Banana-Fana-Fo-Fana Chewy Cookies

A friend of mine was recently in a local play of Annie, and we were lucky enough to get tickets for the family night showing. And it wasn't just my friend that we were so excited to see on stage, his dog was also in the show, acting as "Sandy". It was pretty hilarious watching the dog, Spencer, as at first he was so nervous with his tail between his legs, slightly quivering, and backside towards the audience, all until "dad" came out onto stage. Then he would suddenly whip his tail up and over his back, and a big doggie smile came across his face. Pretty adorable. Oh, and our friend was fantastic too! :)

For such the occasion, as I had some extra time on my hands before heading down the Penninsula to the show, I decided I wanted to bake a little something sweet for our stars. I looked around my kitchen and found that I had some very ripe banana's, and all the fixin's for cookies. So I decided on banana cookies. I found a good looking recipe online here. I followed the recipe pretty exactly, except that I think I used all spice in place of the cinnamon/nutmeg/clove. I also added brown sugar, by reducing the white sugar by half and adding the remainder in brown sugar. And I used walnuts, as that is what I had on hand.

I whipped the batter together, and got them baking...

They came out of the oven smelling delightful, just like a banana bread does. And these cookies very much reminded me of banana bread. They are soft, pillowy, and chewy, with great nana flavor. But I thought that these nana-cookies needed a little extra oomph. I whipped up a vanilla icing to drizzle on top...

mmm....Whoop, there it is!

Chocolate Malted Cupcakes

Chocolate Malted Cupcakes

Mmmmm... Chocolate... Malted... Cupcakes....

I had the chance to do some more birthday time baking recently, so I jumped at the chance to bake a batch of these beautiful little babies. I had made these once before, sometime last year, and didn't get the chance to do a photo shoot with them, so this time, I made sure that we got some quality time in front of the camera.

It was a perfect Saturday morning, I woke to the excitement of making it a baking kind of day. I put some coffee on, and gathered all my ingredients...

I quickly got to work, this time, I used this recipe from The Culinary Chronicles. I found it to be a perfect recipe, my only changes were that I did not add the crushed malted milk balls to the batter, (because I did not want crunchy bits in my cake), and I did not use coffee in my buttercream frosting.

Before and after...

Once I had the batter done and the last batch in the oven, I got to work on the buttercream frosting. I was a bit nervous about doing a buttercream, because I have had some not so great luck with buttercream before. And my last experience with buttercream was when a former classmate called me in a panic asking how to save his buttercream frosting, as it wasn't quite thick enough. I didn't know what to tell him on the spot, in fear of giving him wrong information and making his situation worse. I quickly did a Google search for him and found that if he chills the frosting, that should thicken it up. He ended up freezing the frosting and it never came back to life. I sort of knew that it wasn't save-able, when he told me that he added melted butter to it. I told him to toss that batch and start over, but he was out of ingredients. Adding melted butter will destroy a buttercream. It will make it too runny and it will not come back to proper consistency. That is my belief anyway. So if you think that using melted butter to save time on bringing your butter to room temp, think again.

And never use just butter for your buttercream frosting, as it will be very unstable. Using half shortening and half butter will make it much more stable. However, if it is a hot day, or it will be outside for a long period of time, use all shortening, forget about using any butter. Using butter makes any buttercream very unstable, as the butter will obviously begin to melt.

I was so incredibly happy, ecstatic, pleased, thrilled, tripping the light fantastic, that my buttercream came out wonderfully perfect. Hooray! Rocky even came by to witness such an exciting event...

Ok so now that we have the buttercream whipped to perfection, it is time for some quality control testing, phase 1, initiate now....

Pass!

And now that all my pieces to the Chocolate Malted Cupcake puzzle are in order, it was time for my favorite part, putting the pieces together to form a perfect little package...

Soooo purty...

and absolutely delicious...

Sunday Super and Nutty Sticky Bars

Cumin Spiced Quinoa with Roasted Pencil Asparagus and Purple Cauliflower, and Ginger Pomegranate Sauce

We had a beautiful weekend here in the bay. I feel so lucky to live in such an amazing part of the world. This past week we had a sudden heat wave, which is fun for a day, but I hate when it stays hot. It was hot, like, can't sleep unless every single window is open and the fan is on, kind of night. But today was a little cooler, thank you know who! And here on the island of Alameda, it couldn't have been nicer out.

The day started off with having brunch out with my sweetie, and then a leisurely walk around town. With a stop at one of the many local antique shops. It was fun to get a sense of the past, we got to read handwritten notes to a girl named Audrey from her classmates back in the 1930's. And play on a few old typewriters. I really wanted to take one home! But where would I put it?!

The rest of the afternoon was a pretty lazy one for me. But isn't that what Sunday afternoons are made for?? So when dinner time came around, I wasn't sure what I felt like doing. I took a mental check list from the comfort of the couch. I knew that I had some asparagus in the fridge, and some much-needing-to-be-used purple cauliflower in there as well. And I knew that I absolutely wanted to do something pretty with that gorgeous cauliflower. I mean, just look at it...

...sooo purty....

So I threw together this simple but tasty and healthy dish of quinoa, with purple cauliflower and asparagus. I wanted some sort of sauce, so I reduced some pomegranate vinegar, with some brown sugar, ginger, and lemon curd. Perfect! The veggies were simply roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic. The quinoa was spiced with cumin. I added some toasted pine nuts and pomegranate seeds to complete the dish. Perfect ending to a beautiful day.

And for a healthy snack, earlier this week I dished up these sweet, savory, and nutty, sticky bars. They are great to bring to work as a perfect little snack to get over the hunger hump....

You could put just about anything in these. I used a bunch of ingredients that I had in my kitchen, such as pine nuts, dried soy nuts, flax seed, hemp seed, sunflower seed, dried blueberries, dried apricot, and dried cherries. I did not want to add a bunch of unnecessary sugar and fat, so the binder I used is almond butter and a bit of water. Cook that down just a bit and add your dry ingredients, heat until desired consistency, then spread out into casserole type dish to set. I sprinkled mine with salt and cocoa nibs. Let cool and store in the fridge. Easy Peasy!

Celebratory Vegetables Wellington

Vegetables Wellington with Cabernet Mushrooms

I went on a mad shopping spree today. And when I say shopping, I mean grocery shopping. Duh. After a perfect afternoon spent with my pup, hiking in the hills, with one of the most beautiful and inspiring views of the bay, I decided to stop off at the Berkeley Bowl. I wanted to stock up on some veggies and add some super foods to my diet. Because, I have a confession to make. I have been eating pretty terribly lately. Now don't worry, I haven't gone to the dark side of those salivating sloth-like meat eaters (click on link to see how freaking adorable baby sloths actually are!). But I have been living off of crackers, cheese, hummus, cereal, and english muffins. All store bought, i.e., pre-made, processed foods. Not too great. I blame it all on the wine bar that I recently started working at. Plating all these yummy cheese plates has had me craving cheese and sweet french bread! With a glass or two of vino, of course.

This past weekend was my graduation commencement ceremony from the CCA. Yes, I did technically graduate back in December of 2011. But we had to wait until April 14, 2012 for our ceremony, and "walk". I really didn't know what to expect, and honestly I wasn't expecting much. But, boy was I wrong. Just seeing all of the graduates, and my few former classmates, (most of them) in their clean and pressed chef coats, and our chef instructors (some of them), there for our support. I was immediately uplifted, and felt a sure sense of pride.

My class was small to begin with. I was in the night class which are always the smallest classes. But out of the original 7 or so classmates, only three of us showed up and/or graduated on graduation day...

California Culinary Academy 2011 Graduates

...and it was really, really wonderful to see them. Once the ceremonies began, with a speech from our executive chef, chef Michael Weller, and master chef Ed Leonard. It was emotional, it was inspiring, it was laugh-out-loud, it was heartfelt, it was meaningful. It made me feel grateful for what I have. It made me feel proud for what I have accomplished. It made me feel confident for what I can accomplish. It made me FEEL PROUD. To simply be a part of it all. I will forever be an alum of the amazing school, the California Culinary Academy, in San Francisco. I will miss these people, the students, the halls, the kitchens, the stupid greasy pans, the instructors. I cried, I laughed, I smiled, and I held my head high.

And then came time for our walk across the stage. I was proud to have achieved awards with high honors (gpa of 3.75 or higher, I held a 4.0 throughout), as well as exemplary attendance (never missed a single day of class). The hard work was well worth it. For these silly little red and yellow ribbons...

And so after all of the inspiring words from our well respected, experienced, and talented chefs, I decided it was time to start cooking again. It is time to start making the foods that I am so passionate about. It is time to make this my own. It is time to stop having store bought crackers and hummus, or cereal for dinner. It is time to make a beautiful dish. And it is time to start making vegetarian dishes that are dynamic, healthy, delicious, colorful, and fulfilling.

So to kick things off, I put together this dish of Vegetables Wellington. I did cheat just a wee-bit, by buying frozen puff pastry, but I don't feel at all bad about that! I know exactly what it takes to make puff pastry, and after a long hike in the hills, and only running on coffee and an english muffin all day, I wasn't about to go making my own puff pastry. This Vegetables Wellington was quick and easy to put together. Here is a quick overview of how and what...

For one serving

Ingredients:
Shallot, fine brunoise
6 stems of Pencil Asparagus, chopped in half
4 Brussel Sprouts, chopped in half, chiffonade
4 Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
Half a carrot, finely shredded
4 Mushrooms, thinly sliced
small handful of pea sprouts
pine nuts
goat cheese
red wine
butter
canola/olive oil blend
salt and pepper
cumin
dried thyme
one package of frozen puff pastry, partially thaw, cut off 1/4 of one strip

Heat oven to 400, line sheet pan with foil and coat lightly with oil

Once oven is at temp, place thawed puff pastry on oiled foil lined sheet pan and place in oven, cook at 400 for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. (Can coat with egg wash for better browning, but I chose not to use an entire egg for my single little piece of puff pastry)

Heat oil, add half the shallot, heat until almost cooked through, add the asparagus, cook 2-3 minutes, add the brussel sprouts, add the carrot, and pine nuts. Season with salt, pepper, cumin. Let cook for 2-3 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat small amount oil and two pats of butter, add rest of shallot and heat until almost cooked through. Add mushrooms, cook until lightly browned. Add more butter or oil if more fat is needed. Season with salt and pepper. Add red wine and cook at low-medium simmer until slightly thickened and the alcohol has evaporated. Taste and adjust as needed.

Plate vegetables, goat cheese, mushrooms. Drizzle with red wine reduction. Add puff pastry, and garnish with pea sprouts.

Bon Appetit!

Fresh to Death Basil Pesto

Handmade Ravioli with Basil Pesto and Pine Nuts

I've had these amazing little handmade ravioli's, stuffed with a mushroom and roasted garlic filling, hibernating in my freezer for a few weeks now. And with a bunch of fresh basil sitting on my counter, it was due time for the ravioli's to come out of their slumber, and the fresh basil to be whizzed up and made into a gorgeous pesto sauce.

And I tried something new with my basil recently. You see, I have always had trouble keeping basil fresh. I mean, basil is always cool, like....Can't stop, won't stop, Rockafella Records, Cause we get down baby, We get down baby, the girls the girls they love us, Cause we stay fresh to death, We the best, Nothing less!

Anyway, getting back to basil...I wanted to share with you that I found a great way to keep your basil, um, fresh. So that it doesn't turn brown overnight in your fridge. You basically want to do this....

....make it look like you are trying to suffocate your basil by putting a plastic bag over its head. No seriously, get a plastic bag, trim the ends off the stems of the basil, fill a glass or jar with water, put the basil in the jar, and cover the top with the bag. Make sure that the bottom of the bag is left open. This way the gases are allowed to be released from your basil, while keeping moisture in. This basil had been sitting on my counter here like this for about 2 weeks. Word.

And in case you aren't familiar, making your own pesto sauce is incredibly easy. You basically do this...

Take your basil leaves, about a handful or so, and maybe 2 cloves of garlic, plus or minus about 1/4 cup of parmesan (or parmesan-reggiano as I used here), give or take a small handful of pine nuts, a pinch or so of salt, and a dash of pepper....you already know that I don't exactly measure things so just play along here....and then you throw it all in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, I recommend you get one. Or forget about this and go out and buy some pesto.

Ok, then you turn ON the food processor, with the lid on of course, and start to slowly add oil. How much oil? Well, until your pesto is at desired consistency, of course. It's not science. It's food. Make it to your liking.

Oh, and it's generally best not to use only extra virgin olive oil. It is actually best to use part EVOO, and the other part a blend (such as canola/olive oil). Using only EVOO can make your food taste bitter. So never feel that you absolutely have to use strictly EVOO. It is not a magic ingredient, it can actually take away from your food.

Here is how I like my pesto, sitting pretty and shining in the afternoon sun...

And here is how I like my little rad handmade ravioli's, with the mushroom, spinach, and roasted garlic filling. All smothered in a fresh to death we the best nothing less basil pesto sauce. Cause we get down baby, we get down!

Mango Guacamole Happy Dance

Avocado Mango Guacamole

I had a hankering for a new kind of snacky snack this past weekend, and it didn't take long for this mango guacamole to come to mind.

....No, you can't have-a de Mango!....

...Such is Mango....

Moving on, I think the hardest part of making this little gem was having to go to two stores to get all of the ingredients. You can never count on Trader Joe's having the best produce, and they didn't have a single ripe avocado in the store. I had to walk all the way over to the Safeway, just next door, about 20 feet. Geesh!!

And why is it that they, (TJ's), don't really carry fresh herbs? They have these overpriced little packaged bundles of a few most popular herbs. No thank you! But, I still love my Traders, they have so many other great things to offer.

So, while at said second store, I picked up a handful of ripe avocado's, a big bunch of cilantro, and a jalapeno. I got in line, not really sure why I didn't do the self check-out as I normally do. Maybe I had alcohol in my basket...yeah, likely that I did. Or maybe I was meant to experience the check-out lady's guacamole happy dance. Yes, that's right. The guacamole happy dance. It was awesome, and it made my day. I love those little unexpected moments, experienced with complete strangers, that make you smile. And this one made me lol. As she is ringing up my items, she sings " I see guacamole!", and begins to quietly jump up and down and side to side. It was adorable. I love happy people who aren't afraid to express themselves, and actually communicate with other people. Yay for her.

She then asked me what spices I put in my guacamole. And I think many people wonder what is the secret to excellent guac. Well, I think, like everything, it depends on what you like. I happen to like, or um, love, the taste of pure and simple avocado. So I like to keep my guacamole fairly simple. Although, I love the contrast that fresh sweet mango adds, plus it looks pretty. But really, trust me, it tastes amazing.

Keep your guacamole simple by adding salt and pepper, red onion, plenty of fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice, a little bit of jalapeno, and fresh mango. And then don't be afraid to do the guacamole happy dance!

Oh, Handmade Ravioli...As You Wish!

Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli with Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

This past weekend I had the opportunity to work at a cooking class, and lucky me, it was pasta day. And we're not talkin' just any old ordinary average joe pasta. We're talkin' ravioli! Oh Yea!

There is a huge, I mean really giant, difference between fresh pasta and your average store bought dried pasta, in terms of taste. And the obvious, shelf life. Your average store bought pasta is made with mostly semolina (the milled endosperm of durum wheat), and water. While fresh pasta is made into a workable dough with AP or "00" flour, eggs, and water, which equals much more flavor in my opinion. Dried pasta has a shelf life, of, about forever and a day. While fresh pasta should be used the day it is made, or kept in the freezer, otherwise, I am told, it will oxidize.

During our ravioli class, I had time to make some ravioli fillings, and was able to use some of the extra dough to make omy own rav's. Now we're talkin'! My favorite rav's are cheese, and mushroom, and so I quickly whipped together both. And the best tip I learned from the day was how important it is to over-season your ravioli filling. Because when you wrap up that little ball of filling in two layers of dough, you need that filling to be packin' some punch. So as I made my ricotta spinach filling, I added more salt than I thought it deserved. Same with my mushroom filling. Salt, and more salt. And let's just say that chef is always right. Yes, chef!

Now I did have to freeze my fresh ravioli's because I was not going to eat them that day. And you also want to give your fresh pasta a quick blanche and then a coating of oil before you go laying them to rest in the depths of the freezer. This step helps lock in flavor, color, (just like veggies), and the oil keeps the pasta from sticking to itself.

Today, two days later, my ravioli's were calling me from the freezer. And they were sounding all too perfectly lovely on this inconceivably chilly first day of spring. The only question being which ravioli do I want, and what kind of sauce to make for them? I quickly decide on the ricotta spinach ravioli, with a fresh cherry tomato sauce.

First I made some basil oil by simply adding fresh basil and a clove of garlic to some olive/canola oil blend, and heating that up a bit to infuse. Next, chopped up a good amount of garlic, some cherry tomatoes, and more fresh basil. Cooked the garlic in the basil oil, then added the tomatoes and some seasonings to cook for a minute or so. Did a quick boil for my ravioli's, and there we have it, dinner was served. Lastly, added fresh basil, parmesan, and pine nuts....

Bye bye boys, have fun storming the castle!