Going Bananas

With the current economy I am having to find ways of reducing food waste. I can see the dollar signs falling into the waste bin and it bothers me. One area I notice waste more than any other is fruit. It seems that no matter how small a bunch I buy, I always seem to have bananas that become overripe before we can enjoy them. Walking past the fruit basket today, I decided to try and do something about this.

With no real plan in mind I riffled around our pantry and discovered a leftover bag of pecans from Christmas. With that my idea was born, leftover banana nut muffins. I am not usually a muffin person, they always seem too sickly here in the states. These however turned out lovely and light. These are a great addition to a lunch box for a midday snack.

-Going Nuts, Banana Muffins- 


Makes about 18 muffins (Depending on size)


Ingredients:


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (chopped)
4 bananas
1 1/2 sticks butter melted
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 eggs


Get Cooking:


Preheat the oven to about 175 F- this will vary depending on your oven. 


1. Cut two bananas up and put them into a mixing bowl along with the brown sugar. Whip this together with your electric mixer on high for about five minutes. 


2.While your bananas and sugar are mixing lightly mash the remaining bananas with a fork. You want these to have some texture to them, so do not over-mash them. Set these aside along with your chopped nuts. 


3. To the banana sugar add the remaining wet ingredients including butter, eggs and vanilla. Turn your mixer back on to high for about 7 minutes. The mixture should be quite light and fluffy. 


4. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add these to your mixing bowl in batches until fully incorporated. 


5. Lightly fold in the nuts and mashed banana. 


6. Spoon this mixture into a lightly greased muffin tin. Make sure to tap the tin on the counter before baking, in order to remove any air bubbles. 


7. Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy. 

How many ways can you cook a chicken?

I find that I run out of new ideas on how to keep the same ingredients exciting.  Most weeks I go through the same routine, and after a while I must say it gets quite boring. Tonight was one of those nights when I looked in the freezer and said "Oh, great chicken again". Instead of doing my regular baked chicken with roasted root veg, I decided to try a new variation of them both. So out of my cooking boredom I give you my One-Dish Rosemary Lemon Chicken. 

-One-Dish Rosemary Lemon Chicken-

Feeds 4

Ingredients:

4 large carrots

2 garlic bulbs (peeled and separated into cloves)

4 chicken thighs (Skin on)

1 Lemon

Thyme 

Rosemary

Olive Oil

Sweet White Wine

Preheat oven to 300. 

1. In a roasting dish place chicken skin side up. Slice carrots and place them into the same dish along with the garlic cloves. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken.


2.Sprinkle on a generous amount of thyme and rosemary, and add a slight drizzle of olive oil. Pour a little white wine into the pan, about half a cup.


3. Cover the dish with tin foil and place it into the oven. Bake this way for about 45 minutes.  


4. Turn the oven up to 400 and remove the foil. Let the dish roast for about 30 minutes until the chicken is crispy, and the garlic has caramelized. 

Serve with rice, and use the drippings from the pan for a delicious gravy. 

Simple Chicken Enchiladas

My husband and I both love Mexican food, however it can be quite stodgy. If you want a great tasting meal that wont weigh you down, you have to try these simple chicken enchiladas. 


Instead of a heavy filling this recipe is creamy and light. By pairing it with a salad and some Spanish rice you have a wonderful meal that your family is sure to enjoy. 

-Simple Chicken Enchiladas-

Serves 4 or two with lots of leftovers

4 chicken thighs

A handful of cilantro (chopped)

1 ½  to 2 cups Shredded cheese

3 large tablespoons Sour Cream

4 Spring Onions (chopped)

Salsa- (depending on your preference you can use mild, medium or hot)

Flour Tortillas

Cook chicken:

1. Season 4 chicken thighs or breast with salt and pepper. 
2. Place in oven at 375F until cooked through. 
3. Remove from oven and let cool.

Prepare filling:

1. Shred the chicken with a fork and place into a bowl.  


2. Add a cup of cheese, ½ a cup of salsa, sour cream, spring onions and cilantro. 


3. Mix together and spoon into tortillas.

4. Roll tortillas up and place in an ovenproof dish with seam side down. 


5. Generously spread salsa over top. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.


6. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a cup of cheese (add more or less depending on what you prefer) bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is warm and bubbly.

Serve hot table side with Spanish rice and a simple salad.

For the love of pie

I have started a new chapter in my life, and it involves food. Cooking food, and eating it of course. For those of you that are now worried, I promise not to balloon up, after all I have a wedding dress to fit into.

So with my new found love of cooking I decided to try a new recipe last night, with gleaming success. It is an absolute crowd pleaser and is really simple to prepare.

-Chicken, Leek and Potato Pie-

Serves 4 and then some.

• Chicken- either 4 whole chicken legs or 4 chicken breasts.(Better yet use leftovers from a whole chicken roast)
• Salt and black pepper
• Olive oil
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 onion diced finely
• 2 leeks- only use the white and pale green parts of the leek. Cut in half lengthwise and then into strips
• 2 potatoes cut into squares
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 sheet frozen pastry-thawed
• 1 large egg
• fresh parsley (dried works too)
• Thyme
• Basil

Now for the fun part...

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place chicken legs on a baking tray with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 mins, turn, roast for another 15 mins.
2. Set chicken aside to cool and lower the oven to 350 F.
3. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat with a fork.
4. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add leaks and onions. Saute until tender.
5. Add the potatoes.
6. Add flour to pan, stirring constantly for about a minute.
7. Slowly stir in chicken stock, milk, and cream.
8. Simmer over low heat until sauce thickens.
9. Stir in the chicken. (if you think you have too much chicken save the rest for my yummy chicken salad recipe)
10. Add parsley, thyme, and Basil. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for a few minutes. If sauce appears too thick, add some more milk.
11. Spoon the pie filling into an oven-proof baking dish, roll out the puff pastry and drape over the top. Press against the rim of the dish.
12. Mix the egg with a tablespoon of milk. Cut holes into the pastry to allow for steam to escape, and brush with the egg mixture.
13. Bake for 50 minutes, check the pastry every now and then. If it is turning brown turn the oven down too 300 F.
14. Take out and enjoy with good company.

So there you have it, the most heavenly pie on earth. I just ate the leftovers and I can say it oven reheats very very well.

Gutted: A fish story.

I gutted my first fish this week, a task I don't think I will be repeating again.

My boyfriend and I decided to try something new, since neither of us have had access to a stove for the past six months. Heading down to our local Fiesta we picked up a lovely whole Mackerel and headed home. Neither of us thought about asking the kind gentleman behind the counter to gut it for us.

Alas, home we went to a bloody mess. I have never had to know how to gut a fish before, thank heavens for YouTube. I watched a video, and got down to business. I think I actually did a really good job despite the fact that I had fish blood all over me and was about ready to faint. Thankfully my man swooped in to save me and cut the head off and cleaned it all up. After the blood was washed away, and Ben stopped playing with the fish head. We were ready to prep and cook this lovely Mackerel.

-B&Ks Divine Mackerel Recipe-

1. Slice the fish so it splays out like a butterfly.


2. Slice one lemon and put the slices into the fish cavity, along with lots of butter.



3. Add fresh rosemary, parsley, Oregano, and a little thyme.


4. Fold the fish back together and wrap with foil. (Form a totally sealed parcel)


5. Throw in the oven at 400 and cook until the fish flakes easily.




I hope that you guys enjoy this as much as we did. Pair it with rice and a lovely salad for a nice light meal.

Happy eating.

The Battle of the Chestnut Puree

Well I am currently on a cooking binge. After being in a dorm room with only a microwave I am a little eager to play around with 'real' food again.

I found this recipe for Chestnut Stuffing I wanted to make for Christmas, but alas its too late to try and order Chestnut Puree... so I borrowed a recipe online and tried to make it.

Th adventure started two days ago, when I began roasting chestnuts in the oven. A word to the wise, make sure that incision you make to let steam escape is large enough. Exploded chestnut pieces are not fun to try and dig out of the bottom of the oven.

Once roasted, I shelled the nuts, which was an adventure in itself. I am not patient or delicate enough for that task. Several cuts and an hour later, I finally had a bowl of shelled chestnuts ready for puree.

Well it was my first day off of work in forever, so I got lazy and hung out on the couch for a while. Then decided I better move on to the next step and simmer the chestnuts in the milk and water mixture the recipe called for. After about five minutes of simmering I realized that I didn't have enough time to puree it before having to head to work. So I plopped everything in the fridge and swore I would continue as soon as I got home.

I got back from work at midnight....chestnut puree didn't happen.

Alas today, I finally simmered the chestnuts and am currently letting them cool. Next I am supposed to throw them in a food processor and then freeze all the excess. (I kinda made a lot more than I wanted to)

Cross your fingers for me. This better work!