I was laughing this morn when I read on a friend’s blog that her son likes to play “food network” in the kitchen. Lately I’ve been trying to involve Bella in the kitchen more and she loves it! However, we always have to act out our recipe with me being Rachael Ray and she being Rachael’s daughter. I asked her what she’d like to bake with me on the weekend and she said, “How about Zabaione?” She doesn’t actually know what that is but she loved the way Lisa from Next Food Network Star kept saying the word. So we skipped the zabaione and decided to make the recipe we received from Auntie EML instead. We’ll let you know how it comes out!
Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed bananas
1 egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine bananas, egg, melted butter and milk.
4. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until blended. Be careful not to over mix.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. (It will have some melted chocolate, but no crumbs.)
Category Archives: food
Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
NFNS: Congrats, Aaron!
Congrats to Aaron “Big Daddy” McCargo, Jr. for wining the Next Food Network Star! (I usually wait until Monday night to watch with Brian since we watch Masterpiece Mystery on Sunday nights but he knew I couldn’t wait!) At this point, there wasn’t a clear-cut front runner so I knew it could be anybody’s game. After watching their pilots, I thought it was between Lisa and Aaron. Lisa really won me over after her pilot, and although I’d never cook style of food, she seemed to make herself accessible and she looked great. However, Aaron has been my favorite since the beginning. Half way through the season, I didn’t think he’d come near the end, but he got it together and pulled it off. Congrats again, buddy! Check out Aaron’s videos and info about his new show Big Daddy’s House, premiering Sunday at 1:30pm.
TV Talk: The Next Food Network Star (Season 4) – Week 5
Okay, I have ten minutes to myself so I’ll make one more quick post for the day. Last night I had a chance to watch my recorded episode of Sunday’s show. It’s funny that the ones I originally liked at the beginning of the show have fallen to the bottom of the heap (except Kelsey) and the ones I didn’t like have risen higher.
Of the guys, I liked Aaron and Adam but Adam went from cute, funny guy to annoying guy who can’t cook well. Aaron seems like a cool guy to hang out with but he doesn’t seem to have the chops to hold a show. Of the girls, Jen seemed to have a great concept – making kid friendly meals but she just never got off the ground. (It was painful to watch her this week and I hope she doesn’t regret at least trying!) My other fave was Kelsey. I didn’t think I would care for someone so perky but something about her is appealing and I think she could have a successful show for beginning cooks.
My surprise movers are Shane and Lisa. Shane started out knowledgeable but dry and stiff. Since then he’s really loosened up and seems more natural. I predict he’ll be in the top three with Kelsey. Also on top will be Lisa. Before the show even started weeks ago, when I saw Lisa’s photo I immediately liked her simply by her style and I had great hopes. Then she talked about her fancy French food and just seemed too uptight. But I think her humiliating spill last week was the perfect opportunity for her to show a more natural and personable side. So if she can continue to make herself accessible, I think she could win the whole thing. There’s definitely no one else like her on FN.
Okay, so my current score is as follows: Who do I want to win? I’d love a miracle and see Aaron rise from the ashes. Who do I think will make the top 2? Kelsey and Lisa. Who will ultimately win? Hmm…..that’s a hard one. My buddy Eileen wants to bet a Starbucks that Lisa will win. I don’t feel strong about it but what the heck, I’ll play. I’ll vote Kelsey.
Disclaimer: All critiquing of the contestants is done knowing that I couldn’t do squat in comparison to them. (I have boiled eggs to the point of explosion and have yet to finish preparing a meal in the allotted time.) So I commend them for making it on the show and giving it their best shot!
2/13/04 – Alternative Friday Five: Food Edition
When I checked out the usual Friday Five I decided to skip it since it was about astrology and such. Thankfully Terry at Summa Mamas provided us with an alternative F.F. so here it goes. (Thanks, Terry!)
1. What did you have for breakfast this morning? If you didn’t have breakfast, why not?An egg and piece of toast. (Unusual for me but my sisters were visiting so I skipped the cold cereal.)
2. What’s your favorite cereal? Cheerios.
3. How often do you eat out? Do you want that to change? About twice a week. Want to change? – No. The first eat out is as a family treat; the second eat out (or take in) is usually when I’m working all day on the new/old house or helping Brian’s elderly aunt, in which case not cooking is for my sanity.
4. What do you plan on having for dinner tonight? Got a recipe for that?Usually I’d make a Mexican or Italian dish on a Friday night but tonight we’re taking out my visiting sisters for BC’s birthday.
5. What’s your favorite restaurant? Why?Hmm…we have a lot of favorites but we went to a new one tonight, which I’d recommend if you’re ever in town. It’s the Chart House in Monterey, CA. (There are a number of them in the U.S.) The food was excellent (known for their fresh fish and steaks) and the view was beautiful – we had a window table looking across the bay. It’s a little too pricey for us to visit often but great for those special occasions. I actually wouldn’t have known about it if it weren’t for my father-in-law who gave us a gift certificate for Valentine’s Day. Thanks, Dad!
9/24/03 – Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Yesterday I thought I would honor the first day of autumn by baking some wonderful smelling cookies! It was such a Martha Stewart moment….Okay, truth be known I had some disgustingly black bananas that had to be used ASAP and I was tired of banana bread. So I found a basic recipe for banana oatmeal cookies at cooks.com and changed it a bit to fit the ingredients I had in the kitchen. The cinnamon and nutmeg smelled so good as they were baking and it was a great change of pace from regular ol’ banana bread. (Needless to say, they were a big hit with Brian and Bella!)The cookies were pretty moist (my favorite type) although I would like to experiment with making them crunchier. In the meantime, try them yourself and let me know your own variation!
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter, margarine shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. banana (about 2-3)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 3/4 c. quick oatmeal
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 – 1 c. raisons (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg. Add banana. Mix well. In separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Mix well. Add the two mixtures together. Add raisons. Drop tablespoon-sized portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. (This is a soft cookie so bake a little longer for a crunchier cookie.) Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Happy baking! b.