Banana Cream Pie Smoothie

OH! Its summer time around here, and that means smoothie time!

I am a smoothie girl to the max! I can't think of a better drink other than iced tea that I love more because of all the fresh fruits and different flavors that you can concoct in a smoothie.

I seem to always have bananas laying around. I love bananas.  I buy them every week and never seem to eat as many bananas as my eyes tell me I can! Therefore I have that "getting ripe" bananas sitting on the counter staring at me.  I actually don't like rip bananas (I like them a little green!) so this is a dilemma for me.  The only thing good about this is that you can make banana bread, banana muffins, and banana smoothies!

This smoothie came from my love of cream pies. I love love love chocolate meringue pie and banana cream pie. There were two of my favorites desserts growing up. Mom was a cream pie expert and I got my love of pies from her. Since I can't make a cream pie right now I thought I would take the flavors of a banana cream pie and put it into a smoothie. Genius!

This smoothie is decadent and creamy and has all the flavors of a cream pie. I even rimmed the glass with crushed graham crackers to give it that extra little something. This one's a winner and it's easy to make. I'm sure you're going to love it!

Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie Smoothie

serves 2

1 large banana (ripe!)
1 c low fat yogurt, plain or vanilla
1/2 c 2% milk
2 tablespoons of crushed graham crackers (about 1/2 cookie sheet)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (if not using vanilla flavored yogurt)
1 cup of ice cubes
graham cracker crumbs (optional)

Place all ingredients from the banana to the ice cubes in a blender.  Blend until ice is crushed and drink is thick and smooth.  Pour into 2 glasses and sprinkle with graham crackers if desired.  (or dip your glass rims in water and in the graham cracker crumbs for a nice touch)  Serve with a straw.

adapted from Cooking Light

An Elegant Father's Day Dinner: Fig and Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Father's Day is around the corner!

What a wonderful way to celebrate all the fathers in your life by treating them to an elegant dinner with family and friends.

Often we always do the grill thing for Father's Day because it's manly, and an elegant brunch for Mother's Day. But why not switch it up some and do a wonderful elegant lunch or dinner for father.  I think this is a wonderful switch up to the typical celebration.

Since the temperature is rising outside you need something to cook that is easy, quick, and has little fuss. Pork tenderloin is perfect for that. You just sear it in a skillet and pop it in the oven to finish cooking.  Adding a glaze lends tremendous flavor that everyone will find delicious! You can't get much easier then roasting in the oven which practically does everything by itself!

I chose to do a glaze that is a little lighter in flavor, reminiscent of springtime. The fig and ginger flavors compliment each other perfectly and complement the pork as well. This is a great dish anytime of the year and just perfect for a celebration. Pair it with my Ginger Glazed Roasted Carrots & Green Beans as a side dish.  Add a tossed salad, and some beautiful white wine and you have an easy dinner fit for a king!

Enjoy!

Fig and Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin

serves 4

2 (1 lb.) pork tenderloins, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & Pepper
For the Glaze:
1/2 c Fig preserves
2 tablespoons minced ginger or ginger paste
Splash of white wine

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Brush the pork tenderloins with the olive oil and season with salt & pepper coating all sides. On the stove in a hot skillet (over medium-high heat) sear the tenderloins on all sides until brown, about 5 minutes. Place tenderloins on a baking rack and place in the oven. Cook for about 20 minutes until done.

Meanwhile in a small sauce pan add preserves, ginger and wine. Stir to combine. Cook over medium low heat until the sauce has loosened up and is slightly bubbly. Reserve some about (2-3 T) for drizzling over the cooked tenderloins.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking the tenderloin, brush with the glaze. Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing. Cut the pork crosswise into slices 1/4 inch thick. Serve topped with remaining glaze.

Grandma Landon's Strawberry Cake

May is strawberry season in Los Angeles!

It holds the great Strawberry festival up in Oxnard, which is a blast! We try and go each year and eat everything strawberry in site.  I usually come home with a flat of strawberries and a stomach ache! They have everything from strawberry margaritas to strawberry nachos, even strawberry pizzas!

You can ride strawberry rides, listen to the Young Dubliners, or bungy jump to your hearts content.  Plus there are vendor's booths selling all sorts of hand made crafts.  But the main draw for me are the juicy, plump, ripe strawberries! Just thinking about them now is making my mouth water!

So what do you do with a big flat of strawberries?  Well I have lots of recipes that will use them up but first off I wanted to make my Grandma Landon's Strawberry Cake. Now this cake is famous among my family. When they heard I was going to break out my 9x13 pan and make Grandma's cake I immediately got all sorts or stories bringing back fond memories of this cake....and requests for the recipe.

My mom handed down this recipe and even she was in love with it. She said the flavors are just outstanding and that the fresh strawberries in the icing are a must to make this cake the bomb!  She told me stories of Grandma serving this cake a family gatherings as it was such a crowd-pleaser and served a lot of people. Mom was smiling ear to ear as she recalled the fond memories of this cake.

I must say it is easy to put together as it uses a box cake mix to start.  I was blown away at the end result. This is one of the most moist cakes I've tasted and full of strawberry flavor. I did change up the icing just a bit from the original recipe. The icing calls for mashed strawberries to be incorporated in the icing.  I chose to chop my strawberries and fold them in leaving them chunky so that you get bits of strawberries throughout.  I must say it came out fantastic!  Everyone just loved the cake and there wasn't a bite left.

Guess I'll have to make another one!

Enjoy!

Grandma Landon's Strawberry Cake

serves 15

FOR THE CAKE:
1 box (18.25 Oz. Box) White Cake Mix
1 box (4-serving 3 Oz. Box) Strawberry Jello
¾ cup Oil
½ cup Water
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
4 whole Eggs
½ cup Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
3 Tablespoons Flour

FOR THE FROSTING:
½ stick Butter
3 ounces, Cream Cheese, softened
1 dash Salt
1 pound Powdered Sugar
⅓ cup Strawberries, Fresh or Frozen, Thawed And Mashed (I cut mine into chunks)

For the cake:
Mix cake mix and box of Jello until blended. Add oil, water and baking soda and then beat 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs and beat 2 to 3 minutes. Toss strawberries with 3 Tablespoons of flour. Fold the strawberries and any juice that may have accumulated into the batter mixture. Pour into a greased and floured 9″x13″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until done.

For the frosting:
Beat butter and cream cheese with salt until smooth. Gradually beat in half of the powdered sugar, then the strawberries, then the remaining powdered sugar until smooth. (Note: if you leave the strawberries chunky then fold them in after the frosting comes together, adding all the powdered sugar.)  Frost the cooled cake and enjoy.