Birthday Banana Crepes

So last week was my boyfriend, MGG's birthday and since we had such a large dinner we didn't order dessert.  I know, that's sad.

So, when we got home I decided to whip up an easy dessert, Banana Crepes.

Now, this is a semi-homemade version using pre-made crepes, cause it's meant to be quick....but you can certainly take the time if you want and make crepes from scratch and they will be stupendous!

These were so yummy and have jut enough uniqueness to be "special"...."birthday special"!
Happy Birthday MGG!

I didn't take step by step photos on this one, cause it's super simple.  You'll see.
Try them and tell me what you think!



Banana Crepes

Serves 2

2 Crepes, pre-made
1 T. Butter
2 T. Brown sugar
1 large banana
1 square Bakers semi-sweet chocolate

Melt the chocolate square in a small glass bowl, in the microwave.  Microwave at 30 second intervals stirring in between, until melted. About 1 min.

Slice the banana into 1/2" slices.  Add butter and brown sugar to a hot skillet.  Stir until melted.  Add banana and coat with sugar mixture.  Cook 1- 1 1/2 minutes until heated through.

Fold crepe in half and in half again. Place on serving plate.  Top with hot bananas and brown sugar mixture.  Drizzle with melted chocolate.  Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Cherry Muffins

I love muffins....can you tell?


Growing up we always made muffins on the weekend.  Our basic recipe has always been an excellent standard sweeter muffin.  These days I like to experiment with that basic recipe and change it up a bit for new combinations.


Here's one I hope you will enjoy, Brown Sugar Cherry Muffins.


Sounds good huh?


So this is a variation on the my basic muffin recipe.  I just swapped out some ingredients and add some dried fruit.  Simple.


Here we go.


You will need the following for the basic recipe:  1 egg, buttermilk, canola oil, all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt .  For this variation we will add: cherries, swap out some all purpose flour for whole wheat flour, and we swapped the milk for buttermilk.

In a large bowl beat 1 egg.  Add buttermilk and oil and mix well.  Add both types of flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Mix until moistened.  Don't over mix or you will get tough muffins!  Fold in the dried cherries.

Now spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray.  Spread the batter amongst 6 muffin tins almost all the way full.  That's how I like em!

Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes (watch these, they get brown quickly).

See how pretty!!!

Good tasting and pretty good for you too!

Brown Sugar Cherry Muffins

Serves 6

Cook time 20-25 min

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

1/4 cup Canola Oil

¾ cups all purpose flour

¾ cups whole wheat flour

1/2 Cup brown sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

½ cup dried cherries

Directions:

Place egg, buttermilk, and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until light.  Add flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Stir until moist.  Don’t overmix…batter should be lumpy and a little thick.

Fold in dried cherries.

Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray.  Divide batter amongst 6 muffin cups filling most of the way full.

Bake at 425 degrees for 18 -20 min.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to MGG!

We celebrated my boyfriend, MGG's, birthday last Saturday in Hollywood.  Boy what a day.  It's been a while since we have been down there and it was so much fun exploring Hollywood Blvd.


From Hollywood and Highland where the Academy Awards are held...

 

To the Hollywood Wax Museum...

But one of the best part's of the day was the food!  We ate dinner at a Peruvian restaurant, Balcones Del Peru.  What a gem!  The atmosphere is cozy and moody.

The service was outstanding!

The food was exceptional!!

Our appetizer was Papas A La Huancaina,  little boiled potatoes in a spicy huancaina feta cheese sauce with hard boiled eggs and some dressed greens. Completely different from anything I've eaten, and delicious!

MGG had Aji De Gallina,  a spicy dish of shredded chicken in an aji amarillo and bread creamy sauce.  He devoured it!

I had the Pollo Saltado, a dish of chicken, onion, tomatoes, and french fries in a spicy soy based sauce.

Fabulous!

If you are ever in the LA area, stop by Hollywood and take in the sites, and some outstanding food!

Cheers to Balcones Del Peru for the great ambiance, a romantic evening....
and cheers to my baby on his birthday!