Banana Bread!

I try to eat healthy, but I find that I really, really don't the taste of a lot of healthy foods.  To sidestep this little issue, I try to buy fruit and eat it as a healthy snack.  Mother Nature hasn't been my friend recently though, and most of the fruit I've bought has gone bad before I think to eat it.  After getting mad at myself for wasting money and food, I repeat the cycle.

BUT! Mother Nature can't spoil all of my fun; there's at least one fruit that you can use even when overripe. Bananas! To make banana bread!  Dare I say, banana bread is even better than fresh bananas.  So in considering my banana bread, I wanted to incorporate vanilla Greek yogurt to get a really moist banana bread.  Luckily, Chobani had a recipe for banana muffins, so I used it as a starting point and slightly altered it to end up with a delicious, moist banana bread.  Instead of canola oil, I used applesauce as a substitute.  I know, Paula Deen would probably kill me for doing that, but let's remember that I originally bought the bananas as a healthy snack!  I also used whole wheat flour for the entire recipe instead of half white and half whole wheat.

I have to say, the yogurt definitely delivered on its promise! This banana bread is definitely moist, and I think the added whole wheat makes it a little heartier.  I don't even miss the canola oil!  The bread has a great flavor, but if you like your banana bread really banana-y, I'd suggest adding another banana or two.  Recipe after the jump!

Eating Good in the Neighborhood

No, we didn't go to Applebee's for our anniversary. Instead we went to "Alchemy" up on the Avenue. For the non-Baltimoreans in the readership, "The Avenue" is a stretch of a few blocks in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore City. It is also conveniently located very, very close to my apartment.

A few months ago, my parents were visiting and wanted to grab some food nearby. It was close to Christmas, so we also wanted to check out the notorious Christmas-light display on 34th Street in Hampden. Seriously kitschy. But as we were trying to figure out a place to eat afterward, nothing seemed to be open that Sunday.

Enter "Alchemy".

Mangia!

My favorite type of food HAS to be Italian.  Well, besides dessert, but does that really count?  Real food never stood a chance.

I don't know if my love of Italian food comes from growing up in an Italian family or just its pure deliciousness, but I know I can always fall back on something Italian when I'm trying to figure out what to eat that night.  There's something really comforting about the combination of carbs and cheese, which are ubiquitous in Italian dishes.
Even more, I really like the flexibility that Italian dishes give you.  Start with your basic carb, pasta.  You can dress that pasta up to whatever your taste is that day.  Want a standard meal? Go with a tomato based sauce.  Want something a little heartier?  Add a cheesy, creamy alfredo sauce.  Craving something light?  Try a citrusy lemon based sauce.  Looking for a fresh herb flavor?  Enjoy a delicious pesto sauce.  Add in your choice of vegetables and proteins, and you have an endless number of possibilities to satisfy whatever tastes you might have that night!

So naturally, Italian came to mind as I was deciding what to have for dinner tonight. I went with a classic, penne and meatballs.  However, I mixed it up a little by using ground turkey to make my meatballs.  Overall, I liked it, but I think I'll probably stick with ground beef in the future.  I added these to some penne with a four cheese pasta sauca, and voila! Delicious.  Recipe after the jump!

Tuesday Night Special: Neufchatel

Hello readers!

I've decided that since Tuesday nights are "Chopped" nights, that I should take the time to highlight one of the weird or more obscure ingredients used that day, for our own culinary edification. However, I spent tonight watching women's hoops (Good game, Irish! We'll get it next year!), so I can't tell you what they used on the show, but Jim has given me some inspiration with his cupcake creation.

I bring you...Neufchatel!



Jim was inspired to use Neufchatel cheese to replace cream cheese in his "Georgetown Cupcake"-like frosting.
Let's do the run down on this delicious and versatile ingredient.

Who invented it? The French, of course. These purveyors of fantastic moldy delicacies reportedly started making this particular delicacy as early as the 6th Century!

What does it taste like? Said to taste like a saltier Camembert, French versions are thicker and fattier than American ones.

When should I use it? In place of cream cheese, when you're looking for an extra tangy or salty punch. It also has more moisture content than traditional Philadelphia-style cream cheeses, so use it to up the ante in luxurious recipes. I might suggest some Neufchatel-based cheesecake or Jim's Neufchatel frosting. A quick search will turn up suggestions for use in dips and dessert sauces too. Be creative!

Why is it often confused with regular American cream cheese? Because cream cheese (think Philadelphia) was created when New York dairy dude William Lawrence attempted to recreate Neufchatel in the 1870s.

Where can I buy it? Most neighborhood mega-marts now carry Neufchatel. Watch out though, it may be masquerading as "Farmer's Cheese", so browse carefully.

That's it for the first edition of my Tuesday Night Special. Bon Appetit!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neufch%C3%A2tel_%28cheese%29

This is the start of something new

Well friends, I hope you enjoyed Molly's first post, especially the SNL video.  Gotta love Kristen Wiig.  However, I have big news.  I am now..................

as of today.....................

the proud owner...........

of...............



a kitchenaid mixer.  I KNOW, RIGHT? Here's a picture of the beauty.

 So naturally, I had to christen it.  I decided to go with a standard chocolate cake and let the kitchenaid do its magic on some cream cheese frosting. So here we go! Who figured out that you can take all these ingredients

 and end up with something like this?

 

Whoever it was, I am forever indebted to you. For real.  I hope that as this blog progresses, I'll start to experiment with my own recipes and combinations, but established recipes are good for now.  The chocolate cupcake is nice and rich, and the frosting is RIDICULOUS.  The recipe I found is supposedly what they use at Georgetown Cupcake, and I have to say it does taste pretty similar.  However, I did alter that one a bit as I used neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese because I actually had some in the fridge.  As evidenced in the picture above, my piping skills need some work, but even as they are now, piping feels pretty legit.  Well, the leftover cream cheese frosting is calling my name, so I better get on that...


Hershey's Choccolate Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Frosting

An Ode to Paula

Hello Friends!


We are so excited to (finally!!!) start a cooking/food blog and hopefully share our culinary adventures with you. Jim and I have a mutual love of the Food Network and all of its stars, but none bring us so much joy and laughter as Paula Deen. Thus and therefore it is our pleasure to give you cookingPhat. Our favorite cooking fats, and Paula's too, are buhtah and awl. You'll be sure to see both in the recipes to come.

Paula's Paper Towels