super simple banana nut bread

This one is a Sandra Lee-esque kind of recipe. This one was basically created out of necessitaty, that being we had a lot of bananas and they were going bad. There are tons of recipes for banana bread out there, so if you want to use one of those for a base go for it, but this is the quick and easy route for it. Also a little side note, this recipe is great for adapting into banana bread pudding with the leftovers.

Ingredients:
Bread:
1 package of betty crocker banana nut bread mix
1/2 cup of water
Topping:
5-6 bananas
3 TBS of butter
1/2 TSP of vanilla
1/4 cup of brown sugar
3 dashes of cinnamon

Instructions:
I'm not gonna bother with the bread part of this recipe, just follow the instructions on the back. For the topping, heat a pan to medieum heat. Place the butter in the pan, letting it brown up. Slice the bananas into small chunks and toss them in the butter. Simply add the rest of the ingredients and stir gently for 2 minutes. Lower the heat to a simmer and let it sit for 5 minutes. It should thicken up fairly quickly. When baking the bread, take it out when its 3/4th done and scoop all of the topping onto it. Let it then finish altogether in the oven. To turn the leftovers into bread pudding, simply add milk or cream to it, and then bake it at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

enjoy!

a classic! french onion soup!

The story:

Ok, I guess now that I am back on the recipe horse I'm on something of a binge but here goes. French onion soup, who doesn't like it? It' s rich, oniony, and oh so cheesey! Who can say to no to such a dish? Especially when its got the croutons in the there...right so now I might be drooling a little but it's totally worth it. French onion soup doesn't have to be terribly complicated to make and even a simple one is gonna be so much better than one of those intolerable powder mixes or canned soup versions. Here's a tweaked version that I created when I was craving the soup but had some extra items in the fridge that needed to be used up.

Ingredients:

2 cans of veggie stock (the missus insists on beef but thats a no no to me)

2-3 large yellow or white onions ( vidalia works but it changes the sweetness of the dish)

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme (a must have for the dish)

1/2 cup of water to thin it out

1/4 of dry sherry cooking wine ( I like mine to have that extra oomph)

1/4 cup of unsalted butter

2 tbs of flour

1 cup of croutons (can be bagged salad croutons if fresh bread ones arn't available)

1/2 cup gruyere cheese

1/4 cup swiss cheese

Optional ingredients:

1/4 cup of roasted sweet corn (canned works too, but bbq or oven roasted adds a smokeness)

1 Jalepeno

Start by dicing the onions finely. Take a med. sized pot, one large enough to hold all the ingredients when cooked, and bring up to med. high heat. Put the butter in the pot and let it melt until it starts to brown. Then add the thyme, ripping off the leaves into the pot and throwing away the stems. Allow that to sit for 30-40 seconds and then add all of the onions. Mix the onions well, so that they are all coated in the browned butter. Let them reduce and carmelize for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Now its time to add the corn and the pepper if you're choosing to include them. Mash the corn just a little, so that when it cooks in the broth the starch helps thicken it a bit. Once the onions become translucent, its time to add the sherry. Add the wine, stirring well. After about a minute add the broth, and alot it to come to a slow boil. Now its mostly a waiting game. I tend to like to let it sit, on a med. low heat, so that the flavors come together. After 15 or so minutes, its should be about time for the rue. Take the flour and the water and mix thouroughly in a seperate bowl. Once its fully blended add to the soup on the stove. Bring the soup back up to a low boil, letting the mixutre thicken the soup. It should reach the proper consistancy in about 4-5 minutes. Now comes the best part the bread and cheese!! Fill a bowl roughly 2/3 full with soup, adding the croutons on top. Once those have settled in, add the cheese to it in a roughly 2:1 ratio of gruyere to swiss. There are now two way to go with it. If your bowl is heavy duty or a nice ramikin you can place it in the oven under the broiler to do the cheese up right, or if not, you can simply mix the cheese into the soup and eat it as is!

eat and enjoy!

THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN: THE RETURNENING thai cucumber salad

The story:



Well as I was looking at some photos on my computer I realized that at one time I had a food blog. I took a look online and what do you know it was still there! Well I figured that I might as well update the site as as you might imagine I have come up with a few new recipes in the last year or so. This dish, Thai cucumber salad, is something that I've had in restaurants several times and always loved it. It finally came to me some weeks ago, that you know what, I could easily make that at home. It really is easy to make, and its dangerously addictive. I keep making it as a side for dinner but it always turns into a pre-dinner snack.



The ingredients:



1 large cucumber

1 red jalapeno

3 tbs of fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of fine white vinegar

3 tbs of sugar

3 dashes of ponzu sauce

1 carrot sliced very thin

1 tbs of sweet chili spring roll sauce



The directions for cooking are fairly simple, though a bit trickier if you don't have a multi-use mandolin. Wash the cucumber thoroughly, and slice very thinly on the mandolin. I like to use a shredder attachment, which creates strands that are about the length and thickness of thin spaghetti. Place all of the cucumber in a large bowl to the side. Using the mandolin, slice the carrot to the same thickness and place in the same bowl as the cucumbers. Slice the jalapeno into circles and place in the bowl. (remove the membranes and seeds if you can't take the heat) Rough chop the cilantro and place in the bowl. Now for the wet ingredients, as well as the sugar. Sprinkle the sugar over the veggies, and then gently mix it. Next comes the vinegar and the ponzu. Again, gently mix everything, until all the veggies are coated. Finally add the chili sauce, and mix one last time. Its best if you let this sit for a few hours before you serve it, and to me its best chilled.