectly cooked and the chicken was juicy and spicy. 

The cupcakes that Tonya made were as beautiful as they were delicious!  I am envious of her piping skills.  The cake tastes similar to a spice cake and the icing is not-too sweet. Very very tasty.

Cheesecake!

For my last baked good delivery to the office, I brought this white chocolate mousse cheesecake.   This was a great choice as it is probably the tastiest thing that I have ever made!  I prepared it in a 9 x 13 pan so everyone could get a piece.  The only change I would suggest is I do not see why you need to wait to put the mousse on the cake.  I would just let the cake cool and then spread the mousse and it will be good to go.  I let it cool in the refrigerator overnight.  It was creamy and just sweet enough. It would go very well with berries, especially strawberries, on the top.

Apple Crisp

I very much enjoy apple crisp.  Baked apples have always been one of my favorite treats and add a crust... yum!!  This crisp is super easy.  I used granny smith apples, sliced thinly and did not even bother peeling.  I reduced the sugar on the apples to probably 1/3 cup, just sprinkled it all over the apples and called it a day.  One cup seems WAY TOO much. I did not make any changes to the crust.  I wondered if the shortening would be "boring" compared to using butter but nope, it was fantastic!  This crisp is great on its own, warmed up for breakfast or served with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream.

Meat Sauce for Lasagna and Spaghetti

I make lasagna and spaghetti a couple of times a month.  This is my favorite meat sauce.  I add a pound of hot Italian sausage (and enough water so it can simmer down for 2 or more hours) and otherwise, it is perfect!  This makes enough for one 8" x 8" pan of lasagna and a couple servings of spaghetti. I use half for lasagna and then freeze the other half for spaghetti in the future.

For the lasagna, I use The Pioneer Woman's recipe for the cheese layers and assembly. 

June 14, 2015

We gathered at Mary's for a Mediterranean Meal!

 

 

We started with Spinach Puffs and spinach dip as prepared by Angie and HEB.  I put both eggs in the filling rather than use an egg wash.  I also added lemon zest and juice into the filling as suggested by recipe reviewers.

Mary concocted our Cucumber Basil Lime Gimlet cocktail and it was light and refreshing.  There is something about a cucumber cocktail that makes me feel like I'm at the spa waiting for a massage.  I need to feel that more often!

Our main dish was Mediterranean Style Beef Tips with Tzatziki Sauce.  The beef is marinated with oregano and the yogurt dip was cooling and creamy. 

We prepared the Mediterranean Style Cauliflower together.  This was a delicious way to prepare cauliflower with bright fresh flavors from the basil and tomatoes and a little bit of naughtiness with the Parmesan cheese garnish.

Tonya made a Greek Couscous Salad sans the olives.  I love couscous and this was a way to serve it with crunchy bell peppers and cucumbers.  The feta cheese adds saltiness and bottled salad dressing simplifies the recipe.

We ended our feast with a creamy Vanilla and Almond Fresh Fruit Tart.  These started with frozen pie crusts that taste like homemade when baked and are then filled with a delicious cream and topped with fresh berries.   I could have eaten several of these delicious little pies!

May 3, 2015

We met at Tonya's for a pre-Cinco De Mayo celebration!

We started off with Tonya's Margarita Slushes and Angelica's Seven Layer Dip.  The slushes were delicious and made it way too easy to consume large amounts of tequila!  The seven layer dip was fresh and bright with all the vegetables:  tomato, bell pepper, green onions, avocado and olives.  Very tasty, filling and almost guilt free!

7 Layer Taco Dip

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 large tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 large avocado
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.

2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.

3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and avocado over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives

Eat with Chips or favorite vegetable.

Our salad was a unique one called Avocado, Tomato and Cotija Cheese and was perfect for a Cinco de Mayo dinner!  It had a sweet dressing that paired well with the salty cheese and creamy avocado.

Chili and Cheese Rice was a Spanish Rice with a cheesy twist.  It finishes in the oven to melt the cheese and make a slight crust.  

Pinto Beans without jalapenos was our other side dish.  The beans were creamy and perfectly seasoned.

The main dish was Sauteed Potatoes with Chorizo.  Tonya had all the toppings which were displayed in the cutest serving platter.  The pork was served in flour or corn tortillas and these tacos were delicious! The potatoes were perfectly cooked, creamy in the middle with crunchy outsides and the chorizo gave a nice kick.  These would also be excellent with egg as a breakfast taco too.  

I prepared the desert, and it was a failure.  I used pastry flour instead of cake flour.  Who knew there was a difference?!  NOT ME.  Isn't cake technically pastry?  The icing was nice and I do agree with recipe reviewers that you should add some mango to the cake.  You may also want to follow the reviewers and cut back the sugar.  But for heaven's sake, do not use the wrong flour!!!