Friday, April 29, 2011

Spring Happies


{some of today's happy things}
from top to bottom:

a sweet potted flower called ageratum that sits outside my side door.
a perky container of mint to flavor many a glass o' tea this summer. 
one of the dozens of stunning wisteria blooming along my fence. 
blue skies and fluffy clouds beyond the greenest canopy covering our walking trail today. 
8 month old big Lila who most recently obliterated one of my couch cushions. oy.

thankful today for bright spring colors, fresh air, and a sometimes-too-lively pup. 
thought i'd share a bit with you.
more food to come.
xo.
:)

Friday, April 22, 2011

Grandma's Banana Pudding

 Well I just got back from a long-awaited, though brief, vacation to sunny, sandy, hot Florida. My grandparents have lived there as long as I can remember, something my family has taken advantage of every summer and spring break past. Since my mom moved down there, as well, followed by my dad's parents, too, it makes for a practically perfect getaway with housing covered and sweet company around the clock. My two sisters and I met in the airport and started what would be a great trip comprised mostly of sunning and swimming and eating and sleeping and movie-watching (I was sufficiently creeped out by both Black Swan and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in one night. Way dark [though, i must insert that one was amazing and one not]. We decided we should definitely have squeezed a Disney movie between the two. ). There's something about Florida air that's utterly sedating. I'm a typically fairly energetic person (when not comatose from working a full night), but the second I step off the plane and draw in that dense, warm breeze, I'm a good-for-nothing slug the rest of the trip. It's a guarantee. Lethargy and all, we enjoyed a step away from the day-to-day, and had a great time catching up and reminiscing. 
      We made sure to indulge in some fresh catches while down there (myself, a fried grouper wrap. others, fish tacos and calamari. yum.), but also whipped up some goodies of our own. We decided to belatedly celebrate Mom's birthday with a meal for which my sisters and I prepared this crazy good pasta dish which I adore (Ina, of course.). And, for dessert we pulled out the standing Florida vacation favorite: Banana Pudding. Simple and unfailingly addicting. By alternating layers of vanilla pudding, bananas, and nilla wafers, you effortlessly produce the most homey, happy dessert you could wish for. I remember grandma showing me how to make it years ago while spending Thanksgiving in the snowy Smokies. Toasty inside over the heated stove she taught me to keep stirring and stirring the pudding so the milk wouldn't scald. And, no higher than medium heat! she reminded, or it wouldn't turn out. What's funny is that my grandma is actually not much of a cook herself, though judging by this pudding you'd never know. 

Grandma's Banana Pudding
fills a 4-quart bowl
enough for at least 15 servings

ingredients: 
2 large boxes of cook and serve (not instant!) vanilla pudding
6 cups milk (i used 1%)
~10 large ripe bananas
two boxes of Nilla Wafers (i think they were 12 oz each)

directions: 
1. Combine milk and pudding mix in large saucepan, whisking together. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan until bubbling (about 5 minutes or so). Turn off heat and continue to stir and scrape for a few more minutes as pudding thickens more. Let sit and move on to #2.
2. Layer bottom of 4 quart bowl with wafers. 
3. Slice bananas into 1/2 inch pieces and layer on top of wafers. 
4. Pour warm pudding over bananas, just enough to cover.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you run out of room, then crumble wafers on top to finish! Serve immediately (warm, like Grandpa likes it) or refrigerate and serve later, after pudding has softened the wafers a bit (like the girls like it). 

{two of my favorite people}

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Mango-Banana Smoothie


         This evening I was given the gift of all gifts: I got a phone call from work saying they didn't need me tonight. Hooraaaaay!!! I leapt around my house celebrating like a complete goof, then promptly snatched up Lila's leash and took her out for a jog on a gorgeous spring evening I was elated not to miss. Marvelous freedom. I suppose it wouldn't work out well for the bank account if this happened too often, but an occasional day off is by all means welcome here. Even still I'm lapping up the fact that I'm not there making babies cry, waking moms up to feed their newborn, or clicking away at my charting. Oh happy day. So, after our jaunt outdoors I decided I needed something cold to eat and resolved to mix up my first smoothie of the year. I do adore a good smoothie. They're healthy and filling and refreshing and quick and easy and endless in variety. I coddled this one on the front porch as the sun went down. Bliss. And you don't have to pay $6 for it at Smoothie King. I'll take it. Feel free to swap out the mango in this with other favorite fruits. Options are countless!

makes one glass-full

ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1 cup frozen mango, in chunks (i had a bag from the freezer section at the store)
1/4 cup of milk (approximately)
juice of half a lemon

directions: 
Combine all ingredients in blender, blend til smooth, add more milk if too thick, blend some more, pour into glass of choice, and enjoy!

*note: i typically aim for at least one of the fruits going into a smoothie to be frozen. if none of yours are, then you'll just need to add a handful of ice to get it icy enough. i find using frozen fruits works best and lends the desired consistency, though.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Monster Cookies


     I have to get these out of my house. I've remade them a couple times in order to make sure the timing and proportions are all right, which is a smart thing to do in the long run, but not so much the best for my health. I've decided I can't keep any form of chocolate in my house. I just can't. I would like to say I have self control enough to limit myself to one moderate square of a chocolate bar now and then...but it just ain't so. My now and then boils down to every 10 minutes til it's gone. The very worst is cookie dough. I'll be honest, it's a battle: Lane versus dough. I've faced defeat so many times. I try so hard...chewing gum while baking...brushing my teeth before...having something else healthy to eat while I bake. But the dough has an evil way of wooing me, despite my best efforts. It's just so good. As of now the dough is still coming out on top, but if I plan to keep up this cooking thing for any length of time (which i very well do) I'm gonna have to muster up some discipline along the way or I'll need a whole new wardrobe before too long. Yikes. Well, enough of that...cookies!

      Monster cookies. These are yu-uh-mmy. Chock-full of anything and everything you desire...pecans, m&m's, heath bar, oatmeal, chocolate chips, peanut butter, dried fruit...and on and on. Anything goes, just as long as you keep these cookies filled to the brim and true to their name (no one wants a wimpy monster). I made this batch earlier this week while crooning along to my current Pandora station of choice, one that features all the good standards (it started out with "In the Wee Small Hours" by Frank Sinatra, I believe). Frank and Billie and Dean and I had a lovely afternoon and produced some pretty dreamy cookies, I dare say (though a certain someone managed to sneak an entire stick of butter off the counter in the process. ridiculous.). For a more basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, refer to this post. But, if it's a more amped-up, party-in-your-mouth cookie you're after, give this one a go. You won't regret it. 

slightly adapted from simplyrecipes.com
yields about 20 big cookies

ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2-1/4 cups flour
1 cup oats

mix-ins: 
(any combination to total around 2-1/2 cups)

mine included:
1/2 cup toasted pecans 
(toast in pan for a few minutes before chopping and mixing in)
1/2 cup heath bar bits
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup M&Ms

also try:
other kinds of nuts: walnut, hazelnut, almond...
dried cranberries or cherries or apricots...
dark chocolate chunks/butterscotch, white chocolate, or peanut butter chips
...you can also try substituting 1/2 cup of the butter with 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter!...

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Beat butter (and peanut butter if you go that route. an excellent choice.) until fluffy. Beat in sugars at medium speed until well incorporated.
3. Add eggs and vanilla, beating for a minute.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in separate small bowl. 
5. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mix until just combined (i.e., when you no longer see the dry mix).
6. Stir in your oats and mix-ins with a spatula/spoon. 
7. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop the dough out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges look ever-so-slightly brown. Let cool on sheet and enjoy.


the devil. resist resist!


Monday, April 04, 2011

Loving Spring...



       The past few days have been mostly crammed with work and little time to cook. I did make one attempt at some cupcakes that were, to me, depressingly dry and dense, though I sent them on to coworkers anyway (no need to waste perfectly good butter and chocolate). Oh, and I, also, in a vain attempt to consume some much-needed iron, burnt a pricey filet last night and ended up feeding it to the dog and, instead, having a salad and far too much chocolate. Sigh. I'm a disaster. Anyhow, I'm back to work, again, for a couple more nights and thought that, since I'm not quite ready with another recipe to share, I would show you what's been blooming by my side door! It's a perennial aptly named "Bleeding Heart." Isn't it so cool-looking? I planted it last spring, but this year it's back with so many more dainty flowers. They're so cute. Spring is here and I'm so happy it is. I feel like all of Nashville has breathed a collective sigh of relief the last couple weeks and is spending every free minute outdoors. It's a wonderful thing.
       I really do intend for this little online space to be strictly for food (I need some structure or I'd be sharing everything, and no one wants that.), but sometimes I just can't help but share a shot of pup (who's now 51 pounds and ever-so-lovey) or something else too pretty not to. So, here's one pretty post, I suppose. Happy spring! A post on monster cookies to come...a cliffhanger, I know...:)