BEST BANANA MUFFINS

Hey guys!  I've got a little recipe post for you today.  It's for banana muffins (I know- easy, nothing fancy), but I promise you...this recipe really does make the BEST banana muffins ever!!!  I have made banana muffins at least a dozen times in the past, and after a bit of tweaking, I have found the recipe that I will continue to make.  My kids absolutely love these, and ask for them all of the time!!!

BEST BANANA MUFFINS RECIPE:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 ripe bananas
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 stick butter

Directions:
- Gather all the ingredients
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Line muffin pan
- Mix dry ingredients in one bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, sugar)
- In another bowl mix wet ingredients (vanilla, bananas mashed, egg scrambled, butter melted)
- Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ones and fill the muffin cups
- Bake for 25-30 minutes (I always bake for 25 because I like my muffins a little underdone)
- Enjoy!!!

CHAI TIME

One of my favorite things to drink when we honeymooned in India was Masala Chai tea.  We would have it after almost every meal, like a dessert, because it's so sweet and delicious.  Since then, I've tried many different chai teas at coffee shops and while some have been good, I have yet to try one that tastes just like the ones we had in India.  How was I going to get that same chai tea again without jet setting half way across the world?  Well, I decided to make it at home.  And after a lot of tweaking and trying, I think I have found a recipe that tastes almost like the ones we enjoyed so much in India.

Chai Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 black tea bags
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  

Directions:

1. Place your teabags in a small pot filled with 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2. Once the tea has steeped, lower the heat, remove the bags and stir in the spices.
3. Pour 5 tablespoons of condensed milk into your cup, then add the tea and stir until creamy.
4. Feel like you've jet setter to India (without the jet lag and expensive flight)...and enjoy! :-)

1. 
   
   
   
   
   
   

TEXAS TUNA

One of my dearest friends, Becca, lives in Dallas, Texas, and she is quite the good cook I might add. Click here to read JSS' post about Becca's delicious Tortilla Soup recipe. I jet setted to Dallas in May to visit Becca and was reminded how good her Tuna Salad recipe is too. Yesterday I spoke to her on the phone and she was actually making it, so I asked her again what was in it, ran right to the grocery store and made it last night...it was sweet, crunchy and tasted AMAZING!!! It's also quick, easy, light, and perfect to enjoy as a summer dish, so I figured I'd share her recipe with all of you so that you can enjoy some Texas Tuna as well!

Texas Tuna Recipe:

- 2 cans of tuna in water

- 2 tablespoons of Brown Spicy Mustard

- 2 tablespoons of Miracle Whip

- 2 tablespoons of Dill Relish (Sweet Relish can be substituted if you can't find Dill)

- 1/2 cup of raisins

- 1/2 cup of chopped pecans

- 1/2 cup of a red apple diced with the skin on

- 1 celery stalk diced

- 1 hard boiled egg (just the skin- throw away the yolk)

- Salt and Pepper to taste

How to Make: Mix together first four ingredients, then add the crunchy ingredients and the egg afterwards. Serve either on toasted bread, in a pita or tortilla wrap, or with Blue Corn Tortilla Chips...Enjoy!

THANKFUL FOR BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

The Holidays are here, the colder weather is somewhat here, and that always gets me in the mood for soup. For Thanksgiving I was in charge of making Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostini that could feed an army of 40 people (one of the benefits of marrying into a big family)! The relatives were raving and so I wanted to share the recipe (courtesy of my favorite chef- Giada De Laurentiis) with all of my jet setters. I know this isn't a post about jet setting to a great destination, but since many people jet set to be with family for the holidays, I figured it would be fun to tell all of you about it. Plus, the soup is very easy to make- and for those of you that know me personally, I used to be the biggest klutz in the kitchen- so this was a big deal! :-)

Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups) - 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crostini:
- 1/2 baguette, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 cup (2 ounces) grated fontina cheese
- Kosher salt

Directions:
In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.
For the crostini: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheese crostini.
Cook's Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

DARK AND STORMY

I had never heard of a Dark and Stormy before last year when I jet setted to Bermuda...and now I feel like I am seeing them on drink menus everywhere. (see picture above of waiter in Bermuda- it's the drink on his tray, not the one he's pouring) Anyway, I know it's a classic drink and many of you may be thinking that I'm crazy to have not known it. Either way, not only do I now know about it, but I also know that it's pretty easy to make. I wanted to share the recipe with you all if you are inspired to make a Sunday cocktail.

RECIPE: DARK & STORMY (makes one drink)

- 2 ounces of any Dark or Spiced Rum

- 4 ounces of Ginger Beer

- Lime wedge

- Squeeze the juice from the lime over ice, then add the other ingredients and mix together

- Enjoy!

PASS THE PORK FROM PRAGUE PLEASE

If you are planning to travel to Prague in the Czech Republic, you might want to give up the no-carb, no-meat diet first. Prague's cuisine is very meat and potatoes based...not to say vegetarians should never go- there are plenty of veggie options...but, on almost every restaurant's menu, you will find Pork and Cabbage. Sometimes you will find their pork is served with sauerkraut, other times with red cabbage, but either way, it's a very simple meal, usually just served with Czech Dumplings (more like steamed white bread), spicy brown mustard, and a nice cold beer. I was in Prague this past June and ate a lot of this dish and wanted to share my recipe so you can try it and have people at your dinner table saying "Pass the Pork from Prague...Please."

RECIPE:

For the Pork Tenderloin:
- Season boneless Pork Loin (3.5-4.5 lbs) with salt, pepper, and garlic and place in heavy roasting pan.

- Cook at 475 degrees for about 40 minutes (let rest for 15 minutes before slicing)

For the Cabbage:

- Cut up some bacon strips into small pieces and fry in skillet. When done, remove bacon, but keep the drippings in skillet.

- Then add about 1 tbsp. of butter, then add cabbage (or sauerkraut), salt & pepper and cook for about 20 minutes.

- Serve the sliced pork (with its drippings as gravy) alongside the cabbage...and some applesauce and enjoy!

JET SET SCRUMPTIOUS

The only bad thing about jetsetting is the sad feeling I get when a trip is about to end. Luckily, I have found a great way to keep the excitement of a recent adventure going long after I return home - recreating meals that I've had while I was away! That way, I can bring the city or country I just visited to my own home.

On a recent trip to Italy, my husband and I had an AMAZING steak salad at a restaurant in Rome. It was so delicious and so easy to make, that we've had it many times since. Of course, if you don't eat steak, you can easily substitute grilled chicken or portobello mushrooms.

RECIPE:

- Grill meat (or mushrooms) in skillet with olive oil (salt & pepper to taste)

- Serve on top of fresh arugula, sliced roasted red bell peppers, and parmesan cheese (sliced with a vegetable peeler)

- For the dressing: mix olive oil & balsamic vinegar

- Serve with lemon wedges