Caramel Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

This was so fun!  I couldn't get dulce de leche in my local stores, so I made my own, after reading some online tutorials (and learned a lot from the comments sections.)  I bought condensed milk, and boiled the sealed can on the stove top, immersed in water, for about 2 hours, topping off the water level for fear of... explosion.  

Funny story.  As I read the directions, I thought I should know what dulce de leche was, since I lived in Peru for a while.  It looked a little bit familiar... but I wasn't sure.  Well the next day after the boiling process, when I began to work on this bread pudding I opened the can and *light bulb* "Oh it's manjar blanco!" (That's what it's called in Peru, "white delicacy".  We dipped roscas in it, which are kinda like pieces of pie crust.  *far away gaze of being taken to another time and place*

 

And that's what I call breakfast!  Worth the overnight wait.

Caramel Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

Ingredients 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 14 - 15 ounce loaf challah or brioch 1 cup store-bought dulce de leche 1 pinch salt 1 very ripe large banana, sliced crosswise 1/4-inch thick 1/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips 4 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 2 cups plus 3 tbsp. milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions Coat an 8-inch glass baking dish with 1 tbsp. butter. Trim the ends off the bread loaf, then slice the loaf crosswise into 10 slices, about 3/4 inch thick. Using 1/2 cup dulce de leche, spread a thin layer on half of the bread slices. Sprinkle with the salt; top with the banana slices. Sprinkle one-third of the chocolate on top, then cover with the remaining bread slices to form sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into 3 triangles. Arrange the pieces in the prepared dish, placing some flat and others on their crust edge to create a craggy top. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate over the bread. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Whisk in 2 cups milk and the vanilla. Pour the milk mixture over the bread in the dish. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp. butter and drizzle over the top. Let stand for 1 hour or chill for up to 12 hours. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees . Bake the bread pudding until it puffs up and is springy in the center, 45 to 55 minutes (if the bread pudding was chilled, bake for an extra 5 to 10 minutes). Let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup dulce de leche with the remaining 3 tbsp. milk over medium heat until smooth and beginning to bubble, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small pitcher. Cut the bread pudding into squares or scoop it with a spoon. Serve in bowls with ice cream and the dulce de leche sauce. From EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/caramel-banana-bread-pudding/

Lentil-Couscous Salad

Difficulty: easy

Will I make it again? no

Nothing about this salad really wowed me, so, meh, I won't make it again.  On a side note, I like goat cheese!

Lentil-Couscous Salad

Ingredients 1 6 ounce box  israeli couscous, cooked 1 15 ounce can  lentils 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped parsley 1 shallot, chopped 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 6 tablespoons EVOO 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions In large bowl, mix couscous, lentils, tomatoes, parsley, shallot and cheese. Toss with EVOO and lemon juice. From EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/lentil-couscous-salad/

Enchiladas Suizas and Spicy Cilantro Queso

These enchiladas were pretty time consuming to make, but worth the effort I say!  When I'm not in a hurry, taking my time on a recipe like this, chopping, dicing, peeling, slicing, stirring, tasting is just what the doctor ordered.

Difficulty: medium
Will I do it again? yes

Enchiladas Suizas

Ingredients 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 small white onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 jalapeno chile, thinly sliced crosswise 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 pound tomatillos - husks removed; fruit rinsed and chopped Salt and pepper 3/4 cup sour cream, plus more for serving 1 cup (packed) cilantro leaves 4 cups shredded roast chicken 10 small 6-inch corn tortillas 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded monterey jack 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

Directions Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees . In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno; cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatillos; season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in 1/2 cup water and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, about 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool, then transfer to a blender and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup sour cream; blend until combined. Add the cilantro and blend until smooth; season. Spread 1/2 cup of the salsa into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a bowl, mix the chicken with 1 cup of the salsa. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 7 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, submerge in the oil for a few seconds, then transfer to paper towels to drain, keeping the tortillas in a single layer. Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas, spooning about 1/3 cup in a line down the center of each. Roll them up and line them in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining 1 cup of salsa over the enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and bake until hot and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and the salsa is bubbling, about 5 minutes longer. Serve with the lettuce and more sour cream. From EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/enchiladas-suizas/

The queso dip recipe didn't work as dip.  A few seconds out of the oven it got too hard to scoop with chips.  So hubby was inspired, and he came up with the idea of following the recipe up to the point of putting it in the oven, but instead of that, pour it all over tortilla chips to make nachos.  Yes please!  And I'll take a lime in that Corona.  

Difficulty:easy

Will I do it again? a version, yes

Spicy Cilantro Queso

Ingredients 1/2 pound cheddar and monterey jack, shredded 4 teaspoons flour 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped peppadew or red bell pepper 1 jalapeno, finely chopped 1/2 cup chopped cilantro Tortilla chips Lime wedges

Directions Preheat broiler. In bowl, toss cheeses and flour. In ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, peppadew and jalapeno; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in cheese mixture and chopped cilantro. Lower heat to low; cook, stirring, until cheese melts, 5 minutes. Broil until browned, 3 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with chips and squeeze of lime. From EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/spicy-cilantro-queso/

Minty Limeade

I really liked the minty sugar syrup made in the first step of the recipe, the drink as a whole not so much.  We ended up putting the minty syrup into iced tea instead of sugar!  YUM!

Difficulty: easy
Will I do it again? part of it, yes

Minty Limeade

Ingredients 1 cup sugar 1 cup mint sprigs, plus more for garnish 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, plus lime slices for garnish Ice 1 - 1 1/2 cups seltzer

Directions In pan, simmer sugar and 1 cup water, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Off heat, add mint; steep 20 minutes. Strain; discard mint. Stir in juice. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses. Top with seltzer; garnish. From EveryDay with Rachael Ray Magazine http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/minty-limeade/

Pineapple Shortcakes

Nothing about this appealed to me.  I'm not sure if it was the pineapple, homemade biscuits, or the cinnamon in the whipped cream, but this just left a metallic taste in my mouth, and grease on the roof of my mouth.

Difficulty: easy
Will I make it again? no

Pineapple Shortcakes

Ingredients 5 cups fresh pineapple cubes 3 tablespoons orange juice 1 16.3 ounce package  biscuits 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar 3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled 2 teaspoons rum

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Mix pineapple and orange juice. Sprinkle biscuits with 1 tbsp. cinnamon-sugar; bake 15 minutes. Whisk cream, 2 tbsp. cinnamon-sugar and rum to soft peaks. Split biscuits; fill with pineapple and cream. From Everyday with Rachael Ray mag http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/pineapple-shortcakes/

Double Stuffed Shells

Hi!  If we're meeting for the first time, you should know that pasta is my favorite food ever.  

For today's recipe, I took pasta, and put pasta inside it.  I did a little tweaking of the recipe, to get around the tomatoes.  Hubby's last stand since converting from a picky eater to a foodie is "No tomatoes."  However he has budged to the point of accepting a pink vodka sauce (without the vodka) that I substitute any time a recipe requires tomatoes or tomato sauce.  So I put the shells down in that, but if I do it again, I'll make a lot more sauce to really let the shells swim.  

Other than that, the only issue I had was that 16 jumbo shells was much less than the stated pound, so I had a LOT of pasta left over.

Difficulty: Easy

Will I make it again? Probably

Double Stuffed Shells

Ingredients 1 pound jumbo pasta shells (16 pieces) 1 cup (4 oz) baby pasta shells 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup EVOO 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon herbes de provence Salt and pepper 1/2 pound thawed frozen spinach, squeezed to remove excess liquid 1 1/2 cups ricotta (about 12 oz) 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions Preheat the broiler. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the jumbo shells until al dente. In a smaller saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the baby shells until al dente. Drain separately, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water. Spread the jumbo shells out on a work surface. Meanwhile, in a large, ovenproof skillet, toss the tomatoes with 3 tbsp. EVOO. Broil for 15 minutes. Remove, then stir in the garlic, herbs and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water; season with salt and pepper. Lower the oven to 350 degrees . In a bowl, toss the baby shells with the remaining 1 tbsp. EVOO. Stir in the spinach, ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup pasta water; season. Stuff the jumbo shells with the spinach mixture; arrange in the skillet atop the sauce. Top with the remaining parmesan, cover and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. From EveryDay with Rachael Ray http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/double-stuffed-shells/

Is something wrong with me that I love making shopping lists and going grocery shopping so much?  I can't wait for next week to make some new food!

Sloppy Moussakaas

I am not too familiar with lamb, but ground lamb was an easy way to start.  My hubby and I love the flavor!  Definitely going to use it more from time to time.  

Difficulty: Easy

Will I make it again? YES

I followed the recipe just as it is, with lamb, not beef, and here it is...

Sloppy Moussakaas

Ingredients 1 tablespoon EVOO 1 pound ground lamb or beef Salt and pepper About 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 onion, finely chopped 2 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 small red chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram 2 teaspoons tomato paste 1 - 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock 2 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk Freshly grated nutmeg A small handful grated parmigiano-reggiano 4 ciabatta or other rolls, split and toasted

Directions In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the lamb (or beef) and cook, crumbling the meat, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and the cinnamon. Add the onion, garlic, chile and oregano (or marjoram) and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for a minute. Stir in the stock and simmer over low heat until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook until thickened slightly; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the cheese. To serve, spoon the meat mixture onto the rolls. Top with the sauce. From EveryDay with Rachael Ray http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/sloppy-moussakaas/

The Rachael Ray Challenge

I don't really order magazine subscriptions because my husband and I are minimalists, so we try to only own reading material in electronic form. Having said that my exception has been a subscription to the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. We'd been living back home for about a year, not thrilled about it, and impatient for the next move. I had an ad for super cheap magazine subscriptions, and what can I say, food has always been my escape when I'm stressed. Not eating it... Making it!

(Remind me to tell you about the time I made 10 pies in 2 weeks.)

Anyway, I'd lived out of the country for 5 years, had never seen a Rachael Ray show, but a friend said I'd probably be happiest with her magazine over the other food mags.

Now 2 years later, my subscription is ending, and I realize I've never made a single recipe out of all the magazines! I look at every recipe and think, "Mmm, yes, I will make you someday."

So it's time, and here's the schedj! 1 night a week we make pizza. 2 nights a week we make dinner salad. That leaves 4 nights. Being a little family of 2, I always make enough of one meal to eat 2 nights. That's 2 new dinners a week, and I'm throwing in 2 more recipes a week, such as desserts, drinks, sandwiches, etc.

I tend to shy away from unfamiliar ingredients, so this is a gentle push into new delicious territory. It's hard to find some of the rarer ingredients locally out here in the boondocks, so I'll have to maximize my trips to the city to buy ahead the difficult things.

I'm so excited right now! And hungry...