Sometimes you just have to go BIG, and recently at a family party this proved true with the menu. When ordering the food (over-ordering the food), it was somehow miscalculated that everyone in attendance might need a metric ton of shrimp cocktail. Luckily for all involved, there was an abundance of fresh shrimp remaining, and I inherited a good amount to take home. Normally, my go-to leftover would be tacos, but being that I was out of tortillas these little guys were headed for a new destiny. On this Sunday morning, I envisioned something light & easy (insert, Commodores song HERE . . . I really can’t explain why a 1970’s archive of soul music resides in my subconscious), but please enjoy this jam nonetheless.
Since these were already cooked & peeled, a cold seafood-style salad was my next choice. I’m a fan of both crab & mixed seafood versions, but shrimp happens to be one of my favorite ocean proteins.
This light mix is perfect for lunch or an appetizer before a summertime dinner. I decided to serve this as part of a brunch with friends. To make it easier to eat—and frankly more attractive—a few lemons were sacrificed as single-serving cups to hold our crustacean creation. What’s even better, is that this only takes a few minutes to prepare, chill and serve (and that means more time having a mimosa welcoming your guests). I wanted to highlight fresh, summer flavors such as lemon, dill, and chives. Many cold & creamy seafood salads boast a heavy addition of mayo, but keepying this a little cleaner, I used light sour cream, and a little bit of light mayonnaise. Not that I don’t love some good ol’ mayo (this excludes demonic Miracle Whip however), but the flavors here are subtle, so I want to taste the shrimp & fresh seasonings.
This is too easy, and even if you don’t have a surplus of leftover shrimp cocktails, boiling some for this is pretty quick too.
Chop, pre-cooked cocktail shrimps, into ~ 3rds per shrimp.
In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped shrimp, celery, chives, lemon juice & zest, dill leaves. mayo, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste.
combine well and chill salad for about 1 hour or more preferable.
Serve in small bowls or festive, hollowed lemon cup halves, with a lettuce leaf, or eat with crackers.
Saves well in an airtight container, in fridge for ~2 days.
Notes
Easily doubled. Add more seasoning to your desired taste. Chilling ahead is beneficial, but not required (though it improves flavor). These work great in lemon ‘cups’ though also great all on its own, and with crackers. Enjoy!
Wasn’t that easy & refreshing? Well, it will be. I recommend this one for a hot summer night, when boiling your face over the stove is not as appealing. I plan to enjoy my next helping with some good sourdough bread and white wine—cheers to the end of another great weekend!
There is just something fantastic about good banana cake. So much so, I’m reposting this classic recipe from two years ago just because I love it! You may be wondering why I refer to mine as cake and not bread? That’s because boring, brown bread would do this suh-weet bake no justice! We’re talking super moist with a slightly-crisped outer crust, and we won’t even need butter or jam to top this off. It is divine all by its lonesome.
I have been making this since I was a in middle school, and my recipe is pretty classic. I never add nuts—just simply bananas . . . and lots of them! I could eat a piece for dessert, breakfast—heck I’m not too proud—even lunch (well, it does have a serving of fruit). I’ve baked this goodness many times as a bundt, in muffin tins, and as a layer cake with a whipped, cream cheese frosting—the options are endless! Today, I’m going with a traditional loaf pan. The following recipe is for a single batch, but I’m doubling-up since I have a boat-load of ripe bananas to use.
Simple & moist! This banana cake is a classic. Use the ripest bananas you can!
What to get...
1.5 cups mashed bananas (very ripe, about 4 small bananas)
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup baker's sugar
2 eggs
1.75 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp grd. cinnamon
5 T buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
What to do...
Preheat oven to 350
Soften butter ahead of time
Mix flour, soda, salt & cinnamon in a separate bowl
In bowl of electric mixer, cream butter & sugar, adding eggs one at a time
Add mashed bananas
Add buttermilk & vanilla, mix 1 minute
Pour batter into loaf pan
Bake for 40-45 minutes, untill toothpick comes out clean & middle is firm (will be dark brown)
Cool 10 min in pan, then remove & cool 1 hour on rack (don't prematurely handle, needs to set!)
Slice and enjoy!
Store leftovers in air-tight container.
Notes
The cooking time may vary according to pan choice. A dark metal loaf pan will cook more quickly than a glass one. If you vary and go with muffins, this will cook in only around 25 min. If toothpick comes out clean and middle is firm, it's done! Give it a good while to cool, so it can set...
I wish I could relay the sweet smell of this cake baking in my oven—it is heavenly! The riper the bananas the better (want them to have blackened peels), so hold onto an extra bunch of Chiquitas this week and by Sunday, you’ll be having your cake and eating it too (but not for long because this one goes fast). I hope you enjoy this favorite cake as much as I do.While it’s baking I shall leave you with some random banana bits of info to chew on:
Musa sapientum is the scientific name for bananas, ‘fruit of the wise men.’
Bananas have been traced all of the way back to the 6th century B.C.
Miss Chiquita Banana began appearing on labels in 1963.
Bananas (in addition to apples & watermelons) float when in water
The average American eats 27 pounds of bananas each year
A man in India once ate 81 bananas in ½ hour (I don’t recommend this).
Bananas do not actually grow on trees; they’re technically a giant herb plant.
Bananas uniquely contain the 6 major vitamin groups, and rich in vitamin B6
By peeling a banana bottom-up, you won’t have to deal with the pesky ‘strings’
Those sticky strings under peels are actually called phloem (pronounced FLOM).
An individual banana is referred to as a finger, and a bunch is hand.
Any suggestions on how to make this dairy free? Use shortening instead of butter? Or “I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter”? And a replacement for the buttermilk? Looks good but dairy is a no go for me!ReplyCancel
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Hi Liz! Good question! I’ve been planning to do a post specifically on the Science and substitutions of baking, but haven’t yet! I have on occasionally done dairy free cookies and cakes, but the results are never exactly the same. For this cake because it is a bit denser then a say a white cake, a substitution is easier. I would never recommend using margarine as a substitute; there is not enough of a solid fat to work with. You need butter because it is a solid fat that you cream the sugars with. That is crucial because it gives the texture and ‘fluff’ to the cake or bread. You could use shortening (I like the canola version), but typically that is a better sub for cookies, because they don’t rise as much. One thing you can do to mimic the creaming of the butter is separate your egg yolks from the whites. First, “cream” the yolks since they have fat with the sugar, then adding the whites with the other ingreds. I still think you should replace equal amounts of shortening for the butter still. For the buttermilk, skip it! I would sub with ~4 Tablespoons of applesauce instead. I have used applesauce for oil and some liquid fats several times before, not as rich, but worked! Curious to see how this turns out. Hope you are doing well!ReplyCancel
[...] with our pure vanilla, and luckily we ended-up with one sweet combination! I adapted my classic banana bread recipe (which is ore of a moist banana cake really), and opted to use a sweet koroneiki variety of [...]ReplyCancel
That’s how our dinner and spring go together, and tonight quite literally! With Easter celebrations just behind us, do you now have 4+ pounds of leftover ham in your possession? How about a savory starch that will go perfectly alongside? If you’re not stuck with a mountain of baked ham, not to worry, this recipe can still be savored on its awesome own. We’re talking creamy risotto made with white wine and parmesan cheese. Oh, but we’re not stopping there my friends! We’re going to dial-up this dish with fresh peas, transforming them into a simple pesto. If that wasn’t enough, we’ll pair these lovely legumes with none other than sweet, petite roasted carrots. Peas & carrots? You might be thinking it’s a match made in vegetable, umm . . . hell. I can just picture it, the dreaded side of peas and carrot chunks, floating in a mysterious watery pool−every school kid’s nightmare (mine included)! Dinner doesn’t have to be a bagged frozen disaster. Tonight it will be delicious, atop a bed of beautiful risotto.
Here is a delicious risotto of white wine and parmesan, perfect or spring with the addition of a quick & easy fresh pea pesto, and roasted petite carrots. A vibrant & satisfying dinner idea!
What to get...
For Risotto:
1.5 cups Arborio rice
6 cups Chicken stock (low-sodium)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 cup sweet white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup butter (unsalted)
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese blend
Sea salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
For the Spring Pea Pesto:
1 cup fresh English peas, shelled from pods
1.5 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/8 tsp lemon zest
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), for drizzing in pesto, ~3T
1T water
Sea salt, to taste
finely ground black pepper, to taste
For Carrots:
6 oz bag of trimmed & peeled petite carrots (~
2T butter, unsalted
1/4 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
pinch of white sugar
What to do...
Make Spring Pea Pesto & Skillet Roast Carrots:
Shell & steam one cup fresh English peas (steam until just tender, immediately cooling the peas in a bowl of ice water, drain and set aside).
In a food processor or blender, place 2/3 cup of the steamed peas, water, garlic clove, lemon zest, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, spinach and purée, slowly drizzling in EVOO until a smooth pesto forms (taste test for salt level), set aside.
For carrots, in s small skillet with fitting lid, melt the 2T butter and add the white wine vinegar, few Tablespoons of the white wine, pinch salt, pepper & sugar.
Arrange peeled carrots in a single layer in sauce, cover and cook on low for ~8 mins.
Remove lid and move carrots around in sauce, continuing to cook until tender on medium-low, adding the rest of the white wine as needed to deglaze pan & keep from being completely dry.
When carrots tested with a fork are tender, they are done, remove from het & wrap in foil to keep warm.
Begin Risotto:
In a medium sauce pan, heat the 6 cups of chicken stock to keep warm, will use for risotto.
In a large, brimmed skillet, melt 1/4 cup of butter, and sauté onion and garlic, adding a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for several minutes.
To pan, stir in the dry rice, stirring frequently, toast rice for about 1-2 minutes on medium.
Add the 2/3 cup white wine, 1 tsp lemon juice and zest, continue to cook rice until most of this liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently.
Add in 1 cup of the warm stock and let incorporate, stirring frequently, until liquid continues to absorb.
Repeat with 1 cup of broth about every 10 minutes, continuing to stir (after each cup of broth is absorbed, check tenderness level, you may not need all 6 cups of liquid).
Once the rice has absorbed enough liquid & is tender to taste, reduce skillet to low and stir-in the shredded parmesan cheese, adding salt & pepper to desired taste.
Warm pea pesto in small sauce pan on stove, and warm carrots (as necessary).
Serve warm risotto over a spooned layer of the pea pesto, drizzling a little more on top, then adding a spoonful of the leftover steamed peas (1/3 cup we didn’t use for pesto) and finally a few of the roasted carrots.
Notes
This is easy to make, though it is very hands-on by the stove, as the risotto needs continuous stirring and additions of stock. The pea pesto is quick & easy, and can be made ahead. The carrots cook alongside on the stove and the cook time may very depending on size. (I use a lid to make them go faster, but it isn’t required, though they might take longer to become tender). Peas and carrots go perfectly on this risotto, no meat needed, but you can add a protein alongside.
Sorry childhood frozen-vegetable medley, you’ve been deservedly replaced!
I envisioned making a bright dish capturing this classic veggie combo, and decided risotto would be the perfect platform. I had originally planned to add whole peas from the pod, but then on a whim I combined them with a surplus of spinach in my fridge, and from that a savory pesto was born. This made for the a vibrant sauce to plate the creamy rice on, giving the meal that little extra something. Considering the weekend’s chocolate egg/jelly bean binge, it’s time to get some greens back in the routine. The carrots were tender, adding a healthy contrast. I think a little crisped pancetta would work well here too, if you’re feeling like adding meat. This can also become vegetarian if we skip the chicken stock (instead using water and more salt in the risotto); though, the stock added the perfect flavor for my taste!
There is a dry heatwave in town (insert blowing fans & humidifiers). The skies are sunny, springtime in the air, and summer on the horizon! This time of year for me is bright & fresh, and this also spills-over into my cooking. When it comes to keeping things fresh in the kitchen, I can’t think of any ingredient more appropriate than lemon. If luck should have it and they are meyer lemons, even better! Sweet & tart, meyer lemons are not only reserved for your neighbor’s lemonade stand, but a staple for roasting, marinating and baking.
I’ve had the urge to make something summer-worthy, and when I came across a bunch of very ripe meyers, I decided to skip my usual lemon bars—though a favorite—and try a cake. I wasn’t sure how much lemon to incorporate at first, but I played around with both the zest & juice, and achieved citrus success.
Typically, I’m not a fan of lemon cakes. You know the ones at the store right? Sticky & overly sweet, puckering your palate like Lemonhead candies, colored like a bright highlighter, and smelling of dishwashing fluid? Ugh, I’d rather skip dessert all together! Not our cake, not this time. We want it highlight on flavor—not too sweet, and not too tart. In fact I’m drinking a lemon iced tea right now! I’m psyched, let’s bake. . . .
A sweet & vibrant meyer lemon cake perfect for spring & summer!
What to get...
1.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1.25 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup fresh meyer lemon zest (about 5 lemons worth)
1/3 cup meyer lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (like Rodelle)
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 T lemon infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil (if available)
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) sweet variety like koroneiki or arbequina preferred
What to do...
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk the flour, salt & powder together in a bowl.
In large bowl of electric mixer, blend the sugar and eggs on medium until well combined (about 2 mins).
Add vanilla, lemon zest and buttermilk, blending on low unit well combined (may have to scrape sides of bowl with spatula).
Next, add in the lemon juice gradually, while mixer is on low.
Add in dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time, incorporating fully.
Liberally grease & flour a small bundt pan or loaf pan, and pour batter evenly.
Bake cake for ~35-54 mins (ovens may vary time), until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 20-30 mins,or until completely cooled.
Invert pan onto flat plate or cutting board and remove cake from pan (may have to loosen edges with a knife first).
Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar.
Notes
This cake is very easy, and we substitute the extra virgin olive oil for butter, and it pairs really well with the lemon! This cake is not overly lemon in flavor, but mild and delicious. This can be served with a drizzled icing on top, but I serve with powdered sugar. Stored well in an airtight container.
High-quality, extra virgin olive oil (in lieu of butter) worked well for this texture and flavor-wise. I also featured this substitution in another dinnervine dessert—Blackberry Lemon Thyme Olive Oil Cake —which I found to have an ever-so crisp crust & very moist center. In our lemon cake this time, I used buttermilk just because I had some on-hand, but you can easily substitute whipping cream of half-and-half. I didn’t opt to ice this or make a glaze, just had it plain & simple (not that some delicious vanilla buttercream frosting hurt anybody—just saying).
While baking, this little blast-from-the-past popped into my head— The Lemonheads: If I Could Talk I’d Tell You . . . and I’d much rather listen to the Lemonheads, that eat them. Have a slice for yourself, and enjoy a little dessert, a lot of vitamin C, and the sunny season.
Let’s face it, sometimes vegetables become mundane. Peas, broccoli, spinach—a boring borage of green. An edible chore of edible plants, and it doesn’t taste like cheese. It can feel like a dismal dietary requirement, but what if . . . what if we can brighten-up our next monochrome meal with fresh herbs, savory flavors, and some extraordinarily-ordinary vegetables?
We can! (or I would have no reason to be writing this post) It’s as simple as Herb Roasted Chicken with Rainbow Vegetables. This spectrum of veggies is most likely hiding within your local grocer, and if you’re like me, you’ve been speeding your basket past them for months. Time to bring some colorback into our lives, with rainbow heirloom carrots, blue potatoes, purple cauliflower, ruby cranberries—it is starting to sound like more of a psycadelic daydream than a dinner—and luckily these mystical vegetables do exist (and it’s not Easter egg dye my friends). They’re all-natural, delicious, nutrient-dense, and just plain attractive. Here, take a gander:
Herb roasted chicken & colorful rainbow vegetables. A healthy & vibrant all-in-one meal.
What to get...
6 lb fresh, whole chicken
bag of rainbow heirloom carrots (variety of coloring in bag), cut into large chunks.
1 sweet white onion, peeled and chopped into chunks
6 garlic cloves, peeled & trimmed
1 bulb of garlic, cut horizontally (for stuffing in chicken cavity)
2 lemons (1 quartered)
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 head purple cauliflower (or regular, or both), cut into florets
2 small blue potatoes, scrubbed and halved
2 red new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1 stick butter, melted in a mug
1 cup dry white wine
bunch of fresh tarragon (chop 1 tsp for herb butter)
bunch of fresh thyme (chop 1 tsp of leaves for herb butter)
extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
few dashes poultry seasoning
few dashes dried thyme (for veggies)
salt & pepper to taste
*butcher’s twine for trussing chicken (optional)
What to do...
Prep Bird:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse chicken, removing any innards in breast cavity, pat dry.
Sprinkle salt & pepper over chicken, and a few dashes of poultry seasoning (throw a dash of salt & pepper inside breast cavity as well).
Melt butter in a mug & add the tsp of chopped tarragon and tsp of chopped thyme leaves, and a squeeze of a fresh lemon wedge (from other lemon).
Carefully loosen skin at top from chicken breast, and take ~1T of butter herb mix, rubbing just under skin of chicken breast.
Stuff chicken cavity with the quartered lemon, half bulb of garlic, fresh sprigs of tarragon & thyme.
Tie the legs with twine or through skin flap (by tucking wings below legs at sides of bird), breast side up!
Ready Pan for Roasting:
In a large roasting pan, coat bottom of pan with extra virgin olive oil.
In a large mixing bowl toss potatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, cranberries (minus the cauliflower), with a little salt, pepper, dashes of dried thyme, and drizzle of EVOO, tossing to coat.
To bottom of the pan, evenly distribute layer of seasoned mixed veggies (the cauliflower, we will add to pan later).
Add several fresh sprigs of tarragon, thyme,and a few slices of lemon (removing seeds as necessary).
Add ~1/4 cup white wine to bottom of pan, for a little moisture.
Place dressed chicken directly on top of veggies (still breast-side up), so it sits level.
Baste bird (top of skin & all around bird) with some of the melted herb butter.
Bake bird for first 30 mins & again baste with herb butter, continuing to bake another 30 min.
At this 1-hour cooking mark, baste bird again & check tenderness of veggies with a fork, adding cauliflower florets to pan around chicken, and 3/4 cup of wine to bottom of roasting pan.
Also check brownness of top of chicken breast, if browning too fast on top, tent bird with small piece of aluminum foil.
Continue baking for another 1/2 -1 hour as needed (until bird is browned & cook temp in largest part of breast meat reaches 180 degrees).
Remove pan from oven when all cooked completely, and let chicken rest for at least 15 mins before carving (can return veggies in pan back to warm oven while chicken rests).
Serve warm with roasted vegetables (Discard herb sprigs & lemon slices used in pan for roasting).
Notes
This is easy, but takes a couple of hours to roast the bird in the oven. You can add more vegetables as you require, and the flavors meld together to where I don’t make a gravy or add any other toppings when serving.
What I love about this—despite the oven doing 95% of the work—is how vibrant our dinner looks and tastes! We add lemon, cranberry and tarragon for a pop of freshness; thyme, butter and wine for a juicy, savory chicken; and vegetables of all colors for nutrition & texture. A meal all-in-one pan, means less dishes & less stove-top slaving.
The more colorful your food, the more antioxidants. The more antioxidants, the more you benefit your immune system. The more you enhance immunity . . . well, this isn’t a word problem, but you get the picture (less Kleenex, more fun). I can’t promise eating succulent, herb-roasted chicken & vegetables will magically keep you healthy, but it sure doesn’t hurt if it tastes good trying! If nothing else, you can impress your kids (or somebody else’s) with a rainbow bright plate.
Just because I literally saw a rainbow this morning, love photography, colorful foods, and sometimes a little Paul Simon, here’s a little music while you cook, Kodachrome, cheers!
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