Banana Walnut Bread

My new rotation has started and I have finally settled in to Yardley, PA. I anticipate many more days of baking and cooking as there is nothing to do here.. seriously, I live next to a farm. Great.

Now that I've moved to my new apartment, I finally was able to buy my standing mixer!! You can ask anybody.. I've been wanting a standing mixer for months now! 

I especially wanted it when my hand mixer broke right as I was making my Banana Walnut Bread a few weeks ago..... Good thing I'm really buff and can mix bread batter by hand. 

The recipe follows (courtesy of Food Network):

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• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer thebatter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.

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So most of you know that I usually bake these goods and rarely eat them myself. (I more enjoy the baking itself than the treats that result from it!) Well this time it was different!

I usually only have a bite of my creations and bring them into work the next day to share with a few coworkers... Well after my first bite, I did not want to share. The slightly crispy crust on the outside paired with the sweet, moist bread on the inside was delicious. The banana flavor was out of this world and the small walnut pieces added a bit of extra crunch you wouldn't expect!

Such a simple recipe (and yes, I mixed this by hand!!!) with amazing, delicious results. 

Being that this is Eric's favorite, I would have to say that I am putting this one in the permanent recipe pile and will be making this again and again!

Give it a try- it will surely be a hit!

Difficulty: Easy

Taste: A

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Scallops Provencal

After making my Traditional Osso Bucco again, I realized that I needed to venture into something new, and give up the meat- just this once.

After a nice dinner with a few Pikes in the city, I was inspired to try something new- especially after Dorian ordered his scallops!

So scallops it is!

I made Scallops Provencal- an Ina Garten dish (so I knew it would be good and fattening, just like her)

Recipe follows:

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• 1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, cut in 1/2

If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.

In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

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Who knew making something that sounds so complicated could be so simple? Pretty easy huh?

This dish is meant to serve 3 and has around 350 calories for each serving- not bad huh?

I cut my portions so that it ended up being 4 meals and served it with some crimini mushroom quinoa to add a little more protein and sustenance. I also used bay scallops (they're cheaper and helped me control my portions better)

So yes, this does have butter and thus is fattening, but its deliciously filling! Hey at least I added some color to make it prettier?

So yes, this isn't exactly for the health conscious, but I would say with 350 calories per serving, it isn't entirely bad. You can even substitute EVOO for the butter (it course, wouldn't taste as good)

This is a great dish to welcome the spring- each morsel is light but perfectly decadent at the same time. It's also something you can make very quickly if you don't have time after work but you're craving something delicious! Plus it saves you a ton of money if you're thinking about going out to a restaurant to get scallops to begin with!

So as my coworkers were ordering their chicken fingers from the cafe, I was eating my scalllops provencal with crimini mushroom quinoa, at half the price.

I'd say it was a job well done.

Taste: A

Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy