Banana Bread Bonanza!

There was a problem a-brewing on my kitchen counter...

Hmmm.... instead of giving them a toss, I did what any other baked-good lover would do and made banana bread.

I found this recipe on my Epicurious app on my iphone (except I left out the chocolate chips...) and have been feasting on this beauty of a banana bread loaf all weekend long.

I like to think that it's healthy and will keep telling myself that after each bite.

Pasta- A Culinary Band-aid

Pasta has a way of making everything better. Especially after a long day (Ok, is it really only Tuesday?)

I found this recipe in the August issue of Martha Stewart Living for fusilli with potatoes and haricot vert in lemon sauce. It's simple, fresh and delicious.

And, of course, it doesn't hurt to serve it in a heart-shaped bowl.

Wouldn't that make any day better?

I Seriously Love Leftovers

I'm a big fan of cooking way too much food than I need. It's great. You cook once and have food for the week. Brilliant. After dinner last night, we had practically a whole leftover tri-tip (we are also huge fans of tri-tip... see my previous post about our household tradition of Tri-Tip Tuesday). Here's what I did with it.

The leftover:

We layered sliced meat, grilled onions and brie on a sub roll and popped it in the panini press. Chris added some Philippe's hot mustard to his.

Seriously, does this need a caption?

Then, I put the remaining in a container with some salad greens and some cooled grilled onions. I'll bring it to work with me for my lunch tomorrow and shake up with some balsamic vinaigrette.

And maybe a scrap accidentally fell on the floor to appease this precious face...

What's your favorite leftover re-recipe?

Lemon Basil Bliss!

Happy weekend! This heat is really starting to cramp my style... but it's given me a great excuse to make sorbet all summer!

What's not to love about sorbet? Simple syrup and juice... could it be any easier? I made a Lemon Basil sorbet that is pretty ridiculously good.

Make a simple syrup with 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar and toss in a big handful or basil leaves (about 1 cup). Once the syrup is cooled, strain the basil out and mix it with 1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pop in an ice cream maker to set up.

Fabo!!! Seriously, this stuff is heaven in a bowl.

Move over! Man in the kitchen!

One of the best surprises is when your husband says these few words... "I'll take care of dinner tonight." Another added surprise is when you come home to find him BBQing (this is especially surprising if said BBQ has been sitting in your yard out of commission for months due to lack of propane...) That's totally the cherry on top!

My wonderful spouse ground some lamb, beef and onions with our new meat grinder attachment for our kitchenaid mixer. Forming them into patties, he BBQ'd them up, melting some shredded mozzarella on top.  We took a large piece of pita and spread some homemade hummus over the whole thing and on one half layered some mixed greens, sliced cucumbers, the burger and crumbled feta. Then fold the top half over to make it look like a huge taco. It's a taco/pita/burger. And it's amazing.

For my vegetarian friends, you can omit the meat and make a grilled veggie version with some grilled onions, peppers, tomatoes and lots of yummy cheese. Or if you're feeling adventurous, try making a base for veggie patty by pulsing some onions, carrots, potatoes, sundried tomatoes and other veggies of choice in a food processor. As a matter of fact, even thought I'm (clearly) not a vegetarian, that sounds pretty good, too...

I'll never come between my man and his mission to make a meal!

Summer Gazpacho

Sorry I haven't posted in a while... I was here all last week:

Anyhoooo, back to reality.

One of my FAVORITE FAVORITE things to make during the summer is gazpacho. It's refreshing, easy, healthy AND delicious- perfect!

My grandma has a wonderful recipe that I start with and then doctor up depending on how I feel and what I have on hand. Here's the basics:

2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
3-4 stalks of celery, diced
2-4 bell peppers, diced (I love them so I go with 4)

Toss all the diced veggies in a BIG bowl...

Next, gather all the liquid ingredients and spices...

2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I use one can of regular and one can of the spicy kind!)
Enough tomato juice to cover the veggies (about 3/4 a bottle of tomato juice, to your taste)
1 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tbs Worcestershire
1 tsp oregano
A dash of hot sauce (Red Rooster is my pick)
S&P

Pour everything in the bowl and mix together...

Chill for a while in the fridge, this is the kind of thing that gets better and better the longer it chills. I will last the whole week and is perfect to pack in a lunch or dole out for a quick dinner. I love the chunky consistency in this gazpacho, but if you're feeling fancy give it a hit with the blender to smooth it out. Top with a dollop of sour cream, avocado and a dash of fresh cracked pepper. Now stay cool!

Pork Chops and Arugula Grape Salad

Food Network is a favorite website of mine... especially when I want easy and delicious recipe ideas. I found this recipe for grilled pork chops with an arugula and grape salad and decided to give it a shot.

Here's what you'll need for the chops...

I varied it up the recipe by marinating the pork chops in the salad dressing for about 10 minutes prior to grilling.

I doubled the dressing recipe so I could use half of it for the marinade and the other half for the salad. Wisk together a diced shallot, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and S&P. Pour half into a ziploc bag with the chops and stick in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, assemble the salad...

Toss together some arugula mix, red grapes sliced in half, crumbled gorgonzola and the dressing.

Grill the chops on the BBQ or a cast iron grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side, depending on how thick they are. The finished product will look like this...

Uhh... so good!!!

Summer Salad Series- Chicken and Parmesan with Balsamic

I love a good "throw together whatever you have in your fridge" salad... especially on a summer evening  when you come home to a hot stuffy house and the last thing you want to do in this heat is COOK (there, I said it.) Open all the windows then open up your fridge to see what you can toss together.

Here's what I had to work with:

Some salad mix, green onions, shredded parm, already-cooked chicken and my favorite salad dressing ever- Three Cheese Balsamic Vinaigrette from Fresh & Easy (It's bottled up amazingness.)

Empty the salad greens in a big bowl. Chop up the chicken and the green onions. (I also found an apple to dice up and throw in there, too...) Throw in a handful of parmesan and toss with some dressing.

Scoop up some ensalada, pour yourself a glass of chardo and relax.

5 Minute Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Don't be fooled by the title of this post. These pulled pork sandwiches literally take 5 minutes to throw together. This is all thanks to my newest Fresh & Easy discovery... fully cooked pulled pork for $5.99!

It also comes in pulled brisket and pulled chicken... yum! So here's the breakdown of the 5 minutes it will take you to cook dinner. Ready, set, go!

Minute 1: Pop some wheat hamburger buns in the toaster to toast lightly. Also put the pulled pork in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes.

Minute 2: Toss some shredded cabbage cole slaw mix with some oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Minute 3: Slice an avocado.

Minute 4: Take the pork out of the micro and the buns out of the toaster.

Minute 5: Assemble your sandwiches and top with a splash of your favorite bbq sauce.

Ok, so you will be hustling this whole time, maybe if you slowed it down a bit it would take 7 or 8 minutes, but still! Can you beat this quick, easy and cheap dinner?

Don't forget the napkins. You'll be wearing this sandwich before you know it!

Breakfast for Dinner

We are big fans of breakfast for dinner. I whipped up this savory scramble and it totally hit the spot. Not to mention, with only 4 ingredients it's easy and cheap.

Here's what you need:
About 8 eggs
1 bunch of asparagus
About 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Grated Parmesan to taste

Start by trimming the bottoms off asparagus and slicing on a diagonal (it always looks pretty...)

Sauté the asparagus with a splash of water and cover for a few minutes until it's nice and tender. Drain from the liquid and set aside.

Beat the eggs with a dash of S&P and the scramble in a frying pan until they are no longer wet and gooey. Take them off the heat and mix in the asparagus and ricotta until combined.

I grabbed a loaf of kalamata olive bread at the market and toasted some slices. I also sliced up a ripe avocado that was ready to be eaten... and I wouldn't have wanted anything else for dinner! Ta-da!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies

I love the new "bacon goes with everything" phenomenon going on at the moment. I hadn't done any baking in a while so decided try this recipe I found in Food Network magazine for peanut butter chocolate chip bacon cookies. Plus, what husband wouldn't want to come home from a golf-filled morning to a house smelling of that heavenly concoction?

The original recipe only makes a dozen cookies, so I doubled it... why not? Here's the original recipe, double it if you feel so inclined. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of chipotle or ancho chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 strips bacon (1/3 pound) (Be sure to use good bacon. Don't cheap out. Also, I used more bacon which was a good call!)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped honey- roasted peanuts (I did not add these and did not miss them!)
• 1/3 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, chile powder and salt in a large bowl.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings and set aside to cool. 

Crumble the bacon, discarding (or eating) any chewy bits.

Beat the butter and reserved bacon drippings in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the peanut butter until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the granulated and light brown sugar until creamy, about 4 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 additions, scraping down the bowl as needed, until just combined. Stir in the peanuts and all but 2 tablespoons each of the chocolate chips and bacon.

Form the dough into 12 balls and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten with your fingers (the cookies will not spread in the oven); press the reserved bacon and chocolate chips on top (I forgot to do this step since I mixed all the bacon in with the dough... whoops). Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. 

*I recommend munching on these cookies with a big glass of ice cold milk. You'll need it!

Orange you glad I made sorbet?

With summer here, sorbet is a staple to have in our freezer. Homemade sorbet is even sweeter! Here's our quick and tasty sorbet recipe. This is orange sorbet, but we get creative sometimes but adding some freshly juiced lemon, raspberry or lime juice... yummmm!

The first step is to have an ice cream maker. One of our favorite wedding presents is our ice cream maker. It's a great tool to have in your bag of tricks.

Start by making a simple syrup by taking 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar and boiling in a sauce pan. Bring the syrup to room temp and mix with 3 cups orange juice (which we always have in the fridge.) Pop in the ice cream maker and let it do it's thing until it's icy and somewhat firm but fluffy (usually it takes about 30 minutes.)

When it looks like this...

...put it in some Ziploc containers, the kind with the twist on tops (they keep out excess air the best) and keep in the freezer for whenever your sweet tooth comes to visit.

Orange you glad you have this recipe now? 

Sunday Petit Dejeuner

On a beautiful lazy Sunday morning, there are not many things that I love more than a light breakfast al fresco. Forget any Grand Slam breakfasts... the French did it right, sometimes all you need is a Petit Dejeuner (noun) breakfast usually including a roll and coffee or tea.


So this morning, I put on a pot of coffee and busted out the Bisquick. Bisquick biscuits are the easiest things ever. (This recipe is also on the back of the box) Here's what you need:


2 1/4 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup milk


That's it. Mix it together, knead it out on the counter and cut into round pieces using an upside down glass. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes in a 450 degree oven. (This recipe is also on the back of the box.)


Serve with some butter and your jam of choice (mine is always blueberry...) 

And here's the obligatory "even the dog wants one" photo...

Happy Weekend!

D.I.Y. Murder Dogs

One of my favorite things ever are those hot dogs you get in Downtown L.A. that are wrapped in bacon and topped with grilled onions and peppers. They have to be cooked on the most ingenious makeshift grills consisting of a shopping cart, a propane tank and a cookie sheet. We call them Murder Dogs, quite simply, because they are heart attacks on a bun... but they are amazing. This past Memorial Day weekend we decided to recreate this gritty twist on the classic American dish.

Start off with the hot dog/ sausage of your choice. My husband chose Argentine chorizo, available at your local carniceria. Hebrew Nationals would do the trick just fine. Wrap in the bacon securing each end in place with a toothpick.

Lay them down on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for about 30-45 minutes at 375, keeping an eye on them and turning when necessary.

While the dogs are cooking away, get going on the fixins. Saute some onions and peppers. Shred some cheddar, monterey jack cheese, whatever you have on hand.

Once the dogs are ready, remove the toothpicks and snip the sausages apart, if necessary. Layer the sausage on a big bun with your condiments of choice (don't discount Mayo), then the sausage, some peppers and onions and top with cheese.

How can you resist that? And because you made it yourself, you don't have to worry about that fact that you are eating food that was prepared on a sidewalk!

What to do with leftover lamb?

As the follow-up to my last recipe post about my leg 'o lamb... here is how I ended up using the remaining scraps...

One night I made a pizza. A Greek pizza. Roll out some fresh pizza dough from Trader Joe's. Sometimes I cook pizzas on a regular cookie sheet which I think works just fine. Lightly oil the pan with some olive oil on your fingertips and press the dough into a rectangular shape. Spread some oil on top of the dough and layer on shredded mozzarella, crumbled feta, diced lamb, sauteed onions, roasted garlic and dried oregano. Bake according to the directions on the pizza dough... usually about 10 minutes at 400 degrees but eyeball it until it's done to your desired crispiness.

Feeling like I was close to being "lamb-ed out" the following night I used all of the remaining meat and made lamb stew. Here is my brother, my sous chef, who helped and requested a shout out...

Anyways, here's what you do. Dice up the lamb, as much as you have left, and put in the crock pot along with a sliced onion, a can of garbanzo beans, a can of Italian style diced tomatoes and a carton of beef stock. Sprinkle in some salt, pepper, a pinch of oregano and a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes (I always season more once the dish is done cooking, too, based on what I think it needs.) Because I had limited veggies on hand, I didn't add some "stew staples", but would recommend adding some diced celery, carrots, potatoes or anything else you have laying around. Despite the lack of veggie presence, the stew ended up fantastic so no need to stress. Cook on low for 10 hours and serve with some piping hot Pillsbury Grands biscuits!

Next, take a break from lamb for a while :)

Greek Lamb and Feta Sandwich

We are big fans of Greek food. As a partially Greek gal, I like to keep several items on hand at all times: Greek Seasoning (as I mentioned last week in my pasta post, I discovered that you can order it online! You're welcome), oregano, a block of good feta and olives. With those at your fingertips you can add some Mediterranean flair to just about anything you're cooking up. Once every couple months, we try to make a visit to Papa Cristo's in L.A. to stock up on our Greek groceries and visit our pal, Papa Cristo.

They have a Lamb and Feta Sandwich that is off the charts, in fact it was rated as one of the best sandwiches in Los Angeles. So once I got home from our visit this weekend, I decided to try to recreate it. Here's what you need:

1 leg of lamb (4-5 lbs or so)
Olive oil
Whole garlic cloves
1 onion thinly sliced
Juice from 2-3 lemons
Greek seasoning
1 fresh crusty french baguette
Tzatziki Sauce (I made my own, see recipe below)

First, get started on the lamb. Put some garlic cloves in the meat, using a knife to cut some slits all over. Rub down with some seasoning, olive oil and lemon juice. I top mine with some sliced onions. Depending on the size, you'll want to cook it for 25-30 minutes per pound at 350 degrees, but keep an eye one it. Mine was 4.5 lbs. and I cooked it for about 1 hr. 45 min.

Once the lamb's in the oven, get started on the tzatziki sauce. Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. plain Greek style yogurt
1 cucumber peeled and diced
A few sprigs of fresh dill
2 cloves garlic
A splash of olive oil
Salt to taste

Combine everything in a bowl...

and mix with an immersion blender. Or you could use a regular a blender or food processor. They'll all get the job done. You just want it to look like this:

Put in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the sandwiches. You'll have plenty and it will keep for a few days. It's great to have on hand especially during the summer, too. Yum!

As I completely forgot about our vegetable side for dinner, I threw together some really easy brussell sprouts. Toss some sprouts on a cookie sheet with a diced shallot, some olive oil and S&P, pop them in the oven when the lamb has about 10 minutes left and you're done.

Once the lamb is done, it will look like this:

You'll notice I also put a lamb shank in with the leg, why not. Take a chunk of the meat and carve into bite sized piece to put on the sandwiches. You will have PLENTY of lamb leftover, my plan is to use the rest in a lamb stew crock pot creation next week, stay tuned. To assemble the sandwiches, slice the bread in half and drizzle some tzatziki on each side like so...

Add some feta to one side of the sandwich halves...

And then add the lamb...

Put the top half on the bottom half and press with a panini press for a few minutes, just enough to warm it  and make all the elements blend together.

Slice in half and plate with the sprouts and a small dish of tzatziki for dipping. Can you say amazing??

 Enjoy!!