My Story in Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Blog Posts
  • My Story
  • Connect

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

12/31/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
                     Happy New Year's Eve!!!

I've blogged thousands of recipes over the last 10 years.  Ever wonder which ones are my favorites?  The ones that I make over and over again for my family and friends?  It's no secret really.  You can use the categories column on the right side of the blog to search "My Favorites."  You can also search Healthy Favorites, Slow Cooker Meals and Chocolate recipes!!!  It's not a coincidence that a lot of the recipes in the chocolate category are also included in the "My Favorites" category.  😂🍫
Picture
Not very many of my recipes get the coveted title of a "favorite".  It has to be something that's worthy of being enjoyed slowly and deliberately.  Like a homemade English muffin drizzled with warm honey that begs to be savored on lazy Saturday mornings with a steaming cup of herbal tea.  

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread - you had me at first bite.  This extravagantly decadent, chocolate breakfast bread is exceptionally delicious.  (Was that enough adjectives to get my point across?)  There was never any question about whether to add this recipe to my favorites, really.  And if I had a category that was favorites of the favorites - it would be there too.  
Picture
Picture
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
  •  1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  •  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  •  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  •  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  •  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  •  1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium ripe bananas)
  •  3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  •  2 large eggs at room temperature
  •  1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  •  1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  •  1 cup chocolate chips divided
  •  1 tablespoon raw sugar 
Picture
Picture
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Beat together bananas and brown sugar. 
Picture
Picture
Stir in eggs, butter and vanilla.
Fold in dry ingredients.
Picture
Picture
Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
Scoop into greased loaf pan.  Sprinkle with remaining chips and raw sugar.
Picture
Bake 1 hour at 350.  Let cool in pan 30 minutes.   
Picture
Move to rack and let cool completely. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
I can think of no better way to kick off a brand new decade than with a slice of this moist and delicious banana bread and a homemade cappuccino.  

​Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments

Yeast Waffles

11/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
There are over 430 Waffle House restaurants in Georgia.  Chances are that if you live in this wonderful state, you reside within 10 miles of at least 2 different Waffle House locations and probably at least one within walking distance.  If you're not a Georgia resident but you've ever had the privilege of driving through our beautiful state, there's no doubt you took notice of our state restaurant.  😂  You won't have to drive far from an exit off of any major highway to satisfy your most imminent waffle emergency.

According to their website, Waffle House serves 341 strips of bacon, 238 orders of hash browns, 127 cups of coffee and 145 waffles -- EVERY MINUTE!!!  That is a LOT of waffles.  When I first moved to Georgia, I thought that everyone went to this popular establishment for the waffles.  Turns out, people flock to this chain restaurant because it's open 24 hours a day - 365 days a year, it's relatively cheap and it serves greasy spoon comfort food.  
Picture
What I find fascinating about this iconic restaurant, is that no matter what time of day I pass by any given location, there are cars in the parking lot and people sitting at the counter with steaming cups of hot coffee.  I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I've been in a Waffle House at 3:00 in the morning and there were plenty of other hungry diners happily enjoying a meal alongside me.  

This is not going to be a popular opinion but I'm not actually a big fan of the waffles at Waffle House.  My very favorite waffles are the still the ones that I make in my own kitchen. They're light, fluffy and delicious and even though they may be not be as popular as the Waffle House waffle, I think they're far better.  And as it turns out  - my kitchen is open 24/7 too.  💁🏻‍♀️
Picture
Yeast Waffles
1 3/4 cups whole milk
8 Tablespoons butter
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
​Heat milk and butter in saucepan until butter is almost melted.
​Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
Picture
Picture
​Stir in warm milk. 
​Combine eggs and vanilla.
Picture
Picture
​Whisk into batter. 
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 
Picture
Picture
​In the morning, pour batter into a hot waffle iron. 
Picture
Serve with fruit and powdered sugar (Amy style) or drizzle with maple syrup.  
Picture
Weekends were made for waffles.  With a little planning and prep work the night before, you can have fresh homemade waffles in under 15 minutes.  That might actually be faster than I can get to a Waffle House and order a waffle.  🤷🏻‍♀️

​Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments

Pasta Ragu

10/11/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Does it mean that you're a foodie if you sign up for a cooking class while you're on vacation?  (Not asking for a friend.)  😂 I'm fully embracing my foodie status today - There was no way that I was going to miss out on the opportunity to learn to cook LIKE an Italian FROM and Italian - in ITALY - even if it means I earn the title "foodie".  🇮🇹 Spending the day making classic Italian food with the love of my life in the beautiful town of Bellagio was pretty much a dream come true.  
Picture
Picture
We started off our cooking class with a trip to the market where we shopped for our ingredients.  Then we spent the afternoon creating the most delicious Italian food that I've ever tasted.  Homemade pasta, bolognese sauce, bruschetta (aka ragu) and tiramisu - oh my.   

I'll admit that it's possible that sitting at an elegantly dressed table under a grapevine awning in the middle of our favorite little Italian town on a beautiful Fall day, influenced my opinion of the food.  ​I may have forgotten some of the details about that day, like the weight of the flour and the amount of fresh sage to put in the sauce, but I'll remember the memories that we made on this special day for a very long time.  
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
It took 7 people (including 1 professional) 6 hours to create this dream Italian meal.  I anticipated that it would take me roughly 3 days to recreate this meal at home - by myself.  😂  Soooo, I decided to tackle it in stages - or a series of days to be exact.

This is how my Italian cooking week went -
     Day 1 - I shopped for ingredients including Italian tomatoes, ground veal and dried ladyfingers.  (In case you're curious - I had to visit was 3 different grocery stores to get these special ingredients.)
   Day 2 - I tackled the Bolognese sauce, divided it into containers and stored it in the refrigerator.     
     Day 3 - I made the tiramisu and let it sit in the frig overnight (A technique that our instructor recommended for better consistency.) 
     Day 4 - I made the bruschetta and homemade pasta, opened the wine and served my version of  food.  
Picture
My goal was to replicate the cooking class meal as closely as I could - with ingredients that are available on this continent.   😂  (I actually did a little happy dance when I ran across these tomatoes in World Market because this was the exact brand of tomatoes that we used to make our Bolognese in Italy.)  Replicating the meal was easier than trying to recreate the beautiful ambience in stunning Bellagio.  
Picture
Pasta Ragu
1/4 cup olive oil
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 onion
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
25 ounces tomato puree
​1 cup water
7 ounces finely chopped canned tomatoes
1 cup red or white wine
grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
1/3 pound ground veal
1/3 pound ground pork sausage
​1/3 pound ground beef
Picture
Picture
Cover bottom of Dutch oven with olive oil and heat on low.
Chop onion.
Picture
Picture
Chop carrot.
Chop celery.
Picture
Picture
Saute vegetables until tender. 
Add meat and cook until meat releases its water and then evaporates. 
Picture


​
Add wine and cook until alcohol evaporates. 


Picture
Picture
Picture
Add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, water, bay, nutmeg and rosemary.  Season with salt and pepper. 
Cook on low for 2-6 hours.  
Picture
Discard bay and rosemary and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Serve ragu with pasta.
I made two separate batches of ragu because well, it's ragu and you and can never have enough.  Just to be sure that I was being thorough in my research, I wanted to make a batch of the ragu made with white wine and compare it to a batch of ragu made with red wine.  (All in the name of research. 😂)Turns out - even though I'm partial to a glass of red wine with dinner - I was a fan of the white wine ragu.  Don't get me wrong - both ragu sauces were amazing and I would never turn down a bowl of either.  I recommend doing your own "research" though.  🍝

​Ciao from Bellagio!
0 Comments

Shrimp Risotto

9/18/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
What makes anyone want to run a marathon?  Obviously, we aren't all cut out to be marathon runners.   To most people, it hardly seems worth the effort to put ourselves through all of the training to be awarded with a gatorade and a medal.  But to a runner, the results are worth the time and effort that they invest in their marathon training. 

We are a society of instant gratification but have you noticed that the more time and energy that we devote to something, the more fulfillment we receive when our goal  is finally achieved?  It takes countless hours of training for a person to get themselves into the physical condition necessary to run a marathon.  What is the motivation?  Is it the potential of winning or just the satisfaction of accomplishing a long term goal?  

​I gave up running 12 years ago because of a wimpy ankle situation but when I WAS running, I never described myself as a "happy" runner.  I ran out of necessity.  It was an efficient and inexpensive form of exercise and most days, I had to force myself to do it.  I devoted a percentage of my day to exercise because I felt like the benefits outweighed the pain and aggravation that I had to endure.  It was the long term benefits to my health that kept me motivated to run around and around my neighborhood on a daily basis.  
Picture
I apply the same principles to dinners that I make.  There are times when we need instant gratification - and sustenance - in a hurry.  There are other times when I devote a lot of time into making a meal and I've learned over time NOT to do it for the potential accolades that I will receive from my family.  I actually get a lot of satisfaction from the process of transforming raw ingredients into something that smells and tastes absolutely heavenly.  There's also a direct link between the amount of time that I spend cooking a meal and the contentment that I feel when I eat it.  

There are certain meals that you just can't rush.  They require that you invest a certain amount of time in order to achieve the desired results and there's no shortcuts.  Risotto is one of those dishes.  It requires a significant amount of time and a lots of attention in the form of constant stirring.  Trust me when I say that it's totally worth it though.  This shrimp risotto is DELICIOUS!
Picture
Shrimp Risotto
1 pound extra large shrimp, with shells
1 3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 Tablespoon oil
7 cups water
15 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4 Tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon fennel
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Picture
Picture
Cut each shrimp into thirds.  Toss with 1/2 t. salt.  
Heat oil in Dutch oven.  Add shrimp shells and cook 4 minutes until brown.
Picture
Picture
Add water, peppercorns, bay and 1 t. salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  
Pour through fine mesh strainer pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. 
Picture
Picture
Melt 2 T. butter in pan.  Add onion, fennel, baking soda and 1/4 t. salt.
Cook 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. 
Picture
Picture
Add rice and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add wine and cook until absorbed.  (3-4 minutes.)
Picture
Picture
Stir in 4 cups stock, cover and simmer until al dente.  (16-18 minutes)
Add 3/4 cups stock to risotto and stir constantly until creamy.  (3 minutes)
Picture
Picture
Stir in parmesan and shrimp. 
Cover and let stand off heat for 5 minutes. 
Picture
Stir in chives, lemon zest and juice and 2 T. butter. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Serve with lemon wedges and parmesan.  

Admittedly, this shrimp risotto isn't the most photogenic of meals because it's a little monochromatic.  I can assure you that it's anything but one dimensional when it comes to flavor.  This is definitely a new favorite in our house.  

​Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments

English Muffins

7/8/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
There are some foods that I consider to be just a catalyst for other, more appealing foods.  Take french fries, for example.  I actually refer to the long fried potatoes as ketchup sticks because without the ketchup, I really see no point in eating a french fry.  I've always applied the same principle to my english muffin eating experience.  The crater filled muffin has always served as a suitable holder for my butter, jam, peanut butter, eggs or avocado but beyond that - they really didn't serve any purpose.  

It's not that there's anything inherently displeasing about english muffins, but on their own, they've never been that appealing.  Then it occurred to me that perhaps I just haven't been eating the right kind of English muffins.  I honestly don't think that I've ever tasted a made from scratch, freshly baked English muffin.   Is it possible that I could make a muffin at home that is crave worthy, all on its own? 
Picture
If anyone can turn an ordinary English muffin into an exceptional breakfast treat filled with nooks and crannies, it's America's Test Kitchen.  I'm wasn't completely convinced that making homemade English muffins would get me to put aside my jar of peanut butter, but it was certainly worth a try.  
Picture
English Muffins
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup + 6 Tablespoons warm whole milk
2 Tablespoons honey
5 Tablespoons cornmeal
2 Tablespoons butter
Picture
Picture
Combine yeast, flour and salt.  
Whisk together warm milk and honey.
Picture
Picture
Add milk to flour mixture and stir until just combined.  
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour. 
Picture
Picture
Sprinkle a silpat with 4 T. cornmeal. 
Use a greased 1/4 measuring cup to divide dough into 8 portions. 
Picture
Picture
Spray hands with cooking spray and shape each portion into a 2" disk.  
Place disks on baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 T. cornmeal.  
Picture
Picture
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour.  
Melt 1 T. butter in non-stick skillet.  Add 4 dough rounds and cook until browned.
Picture
Picture
Flip and cook 2 minutes longer.  Repeat with remaining butter and muffins.
Transfer to clean baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes at 350.
Picture
Picture
Let muffins cool completely on wire rack.  
Picture
Split muffins with fork or knife.  
Toast and serve. 
Picture
Well it turns out, I really DO like plain English muffins.  As I suspected, I was eating the wrong kind of muffins all this time.  Homemade from scratch English muffins are AMAZING!  And I can eat them plain - without any toppings.  And when I do add my favorite toppings or filings, they're even more amazing.  

Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Like my page on facebook.

    Follow me on Instagram


    Follow Me on Pinterest

    Categories

    All
    30 Minute Meals
    30-minute-meals
    Big Green Egg Recipes
    Chocolate
    Christmas Classics
    Comfort Foods
    Crock Pot Meals
    Fall Favorites
    Healthy Choices
    My Favorites
    Springtime Treats
    St Patrick's Day Goodies
    Summertime Specialties
    Thanksgiving Classics
    Valentine Treats
    Vegetarian
    Winter Warm Ups

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

  • Recipe Index
  • Blog Posts
  • My Story
  • Connect