Low Fat Banana Muffins

I have been fooling around with this recipe for a while and I think that I finally have it where I want it. They are moist and flavorful. I made dozen the other day and they were gone in a day and half. Enjoy!

2 c flour
¾ c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/8 t ground ginger
Pinch of salt
½ t cinnamon
1/8 clove
¼ c olive oil (yes OLIVE OIL)
½ cup non fat milk with 1 T apple cider vinegar (let sour for 4-5 mins)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 t vanilla
2 ripe bananas (mashed with a fork)

Preheat oven to 350f. Line regular size muffin tin with paper liners. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well. Combine wet ingredients, add bananas, then pour in the well of the dry ingredients. Fold gently together mixing only about 15 turns. DO NOT OVERMIX! Batter will be lumply.
Bake for 18-22 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick. Remove from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

A Mother of a Cocktail

In a tall glass, muddle a wedge of lime, a couple of mint leaves and some fresh grated ginger. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add two shots of Vodka and fill with Club Soda. Stir and Enjoy.

Happy Mother's Day!

What a very nice morning so far. It’s Sunday, about sevenish. I am in my bedroom, showered, hair shampooed and conditioned with clean jammies on. I put a new scent in my Scentsy light, fed the cat then let her out, then snuck into Ella’s room to grab the laptop. A pot a strong coffee freshly brews in the kitchen. The kids are still sound asleep and my husband is snoring on the couch. Aaaahhhh, this morning is bliss. Did I mention that it is Mother’s Day? Interesting concept; Mother’s Day. This sacred day to celebrate all moms was adapted from religious origin like so many of the holidays that we celebrate today. It dates all the way back to ancient Greece, honoring Rhea, the mother of the Gods. Sounds like a big deal. Then in the 1600’s in England, they claimed it as their own Christian celebration. You know, the Virgin Mother. Oddly enough, this festive observance disappeared for a time until just after the Civil War. A while later it was declared a national holiday in 1914. Seems tumultuous for a holiday that celebrates something as significant as the people that fed us, changed our dirty diapers, listened to us cry, oh and went through hours of agonizing pain to give us life. I suppose all that matters is that we honor moms for an entire day. I plan on enjoying my mother’s day reading the paper, watching “It’s Complicated” which I rented yesterday for this very occasion, visiting my Nana and my own mother for a while with my girls, then coming home to enjoy a great dinner that my kids and husband put together (I will be cooking the Filet Roast myself). I will enjoy one of my favorite cocktails while they will clean up the kitchen, run the dish washer then Jeff and I will watch our favorite Sunday shows; Treme and the Tudors. Then, tomorrow, I will wake up, still a mother, to do laundry, make a lunch for Ella, empty the dishwasher, return phone calls, vacuum and clean the bathrooms. I will not be sitting around in jammies most of the morning, reading the paper, drinking coffee or watching movies, later eating food that has been prepared for me. Business as usual. And that’s not bad either. Being a mom is the thing that I do best and all that that implies.

Roasted Garlic Cheddar Aebleskiver

This recipe requires an Aebleskiver Pan (sometimes known as a Monk's Pan). There's no other way around it. These were fun to make & turned out delicious! I would think that you could trade out some of the savory ingredients to make other combinations. Some ideas that aunt Beth and I had were; Tomato, Basil, Feta or a Mexican influenced one with Corn, Asiago, Cilanto & Peppers.
Yields about 20 to 25 Aebleskiver.

2 Eggs, separated
1 t. sugar
1/2 t salt
1 T Olive Oil
1 cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk*
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 cup flour
2 t dried dill (or fresh if you have it)
3 cloves Roasted Garlic
1/2 cup chopped Roasted Tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

Roast your garlic and tomatoes, let cool. Beat eggs whites until stiff; set aside. Beat the rest of the ingredients until batter is smooth in a medium bowl, adding tomatoes & cheese last. Carefully fold in the egg whites. Heat aebleskiver pan with a few drops of olive oil or butter in each of the 7 holes. Fill each hole with batter. With a knitting needle, make quarter turns until outside is golden brown, lowering heat so that the batter cooks inside as well. Serve hot with a dipping sauce that you like.
*sour milk: measure your milk and add a tablespoon or so of vinegar. Let curdle for a couple of minutes and add it to your recipe.

No Name Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup mayo
3 T catsup
3 T balsamic vinegar
3 to 4 dashes Tabasco
Lots of Black Pepper
Salt to taste

Ladies Luncheon

Yesterday I had the pleasure of welcoming my mom, two of my aunts and my grandmother (affectionately known as Nana) to my house for lunch to celebrate my Aunt Rhita’s birthday. We had a great time. No drama, no complaints. Those of you who have a family such as mine will appreciate this dynamic that can sometimes be a rare albeit welcome scarcity in a family get together. It was very casual and light. I believe I wore my slippers the whole time actually. My kinda luncheon.
I strived (and I do mean that I had to work) at keeping it very simple and uncomplicated. Those of you who know me well will apprecriate that I admit to having gone a bit over board in the past. Yes, Sherry, just a “bit”. Though this time I held back. Not too much food, no over whelming appetizers but we did have two splendid desserts; Panna Cotta with a Balsamic Berry Cabernet Sauce and a Dark Chocolate Walnut Tart.
There were merely five in attendance, permitting us to sit at the dining room table. I set the table with a white tablecloth, white plates, white napkins and a small vibrant spring green bouquet of flowers in a low vase in the center. Tasteful. We had the Green Apple Chicken Salad (a previous post), a bowl of sliced ripe cantaloupe and a savory Aebleskiver. This was an experiment to say the least. But who better to test new recipes on than family? The one epic risk that I took, reflecting on this bold move, was to try out the most quintessential Danish food that I can think of, prepare it as far from tradition as imaginable and serve it to my Danish Grandmother. Audacious, but worth the gamble. They were very tasty and a monumental success. I made them in the morning, testing them out on Aunt Rhita and Uncle Ted. Sold. After that a sauce to be named later was born as an accompaniment. Another big hit. I love it when a wager pays off, thus giving me the courage to try another dicey culinary speculation down the road. It’s a good thing I have a large and at times, tolerant, family.

Corn & Black Bean Salad

I made this salad one beautiful Sunday afternoon with Baby Back Ribs and Greens. It was such a big hit with evveryone that I am going to bring it to a Cinco de Mayo party this weekend. It is particularly simple and very colorful.

In a medium bowl whisk together
1 clove garlic (finely minced or pressed)
2 T lime juice
1 T orange juice
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t kosher salt
pinch of sugar
pinch of cayenne


Fold into the dressing
2 cups corn kernals (I use frozen, thawed and well drained)
1 15oz can Black Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 to 2 cups Cherry Tomatoes (cut in half)
2 Scallions (chopped)
1 cup English Cucumber (diced with peel)
Fresh Cilantro (a handful, finely chopped)
Taste the salad and adjust the salt & pepper. This salad can be a made a couple of hours in advance.

"The sharper the knife..."

It seems that the universe is trying to tell me something. Can you hear it? “Stop Blogging” I think it’s saying. One week ago, on an exceptionally rainy, grey day, I decided to procrastinate typing up a stack of new recipes that have been accumulating in my notebook by making yet another recipe to add to my pile, thus adding to my blog. Soup. A perfect day for soup. Potato Beer Cheese Soup. My intent was to have this soup with turkey and spinach Panini’s. (Yes, I actually have a Panini maker.) I cut the onions. Set them aside. Peeling potatoes, then cubing them and immersing the cut cubes in cold water until I was ready for the soup kettle. A major mishap on the last potato. I cut open my pinky finger, epically. First I went to the sink. Then grabbed a towel. Made it to the bathroom to get a different towel that hadn’t been used to wipe up food in the kitchen. That might have been a mistake. What to do next? Call my doctor’s office that is just down the street to have them take a look at it. To no avail. Three doctors short that day. Looks like I’m going to Urgent Care at River Bend. My main concern with this idea was bleeding on the tan interior of my car. I tighten up the towel, grab my purse and phone. On my way, I call Ella’s school. She is due home in an hour. “Please get a message to Ella that I am okay, I have cut my finger and on my way to get it stitched up. Don’t worry, I’m fine, but it looks like the set of CSI at home.” A couple of hours, a tetanus shot ,a few vicodin and six stitches later, I am home and in pain. We ordered pizza. So, I am on the mend, stitches removed, gingerly typing this post. Let’s see if I can get some of these recipes posted in the next couple of days. You will not be seeing “Potato Beer Cheese Soup”. Perhaps the universe is actually just telling me to stop procrastinating. Thanks for bearing with me.