Lemon Pasta Salad with Arugula

I might be repeating myself but oh well.... I LOVE SALADS!

You may or may not know that on Sundays, you can usually find me in the kitchen making up some sort of salad that we can eat several times during the week. They are great as a side dish with dinner, or to take for lunch, or just for snacking!   I've made several with grains such as quinoa, faro, barley and others, but this week I turned to pasta.

The weather is warm...I'm craving pasta salad.

Something fresh and light.

This salad will knock your socks off.!  It's full of fresh flavors (lemon) and peppery bites (arugula) that make this pop in your mouth.

You know, this would be perfect for all those summer picnics, concerts in the park...or ....oh! how a Memorial Day?  This would be PERFECT for your Memorial Day cookout.

If you are not into pasta salad so much, here are some other great side dish/salads to choose from.

Veggie Gyro Salad

Asparagus Tabbouleh with Prosciutto

Artichoke and White Bean Salad

Seven-Grain Salad with Roasted Pepper, Feta, and a Mustard Dressing

Creamy Ranch Slaw



Lemon Pasta Salad with Arugula

Serves 6

8 oz tri-color rotini pasta
4 oz boccoini  mozzarella,  quartered
1 pt cherry tomatoes,  halved
2 cups baby arugula

Lemon Vinaigrette:
zest of 1 lemon
2 T fresh lemon juice - 1 lemon
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t white wine vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to the package directions in a pot of boiling, salted water.  Drain (Do not rinse).

Meanwhile quarter your boccoini and halve your cherry tomatoes.  Place in a large bowl.  Add your cooked pasta, and stir in the arugula.

For vinaigrette combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk until combined.  Add to the pasta salad mix and toss gently to coat all pieces.  Chill for about 1 hour to combine flavors.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Honey Balsamic Drumsticks

One way I feed my hobby obsession for cookbooks is through my Kindle.

When you have a bookshelf overflowing with cookbooks it's time to get creative. Using my kindle to buy the books I desire (umm...deserve) digitally allows me to feed my passion and keep the "stuff" in the house down to a minimum.  

So the other day I heard about a new cookbook put out by one of my favorite blogs (Our Best Bites). They have several books and this one is centered around low calorie cooking.  We all need that right? I quickly purchased "400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites" on my Kindle and started perusing the recipes to see which I wanted to make first.  I found that I bookmarked a LOT of recipes, but chose their "Honey Balsamic Drumsticks" as the meal to make today.  

It's a very economical recipe using drumsticks as your chicken pieces, and I found the dish to be simple to put together.  Don't go for drumsticks?   Make this dish with any chicken piece you wish adjusting the baking time as needed. The chicken is covered with a nice rub (which I doubled) and then a sweet, tangy, sticky glaze that really makes this dish. Don't skimp on this part, the sauce is so delishhhh!  Both MGG and I loved this dish and know your family and kids will love it too.

A simple easy meal for a relaxed weeknight or weekend dinner served with my Lemony Arugula Pasta Salad (recipe coming soon) is dinnertime at it's best.  

If  you not like me (a book hoarder) and love an actual book, you can find the book here.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  Here's a link to Amazon's Kindle Store and Fire Tablet store.  We have both items and I can't imagine ever being without them.  This isn't sponsored, I just love mine to death and want to share a great product!

Honey Balsamic Drumsticks

adapted from "400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites" Cookbook by Sarah Wells and Kate Jones, 2015

serves 5-6 (2 drumsticks per serving)

2–2½ pounds chicken drumsticks (10–12 drumsticks) 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon paprika 
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper 
4 teaspoons olive oil,  divided

Sauce 
2 tablespoons honey 
2 tablespoons balsamic 
2 tablespoons ketchup 
4 cloves garlic, minced  
2 tablespoons water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat dry the chicken and set aside. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and red pepper. Drizzle chicken with 2 teaspoons olive oil and rub in to coat all the pieces. Sprinkle the spice mixture over chicken and massage in. 

Heat large cast iron braising pan (or heavy oven-proof skillet with an oven-proof lid) to medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil and brush to cover bottom of entire pan. If more is needed, add a light spray of nonstick cooking spray. Brown chicken 2 minutes per side. (Cook in batches if necessary.) 

While chicken is searing, whisk sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Add the sauce to the pan after the chicken has seared. Toss the chicken to coat. Cover and transfer to oven. 

Bake for 20 minutes, rotate chicken pieces, and baste with sauce. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and place drumsticks on a foil lined baking sheet.  Turn your oven on broil.  

Bring sauce that remains in the pan to a boil on stove top and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6  minutes until thick and glossy.   Meanwhile return chicken to the oven and broil 3-4 minutes until lightly charred.  Place chicken on a platter and drizzle with sauce.  Serve with extra sauce if desired.  

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

It's May...and it's raining today...and it's snowing in the mountains.

This may not be unusual for most places in the country but this is Southern California.  The land of sunshine, and this is just plain weird!

Regardless of the weather I'm still grilling today.  Inside, that is.  I have two favorite grilling pans that I use ALL the time! You can find them here and here.  They are staples for me and make indoor grilling a cinch. One is non-stick and lightweight.  It is easy to use and leaves good grill marks.  The other is cast-iron with superior heat distribution.  Both are excellent pans.  You should definitely get one if you don't have one already.

This light and healthy dish is gonna knock your socks off! The flavors of lime and cilantro are perfect together and when you throw in some California avocados the dish just takes off.  Light and healthy is the theme here.  I served this with some saffron rice and some tropical ice tea.  A perfect way to have dinner in the rain.

So be prepared to wow yourself and your family with this dish.  Guaranteed...there won't be any leftovers.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

adapted from CookingLight.com

serves 4

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless chicken breast cutlets
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Roma tomatoes chopped
2 Tbls finely chopped red onion
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and cubed

Combine cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken, turning to coat.  Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove from the marinade, discarding remaining liquid.  Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken to pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until done.

To prepare salsa, combine tomato, onion, lime juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add avocado, stirring gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.

Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce

Mother's Day will be here soon but can you think of a better way to celebrate than by making her a fabulous dessert?

You may want to make her a breakfast, or a celebratory dinner, but dessert just captures the heart.  This dessert is to DIE for!

When I read this recipe in Ina Garten's cookbook, "Barefoot in Paris" and saw that it was a french version of cheesecake well....let's just say she had me at cheesecake.  I love me some cheesecake! (Plus I love all of Ina's recipes...)

Boy, were we in for a treat on this one.  This is the creamiest, delicate, light and fluffy dessert you will ever want.  It's cheesecake kicked up 100x over!  No, really, this dessert is   d a n g e r o u s.  It is very hard to control yourself from eating it, I mean ALL OF IT!  Oh, and the raspberry sauce? Holy moly...this is a must!

Now, I will say, while this is easy to make, it does require some equipment you may not have readily available.  I'm sure you can substitute the mold for another form and be just fine, but this heart shaped Coeur a la Creme mold is so adorable I had to have it.  You can purchase it here.  You will also need some cheesecloth, for the straining, so make sure to have that on hand as well.  Other than that this is easy to put together.  This does need to sit overnight and strain through the cheesecloth, so I made it the night before.  You may want to plan to make this ahead of time.

This truly is a fabulous recipe, thanks to Ina for her ingenious cookbooks and foolproof dishes!  You can buy her cookbook here, which I highly recommend. 

You may also find the recipe here.

Happy Mother's Day!



Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce

(Serves 6 to 8 )

Adapted from :  Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris Cookbook

12 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
Raspberry Sauce
2 half-pints fresh raspberries

Raspberry Sauce:
1 half-pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam

Place the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for two minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla paste and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

Line a 7-inch sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels so the ends drape over the sides and suspend it over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle Raspberry Sauce around the base. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.

For the Raspberry Sauce: Place one package of raspberries, the granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries and the jam, into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.

Parmesan Chicken with a Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

Time for another healthy, fresh, yet quick dinner...

This is a fresh spin on Chicken Parmesan without all the ooey, gooey loveliness that I adore.  I really do love a good Chicken Parmesan dish.  As a matter of fact I recall someone saying that this is the dish they order each time they go to a new Italian restaurant, judging the restaurant on how well they make it! Hmm...funny how I think about that every time I order one too.

Today's rendition has all the flavors of the traditional without the calories.  Bringing in fresh tomatoes instead of a marinara sauce, and substituting fresh mozzarella balls for the melted cheese (hail to melted cheese..oops!) makes this dish light and bright and easy to assemble.  So the traditional is for another day.  Today we are going springtime fresh, quick and tasty!

Serve this quick dinner with a nice chopped Italian salad and some pita wedges and you are all set.  I hope you really enjoy this version.  It was a hit all around the block at my house.

If you're in the mood for the original version, I make a mean Chicken Parmigiana which you can find here.



Parmesan Chicken with a Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

Serves 4

1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 (4 ounce) chicken cutlets or thin cut breasts
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved (I used mixed colors)
7 oz container fresh mozzarella balls, Bocconcini, cut in half
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Place flour in a breading dish or pie plate. Beat eggs in a pie plate. Combine panko and Parmesan in a third pie plate. Make sure chicken is about 1/4" thick, if not pound to attain thinness.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg, then coat with panko mixture, pressing to adhere.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook cutlets, 2 at a time until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.  Add another 1 Tablespoon of oil and remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter to the skillet and heat.  Add remaining cutlets and cook 2 minutes per side.

Toss tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic, balsamic vinegar, basil and remaining 1 Tablespoon oil together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, place chicken on a dinner plate and top with the tomato-mozzarella salad. 

Slow Cooker Greek Style Chicken with Spinach and Tomato Orzo

It's been awhile since I last posted on my blog, but I'm back and ready to go now!  The reason being is that MGG and I moved to a new home and we love it.

Moving is a major bummer in my eyes.  With all the packing , sorting, donating tons of stuff, and packing...and packing!  When you've lived in a place for eons you find the strangest stuff that you've latched on to and hid away.  I found items from the 90's!  Yikes!  So much to do, with so little time.  Note to self:  stop buying stuff for the kitchen!....you have too much!!!!! (Pottery Barn is a no, no!!)

The good part about moving is letting go and getting rid of a LOT of items that I didn't use, and certainly didn't need.  Plus we get to start a new chapter in our lives in a new home, and new area.  I love a good adventure and making new memories. Don't you?

So while I was packing day and night for the last month, I didn't have much time for anything else, let alone cooking.  At some point during the month I packed my entire kitchen and just decided to forgo all cooking and ate a lot of ready made salads for dinner or items from the deli.  Good for the waistline, but not so good for my blog posts!  

Just when I thought it was over and we were all moved I took a look around and saw a sea of boxes.  Noooooooooo....now I have to unpack! OMG will it be over soon?  So relying on my trusty memory to determine which box my crockpot was in I decided to get it out and whip up this wonderful meal for dinner.  The chicken, spinach and tomatoes cook all day (while I unpack) and you just cook the orzo when it's done and pull it all together. I used frozen spinach as suggested but next time I think I'll use fresh spinach, adding it toward the end of the cooking time.  I like a little more texture to my spinach than frozen offers.  You can do this either way, it will be fine. 

What a easy, yet tasty meal!

Enjoy this dish this spring when you want to have extra time to yourself!


Slow Cooker Greek Style Chicken with Spinach and Tomato Orzo
adapted from BHG Special Interest Publication "Chicken Dinners" 2015

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1teaspoon dried parsley, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14 1/2 ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups grape tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked orzo pasta
1teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a small bowl combine dried oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle mixture evenly over chicken; rub in with your fingers. In a large skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat about 4 minutes or until brown, turning once. (It doesn't have to be cooked through) Remove from heat.

In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine chicken, broth, and garlic. Add spinach; top with tomatoes. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 hours.  Remove chicken from cooker; cover and keep warm.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer spinach and tomatoes to a large bowl; discard liquid.  Stir cooked pasta, lemon peel, and lemon juice into spinach mixture.  Serve chicken with pasta mixture.  Garnish with cheese.  Enjoy!

Kitchen Tip: Garlic Fix

I don't typically post just a Kitchen Tip.

But today I am.

I saw this on Cuisinerecipes.com and knew this tip was too handy not to share.  

Here it is:

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves. To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag. Pat the minced garlic to about ¾-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into ¾-inch cubes and refreeze. The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each — perfectly portioned for easy use.

- See more at: http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2015/03/05/7201/#sthash.bYiGQp59.dpuf

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves. To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag. Pat the minced garlic to about ¾-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into ¾-inch cubes and refreeze. The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each — perfectly portioned for easy use.

- See more at: http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2015/03/05/7201/#sthash.bYiGQp59.dpuf

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam's Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves.  To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag.  Pat the minced garlic to about 3/4-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into 3/4-inch cubes and refreeze.  The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each - - perfectly portioned for easy use.




Tip and picture source:  Cuisinerecipes.com

Garlic Fix

 

Garlic Fix

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves. To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag. Pat the minced garlic to about ¾-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into ¾-inch cubes and refreeze. The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each — perfectly portioned for easy use.

- See more at: http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2015/03/05/7201/#sthash.bYiGQp59.dpuf

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves. To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag. Pat the minced garlic to about ¾-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into ¾-inch cubes and refreeze. The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each — perfectly portioned for easy use.

- See more at: http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2015/03/05/7201/#sthash.bYiGQp59.dpuf

Walnut and Rosemary Oven "Fried" Chicken

Keeping to your New Year's resolution to eat healthier?

Typically my resolution starts out with a bang and peters out somewhere between February and March.  Snacks and sweets start to sneak in there.  Being a professed ice cream-oholic it's soooo hard to put that stuff down.  

But I still try.  Each day is a new start and our motto is one day at a time!  This dish fits the bill with healthier eating.  Who doesn't love fried chicken?  I grew up on the stuff.  I mean we ate it all the time.  Mom's fried chicken was the best.  Crunchy and tender.  I can see it cooking in those cast iron skillets right now.  Mmmm memories.  Well this chicken is oven fried instead of deep fried which really cuts down on the fat.  That's such a good thing.

It gets it's crispy coating from panko crumbs, and to ensure they crisp in the oven you spray just a little cooking spray on them.  This will give you the crunch that's similar to pan fried chicken.  The addition of rosemary and walnuts just adds flavor to the dish and give it a little twist.  You can really taste the rosemary and it's makes the dish special so don't skip this part.

We both loved this dish!  Serve it with some mashed potatoes, vegetables, or a nice salad.  It's a healthier way to eat chicken.  So make some oven "fried" chicken tonight and save the real thing for a special occasion.






Walnut and Rosemary Oven "Fried" Chicken
serves 4

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 Tbls Dijon mustard
4 chicken cutlets
1/3 c panko 
1/3 c finely chopped walnuts
2 Tbls grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper 
cooking spray


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add panko to the skillet and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden brown. 

Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.  Set aside.
 
In a breading dish or pie pan combine buttermilk and mustard.  Stir to combine.  To another breading dish add the panko, nuts, Parmesan cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  

Add chicken to the buttermilk mixture and turn to coat.  Add chicken to the panko mixture and dredge on both sides to coat. 
 
Arrange chicken on the rack and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 13 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve immediately.






Source:  Cookinglight.com

Quick & Easy Mini Sticky Buns

Weekend breakfasts are my indulgence.  I look forward to lingering over a nice breakfast each weekend but sometimes that is just not possible.  Such as last weekend.  

We were up and ready to go celebrate the Chinese New Year down at the LA Zoo pretty early on Saturday.  (so much fun!!!)  With visions of the Lion Dance in my head we didn't have the time to lounge around and sip tea and crumpets!  So I decided that something quick, but sweet, was in order to get us on our way.

If you don't this little secret I'll let you in on it...Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are an amazing convenience item.  Yes they are!  You can do so much with this dough it's unbelievable.  You can make savory items like stuffed pockets, or braids and sweets such as these Quick & Easy Mini Sticky Buns.  I always keep a roll in the refrigerator for emergencies like this...(a I want cinnamon fix emergency!)

I'm in love with hot gooey cinnamon and brown sugar...so both of those are on the list in this dish.  They provide the topping and make this quick bun over the top.  You need to be careful with these.  You may end up eating them all yourself.  Warning:  They are addicting!

These are easy to pull together.  The hardest part is waiting for the butter to soften.  So....use the microwave to soften it,  if you like.  They will be done that much quicker.  Soft, chewy, gooey mini sticky buns.  Got to love 'em.  Enjoy!

 

Quick & Easy Mini Sticky Buns

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter, divided
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of a cake plate. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter trying to cover most of the surface area.  

 

Unroll crescent dough and press the seams together to create one sheet. Spread with remaining softened butter. Combine white sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the buttered dough. (Save a little to sprinkle on at the end - couple of Tablespoons.)  Roll the dough into a log starting from the longest side.  Cut into 15-16 slices.  Place in pan cut side down.  Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and sugar.  

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool 5 minutes and invert pan on to a plate.  Serve immediately. 

Banana Bundt Cake

I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day.

We decided to go and and have some fun this year, so I really didn't do any cooking. We wanted to go somewhere and walk around and window shop, get a bite to eat, and listen to some music.  Well, big mistake to head on down to The Grove in L.A. because everyone else had the same idea, it was jam-packed.

When I say jam-packed I mean it.  It took us about 15-20 minutes to find a parking spot in a 6 level structure.  All the cars were fighting over the spots, people were driving crazy (not like they don't in LA already!), but we finally got lucky and found one.  Then we headed down to the open air shopping/restaurant village.  The music was bumping and people were gathered around.  We tried to get through the crowd of sardines and somehow ended up in line for a restaurant.  LOL!  Kinda just got pushed into that.  When we realized what was going on, we just laughed, shrugged to the people in line with us, and quickly moved on.  

We ended up at a wonderful Greek restaurant, which really inspired me to start cooking more Greek style dishes.  I ordered a shot of Ouzo to toast and they brought me the biggest shot (which was half a glass really!) and we toasted the night!  I'll tell you I was feeling really good by the time I finished that drink and the crowds didn't seem that bad after that!  

So we danced a little, shopped a little and ate a lot...then headed home for a wonderful dessert of Banana Bundt Cake, that I had whipped up earlier in the day.  As I always have ripe bananas hanging around this was a great way to use them.  Who doesn't love a good pound cake?  Perfect for spring, and a great choice for your Easter dinner, or Mardi Gras celebration.

I know you are going to love it.


Banana Bundt Cake

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
2 overripe medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls Splenda Sugar Blend
3/4 cup brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk (make your own by adding 1 teaspoon lemon juice to milk and let it sit for 5 minutes)
Topping:  powdered sugar - optional

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup fluted bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Add the flour mixture (with the mixer on low) in two parts alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat just until it comes together. Do not overmix!

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.

Once done, cool cake 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out cake onto cake platter and allow to cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Nutella Swirl Banana Bread

Last Thursday was National Nutella Day!

Don't you just love this stuff?  I mean peanut butter is the best and I grew up with it.  But, when I discovered Nutella (chocolate and hazelnut) many years ago from a friend who brought me a jar from an ethnic grocery store I thought it was 'the bomb'!

Since Nutella Day snuck up on me and I didn't plan ahead (it happens) I made this late at night and didn't get it posted for you in time.  But, who says that you can't celebrate today?  or any other day for that matter?  I say "Go for it!". 

I always seem to have some overripe bananas hanging around so I decided to make a banana bread with a Nutella swirl.  Bananas and chocolate go together really really well.  My Banana Chocolate Chip Bread is always a hit, so let's mix it up a little bit.  Now that Nutella is in every grocery store I always have a jar hanging around as well, so putting them together just had to happen.

The result was a luscious, decadent, quick bread that's perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a midday snack.  It won't last long in your house, as it didn't in mine!  I might have contributed to that though.  It's kinda addicting.

Enjoy a little decadence in your life!



Nutella Swirl Banana Bread

makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1¼ cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup Nutella

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, mix together banana, butter, sugar, vanilla, and milk until well blended.  Add eggs and stir until combined.  Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Divide 1/2 of of the batter into another bowl; stir in Nutella until combined.

Add Nutella batter alternately with plain batter into the prepared loaf pan. Swirl batters together with a knife.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan for at least 15 minutes and then remove loaf from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce (Healthier Version)

Sometimes comfort food just calls me.

A lot of time that food is laden with high calories and carbs.  So what to do when you made a resolution to eat healthy or lose weight and you are only 1 month in and already wanting to throw it out the window?

Try this wonderful creamy pasta sauce.  It's a healthier version since it doesn't use any cream!  Using evaporated milk with a little added cornstarch gives it the texture and richness of cream, without all the fat.  Love that!

This sauce is so easy to throw together that you can easily make it during the week to feed the whole family. To help control the carbs, use a high fiber spaghetti such as Barilla Plus, which tastes great.  Trust me, everyone will love it, and no one will miss the calories.

Enjoy!



Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce (Healthier Version)

serves 4

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes 
Pinch of chili flakes
1 tsp Italian herbs
Kosher Salt
1 cup low fat evaporated milk
1/4 tsp cornstarch
1 pound Thin Spaghetti or other pasta(I used Barilla Plus)
grated Parmesan

To a large skillet over medium heat add the olive oil and diced onion.  Cook about 7 minutes until transparent.  Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.  Add the crushed tomatoes, chili flakes, Italian herbs, and salt (to taste) stirring to combine.  Bring the pasta sauce to a low boil and cook about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions, to al dente.  Drain and set aside.  Turn the heat to low under the skillet.  In a measuring cup add evaporated milk and whisk in the cornstarch.  Add to the sauce and stir to combine.  Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to coat.  

Divide pasta among four plates and top with grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.

Game Day Food: All American Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

To be honest with you, the big game is probably more about the food than the game to me!

I haven't really been keeping up with the games this year, but still enjoy a good party.  Who doesn't?

It gives me an excuse to make some great food and share it with friends.  So we'll be watching the game (and the commercials) this weekend like so many others.

I like to serve a variety of foods that we can nosh on throughout the game.  That usually entails some dips, chips, and veggies.  Stuff that you don't have to cook.  Then during half time I cook up a couple of items like mini pizzas or some perfect All American Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders.

So today I'm sharing with you my recipe for this small version of an American classic.  You can't go wrong with bacon and cheese on a juicy hamburger.  And to create a small version that is so cute...they scream party food!

What's your favorite party food?

Excellent dips to make:

•  Black Bean Salsa
•  Chunky Guacamole
•  Sweet Onion Salsa
•  Kopanisti - Greek Feta Spread

All American Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

Makes 12 sliders

12 slices of center cut bacon
1 lb ground sirloin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
kosher salt and pepper
6 slices of American cheese
12 slider buns or dinner rolls, split in half
Condiments as desired

In a large skillet cook bacon in batches over medium heat until crisp.  Repeat until all bacon is cooked. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined pan.  Drain most of the grease from the skillet keeping about 2 tablespoons.

Add ground sirloin, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce to a bowl.  Mix gently to distribute the seasoning.  Season with salt and pepper, mix again gently.  Using about 1/4 cup of meat mixture form patties.

Cook patties in the skillet with the bacon fat over medium heat about 3-4 minutes, then flip.  Place a slice of cheese on top of each patty and place a lid over the skillet to help the cheese melt.  Cook about 3 minutes until done.  This may be done in batches as well.

Toast slider buns halves under the broiler on a cookie sheet.  To assemble, put your favorite condiments on top of the bottom bun, top with a patty, add the bacon, criss-crossed, add any additional condiments and top with the top bun.  Serve hot.