Aromas

There really is nothing like the smell of banana bread in the oven. The sweetness, the spices, the toasted nuts, the feeling of warmth and joy (and hunger) as you breathe as deeply as possible...

Drool.

The aromas of baking are pure bliss. But you already knew this. Here's the story: I saw an almost rotten banana sitting on the counter this morning and thought, like any baker should, banana bread. And as they say, the rest is history.

Well, not so fast. There's more to this story. I've been thinking about experimenting with the tea muffin recipe some more, and thought chai tea would be fool-proof for baking. So instead of actual tea, since I didn't feel like going to the store, I added most of the appropriate spices to mimmic the essence of chai. And I got probably the best aroma fix I've ever experienced. These muffins did not disappoint in terms of warming my heart, lifting my mood, and prepping my stomach for some mayjah flava.

Here's the verdict, as quoted from my dear brother: "Mmmm. Ohh. I want more." Enough said.

Chai Spice Banana Muffins with Streusel Topping

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 heaping tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. each: ground ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg

2 large bananas, mashed

1 cup milk

1/2 cup light olive oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped dates

Streusel topping:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 heaping cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, and spices).

In a medium bowl, whisk wet ingredients (banana, milk, oil, egg, vanilla) until thoroughly combined
.

Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir to combine. Make sure all flour is incorporated. Stir in dates and walnuts.

To make streusel topping, combine all ingredients and mix with your hands until well combined and crumbly. Add more oats or brown sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Spoon muffin batter by 1/4 cup into lined muffin tin. Top with 1-2 teaspoons streusel mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes, until springy and cake tester comes out clean.

Note: You could easily "veganize" this recipe by replacing the cow's milk with your milk of choice, and the egg with a flax-water substitute. Just combine 1/4 cup water with 1 Tbsp ground flax, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. This makes the equivalent of one egg.

Also: These morsels could be made even healthier by replacing the streusel topping with a sprinkle of your favorite granola. I like Nature's Path Flax Plus.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival

I had the insane privilege of attending the PBFW Festival this weekend with Foodbuzz! This annual event is something I've always wanted to see but never wanted to pay upwards of $200 for. Lucky for me, when you go there to "work," you get in for free! Work... HA! Good lord, I love my job.

Other than telling you that I met Tyler Florence, sipped some fine wine, made friends with the BV Winery sommelier so we could trade free swag, ate tons and tons of fresh, delicious, gourmet food, and had the time of my life, there's not much to say. So I might as well just show you some pictures.

Oh, wait, there is one thing. I accidentally ate some bacon in my haste to stuff bubbling flatbread pizza in my mouth. And guess what? I didn't spit it out, and It didn't kill me. This doesn't mean I'll be abandoning my ovo-lacto-pescatarian ways anytime soon, but I just thought I'd share this experience with those of you who care. Bacon used to make up approximately 79% of my diet, you know.

an abandoned plate made for a pretty picture.

this eggplant tapenade was excellent.

Fabio Viviani of Top Chef season 5

I think this was tuna, "poached in olive oil and topped with a summer relish."

oh, hey Masaharu Morimoto!

I was a frequent patron of this random bucket of raspberries.

After a horrid drive home through wind and rain, and after a refreshing jog in the light mist, I made these chocolate-peanut butter cupcakes from Multiply Delicious. The perfect ending to a perfect day.

Bailey's Irish Bundt

This recipe is from a while ago, but of course it's still worth sharing! In December, Elliott went on a baking-with-Bailey's spree and this is the first recipe we tried. It is delightful. Bailey's-infused baked goods became a new passion after the success of this cake. I don't know what it is about that creamy Irish beverage, but it makes everything taste so good. Comforting and calming, yet stimulating at the same time.

Read his article here!!

The cake is very sweet, which means one slice is (thankfully) quite satisfying. We enjoyed ours as dessert, but my mom had some with her coffee the next morning. Any way you slice it, this cake is fantastic. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup chopped pecans

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur

For the glaze:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 325. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of pan.

-In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in eggs, water, oil, and Bailey's. Beat for 5 minutes at high speed. Pour batter over nuts in bundt pan.

-Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto the serving dish. Prick the top and sides of cake.

-To make the glaze: In a saucepan, combine butter, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Bailey's. Spoon glaze over the top of cake and brush onto the sides. Allow to absorb, then repeat until all glaze is used up.

Note: You'll want to wait the full 10 minutes (or more) before trying to invert the cake. I was a little impatient (and hungry) the first time we made it, and ended up with several pieces instead of one.

Easter Eats

My lovely mother found some amazing recipes to try this Easter. Her main dish was a roasted beef tenderloin with a shallot and sherry gravy (a time-tested crowd pleaser), but we needed other options for us non-carnivorous folk. So, we made a feta & carmelized onion tart and zucchini cakes. Both were very, very good, but after a taste test it was decided that the tart needed something else. Perhaps some spinach, since it seems to be the magic ingredient of the century!! Due to the absence of my Nikon D40 this time, picture quality is less than the usual fare. Nonetheless, on with the photojournalism:

Feta, Ricotta, and Onion Tart

Zucchini Cakes

For the zucchini cakes, we made a yogurt dip with only Fage 0% Greek yogurt, a little black pepper, and 3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill. It was the perfect combo- cool and refreshing. All the flavors complimented each other really well.

And of course, there was dessert. Mom tried two more new recipes that were TO DIE FOR. Peanut butter/banana/chocolate chip bars and cranberry/caramel/walnut cobbler bars with a crumbly streusel topping. I had to pry my own hands away from them several times. I'm usually able to keep my composure, but these little devils caused me to lose myself entirely. Thank GOD I don't have pictures, I wouldn't put it past me to attempt climbing into the computer screen to get them. I should also add that, on several occasions during the dessert portion of our meal, moans and groans were audible from all sides of the table.

Anyway, judging by the size of my food baby, I'd say it was a deliciously successful Easter. There was only one critical ingredient missing: Kelly! I dedicate this post to you. We missed you!

Monster Detox

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, which always means a fun-filled and delicious evening is in store. I started off with a few sips of champagne, then a delicious red wine once we got to the restaurant. I am in LOVE with Sangiovese, which is both spicy and smooth with subtle fruit flavors, so the bartender gave me a rather yummy Spanish blend whose name I can't remember for the life of me. But according to its description on the menu, flavors included blackberries, raspberries, and currants. It was lovely.

source

We ate our tapas (which were incredible) enthusiastically and then returned home for CAKE. I'd tried a new recipe for plain yellow cake and used the Sprinkles recipe for dark chocolate frosting. Because I wasn't sure it would be successful, Suzanne made her fool-proof lemon curd cake. Can you say eggs? Butter? Sugar? My cake alone called for 3 eggs, 2 sticks of butter, and ONE POUND of butter for the frosting (disclaimer: I used barely half of the recipe to cover the cake). Hers had a total of 8 eggs. Although the slices were small, both cakes were incredibly rich and filling. But of course ignorance is bliss on an occasion such as my dad's birthday, and I licked my plate clean!

Needless to say, I was feeling less than stellar this morning. To try and detox, I went for an hour-long run/hike but I still felt clogged up. So I sipped some green tea and waited for my stomach to tell me it was ready to be fed. At which point, I made...

My first official Green Monster! It was so delicious, and a monster detox in every way. I can't believe I haven't been drinking these all my life. For any disbeliever out there, let me just say that you are WRONG. Green Monsters rule, end of story. Here's my recipe:

Mean Green Detox

1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 of an apple, cubed

1/2 banana

a few fresh strawberries

fresh mint leaves

1/2 Tbsp chia seeds

1 Tbsp almond butter

hemp protein powder

wheat grass powder

nutmeg

maple syrup

3/4 cup coconut water

Combine everything and blend like you mean it.

This smoothie is hydrating, refreshing, detoxifying, nutritious, and delicious.

I apologize for the lack of picture, but I promise it was green!