So I promised myself when I started this that there would be no apology posts but here I go, making excuses. The last 2 weeks have been insane! I spent a week in New York (my very first time!) and started a new job. I have barely even been grocery shopping, let alone cooking! I'll have something again soon, including some NY-inspired dishes and cooking tips for the busy working girl.
For now, I'm going to heat up some leftover taco meat and relax after my first day of training at the new job. Ciao!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Chocolate Dipped Bananas
My boyfriend works as a valet at the DFW airport. They changed the dress code this summer to NO SHORTS and my poor honey has to stand outside in this 100+ degree weather in a heavy black polo and black pants! So I made him a sweet frozen treat to help him cool off after a long day at work.
Chocolate Covered Bananas
8 popsicle sticks
4 bananas, halved crosswise
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate
finely chopped pecans, if desired
Insert the popsicle sticks into the thick end of the banana. Place on wax paper and freeze for at least 2 hours.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside. In a double broiler, heat chocolate until melted. Add the heavy cream mixture and stir until smooth.
Remove the bananas from the freezer and roll in the chocolate, covering them completely and place back on the wax paper. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired. Place back into the freezer until ready to eat.
We had a lot of chocolate left over, so I dipped some strawberries in them, too, and just placed those in the fridge until the chocolate set.
Chocolate Covered Bananas
8 popsicle sticks
4 bananas, halved crosswise
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate
finely chopped pecans, if desired
Insert the popsicle sticks into the thick end of the banana. Place on wax paper and freeze for at least 2 hours.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside. In a double broiler, heat chocolate until melted. Add the heavy cream mixture and stir until smooth.
Remove the bananas from the freezer and roll in the chocolate, covering them completely and place back on the wax paper. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired. Place back into the freezer until ready to eat.
We had a lot of chocolate left over, so I dipped some strawberries in them, too, and just placed those in the fridge until the chocolate set.
Shiner Smokehaus Pork Chops
I have this great cookbook called How to Win a Cowboy's Heart that I permanently borrowed from my mom. It has a great recipe for smothered pork chops, and is the only way I have ever made pork chops. They are really delicious, smothered in apples and onions after they have basically been fried. But we have been on a bit of a health kick lately, so I wanted to try a variation on the recipe, grilling them instead of frying them. And with a 6 pack of Shiner Smokehaus sitting in my fridge, what better starting ingredient for a marinade?
I want to emphasize the fact that this is a serious first for me. My own marinade? No recipe? Dangerous ground here. But I started with Shiner, how bad could it be?
If you have never tried Shiner beers, I recommend that you do so. Immediately. They haven't made a single beer that I don't like, and their special summer blend, Smokehaus, is no exception. I don't know how they did it, but it has this great mesquite-smoked flavor that is perfect for summer and grilling. If you live in one of those unfortunate places of the world that does not sell delicious Texas beer, first of all...I'm sorry. Secondly, I think Sam Adams Summer Ale would be a good substitute, or maybe a hefeweizen.
I did a little bit of reading on marinades before I made my own. Of course by research I mean I read what Alton has to say about it. His very first line under the marinades section? "Marinades have long been hailed as "tenderizers." They're not.
Huh. Really, Alton? I thought that was the whole point.
He goes on to say that marinades seem to tenderize because they add flavors to our meats, and those sweet/salty/acidic/spicy flavors activate our taste buds and create more saliva in our mouths, making food easier to chew and creating the illusion of a more tender meat.
So, with new found confidence from the knowledge that marinades are all about flavor and not necessarily the right combination to "tenderize," I gave it a whirl. And let me tell you, these pork chops were GOOD.
Shiner Smokehaus Pork Chops
Marinade:
1 bottle Shiner Smokehaus beer
2 tbsp honey
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
Apple Topping:
2 granny smith apples, quartered and sliced
half an onion, sliced
cinnamon
olive oil
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together. (Be sure and use a large container for this...beer foams a LOT when you whisk it.) Put the pork chops and the marinade in a container with a lid, and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.
Fire up the grill! If you are fortunate enough to have a charcoal grill, then go that route. I don't even know how to tell you to use it so I'm not going to try. I have a gas grill (baby steps). Grill the pork chops until cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat up some olive oil in a frying pan at medium high heat. Add the apples, onions, and cinnamon, cooking until soft. Remove from heat.
Top the cooked pork chops with the apples and onions, crack open a Shiner Smokehaus and enjoy!
I want to emphasize the fact that this is a serious first for me. My own marinade? No recipe? Dangerous ground here. But I started with Shiner, how bad could it be?If you have never tried Shiner beers, I recommend that you do so. Immediately. They haven't made a single beer that I don't like, and their special summer blend, Smokehaus, is no exception. I don't know how they did it, but it has this great mesquite-smoked flavor that is perfect for summer and grilling. If you live in one of those unfortunate places of the world that does not sell delicious Texas beer, first of all...I'm sorry. Secondly, I think Sam Adams Summer Ale would be a good substitute, or maybe a hefeweizen.
I did a little bit of reading on marinades before I made my own. Of course by research I mean I read what Alton has to say about it. His very first line under the marinades section? "Marinades have long been hailed as "tenderizers." They're not.
Huh. Really, Alton? I thought that was the whole point.
He goes on to say that marinades seem to tenderize because they add flavors to our meats, and those sweet/salty/acidic/spicy flavors activate our taste buds and create more saliva in our mouths, making food easier to chew and creating the illusion of a more tender meat.
So, with new found confidence from the knowledge that marinades are all about flavor and not necessarily the right combination to "tenderize," I gave it a whirl. And let me tell you, these pork chops were GOOD.
Shiner Smokehaus Pork Chops
Marinade:
1 bottle Shiner Smokehaus beer
2 tbsp honey
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
Apple Topping:
2 granny smith apples, quartered and sliced
half an onion, sliced
cinnamon
olive oil
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together. (Be sure and use a large container for this...beer foams a LOT when you whisk it.) Put the pork chops and the marinade in a container with a lid, and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.
Fire up the grill! If you are fortunate enough to have a charcoal grill, then go that route. I don't even know how to tell you to use it so I'm not going to try. I have a gas grill (baby steps). Grill the pork chops until cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat up some olive oil in a frying pan at medium high heat. Add the apples, onions, and cinnamon, cooking until soft. Remove from heat.
Top the cooked pork chops with the apples and onions, crack open a Shiner Smokehaus and enjoy!
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