Cooking made easy

CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Yep, you read it correctly, chocolate banana bread, and it is really good!! The chocolate (cocoa and chocolate chips) lend the predominate flavor, but you can still taste the banana AND the fruit keeps the bread extremely moist.

1 1/4 cups of mashed bananas
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (a must)
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Beat all of the wet ingredients and sugar together until well combined and smooth. Beat in the dry ingredients just until combined then stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.
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Bake the bread in a greased 8" x 4" loaf pan, in a pre-heated 350F oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick tests clean (see note below). Cool bread in pan, on rack, for 15 minutes, then remove from pan . Immediately, wrap hot bread with plastic wrap and cool, this will seal in all of the moisture......important step.

If you click on the (above) photo, you can see the melted chocolate chips...a slice of this bread, heated in the microwave for 10 seconds or so, will satisfy any serious choco-holic.

NOTE: Im not a big fan of baking all that batter in a single 8" x 4" loaf pan for over an hour. That always seems to produce a lot of hard crusty corners. I much prefer to make two smaller loaves which bake in about 45 minutes. Whatever pan size you use, try the toothpick test for doneness. When you remove the toothpick, you will see some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick, but no gooey batter.
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NOTE: Yes, that is snow (higher than my kitchen window) in that last photo. Snow also accounts for the ultra-bright window-light in the first photo. We live at the base of a mountain pass and we get a lot of snow...but, hey, its nearly mid-March, so this is even a lot of snow for us. Tonight its zero again. I heard on the radio today that the Iditarod dog team racers are experiencing 35 below zero this week!!

DC Cupcakes Gets Rewnewed for Second Season Attracts Even Longer Wait Lines

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Everyones favorite cupcake-themed TLC reality show DC Cupcakes, starring Georgetown darlings Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis, co-owner sisters of Georgetown Cupcake, has been picked up for a second season, which can only mean one thing: even longer lines at the shop than this one:

Photo via Shawn and Sara

Yes, it does wrap around the corner

Basically, TLC realized that 6 episodes does not a "season" make, so theyre upping their order to a full dozen. (Dya see what I did there, with that pun...srsly LOLz right now!!!!!)

So, theres still no word on exactly how many episodes "Season 2" will be comprised of, but I do hope the sisters get some acting lessons between now and then. That, or just document what Im sure are plenty of real-life antics more worth watching than the over-rehearsed discussions of whether Mommy is competent enough to differentiate between butterscotch and mocha cupcakes (SPOILER ALERT: shes not).

I far prefer the moments when one of the sisters snaps and gets bitchy like this...now thats what I call good TV!

The Greatest Hamburger Commercial Ever Made…and NO it’s not that creepy “where the beef ” lady!

This weekend’s filler clip is a priceless relic from the early eighties featuring Jason Alexander, pre-George Costanza, singing and dancing about McDonalds greatest invention ever…the McDLT. Of course, put the lettuce and tomato in a separate compartment than the hot burger! Genius! Finally, the fatal flaw of fast food burgers was solved. No more limp and soggy veggies as the burger sat waiting for you to order it. Well, so much for that, apparently we like our burgers all wrapped up in one hot wilted bundle since the McDTL lasted about as long as Jason Alexander’s post-Seinfeld sitcom. The 2 pounds of Styrofoam it took to package it didn’t help much either. Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

Carrabbas Chicken Cacciatore
Copycat Recipe

Serves 2

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons white wine
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper, sliced julienne
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
1/4 teaspoon rosemary, finley chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 8 oz chicken breast
flour
vegetable oil

Seasoning for the chicken breast: granulated garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper .. 1 tablespoon of each.

Method For Sauce: Heat olive oil in a stock pot medium heat. Saute onions until soft, add the garlic for a few minutes more, then add white wine, chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, red bell peppers, parsley, rosemary, and black pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil. Once the reach the boil turn the off the heat. Set aside.

Method for Browning chicken breast: Heat vegetable oil in a saute pan, low to medium heat. About 500 degrees. Season both side of the chicken, dredge in flour and place in the saute immediately. Brown on both sides about 3-4 minutes.

Place chicken in casserole dish. Split the sauce in half. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken covering it nicely. Leave half the sauce to pour over the chicken before serving. Cover the pan with the chicken and sauce tightly with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes uncovered. Serve with your favorite side dish, Polenta recommended.

Creamy Cheese Polenta Recipe

2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup polenta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Place cream and chicken stock into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the polenta. Simmer slow and low and stir frequently until thick, approximately 30 minutes. Now add your cheese and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Pour your hot Polenta into a olive oil coated deep bowl and let it set up for 10 minutes. If you prefer you can spoon it onto plates right away.

Happy Labor Day… only 109 shopping days until Christmas!

Friday, May 16, 2014

Is summer really gone already? Im too busy for prolonged paradoxical pondering, but how can all those extra-long days go by so fast? It seems like I was just writing my Memorial Day post.

If you are a regular reader, you know what a crazy, travel-filled season this was for me. The blogs traffic has grown steadily, and I appreciate all the visits, comments, and contributions!

So, even though you may be feeling a little melancholy, remember, we are entering the prime time of the year for cooking and eating. I hope youll visit this blog often for ideas on filling your fall and holiday tables with lots of delicious food.

Yes, the days will get shorter, sunflowers will go to seed, lawns will be garnished with a scattering of crunchy leaves, and some joker will tell you how many shopping days until Christmas -- but its all right, were having braised short ribs and root vegetables for dinner!

Finally, here’s to all the dishwashers, cooks, chefs, and other hospitality workers that celebrate Labor Day by working as hard as ever. Don’t feel too sorry for them, its a labor of love, and besides, they’ll catch up after work. Enjoy!

Apple photo (c) Flickr user Elaron