Banana Cream Pie!

Looking for something super delicious and easy to make for the holiday weekend?  Look no further than this recipe.  I made it for my dad on Father's Day because he is fond of bananas and cream (who isn't?).  And just when you thought it couldn't get any better it does - by adding a peanut butter crust.  

Here is the recipe.  And yes, it is as easy to make as it is to eat.

Banana Cream Pie with Peanut Butter Crust

Here is what you need:

1 package peanut butter sandwich cookies, such as Nutter Butters (I used a brand called Back to Nature which can be found at Whole Foods)

5 tablespoons melted butter

3 bananas

2 boxes vanilla instant pudding mix

2 cans cold evaporated milk, lowfat is fine

a lot of whipped cream (I make mine by combining heavy cream, Splenda and vanilla in my whipped cream maker)

Here is what you do:

Add the entire package of cookies to a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs are formed.  (You may also put in a big ziplock bag and form crumbs with a rolling pin).

Combine crumbs with melted butter and push into the bottom of 9in glass pie plate to form a crust.

Bake this at 350 for about 6-8 minutes until golden.  Be careful not to overbake.  

Let crust cool.  Make pudding by adding milk to pudding mix and stir (I could not believe how easy this part was; I had no idea).  

Slice up bananas and place on top of cooled crust.  Pour pudding on top of that. Cover and Refrigerate. 

When ready to serve, top with whipped cream.  

Resist the urge to smash into someone's face (although I don't think I would mind that!).

Happy Independence Day!!

Indian Egg Curry

 

I love Indian flavors, and am always looking to incorporate them into my cooking.  Sometimes I find recipes that look good but require too many ingredients that I don't have.  But when I stumbled across this recipe and realized find the only extra ingredient I had to buy was tumeric, I wanted to give it a try.  I was also intrigued by the sound of this dish.  Hard-boiled eggs in a curry?  I couldn't imagine what it would be like.  Both my husband and I liked this dish very much.  The eggs held their flavor and provided a creaminess to the dish. I served it over brown basmati rice and had plenty of leftovers for lunch!

Egg Curry

adapted from Honey, What's Cooking?

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1 inch piece ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 jalepenos, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

6 hardboiled eggs, peeled

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup sour cream

3/4 tsp garam masala

2 handfuls cilantro, chopped

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat pot on stove under medium heat.  Add olive oil and mustard seeds.

2. Once seeds start to pop, add cumin and tumeric.  Saute for 10 secs.

3. Add ginger, garlic, and jalepenos. Saute 30 secs.

4. Add onions and some salt.  Stir and allow the onions to become golden, about 10 minutes, stirring every so often.

5. Once onions are golden, add tomatoes, chili powder, coriander, and a little more salt. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until the onions and tomatoes become a paste consistency.  Stir every so often.  Here is where I added the sour cream (not in original recipe).

6. Add water and lower the heat. Cut the eggs in half and add to curry. Stir gently to combine. 

7. Cover and let cook 15 more minutes.

8. Turn off stove and add garam masala and cilantro.  Add salt to taste.
9. Serve on its own or over rice. Add hot sauce if you would like!

Zucchini Bread Cupcakes and Tomato Pie!

My youngest sister lives in historic and beautiful Charleston, SC.  Her boyfriend has always been in the food biz, which is very big down there as it is an huge tourist and foodie destination.  Most recently, he has been working for a farm out on Wadmalaw Island and therefore has access to fresh organic produce.   My sister has recently taken advantage of this and made the most of what he has brought home.  She sent me these pictures this morning and they looked so good I immediately had to post them.  So here it is: Zucchini Bread Cupcakes (ZBC's) and Tomato Pie!

ZBC's

Cupcake:

3 eggs

1 C vegetable oil

1 1/2 C sugar

2 C medium-fine grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla

3 C flour
3 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Either grease cupcake tin or line with paper cups.

3. Beat the eggs with a whisk.  Mix in oil and sugar and then zucchini and vanilla.

4. Add flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, salt and mix.  (Then add nuts, if using.)

5. Pour batter into cupcake cups (distribute equally to make 24 cupcakes).

6. Bake for 20 minutes (25 max).

 

Cream Cheese Icing:

8 oz package cream cheese

1/2 stick (4 oz) butter

1 lb confectioners sugar

2 tsp vanilla

 

1. Soften the cream cheese and butter (but don't melt).  Beat until smooth.

2. Add sugar and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.

3. Slather onto room-temp cupcakes.

 

 

Tomato Pie 

Frozen pie shell (or make your own)

Spicy brown mustard

Grated cheese

Tomatoes (she used heirloom green and striped tomatoes)

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

(Other herbs or grated vegetables can be added as well)

 

1. Defrost pie shell. 

2. Cover bottom of pie shell generously with spicy mustard.

3. Add layer of grated cheese.

4. Add layer of sliced tomatoes.

5. Sprinkle olive oil and salt and pepper on tomatoes.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 until pie is filled, leaving room for the top layer to be a tomato layer.  (Can substitute a layer of tomatoes with another veggie, ie: shredded zucchini.)

7. Bake at 350-375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Shrimp Enchiladas

I am a huge fan of Mexican food, so when I got an email from GE Appliances (I know, random) with a recipe for shrimp enchiladas, I had to check it out.  Let's just say I am glad I did - it was a hit!  I have made a Mexican shrimp lasagna before using salsa verde, but this version blew it out of the water.  The oven-heated  leftovers might have been even better.  I will definitely be making this again in the near future, perhaps for company as it feeds about 6. I tweaked the recipe a bit (as usual), so here is my version.

Shrimp Enchiladas

serves 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup sweet chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

2 tablespoons chopped jalepeno slices (from jar)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, minced 

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups shredded cheddar or jack (or combo) cheese, divided

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 pound medium shrimp, uncooked, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup onion, chopped 

1 can diced tomatoes

6 (9-inch) flour tortillas 

 

Procedure
Saute red pepper, onion and green peppers and jalepenos in oil until crisp-tender. Add oregano, salt, garlic, pepper, cayenne pepper, cream and flour and blend well. 

Continue cooking 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add 1 cup cheese and stir until melted. Add sour cream and stir, then set mixture aside in a bowl. 

Using the same pan, add a little more oil and heat.  Add shrimp, 1/2 cup onion, salt and pepper. Saute until shrimp are just about done. 

Chop shrimp into pieces and return to pan with onions. Add tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce to combine

Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture onto each tortilla. Roll up tightly and arrange seam side down in a sprayed lasagna dish. Spoon remaining cheese sauce (and shrimp sauce if you have more left) over tortillas. 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.  Broil top (if desired) for a few minutes before taking out of oven.  Let dish sit a minute or two before cutting and dishing out.

Garnish with any or all of the following: fresh cilantro, avocado, lime juice, scallions, hot sauce.

Pasta with Asparagus, Peas and Goat Cheese

Happy Summer!  Technically it is not yet summer, but it sure feels like it.  Here is a perfect pasta dish to make during the summer months.  The lemon in this dish really goes well with the goat cheese and asparagus.  It's light, refreshing and oh-so delicious.

Pasta with Asparagus, Peas and Goat Cheese
serves 4 

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta - I used ziti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

handful of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas (do not thaw)
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream 

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Procedure

Heat oil in pan.  Add in sundried tomatoes and cook for a minute.  Add asparagus and some kosher salt and  sauté 3 minutes. Add peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Add cooked pasta to pan.  Add goat cheese and lemon juice and stir until pasta is coated.  Add cream and pasta water to thin out the cheese and make a sauce.

When pasta is coated, add lemon peel, parsley, and basil to pan. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.