Banana Bread

I had four little soon to be beyond ripe bananas.  So, when that happens, I usually make banana bread.  Here are the ingredients.

Well, the picture doesn't contain the sugar, but you get the idea (and full recipe is below).  Once you mix all the ingredients, pour it into a bread pan. Just like this:

Then, once it is done, it looks like this:

And, test it with your cake tester. I love this thing. You can buy this cake tester for around $5 from Amazon.  It is much better than the standard toothpick test.  It never fails! 

Recipe for Banana Bread:

2 1/3 cups bisquick
3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) or even chocolate chips (chocolate is always a hit in this bread)

Mix all ingredients.  Pour into a small loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Ranch Style Chicken (compliments of the Pioneer Woman)

I love the Pioneer Woman..  I think she has some of the best recipes.  I love her blog.  I want her blog.  But, I have NO idea how to create anything like this.  I have seen the website for her web designer (OMSH - Oh My Stinkin' Heck).  Her web designer says she can do your design, too.  However, her price is a bit high for my liking at this moment.  But, she does some fabulous designs, I think!  Maybe, one day....  So, it will have to suffice to continue trying those great recipes like Ranch Style Chicken, adapted from the Pioneer Woman's great recipe!

For two:

2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dijon mustard
4 slices of bacon
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of Canola oil
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together the honey and dijon. Splash in a few pepper flakes. Pour onto the chicken and place in fridge for 1-3 hours. Fry the bacon. Keep about 1/2 the bacon grease and add a little canola oil. Place the chicken in the pan and pan fry each side a few minutes. Flipping each a few times. Then place the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, place the bacon and cheese on top of each chicken piece. Bake until cheese has melted. Serve.

You can also easily place these on a bun for an on-the-go meal. Alternatively, I believe Arn warmed a tortilla wrap, put a little ranch on it, and then wrapped the chicken up in it and took it down to his basement where he was watching some sports-related event.

Sausage Balls

I love these things. They are not good for you. But, they are really good. My grandmother made these. I first ate them at her house. I remember immediately loving them! As I have gotten older, I don't make them often. I also keep them in the freezer so that I can just pop out a few at a time. I just eat two. And two of these are certainly better than that sausage biscuit from the McDonald's drive-thru.

They are super easy!

2 cups bisquick
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound sausage

Mix all the ingredients together and form into walnut-shaped balls. Line them on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Spring is here.

Spring has come.  When the magnolia tree in the backyard blooms, I know it has started.  And, because those darn magnolias only stay on the tree for about 5 days after they bloom, I tried to take a few pictures to remember them after they have gone (which will now be in about 2 days).

CSA and a Cow Share

Community Supported Agriculture ("CSA") programs were something new to me until we moved here in 2008.  I took the train to Center City every day for work.  One day, I noticed a flyer affixed to my windshield that announced an opportunity to buy into a local farm and receive a wonderful share of their produce every week for several months.  Well, that sounded great to me!!  So, I signed us up.  It was wonderful!  Each week, we received fresh produce from the farm.  One week, we might receive radishes, lettuce, rhubarb - an assortment of anything that had been harvested that week.  The absolute best part of the CSA to me was the strawberries!  Those are the best strawberries I have ever eaten.

Here is our CSA farm, Landisdale:

Here is a sample of the box and the produce we might receive each week:

If you are interested in joining a CSA, here is a link that will allow you to plug in your zip code and will search for CSA programs near you!

We no longer do the CSA.  We decided not to renew because it was difficult for us to pick up the produce at the appointed location during the week.  This is our fault, because we have crazy, harried schedules.  Oh, and then Whole Foods opened down the street, and it was just so much easier to go there.  But, I HIGHLY recommend it!

I miss those strawberries.  Whole Foods doesn't come close to these strawberries.

Now,the Philadelphia Cow Share is going to be our next venture.  A colleague at work has done this and raved about it.  I am pretty excited.  We have a big freezer in our basement, so stay tuned for the post on the freezer full of beef!

Dining Room

This was our dining room before we moved into the house.

I am redecorating and renovating. So, I will post pictures of each room, moving forward. This is our dining room, today.

Blackfish

Saturday night, we went to Blackfish in Conshohocken for dinner. In my opinion, it is one of the best restaurants out there. This restaurant is a sister restaurant to Mica - my 40th birthday spot which was the subject of a previous post.


Here is a sample dinner menu:

Dinner

1st Course
Sweet Potato Soup, Medjool Date, Asian Pear, White Chocolate

Wild Striped Bass 'Crudo,' Daikon, Yuzu Kosho, Navel Orange

Applewood Smoked Scottish Salmon, Crispy Potato, "Fried Egg," Mizuna

Kusshi Oyster, Carbonated Meyer Lemon, Fennel, Pink Peppercorns

Frisee And Arugula Salad, English Cucumber, Cherry Belle Radish, Jicama


2nd Course
Hudson Valley Foie Gras Terrine, Gingerbread, Raisin, Granny Smith

Gently Cooked Day Boat Scallops, Pomegranate, Chicory, Bartlett Pear

Hand-Cut Ricotta Cavatelli, Chicken Ragu, Prunes

Roasted Bone Marrow, Brook Trout Roe, Crostini

Main Course
Roasted Scottish Salmon, Ruby Beets, Charred Scallions, Horseradish

Hanger Steak, Fingerling Potatoes, King Trumpet Mushrooms, Sour Cherry

Dorade Royale, Michigan Chestnuts, Caraway, Napa Cabbage, Bacon

Lancaster County Poulard, Butternut Squash, Cipollini Onions, Shitake Mushrooms

Cape May Skate Wing, Beluga Lentils, Frisee, Mustard Jus

I had the Dorade.  Arn had the poulard (i.e., chicken).  The amazing thing about Blackfish is its ability to pair the most wonderful tastes.  For the dorade, there were these wonderful little crisp bits of bacon and a wilted lettuce mixture that made the fish taste even more amazing.  Arn's chicken had the most wonderful butternut squash paste and some little seasoned onions.  We shared a ricotta ravioli dish before our main courses. 

The inside of the restaurant is clean, simple, and lovely.

The food presentation is wonderful.

They always serve you an amuse-bouche! Ours was a creamy garlic soup.

We didn't have room for dessert. But, the beignets are wonderful!!