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.
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.
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:
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.
