Fabulous February Salad

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Beautiful Bowl of Salad

Beautiful Bowl of Salad

You have probably figured that I have a salad fixation. My love of fresh produce escalated enhanced after my last visit to Belize. I buy many vegetables there, but often at a huge cost. For example a single butternut squash cost $15.00 and sweet peppers, while vibrant and colorful, are a whopping $6.00 a pound…you get my drift.

By the time I returned to the United States I dreamed of salad and vegetables. I pulled up my “Returning Home Grocery List” and after oooing and ahhhing at my favorite Seattle supermarket, I filled my refrigerator containers with mostly winter items for salads: crunchy napa cabbage, fresh baby spinach, arugula, kale, parmesan cheese, garbanzo beans (from my freezer), roasted chicken breast meat, fresh mint from my still alive rooftop plants, tuna , toasted walnuts, toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, hard-boiled eggs, cooked quinoa, cottage cheese, quickly made pickled red onion, cherry tomatoes, rainbow carrots, and homemade croutons.

All the fixin's

My Mise en Place

For your information, it takes me under 20 minutes of prep time to wash, chop and store what you see. To begin the week, I made one of my salad dressings by blending some Tahina sauce (similar to this recipe but thinned with a bit more water). I like to make an additional easy dressing and then I’m good  for several days to create simple or complex salads that I eat for either lunch or part of dinner. Like an artist, these are my tools.

The components change every few weeks depending on my mood. I might have citrus fruit sectioned or dry cherries on hand, vary the nuts, add steamed colorful potatoes, avocado, swap out sliced steak for chicken or fish, and add different grains. Often in the winter I warm a lot of the ingredients when I eat at home.  In the summer I lighten up and include many varieties of fresh herbs…and every salad I make isn’t an exact carbon copy of the previous one. I thrive with variety.

One reason I believe many people don’t eat healthfully is that it takes too much time and effort. When we’re hungry – seldom do we want to take the time to prepare a nutritious meal or snack. So I plan ahead! If I have a lot of work to do or will be on the road I put my salad in a huge jar or container along with the dressing; very early in the day–that way I never have to hunt for something healthful and filling to eat.

Here’s an example of a lunch salad I composed the other day: Napa cabbage, arugula, beans, mint, hard boiled egg, roasted chicken breast, toasted walnuts, toasted sunflower seeds, pickled onions, cherry tomatoes, and lots of fresh black pepper. And I topped it with my latest salad dressing obsession my son concocted – delicious!

February Salad Dressing

Just enough for one person

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Ingredients:
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ Tbsp sherry vinegar
  • About 8 drops   toasted sesame oil
  • pinch of sea salt
Instructions:

Put everything into a small jar with a lid and shake, shake shake. You can double or triple the ingredients and make enough for the whole week. It keeps well at room temperature.

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Kitchen Essentials – Gloves & Citrus Squeezers

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Marilyn
My beloved kitchen gloves & citrus squeezers

My beloved kitchen gloves & citrus squeezers

Two more mainstays in my kitchen!

Number 1: Disposable gloves

I use these primarily for removing roasted chicken from the bone, for mixing ground meat or poultry combinations, or for anything where my hands would be hard to clean. They are absolutely necessary when I work with hot peppers that would otherwise burn my fingers.   I started out catering and donning gloves while tossing salads with my hands and now I keep a box of medium sized gloves on my kitchen shelf-that way they fit most everyone in our family.

Number 2:  Juice Squeezers

I used to think these were exotic tools and now I see them in pretty much every kitchen store and grocery store I visit.  I use the smaller of the two for limes or small lemons, and the larger takes care of larger lemons or oranges.  Mixing drinks, adding lemon juice to culinary surprises, juicing oranges or lemons for fruit salad?  These beauties can be used in so many ways and I find myself reaching for them almost daily. Note – once you cut your citrus fruit in half, be sure to place the cut side DOWN in the squeezer. It might seem more intuitive to place it cut side up as a half a piece of fruit settles nicely into the “bowl.” But be sure to turn it around – you get much more juice that way!

The paint on these gadgets is wearing off a bit from the acid, so I always rinse them immediately after use, and if I were starting over I’d buy the squeezers that are not painted.  They may not look as cute but they would last longer I am sure.

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Comforting Cassoulet

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Colorful Cassoulet

Colorful Cassoulet

One of my favorite winter dishes hands down is Cassoulet. This traditional dish from Southern France, full of rich white beans, fat and chicken and/or meat, is cooked very slowly, the flavors building and melding over time. The name Cassoulet depicts the traditional casserole-like pot.

My version does not resemble the traditional Cassoulet recipe – it is certainly not as rich in flavor but it is not as time consuming to prepare either.  It’s on my “favorites” list this winter though and I think if you try this you’ll agree it warms you inside and out. Served alongside a hearty seasonal salad, with crusty bread it is regularly in our lineup of comfort foods.

I don’t know the origin of my recipe except I can tell you I have tweaked it over and over so I’m sure this version is a far cry from the original formula.

Simmering Ingredients

Simmering Ingredients

Chicken “Kind of Cassoulet”

Serves 4

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Ingredients
  • 4 ounces turkey bacon, chopped ½ inch
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large brown skin onion, sliced in half lengthwise then into 1/8 inch semi circles
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ½ cup dry vermouth or leftover white wine
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste (remember the tube?)
  • 5 large crimini mushrooms, stems removed and cut into six pie shaped slices
  • ½ cup fresh tomatoes – chopped into 1/2 inch pieces or larger
  • 4 cups chicken broth – homemade or canned
  • 3 ½ cups fresh cooked cannellini or Northern beans or 2 15-ounce cans of organic Great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch rounds
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme (I use the whole branch)
  • 1 4-inch branch of fresh oregano
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper taste (since I use salted broth I add very little salt and do so at the end)
  • 3 cups leftover roasted chicken thighs, skin and bones removed. Cut into 3/4 inch chunks
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves
  • Extra virgin olive oil to add at the end
Instructions

Heat a 5-quart heavy pot and add about one tablespoon olive oil.  Add the chopped turkey bacon and sauté for about five minutes, turning and stirring at least three times. Remove the cooked turkey bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pot.   Add the olive oil, onions and a pinch of salt to the pot and cook until golden brown, stirring every three minutes or so, about 12 minutes total. Add the garlic and wine and simmer for about two minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and broth.

Add the beans, carrots, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, salt, pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.  Add the turkey bacon and chicken and continue simmering another three to five minutes.  If the stew is thin, let it cook, uncovered for a few minutes.  If it is too thick, add a bit more broth.  Taste to adjust the seasoning and top with chopped parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil when serving.

Note: Chicken thighs are preferable here so the meat doesn’t dry out.  And if you eat pork bacon, by all means use it in place of turkey bacon!

 

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Winter Salads with Lemony Honey Mustard Dressing

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Wonderful Winter Salad

Wonderful Winter Salad

Cold salads, admittedly, aren’t something I eat often in the chilly winter months.  At lunchtime on these cold, dark days, I typically heat up a large bowl of steamy soup or leftovers from the previous night.

This invention, however, is one exception.  I construct it from hearty cabbage, readily available peppery arugula, shaved imported parmesan cheese and red onion slices.  And I find that the zing of the lemon adds a brightness that removes any longing for a warm bowl of soup.

Everything can be prepared and kept in separate containers in the refrigerator – so it’s quick and easy.  My son often takes this in a container for his lunches at school and adds leftover protein and even more veggies or cooked grains  for a heartier meal.

Winter Salads with Lemony Honey Mustard Dressing

Salad #1: Arugula and Cabbage Salad with Onion, Lemon and Parmesan

Serves 4

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Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup sliced Bermuda (red) onion
  • 3 cups finely sliced Napa cabbage
  • 2-3 cups loosely packed baby arugula (Spinach can be substituted too if you want a milder taste)
  • 1/4 cup imported Parmesan cheese, peeled into strips with a potato peeler
Instructions

Cut and soak the onion slices in a small bowl of cold water for 20 minutes while prepping the rest of the salad.  Drain and dry on paper towels.

Cut the cabbage into quarters.  With a sharp knife, slice the cabbage into thin strips until you have around three cups;  refrigerate the rest of the cabbage to use later.   Place the cabbage in a bowl with the washed and dried arugula, the drained onions and a little of the dressing.  Fold in the Parmesan cheese, taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.  It only takes a few tablespoons of salad dressing – do not over dress!

Salad #2: Arugula with Roasted Beets & Tuna-serves 304

I am including an alternate salad that I improvised and served with the same honey mustard dressing.  Everything was in my fridge, prepped and ready for the week!

Ingredients
  • 3-4 cups baby arugula, washed and dried (I usually keep this around for sandwiches and salads)
  • ⅓ cup cooked sliced roasted beets  (I always buy these in the winter and roast, remove the skin and cut them for salads or as a side dish)
  • ½ cup warm croutons (I actually made mine with leftover rye bread – cubed, tossed with olive oil  and put on a tray in the toaster oven on toast setting for about four minutes.  I sometimes make croutons with leftover sourdough or french bread too.)
  • ¼ cup peels of parmesan cheese (I am never without good imported parm)
  • ¼ cup orange pepper strips (some type of mild, colorful pepper is a staple for me)
  • 6 oz canned line caught tuna
  • 1 avocado, peeled and cubed

Honey Mustard Dressing

Makes ~1 Cup

Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ½ clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 5 grinds of fresh black pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about ¼ cup of juice)
Instructions

Place all ingredients in a small jar and blend with hand blender. This keeps in the fridge for up to a week and is delicious used on all kinds of salads (pictured with Arugula).  I usually make this at least an hour (or days) prior to using as the flavors mellow out.  This thick, lemon yellow dressing coats hearty greens and it takes very little to add flavor to any salad.

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Creamy Corn Soup à la Antigua

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Creamy Corn Soup

Creamy Corn Soup

Last week I described the Picaya Volcano hike we took near Antigua, Guatemala.  Most of the four days we had in this city was spent just wandering around doing a kind of self-guided tour.  The brick streets were lined with very colorful stucco shops and many, many churches. Pictured is one of the old churches close to our hotel.

A beautiful old church in Antigua

A beautiful old church in Antigua

A huge local gathering place in Antigua was the fountain in Central Park, bordered by government buildings, restaurants, police and churches.  Near the town square, abuzz with activity, we encountered a gentleman who convinced us to let him take us on a half day tour to sites around the city.

We visited a local chocolate “factory” in a nearby village – of course I bought a block of bittersweet cinnamon chocolate to mix with hot water or hot milk.  The tour continued to several more churches – I learned the Spanish word for church (Iglesia) and the guide spoke Spanish – how exciting that I could understand most of what he said!

We continued on to a famous outdoor public “laundramat.” About 20 women and one man (highly unusual, according to our guide) were scrubbing their clothing in the public waters since many folks living in the nearby mountain villages do not have running water or electricity.  Evidently they pack up the clean but wet laundry and walk home to hang their articles to air dry.

The "laundramat"

The “laundramat”

In one village we even encountered a funeral and the procession, accompanied by a small band.  The women were dressed in their aprons (gavochas like the one I purchased) with lacy black head coverings.  Our guide told us that, after the burial, the family of the deceased has visitors come to the home to pay respects.

Our evening ended with a fantastic fish dinner and memorable corn soup (sopa de maiz).  My recipe is much more rustic but still very tasty in the cold winter months here in Seattle.

Corn soup before pureeing

Corn soup before pureeing

Corn Soup for All Seasons

(serves 4-6)

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Ingredients
  • About 1 ¼ cups  Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ large onion, diced ½ inch
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) – I add more at the end
  • ½ large orange  bell pepper, diced ¼ inch  (about ¾ cup)
  • 1 medium stalk celery, diced ¼ inch (about ¼ cup)
  • 16 ounces of frozen white corn kernels (or kernels of seven ears fresh corn cut off the cob if you are making this in summer-reserve the cobs for the stock)
  • ¼ tsp ground white pepper to taste (I got lazy and used black pepper)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 cup 2% milk, at room temperature  (I am sure soy milk would be fine too)
Instructions

Combine the peeled and diced potatoes and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Set aside.

Melt the butter or oil in a 3-quart dutch oven. Add the onion, thyme, salt, peppers and celery and cook over medium-low heat, stirring. After about five minutes continue cooking very low, covered.

Add the cooked potatoes with all the remaining water the frozen corn, and 1/8 tsp white pepper.  Stir well, cover, and reduce heat, and continue to cook for five more minutes.

Using an immersion blender, pulse about 8-10 times until desired thickness and consistency.

Ten minutes before serving, stir in the milk and fresh basil. Gently let it heat in the soup.

Note:  You can puree more or less of the vegetables depending on whether you like chunky or smooth soup.  In our Guatemalan restaurant they totally pureed the whole pot of soup then passed it through a chinoise to make it silky smooth.

I like to serve this with some crispy baked tortilla strips and some additional corn and basil on top.

If reheating leftovers, do so on very low heat so the milk doesn’t burn.

In summer when I make this with fresh corn, I simply cut the kernels off the ears of corn and use the corn cobs in the soup too-removing them before pureeing at the end.

Finally, I think I’ll try some chicken stock in lieu of water for the potatoes.  It would give the soup more depth.

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Adventures in Antigua

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Marilyn
Sunset over the Picaya Volcano

Sunset over the Picaya Volcano

My latest adventure – a trip to Antigua Guatemala – happened by accident.  My husband and I traveled to our home in Belize for a few weeks, and since it was still “rainy season” we wanted to visit somewhere in Central America for a few days, a place that would enable us to practice our evolving Spanish language.

I’d heard a lot about Honduras and that is where we initially thought we would vacation. The weekend before we left Seattle, Wayne was visiting with one of his patients who was adamant that it would not be a good time for us to be in Honduras…particularly the way we planned to see the outskirts of the country — renting a car, and taking off on our own to explore the less visited mountains and ruins.  Apparently Americans were being targeted and crime was on the rise.  An internet search echoed these sentiments – urging American Nationals to stay in nice hotels or travel with a group…not our style at all.

Now what?  Well,  Antigua had been on my personal radar for a long time; I’d heard about the Spanish language schools, the historical sites, the friendly people.  And this was “low” season so hotel rates and tours were quite affordable.

We booked air flights, found an old hotel that was a former monastery, and I downloaded a guide to the city.  After packing a bag with some warmer clothing, off we flew – landing in Guatemala City in the evening.

The "young folk" on the hke

The “young folk” meeting the locals on our hike

I adored Antigua!  I’d visit again if for no other reason than to practice my Spanish.  We saw a lot, I loved the colors and the people…all good.  The last day we booked a “tour” to transport us to the volcano for what was supposed to be an easy hike.  A van picked us up downtown, and there were 10 others in the seats – all 30-somethings.  Uh oh.  Like Wayne said, we felt like chaperones.

The ride there took a lot longer than expected as there was a bad accident in the middle of the road.  Our driver actually backed up for twelve blocks (YES, twelve) in the middle of honking traffic to find an alternate route.  Finally, we arrived at the bottom of the trek. Several folks from the village there came up to us asking if we wanted a “taxi” (aka horse ride) to the top in lieu of hiking.  We politely declined.

The march started at around 4pm and it was straight straight up – like a very steep inclined stair master – the path never leveled out and it just kept going and going.  It took about 1 1/2 hours – I was sweating like never before. But we did it!

We elected to take a horse back down since the hike off the volcano was IN THE DARK – honest.  They did have bad flashlights but even if it were daylight, it was so steep and rocky it would have taken me two or three hours to come down.  Never mind Wayne’s recently repaired meniscus…the horse ride alone was hard for me and I hung on for dear life.

Me and my trusty horse

Me and my trusty horse

My horse was led by a woman, Wendy  who appeared to be 50 but was 33 years old.  She led the animal and walked so briskly in her plastic no-tread shoes.  Unreal.  I was just happy to get back in one piece. The rest of the younger folks came down just fine of course.

That night our hotel served a fantastic corn soup – silky smooth and made with fresh corn that was most likely pureed and put through a chinoise.  In next week’s post I’ll share my corn soup recipe, nothing like theirs, but still good and easy and warming for winter.

The Central Market in Antigua, as always, provided entertainment for almost an entire day.  My favorite section, of course, was not on the tourist path but rather featured vendors hawking native fruits, vegetables, and kitchenware.  I bought a couple of “gavachas” or long handmade aprons that I saw native women wearing in each tiny village.  And every time I wear my gavacha, I think about returning to Antigua.

Modeling my beautiful

Modeling my beautiful gavacha

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Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Marilyn
September 2013 on a cruise ship to Alaska...always cooking and learning

September 2013 on a cruise ship to Alaska…always cooking and learning

Happy New Year to all my readers!  I have a few resolutions to pass along:

  1. I am going to make a concerted effort to wear an apron and to change out of my nicer clothing when cooking since I seem to be spilling and splattering all over myself in the kitchen!
  2. My kitchen is going to have a huge clean out – inside cupboards, my freezer, pantry, drawers, you name it.  Whatever I haven’t used this past year will go in the “to be donated” pile for friends, family or charity.
  3. I am continuing with my Spanish Language learning.  Slow and steady and really hard, but I won’t give up!
  4. Since I love to cook, I have scheduled time with my friends who are a little challenged in the kitchen.  I’m looking forward to spending time together and cooking up some easy, delicious meals!

What are some of your cooking and travelling resolutions?

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Belizian Banana Birthday Cake

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Beautiful Banana Cake

Beautiful Banana Cake

My husband Wayne is immeasurably capable with everything in life: a true renaissance man.  I mean, this guy cuts his own hair, fixes 99% of things that need rewiring, replumbing, landscaping, reconnecting…you name it.  He cleans like no one else.  He can repair a  golf cart, lay tile, replace wood boards on a deck, perform a vasectomy in under 15 minutes. With all these duties on his more-than-capable shoulders, it has never been my husband’s job to cook.

That being said, I do recall when I was in my 40’s and our kids were all living at home.  I travelled with a friend to Bali for an Earthwatch trip, and he managed to take care of the house and three kids and their meals for three weeks!  Granted there was a lot of red jello, honey nut cheerios, purchased cinnamon rolls…but still he made pasta, chicken, vegetables,  brisket and my kids survived. He just doesn’t love to spend his time cooking.

Wonderful Wayne

Wonderful Wayne

So, while we were in Belize recently and my husband announced he was making me a banana cake for my birthday I thought “oh yeah, right.  YOU haven’t made a cake in about 40 years, and to try this in Belize?”  But I played along and smiled, expecting nothing.   Keep in mind that baking anything from scratch in Belize is challenging to say the least – impossible almost.  Just finding ingredients means driving to perhaps three different markets.  I have used my oven here only a handful of times – primarily to keep food warm or to make pizza.  That’s it.  There is a reason folks and restaurants here make cakes from a mix.

Regardless, we headed to town to run errands and he had the list of ingredients he needed: butter ($6.40 a pound in Belize) cake flour (NO, not available), sugar (granulated Americanized sugar came in 10 lb bags and was horrifically expensive, so he bought raw sugar), flour (you have to buy it in paper bags and even then it might be filled with bugs)…so you can imagine the searching and stops and frustration.  I did tell him, professional cook that I am, that one can make cake flour from cornstarch and regular flour.

The ingredients cost over 20 US dollars so we handed over the cash and headed home.

Two days later, at 6 pm, the flurry and preparations began.  I was told to mind my own business and so I knit, read and covertly watched the goings on.  We didn’t have two 9-inch cake pans so he used a 10-inch and an 8-inch flan or quasi cake pan.  Fair enough, he improvised  a cooling rack with the grates of our stovetop.  The sugar down here wouldn’t go through the holes of the sifter even after he blended the sugar–it was too damp.  And cake flour was created the old fashioned way.

I have my original copy of the Joy of Cooking in Belize – it is over 40 years old, stained and tattered from wear…and the last cake he made was a recipe from this book.  I must have been 22 or 23 at the time but we both remembered this cake as being light and moist.  Out came the book, he read the piece on how to make cakes.

My Beloved Joy of Cooking

My Beloved Joy of Cooking

The cakes stuck to the bottom of the pan (he forgot to flour the shmeared butter to coat the pans) but that got patched.  Fresh bananas between the layers.  Powdered sugar icing and coconut flakes.  And he cleaned the incredible mess so that there wasn’t a trace of his antics.  At 8 pm we each ate two slices of the cake while it was a little warm and called it dinner.  And the next morning I couldn’t wait to come downstairs and slice off a sliver to eat with my coffee.

He has promised to make this again when my kids and their families visit us in Belize.  I’m on board with that!    And, I am shaking my head as I type this… but, while his cake didn’t look too professional, he knocked it out of the park.  I wouldn’t change his method a bit.  Nada.  Nunca.

After the storm

After the storm

Banana Coconut Cake

Adapted from my 1964 antique copy of Joy of Cooking

Serves 10-12 : makes two 9 x 9 inch rounds or or 9 x 15 inch cake pan

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Cake Ingredients:
  • 2 ¼ cups cake flour (sift before measuring)
  • ½ tsp aluminum free baking powder
  • ½ tsp table salt
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, sifted
  • ½ cup salted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup very ripe and peeled, then mashed bananas
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup plain yogurt or buttermilk (we used yogurt-no buttermilk here)
Cake Instructions

Bring everything to room temperature before starting

Preheat oven with rack in the center to 350 degrees F

Grease and flour the bottoms and sides of your two cake pans or larger rectangular cake pan and set aside.  We used butter for this. Personally, next time I would butter the pan, put parchment to fit the bottom, then regrease and flour the top of the parchment so it doesn’t stick.

Sift cake flour. Then resift with baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Combine the mashed bananas, vanilla and yogurt and set aside

Using a hand mixer, cream butter for 3 minutes, add eggs one at a time, beating well between eggs.

Add the sifted flour mixture gradually, alternating with the banana mixture in thirds.

Place batter in the two cake pans or one larger pan and place in oven for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool on rack, then remove from pans after five minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the frosting:

Frosting Ingredients

Makes approximately one cup

  • Slightly less than 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 4 Tbsp soft butter
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • evaporated milk if needed (regular milk would work too)
  • 2 ripe bananas, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, optional
Frosting Instructions:

Beat butter with hand mixer and gradually add powdered sugar until creamy.  Add salt and vanilla, and continue beating.  Add evaporated milk to make a spreadable, not too thick frosting.  We added about ¼ cup of milk to ours.

Assembly

You can frost the cake while it is still warm!!  Do this!!

Put the first layer bottom (flat) side up on a large plate.  Cover the top with thinly sliced bananas.  Dot with about ⅛ cup of frosting to “glue” the layers together.

Put the next layer, flat side on the bottom to cover the first layer.  Spread the top and sides of the cake with icing, then sprinkle with coconut if desired.

Slice a nice wedge, pour a glass of milk or a cup of tea and enjoy.  Repeat.  Cover the cake well and refrigerate if you have leftovers.  Have for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it is gone.

Discard all other banana cake recipes you own – this will beat whatever recipe you have hands down.   And straight out of the fridge it tastes fantastic!

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December Kitchen Essential – The Tongs

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Marilyn
Two Terrific Tongs!

Two Terrific Tongs!

I was cooking the other day, making chicken soup, roasting veggies and then grilling bread for my last tomato salad of the season (<sigh>)…and it occurred to me in one of those “ah hah” moments that I reach for my kitchen tongs almost every time I cook.  I store three pairs of these in my kitchen and another set by my barbeque grill up on the rooftop.

One of my favorite kitchen tools, these are neither expensive nor difficult to keep in a drawer.  My old school pair doesn’t “lock” into place and those are the ones I use upstairs to barbeque – mainly for turning chicken pieces or steak or even veggies on the grill.  In my kitchen I have limited storage and I have a long pair for fishing chicken pieces and veggies out of my pressure cooker or soup pot.  The other two shorter pairs almost act as an extension of my arm – providing an easy way to flip roasted veggies, chicken thighs and many many other things.  The advantage is that the tongs actually grab the object you need – much better than a long fork that pierces food and easier than a spoon – which often proves too slippery for my tasks.

You can find these at most kitchen stores or restaurant supply places.  The kind that lock into place are convenient for storage if they go into a drawer.

Get yourself a couple of pair of these!!

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(NOT Granola) Power Bars

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Beautiful Healthful Bar

Beautiful Healthful Bar

Lately, I am increasingly careful to have food ready to eat right after my early morning spin or strength training class.  Just a banana or apple won’t do, and I’m too impatient to wait for a protein shake.  Often I have errands to run on the way home from my gym and if I don’t have something nourishing and filling to eat, I get so hungry that I am tempted to go for anything in sight, healthful or not.

Enter my quest for a wonderful homemade bar.

I’ve never been a protein or granola bar person, and I don’t buy ready made snacks like these because when I look at the list of ingredients, I might just as well eat a dark chocolate covered Snickers.  But you know that I LOVE my granola!

So, I started in  pursuit of the perfect bar with my Granola recipe…and there are countless formulas in cyberspace and cookbooks that use nut butters and fruit mush to bind the granola and make oven-free bars.  Nah, I’m afraid I’m just not that into nut butter plus fruit.  To me that equals peanut butter and jelly. And I’m not enthralled with  rice cereal or rice krispies as a filler either!  And believe it or not, this is one place I forsake my chocolate obsession.

I envisioned something not too sugary and I tried many online recipes.  To me, chopped dates + craisins + honey + brown sugar + coconut equals over-the-top  sweet.  I am happy with the recipe below, and have these in the freezer-ready for after morning workouts or hikes, late afternoon  or just because.   I think they are really really really good.  Not a meal substitute, but a bar that keeps me energized and nourished while I wait for a “proper” meal.

After the first cutting – ready for the fridge!

On-The-Go Fruit/Nut/Grain Bars

Yields 16  2 x 2 inch bars

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Ingredients
  • 2 cups kamut flakes (If you can’t find these, old fashioned rolled oats are OK)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans (1/4 inch )
  • ¾ cup combo of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (raw), or just pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup raw wheat germ
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ½ Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (California apricots are best for this)
  • 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp sesame seeds for the top
Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 9 or 10 x 10 inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.  Butter the top of the parchment (the part that will touch the raw bars).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together  the kamut flakes, chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and wheat germ and place them on a flat, parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large metal mixing bowl.  Note: some wheat germ you purchase might say “ toasted” in which case do not toast again, just add after the rest of this mix comes out of the oven.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for one minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the prunes, apricots, and cherries and be sure everything is coated well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press everything evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and press in.  Push down on the mixture in the pan so everything is tightly compacted.

Bake for 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from oven to a cooling rack.  Using a flat spatula, press down firmly all over the top to be sure the bars are again dense and compact.  I do this a couple of times while it is still warmish.  Cool for a total of  two or three hours before cutting into squares.

Remove from pan to a cutting board by putting the cutting board over the edges of the sheet pan and flipping it upside down.  This way the surface you cut will be perfectly flat.  Use a long knife and cut into 16 squares.  If there are any pieces that flake off, add them to your granola cereal.

I put the cut bars on a cutting board in the fridge overnight before recutting and wrapping each bar individually in waxed paper.  Store in the freezer airtight for up to two months. 

You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or two, as you would cookies.  I prefer to store mine in the freezer or refrigerator. I find that they stay crisper this way as all granola tends get softer at room temperature after a day or more.

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