Got Bananas you need to use up? Tired of that same old banana bread? Try these Banana Bars made with Fage 0% Fat Greek Yogurt instead. They are made just that much more delicious here, by being topped with a Browned Butter Glaze.

Afternoon delight!

The original recipe for these came from my Aunt B as the most delicious Sour Cream Banana Bars (she is an awesome baker) so feel free to substitute sour cream for the Fage 0% Greek yogurt I use here if you want. I also increased the pecans and vanilla extract to my taste in the recipe below.

Banana Bars - my way (makes one half sheet pan)

• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup Fage o% fat Greek yogurt (may substitute sour cream or low fat Greek yogurt)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (throw out any overly bruised parts before mashing)
• 3 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (or other nuts of your choice or leave out if you don’t like them)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Butter and flour a jelly roll pan (half sheet pan aka 11 x 17 x 1″ pan) Cream the butter with the sugar, add the eggs and yogurt and beat at high speed for one minute. Add the banana and vanilla extract, beat 30 seconds more. Combine the flour with the salt and baking soda and mix into the batter. Add the nuts. Spread evenly into prepared pan and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and springs back when touched in the middle. Cool completely and then frost with browned butter glaze.

Browned Butter Glaze

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans or other choice of nuts (optional)

Brown the butter in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat until it turns a light golden brown. Mix in the other ingredients and beat with a whisk until smooth and spreadable. Spread evenly over cooled cake and top with chopped nuts if desired. Cut into bars.

Hope you enjoy!

FYI: I did not receive any incentive from Fage to post this recipe and BTW if you head on over to their page, I think they are running a Greek vacation give away contest. Plus they have coupons. Just saying…

As this season slowly draws to a close and those last days of outdoor grilling and garden fresh tomatoes go by,  we really savor the last and best of our “salad days”. Store bought tomatoes and baked chicken breast can be used in other seasons but it’s just not quite the same.

I call this a California Chicken Salad because it has ingredients that I associate with several years of growing up in Orange County, California. More often than not, we had a salad topped with chicken for dinner. I love the interplay of flavours with the chicken, avocado and tomato. Black beans and corn add a little Southwest touch as well. Try this with my Creamy Cotija Cilantro Chile Pepita Dressing , a fresh vinaigrette or even some homemade Blue Cheese or Ranch style buttermilk dressing. Making your own dressing is so easy- don’t rely on commercial dressings that may be loaded with ingredients you can’t pronounce and that your body doesn’t need.

California Chicken Salad

• Romaine lettuce, washed dried and chopped
• one green onion, washed and sliced
• a fresh garden tomato, sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen steamed and then chilled corn kernels
• 1/4 cup cooked and chilled black beans
• 1/2 Haas avocado, sliced
• one grilled and sliced or cubed  boneless chicken breast
• 2 Tablespoons shredded medium cheddar cheese
• 1 small handful homemade or good quality baked croutons
• 1 Tablespoon slivered blanched almonds

Mix the Romaine and green onion together in a salad bowl. Top with the remaining ingredients grouped together around the top. Dress and enjoy.

Home style Ranch Dressing

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise- Best Foods or homemade
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, plus more to thin if necessary
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh basil, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh chives, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 2 Tablespoons parsley, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Mix all together in a food processor or blender and blend until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill for at least one hour before using. Use within a few days.

Blue Cheese Dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon best quality olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon Sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup great quality blue  cheese (try Cowgirl Creamery’s Point Reyes  Farmstead Blue if you can)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons, minced parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except blue cheese in a food processor or blender and blend well. Crumble the blue cheese and stir it in well. Chill for at least an hour  before using. Taste and adjust seasoning. Use within a few days.

Vinaigrette

• one shallot minced finely
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• pinch of salt
• a few grindings of black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons vinegar of choice- Sherry, Balsamic, Port or a good quality wine vinegar
• 2-4 Tablespoons best quality extra virgin olive oil 

Place the shallots, mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar into a the salad bowl you’ll be using or another small  bowl and whisk well. Let stand 10 minutes and then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Dress  salad just before serving. Two to four servings.

xo

Look what’s growing in our garden! This year we planted some artichokes just to see how they would grow for us. We are big eaters of the “thorny thistle of bliss” as I like to think of it. We usually have them at least once per week. Unless they are $4.00 a piece that is.  There is no way that the space of our smallish garden will keep us supplied but the thought of eating a home grown artichoke was just too tempting – so we planted two and one survived which we will share once it is ready to harvest. The ants have eaten the other- hope they enjoyed it.

To cook and eat an artichoke is an adventure. I think the first person to try it must have been quite determined and madly starving to boot.

First of all- trim the bottom and any tough outer leaves until you see a bit of white around the bottom edges of the heart. Trim the thorny tips from the tops of the leaves so you don’t get stuck by them. Rub the cut edges with a slice of lemon. Fit a pot with a steamer basket and fill it with water to just under the bottom edge of the steamer. Add a couple of garlic cloves- no need to peel them and a bay leaf and a couple of peppercorns- you can also add that slice of lemon you used to stop the artichoke from turning brown- waste not want not you know. You can scoop the choke out (the choke is the unbloomed thistle leaves ) over the heart either before steaming or after cooking during the eating process. The artichokes will take less time to steam if you remove the choke before cooking and the eating is less messy if you do too- but it’s up to you- some people think they are more flavourful if steamed with the choke.  To remove it before cooking I find that a serrated edge grapefruit spoon or a mellon baller makes the job easy. Just spread the leaves open a bit and scoop the fluffy choke out- rub the cup left where the heart is with a bit of lemon.

Get the water boiling under the steamer and add the artichokes to the basket- steam until tender -you’ll have to check them- they are done when an outer leaf pulls easily or you can check the bottom thickest part for tenderness with the tip of a paring knife- it should insert fairly easily but not be mushy.  Remove the basket and drain a bit before serving.  We like them with chile and garlic flavoured mayonnaise. I made some homemade mayo- it is so easy and good- give it a try!

Homemade Mayonnaise 

• 1 egg and two yolks of an impeccably fresh and clean eggs*
• 1/3 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• juice of one juicy lemon
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• about 1-3/4 cups of canola or other neutral oil
• about 1/4 cup of best quality olive oil
• herbs, salt and pepper or spices to taste

* If you are immune sensitive or uncomfortable using raw eggs-you can coddle the eggs by immersing them in boiling hot water for about a minute before using, try pasteurized egg product (not I- I say) or skip this recipe altogether.

The food processor works great for this. Put the eggs into the bowl fitted with the metal blade. Process for a minute then with the machine running add the mustard powder, the 3/4 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon each of the lemon juice and the cider vinegar. Slowly start to add about half of the olive oil in a very thin, slow stream – followed by about half of the neutral oil do not stop until a  thick mayonnaise is formed. Add a bit more lemon juice to thin it out a bit and then add the rest of the oil in the same manner. Taste and correct the flavour with more lemon juice, vinegar, salt or pepper. Add chopped fresh herbs if desired- or chiles -whatever you like. This will keep for a few days in the fridge- not as long as commercial but then it only has what you put in it- no commercial fillers or cheap oils. 

Have a happy day

Recently, I decided to host what I affectionately like to call a “crafternoon” -an afternoon of laughter and creativity. I invited my Mum, my sister who lives close by (Sherry) and one of my best friends- (Bonnie). We had lots of fun, good food and laughter. These  along with a little glue, glitter and some pretty paper were happy remedies for some of the stress of our world at the moment. 

A couple of years ago I did the same thing on a little larger scale with about 13 invited guests. I decided to scale back a little this year but didn’t want to miss out on it all together.

One of the things I’ve decided to do this year is to finish projects that are not completed but have been hanging around for some time waiting on me. I also have a tendency to pick up pretty yarn, paper or other craft and art supplies but not make the time to use them. So I’ve decided that my friends and I should get together and do this kind of thing more often.

Sherry was kind enough to bring over her Cricut machine (it’s an electronic die cutter) it makes cutting out shapes and lettering a breeze. I may have to put one on my own list after this because it was so fun to whip up the parts for our Valentine’s cards-custom made out of the paper we chose right there on the spot.  Mom brought some adorable 3-D shapes for Valentine’s including a “love bug” or two. Bonnie learned that she actually likes using stamps and ink.

Here’s the menu and I have to confess I am missing some pics because I was having a good time and forgot to take them before some of the food was gone

• Crab Dip and chips /crudites and Stonemill Spinach and Artichoke Dip (purchased)
• Petite Rolls (Bonnie called them “roll Poppers”
• Spinach Salad with warm Bacon Vinaigrette
• Gabi’s Wild Rice casserole
• Chicken Royale -my way
• Strawberry Daiquiri Punch
• Elvis- Love Me Tender Cake
• Butterscotch Pots De Creme

Crab Dip for chips or crudites

• 1/2 pound of cream cheese

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 1 minced green onion

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• garlic salt to taste

• a large pinch of Old Bay Seasoning or fish herbs

• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 3 dashes smoked Chipotle Tabasco sauce

• 3/4 to 1 pound minced cooked crab meat well drained

• Z’atar

Mix all ingredients except green onion and crab together in mixer or food processor. Stir in green onion and crab. Chill for a couple of hours to meld flavours. Sprinkle Z’atar on top. Serve.

Petite Rolls -sorry no pic but I promise they were tiny and cute ;(

• 1/2 cup sugar, divided

• 1 cup lukewarm water

• 1/4 pound butter, melted and cooled

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4-1/2 cups all purpose flour plus more if needed

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of the 1/2 cup sugar into the lukewarm water and sprinkle the yeast over. Let sit until foaming to proof. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 1/2 cup butter, eggs and proofed yeast. Beat until well combined. In a medium bowl, combine the 4-1/2 cups of flour the remainder of the 1/2 cup of sugar and the salt. Add to the wet ingredients and beat well. If necessary add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, but remains soft and slightly sticky. Place in a greased bowl, turn to coat the dough and cover. Refrigerate for 8 hours. Remove from the fridge and let the dough come to room temp for 1/2 hour before rolling out to 1 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a well floured 1 inch cutter and place almost touching into a parchment lined and greased and floured jelly roll pan. Let rise, covered in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in bulk. Preheat the oven to 400F and bake for about 12-14 minutes or until golden. Brush the tops with butter while warm and serve.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

• 4 cups Spinach washed well and dried thoroughly

• 1 bunch green onions, sliced

• 1 bunch radishes, sliced

• 1 can Mandarin oranges in light syrup, chilled and drained well (or one navel orange sectioned with juice over the bowl)

• 6 slices bacon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• freshly ground black pepper- several grinds

Combine the spinach, green onions, radishes and oranges in a large salad bowl and keep chilled. Fry the bacon pieces until crisp starting in a cold frying pan over med low heat.Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt together and add to the pan (don’t breathe in the vinegar fumes) stir until sugar dissolves. Add to salad in bowl and toss gently. Serve immediately.

Gabi’s Wild Rice casserole

• 4 cups mixed white and wild rice cooked and cooled.
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can artichoke bottoms or hearts chopped
• 2 small cans sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup concentrate
• 1 can cream of chicken soup concentrate
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup pecan halves

Mix all of the ingredients together except pecans. Stir well to combine, spread in a buttered 9×13 inch baking dish, top with pecans. Cover and bake for 40 minutes at 375F, remove foil and bake until pecans crisp- about 10 minutes more.

Chicken Royale- my way

• 8 half chicken breasts, pounded flat to a uniform 1/4 inch thick

• 1 package Boursin cheese, divided into 8 pieces

• 8 ounces cream cheese, divided into 8 pieces

• 1 cup finely chopped pecans (or enough to coat the cheese balls)

• 16 leaves washed spinach

• 16 slices of Prosciutto

• salt and pepper

• 1/2 cup rose or white wine

• 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar

• 1/4 cup raspberry jam

• 2 Tablespoons butter

Mix each piece of Boursin with a piece of cream cheese (to make 8 total) into a walnut shaped ball. Roll in the pecans until coated. Salt and pepper chicken and place 2 spinach leaves in the center of a pounded chicken breast piece, top with a cheese ball. Pull the breast around to cover the cheese. Wrap a piece of prosciutto around the breast and cross with a second piece of prosciutto to completely enclose the seams. Place in a baking dish. Repeat with all remaining. You should have eight chicken packets. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the wine, vinegar and jam and cook until boiling. Serve over the chicken.

Strawberry Daiquiri Punch

• one 8 ounce package frozen sliced strawberries

• 1 can frozen strawberry daiquiri mix

• 1 can frozen pineapple juice

• 24 ounces sparkling lemonade

• 12 ounces ginger-ale

• water and ice to taste

Elvis’ Love Me Tender cake

This is just a concoction. I’m just going to give you the link to Epicurious for Elvis Presley’s Favorite Pound Cake recipe. But do make it. Then slice a pint of fresh organic strawberries lengthwise to make “hearts” macerate with vanilla sugar and some Gran Marnier or Orange Brandy. Make a fresh ganache (heat cream until boiling pour over equal amount of chopped choc add a small knob of butter and a little Amaretto if desired) use Valrhona Alpaco or other really good chocolate and enjoy!

Butterscotch Pots de Creme

I didn’t get a pic of these either although they were to die for -if it hadn’t been bad manners we all would have licked our wee lion’s head ramekins clean on the spot. I will be making these again- when my waist can recover. The recipe is on Epicurious too here’s the link- Butterscotch Pots de Creme. I used dark brown sugar instead of the pricier Demerara and raw sugar for the Turbinado listed. If they were any better with the other sugars I’m not sure I could take it. Mmm oh my…..

Well that’s it for the Valentine making bash! I send you all lots of love!

xoxo

P.S. I am not making the super Spinach dip that all of the other Craving Ellie crew are making today I have a huge Costco purchased tub leftover from the above and really can’t justify making more. I will try the recipe another time though- I promise. And I send my apologies to Cathy at The Tortefeasor for not playing today  but I do love her site- go on check it out. And for a list to check out the other Ellies’ Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip here.

xo

Gabi