Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I had some banana's that were getting pretty ripe so I decided to make up a quick batch of banana bread.  I happen to have some chocolate chips on hand, so of course I had to add them!  Here is what I used...

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

4 medium overripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/4tsp cinnamon (or to taste)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chocolate chips

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease loaf pan (or muffintin, if you prefer)

In a large bowl, combine banana, sugar, egg, vanilla and oil.  Mix well. Use a small mesh colander and sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda andsalt on top of the wet ingredients and then stir to combine. This will save you from dirtying a second bowl. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan (or muffin cups). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a bread comes out clean. It took me about 45 minutes.  Muffins will bake faster.  Letcool before serving.

This was pretty delicious. I topped it with some homemade whipped cream.   I think next time I'll add a little homemade almond butter to the mix because what could possibly be better than almond butter, banana, and chocolate???

Enjoy

Pumpkin Pie from a pumpkin...who would of thought?

We went to a pumpkin patch this weekend and had a wonderful time there.  We have taken our daughter every year since she was a year old.  We always go, let her play, and end the day with picking out pumpkins - one for display and one tiny one for her room.  This year, we decided to buy a third pumpkin for a pumpkin pie.  Okay, really my husband came up with the idea, and I just went along with it. For pumpkin pies, you should buy a sweet pumpkin like the sugar (or sugar pie) pumpkin.

So, after much research online, I ended up combining a few recipes and here is what I came up with -


2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup honey
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

First, to roast the pumpkin, I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds and lightly oiled it.  I placed it on a baking sheet lined with foil and lightly oiled, cut side down and let it bake at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes.  Bake it until a it is tender when you put a fork in it. Next time, I think I will cut the pumpkin into several smaller pieces so that they cook a little faster and more evenly.

After it's done, let it cook slightly and then scoop out all the pumpkin flesh - and discard the shell.  Puree the pumpkin until smooth.  You can use a hand blender, regular blender or food processor.












Next, add the spices and salt then beat in the eggs, honey, milk and heavy whipping cream. Actually, my daughter did this part - she does love to help out in the kitchen.

  Pour into a  pie shell and bake 55 minutes, or until firm. Oh, and I totally cheated and used a pre-made pie shell.  For Thanksgiving, I'll go all out and make a homemade one but this is just a tester.

I also made chantilly cream (aka homemade whipped cream) to top the pie with - using a cup of heavy cream, 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a tablespoon of sugar.

Oh, and the great thing about roasting your own pumpkin is that you have plenty of leftovers and you can freeze them in one cup servings in plastic freezer bags like this -

AND, you can dry out your pumpkin seeds and roast them for a delicious snack 

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

Spinach, feta cheese, chicken and bacon...heaven!!!  This is a really good dish!  I served it with quinoa and the rest of the spinach stuffing.  Delicious, quick, and easy.

First I made the filling (actually my daughter helped out quite a bit with the filling) - 6oz plain greek yogurt, 6oz crumbled feta cheese, 12oz bag of spinach (thawed and drained), 3 cloves of minced garlic and half a small onion diced. Next, I butterflied the chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper and added the stuffing to middle and closed it back up.  I then let my daughter wrap a slice of bacon around the chicken and then I secured it with a toothpick.  Once all four breasts were stuffed, I mixed 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice with 3 tablespoons of olive oil then added seasonings - salt, pepper, oregano, basil to taste.  My daughter brushed the mixture over the breasts and then I popped it in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  I had quite a bit of leftover spinach mixture so I put it in a small dish, topped it with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and baked it the last 30 minutes of cook time.  While everything was in the oven, I made some quinoa on the stovetop.  Easy peasy.  Really good flavor on everything.  The chicken was nice and moist and the stuffing was yummy.  And of course, you can never go wrong with BACON!  

Baked Chicken with Eggplant, Zucchini, & Tomato Ragout

I  had to come up with something relatively quick for dinner last night because my daughter had ballet/tap class in the afternoon and I didn't have a lot of time for dinner.  This is what I came up with - baked chicken with eggplant, zucchini, & tomato ragout, quinoa, and mixed greens salad with tomatoes, avocado and goat cheese.

For the chicken dish, I first diced the (1) eggplant, (1/2)onion, (2 cloves) garlic, (2 small) zucchini, and (4) roma tomatoes.

Next, I seasoned 4 chicken breasts (cut in half) with salt and pepper.  I heated an oven safe pan over high heat and added enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  Once the oil was hot, I added the chicken breasts and browned (5-6 minutes) each side.

I then removed the chicken, added the eggplant, a couple springs of rosemary and thyme, onion and a little more oil.  I lowered the heat a little and let that cook until the onions were translucent.  I then added the zucchini and half a cup of white wine.

Once the wine reduced by half, I added the tomatoes and some salt and pepper.  I then placed the chicken on top of the veggies and put the whole thing in the oven until the chicken was cooked through (about 15 minutes, but check the temp to make sure it's 160). I also poured myself a glass to drink while I finished preparing dinner.  (can't let it go to waste!)

Once the chicken was cooked, I removed it from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes.

I also prepared quinoa and salad to go with dinner while the chicken and ragout was cooking.  Here is the finished plate - not bad for a quick weeknight meal.

Cedar Plank Salmon, Mushroom Risotto, & Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots

My aunt and uncle have been visiting us for the past fews days and last night was our last meal together before they had to head back to Illinois.  We made cedar plank salmon on the grill, mushroom risotto and green beans with caramelized shallots.  We also had a lovely bottle of Parsonage Chardonnay that my aunt picked up during our wine tasting trip to Carmel Valley.

As grillmaster, my husband was charged with preparing the salmon, which he placed on cedar plank that had been soaked in water.  He simply dressed it with salt, pepper and lemon juice and lemon slices.  We ran out of propane and had to finish the cooking process by broiling it for a second.  They came out perfectly - nicely flaky with a yummy cedar and lemon flavor.  Well done honey, well done!

I made mushroom risotto by first sauteing 2oz of diced onions with 2 cups of mushrooms in a tablespoon each of oil and butter.  After they cooked for a few minutes, I added the arborio rice and stirred well then added 2 oz of white wine.  Once the wine cooked down, I added a ladle of warmed chicken stock.  At this point, I just let the stock cook until almost gone, then add another ladle at a time and repeat until the rice was done (about 25 minutes).  I finished it off with a tablespoon of butter and an ounce of shredded Parmesan.

I also prepared green beans with caramelized shallots.  I did most of the work on this dish about an hour before I started the risotto.  I blanched the green beans in boiling, heavily salted water for about 5-6 minutes, then moved them to a bowl of ice water.  I drained them and them placed them in the fridge until time for dinner.  I then thinly sliced about 5 or 6 shallots and heated a pan with a tablespoon of butter.  Once the pan was nice and hot, I sauteed the shallots for about a minute and then lowered the heat and let the shallots caramelize.  It took about 20 minutes or so.  The trick is not to stir the shallots too frequently or else they don't have time to get that beautiful brown color and yummy taste.  When the risotto was almost done, I heated the caramelized shallots back up with a tablespoon of butter and then added the green beans and heated through.

I also made a quick salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, avocado, herbs from my back yard (rosemary and parsley) and salt and pepper.

It was such a great meal and great end to our wonderful visit!  We were all sad to say goodbye but we will cherish our memories from their visit.  We look forward to their next visit to us, after we move to Rio.

Wonderful time in Watsonville

It's been a wonderful weekend!  We have a aunt and uncle visiting us for a few days and have had a wonderful time showing them Monterey and all our favorite places.  We were also fortunate enough to catch up with an old friend this weekend.  He invited the lot of us (5 all together) to his family's home in Watsonville. This home is amazing and I wish I had more photos to share.  This house has been in our friends family for 5 generations!!  It is on a gorgeous piece of land and is home to an amazingly kind and generous family.

When we first arrived, we were given a quick tour of the property - the beautiful rose garden, the gorgeous flowers and plants and the redwoods.  Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!!

Next, we grabbed some bowls and headed down the road to pick blackberries!  My daughter loved it until she discovered the first thorn and then she decided to stick with picking flowers (aka weeds).  After the group of us (our 5 plus another couple and our dear friend) finished with picking berries we headed back to the house for some snacks and drinks.  We had nice, cold Pinot Grigio and some yummy Meunster cheese, fresh raspberries, raw peas and carrots, crackers and hummus. We spent some time catching up with old friends and making new ones, while sitting on the back porch taking in the beautiful surroundings.  There was also a trip down to see the goats and chickens and to collect some eggs.  It was a lovely time!

Next, it was time for dinner.  Oh my, can this lady cook!!!!  We had the most delicious creamy polenta (drizzled with pesto), barbequed tri tip and skirt steak, salad and dessert.

Oh dessert was heavenly!  She took our blackberries and made a wonderful blackberry crisp that was to die for!!! There was also apple pie but I only had eyes for the blackberries.

Unfortunately, after dinner we had to load back into the car and head home - work and school Monday morning.  We have a couple more days with our family and then they will be leaving us too.  It's been a great few days and while I'm so happy to have spend such a wonderful time with both friends and family, it's always sad to say goodbye to them!

Hummus- a jack of all trades

I love hummus! I could probably eat it every day of my life and not get bored with it.  It can be used in so many different ways.  It's great as a condiment on sandwiches (SO much better than mayo or mustard), it's good mixed into scrambled eggs, and of course as a dip for crackers, chips, carrots, broccoli, celery, any veggie really.  Oh, and I also LOVE it with grilled meats- chicken, beef, lamb...YUM!


I start with a basic recipe and then just experiment. For the basic recipe, I use two cans of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed), 1/3 cup of tahini, juice of two lemons, 2-4 cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of cumin, salt and pepper and about a 1/3 cup of olive oil.  I put everything in the food processor except the olive oil.  While the processor is going, I add the oil to it.  That's the basic recipe.  Now, from here I start tasting (big delicious spoonfuls) and add whatever else I have lying around.  Today I added chipotle seasoning and Hungarian paprika because I was feeling a little spicy :)  Sometimes I just add extra lemon or extra garlic.  I've also made a nice batch with roasted red bell pepper.  One day, I'm going to take the time to caramelize some shallots and throw in but haven't gotten around to that yet.

Before serving it, I drizzle a little more olive oil on top and dust with paprika.  Yummy and delicious and so very easy!