Chocolate Banana Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting: The eye of the storm

You know what the eye of the storm is, right?  That point in the middle of the hurricane that is just completely calm, serene, and peaceful.  While the rest of the storm rages around, the eye is the place where there is nothing.

I think I'm there right now in my parenting.  I know that parenting is still mostly chaos, non-stop action, and a ton of turbulence, but right now, these past few weeks, these past few days, mostly I feel like I'm in that eye.  I know that there is a storm brewing with massive wind and rain somewhere, but right now, I'm in the eye.  Today in particular.  I loved my time with my kids - at church, in the water, at dinner, during piano practice, during math lesson, at bedtime.  It's been really rather marvelous.  I'm not going to complain.  I'll enjoy this peace and quiet, before the storm rages once again.

I'm guessing that it is this eye of the storm moment I'll remember over the crazy storms when I'm old and grey.  I say this because both Mom-in-Law and Mom seem to only remember the sweetest and loveliest moments from when Husband and I were growing up.  There was no nonsense, no insanity, just the eye of the storm moments.  I'm okay with that, because these moments, these sweet sweet moments, are the ones worth remembering.  I'd like to remember myself as a good beloved mom, over the screaming banshee nutjob I become when the chaos of the storm becomes too much to bear.  The eye of the storm is a good place to be.

And as I sit in this serenity, however momentary, I'd like to make some cupcakes to eat.  These ones in particular.  They are based off of the chocolate banana cake recipe I love, but I tweaked it to turn into cupcakes.  They might be my favorite cupcake of all time, because I love banana in baking, as it just makes for a super moist, wonderfully textured cake.  (for the record, a banana based cake is generally less messy than one that is not - fewer crumbs.)  I made this cake for Daughter #2's birthday party, and I don't think anyone left a single bite behind.

It's a good cake for the eye of the storm.  If only I had one right now.

Chocolate Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Tish Boyle’s The Cake Book
Makes 36 cupcakes

Chocolate Banana Cupcake
Ingredients
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, taken out of the fridge same time as butter
2 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 6 medium)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Method
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using paddle attachment beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and beat at high until well blended, about 2 minutes. At medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix at low speed until blended. Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the sour cream in two additions. Avoid overmixing by using a spatula to mix the batter at the end.

Scoop mixture into lined cupcake tins. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until done. Allow to cool in tins for 5 minutes. Then remove from tins and cool on a rack. Do not frost until cupcakes are completely cooled.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Makes enough to frost 36 cupcakes

1 cup of butter, softened
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
3-5 cups of confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method
In a large mixing bowl, mix butter until it is softened and uniform. Add cream cheese and beat together until it is uniform. Add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture and mix. Add vanilla extract. Add more sugar if necessary. Mix again until mixture is creamy and spreadable. Add more sugar if necessary, otherwise prepare to frost cake.

Printable recipe

The original banana cake is in here

And as much as I hate artificial color and chemicals in my baking, I have to say that these pearls are a really pretty touch. (I do not like the feel in my mouth however.)

Roasted Pork Shoulder Banh Mi: When you wanna party!

My absolute favorite way to celebrate is with my dearest and closest nearby and I cook for them.  We eat together the food that I've put together for them, and with good food, and tons of laughter (and I mean TONS) we whittle the night away.  There aren't enough hours for that time with good friends, because the laughter is so intense they overflow the hours.  That is my idea of a party.

So in the thinking of celebrating my 1,000,000 visitors, and gathering those who made it possible, I've been planning the things I want to eat with my friends, or more precisely, thinking of the things I want to make for my friends to eat.  I've been toying mentally with a banh mi sandwich, despite the fact that I already have the Asian Sandwich on my blog, which I LOVE, but I wanted something a bit more of a nod to the traditional Vietnamese sandwich.  I decided to take a pork shoulder, roast it in the oven, and see where I ended up after that.  Loyal assistant SH came along for the ride and I even had the honor of having good friend and public official RH in the house to feed.

I ended up with a party in my mouth and a strong desire to have a bunch of my friends over and chomp on sandwiches together.  The roast pork was well seasoned, flavorful and absolutely rich and delicious roasted from the oven.  It was a bit hard to slice thinly warm from the oven, but the next day, after chilling in the fridge did slice into lovely thin slices.  Hot from the oven - slightly thicker slices are in order, but they are just as delicious, believe you me.

It is one of those things to be enjoyed in a variety of ways - I also tried them as crostini - as it seemed to lend itself well to that - delicious it was, but a bit more messy than I desired  (stuff kept on falling off as I ate it..  Still, another serving option.

Roasted Pork Shoulder Banh Mi
Makes about 12 to 15 sandwiches, with some leftover pork

Pork (needs to sit in rub overnight)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons fish sauce
One 5-pound boneless pork shoulder (I bought an 11 lb pork shoulder at Costco, and split it in half and froze the other half)

Pickled Carrot and Daikon
Ingredients
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 cups coarsely shredded carrots (about 8 carrots)
2 cups coarsely shredded daikon root (about 2 medium daikon)

Sandwich Assembly
Ingredients
12 ciabatta rolls or 3 long baguettes, split lengthwise
Mayonnaise
2 cups cilantro leaves
3 jalapenos, thinly sliced

Method
In a small bowl mix together brown sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, ginger powder, cayenne pepper. Line a heavy roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place pork shoulder in a roasting pan. Carefully take rub mixture and rub it into the entire surface of the pork shoulder, covering all sides. With the fat side up, drizzle fish sauce all over the surface. Cover and refrigerate over night, allowing seasonings to soak in.

Remove pork from refrigerator, and allow to come to room temperature about 45 minutes before roasting. Preheat oven to 400. Roast the pork for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, turning once; the pork is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 165°. Let rest for 30 minutes before slicing thinly.

In a large container, mix together vinegar, sugar and salt. Allow to dissolve. Add carrots and daikon. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. (Good for four days.)

If the bread seems soft, a bit of toasting may be in order. After bread is toasted, on both sides, spread a bit of mayo. Layer on pork. daikon carrot pickle, cilantro, and jalapenos. Top with the other bread. Bite and enjoy!

Printable recipe

Pasta with Mascarpone (or cream), Garlic, Spinach, and Crumbled Bacon: The Art of Practice

For KY and DC, and their focus and drive on Practice and for challenging me so.

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, explores what makes people who excel at something so great.  One of the qualities he quickly identifies and expands upon is the idea of practice.  People who have done great things, who are extremely successful, are not there by accident, but instead, more often than not, there because of practice.  Whether it is Bill Gates (who started practicing on computers while in high school, thanks to a twist of fate that put him there when computers were JUST starting out) or a hockey player who starting playing at a young age, practice is one factor that allows these people to be so successful.  How much practice?  10,000 hours.  Ten THOUSAND hours is the magic number, according to Gladwell, where a person separates himself from the pack.

10,000 hours is equivalent to 1 hour a day for 30 years.  That's right.  THIRTY YEARS!  Great pianists start practicing 2 to 3 hours a day, so the years can be cut in half, or into a third of that time.  10 or 15 years to become great at something.   That's a huge investment of time in practice.  I don't think I did that for piano, not quite hitting 10,000 hours before I stopped when I was 17, but I would guess that since restarting at 26, I'm pretty close to 10,000 hours.

The other day, old good friends DC and KY came by for a quick dinner and a visit, and the two of them are some of the most committed educators I've ever met.  Both work tirelessly in schools where 95% of the population is below the poverty line, yet 95% to 100% of their kids are proficient by grade 4.  Do you know what it takes for that to happen?  Sheer practice.  Their schools focus on the beauty, the skill, the discipline of practice, and they get their kids all reading at grade level by grade 4.  Daughters' school, which has probably no one at the poverty line, and the school feeds from an upper middle class background - we are less than 75% proficient by grade 4.  That is HOW amazing what they are doing is, and furthermore, how amazing practice is.

Talking to DC and KY really challenged me and reminded me how important and valuable practice is and the value of focused practice in schools.  They laughed when I told them that when Daughter #1 struggled with borrowing, I literally made her do 500 problems over the course of three days until she had mastery of it.   Unfortunately if I did not do this practice with Daughter #1, she would NOT have gotten it at her school.  I'm in charge of making sure that when she needs the practice she gets it.  I have to remind her (pretty gently) about practicing her piano, about working on her theory, about all the other stuff, which pretty much makes me sound like a crazy tiger mom, but really what I want her and all of Children to know is this - practice is necessary, essential, and the key to success.  No one should expect (or want) instant success, much the same way we expect instant text or mail or food.

Which brings me to cooking - if you haven't cooked, and you haven't put in your hours of practice, chances are that you are NOT going to be good when you first start out.  I will say positively that I am a far better cook NOW than I was 15 years ago.  Since those 15 years have passed, I can say that I've probably put in 10,000 hours of practice, which means that yes, things that are hard for a novice are not hard for me, because I've put in that time.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely.  Is it hard work?  Of course it is.  If you're not breaking into a sweat or a few tears cooking a meal every once in a while, you're really not working hard enough.

No one said cooking was easy - I definitely don't believe it is.  BUT, with practice - it can be easier than it was yesterday, or two days before, and will be better tomorrow or the next day.  With each dish you practice, you put in your hours so that things that were hard, eventually become easier.  So don't be afraid.  Step up and just try.  I think THIS pasta recipe is soooo easy, but so tasty - you have just GOT to try and practice with it.  The rotini, with its tiny corkscrews means that creamy mascarpone clings to the noodle and spinach and bacon just round out the dish.  I saw the recipe originally with Giada de Laurentiis on her show, and I've just modified it for ingredients that I generally have.  If you don't have mascarpone cheese do not worry, because cream works just as well and tastes really delicious as well.

So - let's all just practice!  (no one said it had to be great the first time.)

Pasta with Mascarpone (or cream), Garlic, Spinach, and Crumbled Bacon
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
salt
4 oz bacon, chopped into tiny pieces, excess fat trimmed if desired (you need some for it to be yummy, but you can cut some off)
1 pound rotini, fusili, or other corkscrew type pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
10 cups baby spinach (10 ozs or so)
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano (6 ounces)
1 cup mascarpone cheese (8 ounces), at room temperature OR ¾ cup of heavy cream (if you don’t have the mascarpone)

Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta.

While pasta is cooking, in a fry pan, over medium high heat, cook bacon until it is golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow bacon to drain on a paper towel.

In the same pot you cooked the pasta, heat olive oil and add chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds, and add spinach all at once. Cook spinach until it is wilted, about another minute. Season with pepper. Remove from heat. Add pasta, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together reserved cooking liquid and marscapone cheese until smooth OR use ¾ cup cream and pour over pasta. Toss until everything is coated. Sprinkle bacon on top.  Check seasonings and serve.

Printable recipe

A worthwhile read

Matcha and Strawberry Rice Krispy Treats (Pops or Layers): Almost 1,000,000

To everyone has gotten me here


It's crazy to think about, crazy to imagine, crazy to even believe, but my blog has had almost 1,000,000 visitors. Now, the number is a little bit misleading, because it's not unique visitors, meaning, if you visit my blog today, and then close down and shut down your computer, and then reboot and visit it again tomorrow - you've visited twice.  By the same token, it isn't the same as impressions, (which is how many times links on my blog are read by one person) but I think 1,000,000 visitors is some sort of a milestone.

Friend SH and I have been discussing what I'll do when I hit 1 million.  I'll definitely do some sort of giveaway, this I know.  SH wants me to make Tshirts and have people buy them saying something cute and funny about 1 million.  Not sure what it would say but it could be interesting.  (anyone have any brilliant ideas....and would anyone buy a tshirt?)

But in addition, what I want to do is celebrate with those who helped me get to this place of 1 million.  I've been blessed with many close friends who have really pushed the blog and me to become what it is now.  I think I want to have a dinner, with all those who have helped me, and just eat and have fun together.  There is the woman, SPK, the original ajumah who screeched at me over the phone and told me to give her a "week of menus" over email.    There is YKK, who was the first person who suggested that writing a blog would mean that I might actually make some money on the menus.  (I make about $100 a month now.)  There is HKL, who started actually COOKING so many of the dishes, and then would tell people that it was from my blog.   There is HYK, who basically brought my blog to an entire church and converted them all.  JY consistently made my recipes WELL and then would feed others with it, also promoting my blog.  There is my pseudo publicist, CJR, who forever brings up my name or the name of my blog, any time the conversation turns to food.  (GO TEXAS).  JEL has inspired and cooked with me so many different things and without her I'd have only a fraction of the recipes I do now.  Friend SH has been my faithful taste tester, subjecting herself eagerly and willingly at the foot of whims and desires, eating whatever strange concoction I have stirred up.  SB eagerly offers to hurt any mean critics of my recipes.  There is Husband who fights battles for me on the blog, continually encourages me to write, and also criticizes dishes both with harshness and love, in an effort to continually elevate my game.  I know that there are many others, but these people have been very instrumental in keeping my blog going and continually encouraging me.

So friends and family - anyone in the mood for a dinner at my house?  You'll get a free tshirt!

In my mind, the party will be fun and hysterical, with people laughing like crazy.  There will be good food and a tray of these Matcha Strawberry Pops, with everyone eating one and waving a stick around madly.  I want to laugh with these people, rejoice and thank them for all of their support and love for me and helping me get to 1 million, a milestone I never could have ever imagined, when I was getting about 10 hits a day.  I'm not sure how I got to where I am, but I do know that I couldn't have gotten here without all of those people.

Eat up friends and family.  I want to get down and party with all of you!

Matcha and Strawberry Rice Krispy Treats (Pops or Layered)
adapted from the “Original Rice Krispies” recipe
Makes about 40 golf ball sized pops o r30 squares

Make at the same time - one batch of Strawberry and one batch of Matcha.

Strawberry Rice Krispies
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
40 regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
1 bag (1.2 oz) freeze dried strawberries or blueberries, pulverized in a mini food processor (Trader Joe’s, Target, or Whole Foods)
6 cups rice krispies (I actually prefer the Trader Joe’s Rice Crispies - but the Kellogg’s original are good as well)

Method
In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add pulverized strawberries or blueberries. Mix quickly. Remove from heat.
Add rice krispies. Stir until well coated.

Matcha Rice Krispies
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
40 regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
1 tablespoons green tea/matcha powder (higher quality more intense green)
6 cups rice krispies (I actually prefer the Trader Joe’s Rice Crispies - but the Kellogg’s original are good as well)

40 lollipop sticks

Method
In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add matcha OR espresso and cocoa. Mix quickly. Remove from heat.
Add rice krispies. Stir until well coated.

Bringing it together
Once both have been made, working quickly, take a little from the Matcha and a little bit from the strawberry and mold them together into a ball. Poke a lollipop stick in and mold around. Set aside to cool. Repeat as necessary.

ALTERNATIVELY
Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press matcha mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. After the matcha has been pressed into the pan, spread the strawberry mixture on top. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

Printable recipe

Honey Soy Tofu Stir Fry: When your efforts are fruitful

I posted about the pending energy crisis in my house.  I was not on track to meet my goal of reducing energy usage by 5% from last year, and therefore would not be able to receive my energy credit.  The thought of not getting the energy credit has put me in a little bit of an "energy conservation frenzy" where even the kids are running around and turning off lights.

Friend SH bought me the most wonderful label maker as a Valentine's day present and with it I labeled all the cords in my kitchen so I can leave all appliances unplugged and only plug in when I actually use them.  I bought a clothesline to line dry my clothes using the heater that is running in the house as my dryer.  I sit in the dark for 10 minutes a day.  I have unplugged all stereo equipment, all TV equipment during the week (since we never watch anyways) and have basically tried to reduce the energy consumption, planned or unplanned from the house.

Guess what.  I'm almost on track.  I'm almost on track to meet my energy goal.  I am a few units off, according to my PGE webpage where I've been tracking it, but I went from "not on track to meet your goal" to "almost on track" in about two weeks.  And can I tell you?  Achieving that end result has been nothing short of exciting.  It's WONDERFUL to get there.  It feels GREAT to move, even if it is as silly as getting a stinking energy credit.  I'll take that feeling of success to the bank, thank you very much.

Now, I made this tofu dish the first time, and really wasn't happy with the flavor.  I mean, it tasted good, was tasty, but the flavor combination that I was looking for in my head somehow didn't make it onto the plate, so I decided to try again.  This time, when I tried again, I found the flavor that I wanted and the enjoyment I had missed out on the last time.

It's been nice this week, getting reminded that when you try, try hard at something, and give it your all - good things happen from your effort.  The energy credit?  More meaningful because I've been working at it.  The tofu dish?  Better because I had to try again to make it.  I love it when life gives back as much as you put in.

Honey Soy Tofu Stir Fry
Serves 6

Ingredients
2 packages of 14 oz to 16 oz firm tofu
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ onion, finely chopped
4 scallions, cut into 2 inch lengths

3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (ground chili peppers) - up to you depending on your heat
preference

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
A large pinch of black pepper

Method
Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes. Place tofu on paper towels and allow water to drain from tofu, for about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together soy sauce, honey, sake, garlic, ginger and sambal oelek. Set aside.

Heat heavy skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add tofu carefully, watching for splatters. Be careful! You can be hit with oil. Begin browning tofu on all sides, until most sides are golden brown. Total cooking time is about 8 to 10 minutes, until tofu is golden. Remove tofu from oil using a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.

Reduce heat to medium and in the same pan, same oil, add onions and scallions, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add soy sauce mixture and cook, until sauce is reduced down and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add tofu and mix together, until tofu is all coated. Drizzle sesame oil, sprinkle sesame seeds and black pepper and do one more final toss.

Serve with rice. Enjoy.

Printable recipe

One perfect morsel.

Individual Sausage Kale Lasagna: My eulogy

I have a bit of a morbid side to me and there are various days when I wonder what people will say in my eulogy when I'm gone.  I know that there are writing activities in school where students have to write about what they believe (or want) to be said about them once they have gone.  I've gone through a few of my own mental eulogies in recent weeks, and for the record, I'm in great health, so it's not for any pending reasons that I've thought about it.

I know that I want people to remember me for my humor, how much I love to joke, laugh and be silly.  I want to be remembered as a person who was not afraid to make fun of myself, and never took myself all too seriously.    I want the words to be something to the effect of, "Joanne Choi was the first person you sought out in a room, when you wanted to laugh."

But on the flip side, I want to be remembered for my intelligence, my insight and my perception.  Maybe I think too highly of myself?  Maybe this is not what people will talk about.  Maybe most people won't even remember me for this at all.

I do think I will be remembered for the food.  I know that many will talk about meals at my home, the dishes that they ate, the recipes that they tried.  I hope they also talk about how I was passionate about feeding the family well, feeding others good food, and the importance of eliminating processed food, as much as physically possible, from a family's diet.  I hope that Week of Menus is still going strong then, and that people still find inspiration from it.  Maybe I will have died a famous cookbook author?

I hope that some remember me as a good committed teacher, one who taught them how to write better, and maybe someone will even say that I turned writing around for them.  I hope I am not remembered for bad coffee breath (highly possible given the amount I do drink) or smelly lunch breath.

I want Children to remember me as a good mother, mostly patient (but with a semi-ferocious temper), but one who laughed a lot and had a smile on her face most days, and not a frown.  I hope they think of the hours I put into piano, homework, practice, driving, and all the many things that I physically did for them, and even if I didn't always say, "I love you" they felt it from my actions and my work.  I pray that they remember the good days far more than the bad, and the laughter far more than the tears.

There are many things I want to be remembered for, and it's hard to keep track of them all.  There are days when I think to myself, AH yes,   this is what I want people to remember me for and the next day it will be something else.  But on this day, I want to be remembered for cleverness.  I want people to remember me for the fun that is in an individual lasagna that one makes for oneself.  This actually came about because I was trying to come up with a dish that five and six-year olds could cook for Daughter #2's birthday, and I had settled on "make-your-own-pizza."  I was ready to go, when I began talking aloud with friend SH about other options.  Another friend GC, told me that little mini muffin tin lasagnas were fun to make.   Suddenly an idea of lasagna in little individual loaf pans came into my mind and I began working on it.  I wanted the lasagna to be more than just meat and cheese and so the idea of adding blanched kale came to mind.

These pans make this dish possible.  (order from here OR buy from your local Walmart of Safeway.)  I did pay about $.75 PER PAN, so it's not cheap in that regard.  But the pans make it fun to take home.  They are significantly cheaper without the lid, so if you can find it and you don't need the lid, go ahead and buy those instead.

Sausage Kale Lasagna
Makes 5 personal lasagnas, each in a 1 lb loaf pan OR one 9X13 lasagna

Ingredients
1 bunch of kale, stems removed, roughly chopped
½ lb box uncooked lasagna noodles (do NOT use the no boil type) - each lasagne takes 1 ½ noodles
1 lb bulk Italian sausage, casings removed,, your choice (Trader Joe’s Chicken Sweet Italian is really good)
8 oz ricotta cheese
¼ chopped basil
3 cups marinara sauce, homemade or bottled
½ lb shredded mozzarella cheese

Method
Preheat oven to 375.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook kale for about 2 minutes, until bright green, and remove from water and allow to cool. Cook lasagna noodles in same water, according to package directions. (one pot to wash) Carefully drain lasagne noodles, cut each one in half, and lay flat, rubbing each with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.

In a fry pan, cook Italian sausage, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon until fully cooked. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together ricotta cheese and chopped basil. Set aside.

Once all your ingredients are ready, being layering. Start with a nice spoonful of sauce to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Lay one half noodle over sauce. Lay kale on top. Sprinkle kale with sausage. Drizzle a bit more sauce on top. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese. Another layer of noodle. Spread an even layer of ricotta cheese. Another noodle. Kale, sausage, sauce and cheese. Noodle. Sauce. Mozzarella cheese. (or however you want to layer it, but I loved the combo of sausage and kale.)

Bake for 20 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Remove from oven, and allow to cook for 5 minutes, before enjoying.

Printable recipe

Coconut Banana Sesame Rice Krispy Pops: The last one

I know - I've gone overboard.  But the rice krispy pop has revolutionized my own thinking about rice krispies treats.  Personally I've always found them to be one note - sweet, crunchy without a lot of complexity - sort of like the person you enjoy talking to while you're talking to them, but after you're done, you can't remember really what you talked about.

But the flavored ones that I've been doing have changed my mind about rice krispies treats - mainly because they are so FLEXIBLE and so accepting of so many different flavors.  Nothing bland going on here -everything has a chance to shine and be fun in the base of a rice krispy pop - and so I'm running with it.

The most exciting thing for me is that Son can actually eat this treat along with us.  As patient and accepting as he is, he does see the world as slightly "unfair" when everyone else has a treat and he cannot.  He is partial to banana, so when I make these, he goes bananas over them.

Coconut Banana Rice Krispies Treats
adapted from the “Original Rice Krispies” recipe
Makes about 20 golf ball sized pops or 20 squares

Ingredients
6 cups rice krispies
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (available at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and natural supermarkets)
40 regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
2.46 oz (70 grams) freeze dried bananas , pulverized in a mini chopper (Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Target will have these) NOTE: Freeze dried fruits come with a tiny silica gel packet inside to absorb moisture. Make sure you remove BEFORE you pulverize your bananas.

20 lollipop sticks

Method
In a large bowl, mix together rice krispies, sesame seeds and salt. Set aside.

In large saucepan melt coconut oil over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add pulverized banana. Remove from heat.

Add rice krispies. Stir until well coated. Working quickly, wearing disposable gloves, shape mixture into balls. Press lollipop sticks into creating a pop.

ALTERNATIVELY
Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

Printable recipe

And with these - I leave the rice krispies pop behind.

I use a Michael's 40% off coupon for mine.  

Hot Jalapeno Dip: I'm that mom

If you know me, you know I'm stubborn.  And if I have my mind set on something, you bet I'm going to do my utmost to get it done.  It seems that this stubborn gene does not skip a generation, and has directly passed on to Children, all three of them, but the one that I battle the most these days is Son.

Son HATES haircuts.  I have let his hair grow since the first week of October, where I had to take him for a cut before Brother's wedding.  Since then I have let it grow and grow.  Believe me, it was long.  It was so long it covered his eyes, and he'd repeatedly rub them and be irritated by the hair in his face.  Everyone else talked about how "cute" it was and so many did love his hair.  Husband was extremely fond of the long locks and kept on telling me, "Don't cut it."  But I made my case that the long hair was poking him in the eyes, and therefore making it difficult for Son to enjoy his life.  Furthermore, as Son has sensitive skin already, because of the eczema, the hair would annoy him and he'd just rub extra hard.  Husband relented, and I got it in my head that a haircut was going to happen and now.

I made up my mind that today was the day.  I braced myself for the inevitable tantrum, the unreasonableness, and the weepiness over the haircut, and it came in a flood.  When we arrived at the haircut place, it took superhuman strength to pry Son from the car and I had to physically move him to the location for the cut.  The whole while he cried and screamed and I actually worry that someone might have thought I was doing something wrong to him.  When we got into the shop, I had to register Son and wait for a shot.  He wailed and blasted his screams the entire time.  I got super thick-faced and let him wail and disturb many of the other customers, but I felt their glares, their looks, their judgement of me.  I LET my child cry.

Yeah.  That's me.  I let him cry.  I let him wail.  I'm sorry it disturbed you, but sometimes, I'm not going to make him be quiet if he doesn't want to be.  Sometimes he just needs to be the most annoying child in the shop - and that is my child.  I'm sorry you were disturbed today by his shrieks, his noises, and his completely nonsensical babble.  Believe you me, that although my exterior was nonchalant and calm, inside I was seething and miserable.  But I chose this path, when I decided that he HAD to have a haircut.  TODAY.

While sitting in the chair, waiting for my misery to be over (because I have to physically HOLD Him in order for him to even let clippers near him), I thought of all the places I'd rather be.  And the image that came up was home, with this dip in front of me.  Warm, comforting, delicious with the bacon and artichoke, it was the single thought that kept me from losing my marbles.

The haircut finished and the main problem with the entire thing is...I don't like it.  Thankfully, I do like this dip. Very much.

Hot Jalapeno Dip
Makes about 3 cups of dip

Ingredients
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
¾ cups of mayonnaise
4 strips of bacon (good quality) cooked until crispy and golden
1 can of artichoke hearts broken up
2 jalapenos finely chopped, seeds and all
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (I usually put the jalapenos and garlic in a food processor and blitz them together)

Method
In a large bowl, mix together mozzarella and mayonnaise. Break up bacon into small bits and add to mixture. Add artichoke hearts and jalapeno and garlic. Stir to combine and incorporate all the ingredients. Refrigerate until needed.

You can do a LARGE 8X8 baking dish of this dip, OR you can do smaller ramekins (which is what I like to do) and keep the dip piping hot, and just keep on replenishing ramekins. I find that the dip is NOT yummy when it is cold and it is spectacular when it is just out of the oven.

Preheat oven to 400. Spoon dip into your desired baking dish. Bake until it is all golden and bubbly on top. (small ramekins is about 12-15 minutes, larger dish could be 20 minutes or more.)

Serve with crackers or crusty bread.

Printable recipe

Chocolate Sweet and Spicy Rice Krispy Pops: The ties that bind

For CJR and LR - GO WEBB!


Friend CJR once said to me that we were destined to be great friends.  Her husband and I went to four years of high school together and she and my husband went to college together (different years).  She also ended up going to the same church as my childhood friend and lives in Texas right near a second cousin of mine.  We were, it seems, destined to be friends.  She is a great friend, funny, a spiritual encourager, and someone who still loves to laugh at my jokes and thinks that I'm very funny.  (a very important trait in my book.)  I'm glad God chose to put us in the same space.  I'm sure it was a part of His great plan.

There isn't much I wouldn't do for her or her family.  Call it whatever you like, but I will go out on a limb for CJR and her family.  So when her husband contacted me and asked me for some help with an Iron Chef competition, I said, "ABSOLUTELY."    Turns out that their church annually has an Iron Chef competition (doesn't that sound like FUN) and the men break up into groups, and cook food using a "secret ingredient."  This year's ingredient?  Pepper.  In any shape or form.

Friend LR got assigned dessert, using pepper, and I think he was a bit stumped.  He asked me for any ideas, and if you know me well - you know that I CANNOT resist competition.  For the record, he was NOT breaking any rules by consulting with me, and my only promise to him was that I would help create a recipe that I wouldn't publish on the blog until AFTER Iron Chef.  I threw a couple of ideas at him, but I thought that this one held the most promise.  I practiced it once and thought it simply delicious.  I kept on texting both CJR and LR letting them know that I had created a winning combination and that they WERE going to WIN A PRIZE.  CJR gently reminded me that the entry might not win and I shouldn't get too worked up.  I DID NOT CARE!  I wanted a winner.

The competition was this evening, and sad to say, it was not part of the winning team.  It did, however, win "best presentation."  In this recipe's defense, it was served after 4 other groups went ahead.  Mouths were burning and stomachs were already afire before this baby even had a chance.

Don't be put off by the cayenne pepper - it offers a warm heat, nothing too insane, but enough to let you know that it's there.  The chocolate and cinnamon help bind the flavors altogether until you get this perfectly adult rice krispy pop.  If you want something to spice up your Valentine's evening, this would be the PERFECT dessert.

LR - you're still a winner in my book!! GO WEBB!!

Chocolate Sweet and Spicy Rice Krispy Pops
adapted from the “Original Rice Krispies” recipe
Makes about 20 golf ball sized pops or 20 squares

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
40 regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅜ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 cups rice krispies (I actually prefer the Trader Joe’s Rice Crispies - but the Kellogg’s original are good as well)

20 lollipop sticks

Method
In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper and stir until completely melted. Add rice krispies. Stir until well coated.

Working quickly, wearing disposable gloves, shape mixture into balls. Press lollipop sticks into creating a pop.

ALTERNATIVELY
Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

Printable recipe

Lolllipop sticks (I buy from Michaels with the 40% off coupon.)