Banana White Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I've been on a baking spree this week, using the oven every day. I'm making a conscious effort to cook and bake more often because a) it's fun, healthy-ish, and affordable (duh) and b) I'm constantly looking for new photography fodder; I can't get enough of my new camera!

I found this Banana Cookies recipe while browsing for non-bread banana recipes to use up the quickly over-ripening ones from our last CSA box. I ruled out banana bread because I made it pretty recently and wanted to try something new. I changed a bunch of ingredients around (see? I'm getting so much braver in the kitchen!) and they came out amazingly well. Apparently the way the baking soda reacts with the bananas makes the cookies light and fluffy. Who knew?



I added white chocolate chips and Heath toffee bits, items I had lying around and wanted to use up so I wouldn't snack on them. I thought the banana/white chocolate/toffee combo might be over the top, and it IS pretty sweet...but in a good way. Any kind of nut, dried fruit, or chocolate would work well in these also.

I learned a couple of new things today. First, if you want to bring an egg to room temperature quickly, place it in a bowl of lukewarm (not warm) water for 5 minutes. That might be common sense to some, but I sure didn't know it. The second thing I learned is to use the paddle attachment on the KitchenAid mixer for almost everything. Use the whisk for foods that are light and airy like meringue and whipped cream. I've used them both interchangeably in the past with no problems, but it's good to know this rule of thumb. Thanks to my twitter friends for helping me out with that one!

Banana White Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Printable Recipe

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 c. mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. Heath toffee bits
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

2. In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3. Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add to the banana mixture, mixing until just combined.

4. Gently stir the toffee bits and white chocolate chips into the batter. Drop in dollops onto a parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Grow Your Own: Lightened Eggplant Parmesan

I finally made something from my Foodie To-Do List: Lighter Eggplant Parmesan from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes! (If you subscribe to the RSS feed, the to-do list is on the right sidebar of the blog). I've been on the prowl for healthier versions of my favorite recipes lately, and Eggplant Parmesan is definitely up there with my all-time faves.

This recipe was delicious and very cheesy. I didn't miss the traditional breading on the eggplant at all. I did find it quite time-consuming, especially since I made my own tomato sauce, so this isn't the best recipe if you're in a hurry. If you have the time, though, it's well worth it.



I'm also thrilled to say that I'm participating in my first bloggy event! Grow Your Own is pretty self-explanatory: it's a twice-a-month blog roundup that welcomes blog posts that include recipes where the author has grown an ingredient in their garden or foraged it locally. For this eggplant parmesan, I included some of the Italian flat-leaf parsley that I planted recently.

This month's Grow Your Own host is House of Annie. Check back there on May 1st to see what the other participants came up with this time around. I hope this is the first of many Grow Your Own and other bloggy events for me!

Edit: Here's the roundup!





Lightened Eggplant Parmesan
Adapted from Gina's WW Recipes
Printable Recipe
Serves 6

1 large eggplant (2 lbs.)
1 tbsp olive oil
12 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
2 cups reduced fat mozzerella
3 cups tomato sauce (Amy says use this one!)
Salt

Start by making the sauce. While it simmers, slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch thick slices. Lightly salt the pieces and put in a colander to release excess moisture for about 1/2 an hour. Pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 450. Brush eggplant lightly on both sides with olive oil and place on cookie sheets (I needed 2). Bake 10 minutes, flip the eggplant over, then bake 10 minutes more until golden brown. Lower oven to 400.

While the eggplant is baking, combine ricotta, egg, parsley, and 1/4 c. grated parmesan in a medium bowl.

Spread a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish. Layer eggplant on top of the sauce. Top eggplant with 1/3 of ricotta mixture and top with mozzerella cheese and more sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and repeat with ricotta, mozzerella, and sauce, then repeat again. Top with more mozzerella and the remaining 2 tbsp. of parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 until cheese is melted and everything is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Seeing Stars, 4.27.09

Happy Monday! It's time for Seeing Stars, the weekly feature at Playing House where I highlight some of my favorite blog posts that I've "starred" in Google Reader. Poking around the internet for delightful photos, recipes, and other interesting tidbits is one of my favorite games. I've started gathering more over at my Tumblr page if you'd like to take a peek. You can find past Seeing Stars features here.

Have a great week!

Recipe: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes by Aleta at Omnomicon











Apple Bird Feeder by Kelly at Design Crush

















Would you like some cupcake with your cupcake? by Clara at I Heart Cuppycakes


















DIY project: Kate's miniature tin gardens by guest blogger Kate at Design*Sponge















Check This Out: Stages of Edible Growth in Plants by Emma at The Kitchn












Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats by Annie at Annie's Eats












An Old Favorite [spaghetti with broccoli rabe] by Mark Bittman at Bitten











Bagels. Homemade. Lifechanging. by Ree at The Pioneer Woman (featuring Deb of Smitten Kitchen)












World Domination [featuring creamy lemon-lime rice pudding cake] by Peabody at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. Amy's note: There are no words for how badly I want to do a face plant into this dessert. YUM.


















Afternoon coffee with: Flora Grubb by guest blogger Jesse at Design*Sponge

Rhubarb Crisp

This is the first spring that I've paid close attention to seasonal food, so I've been reading quite a bit about rhubarb lately. Before this weekend, I had only tried it once (in a strawberry-rhubarb pie last year) and vaguely knew what it looked like.

Some new friends invited us over for dinner tonight. When I offered to make dessert, I made sure to look for a seasonal recipe and had rhubarb on the brain. I turned to Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook since the chapters are organized by seasons. Rhubarb Crisp was the perfect choice: even if the rhubarb isn't a hit, pretty much anything is good when it's in crisp form, right? As the recipe suggested, I'll be serving it warm with strawberry ice cream.

Edit: special thanks to my blogging mentor Jenn for helping me edit this photo!



Rhubarb Crisp
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
Printable Recipe
Serves 12

2 pounds rhubarb
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
1 c. rolled oats
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Strawberry ice cream for serving (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the rhubarb stalks on the diagonal into uniform 3/4 inch-thick pieces. Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish; toss with 1 cup of the sugar and 1/4 cup of the flour.

2. In a food processor, pulse the remaining 1/2 cup of flour with the butter until the clumps are pea-size. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the rolled oats, and cinnamon; pulse just to combine. Sprinkle over the rhubarb.

3. Bake until the rhubarb is tender and the topping is golden, 35 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

5-Minute Ciabatta

Recently I've spent some time revisiting my old favorite book, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. I had a lot of fun with it last fall when I was first trying to teach myself how to bake. I'm pretty confident that I've mastered the master recipe, so I'll be movin' on up to some of the more interesting dough variations in the book soon (I need to have a pletzel in my mouth ASAP). This book is really approachable and perfect for beginners like me. It's empowering to be able to make this kind of bread so easily, especially after I tried unsuccessfully to make a sourdough starter last week!

Here's this morning's ciabatta. We've been snacking on this with local marionberry jam (we have lots left over from our wedding last summer).

I've Been Adopted!

Last fall, when I was a very new blogger, I came across the wonderful Kristen at Dine and Dish and her Adopt-a-Blogger program. I had just missed the signups, and since then I've been eagerly awaiting the next round and enjoying her blog in the meantime. I've said before that I have a never-ending appreciation for the internet and social networking for the opportunities it brings to connect with people I never would have "met" otherwise. This just reinforces my enthusiasm. For Adopt-a-blogger #3, Kristen matched up over 50 newbie bloggers (less than 1 year, like me) with veteran partners for a 3-month-long mentorship.



The matches were announced yesterday, and I'm glad to say that my mentor is Jenn of Jenn Cuisine.


Kristen hand-picked all 50+ matches, and she did a great job [thanks again, Kristen!]. Jenn and I have lots in common: we're both newlywed graduate students who have recently traveled to New Zealand, among other things. I have a lot to learn from Jenn, and I'm looking forward to our time together! I'm also excited to look through the blogs of other adopters & adoptees: this is a great way to find some fantastic new reads.

CSA Week 11

This is our last box for a while, because the Farmer's Market is open! One of my very favorite activities of all time is poking around the market, bug-eyed and mouth agape in awe of the pretty fruits, veggies, and flowers. I'm planning on getting there right when it opens this weekend with my new camera in tow!

This week, our CSA provided us with:
- Carrots
- Radishes
- Fresh rosemary
- Buttercream fingerling potatoes
- Pink lady apples (my favorite variety)
- Fair trade bananas
- Valencia oranges
- Kimchee!

How to Cook Something: Quick Pickled Cabbage

This is the second in a weekly series of posts called How to Cook Something, where I make one recipe each week from my favorite cookbook, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. You can learn about the impetus for this series here.

I've been intrigued by the idea of pickling things for a while now (I have grand plans to pickle the cukes I grow this summer), but hadn't tried it until a few days ago when I made Bittman's Quick Pickled Cabbage. I decided on this recipe because I had a head of purple cabbage from our CSA, and also I was curious whether this pickling method would work. I would say it tasted more like a cabbage salad than anything pickled, but I'm no expert. I'm guessing it's the "quick" part of the recipe that is to blame for that. I had hoped it would be a bit more sauerkraut-y, but apparently making sauerkraut is a pretty high maintenance ordeal.

It was a refreshing summery side dish, and the caraway seeds were an interesting addition, not something I'd usually cook with. Next time I would decrease the amount of onion and caraway seeds and increase the cucumber. Or maybe I'd just pickle some cucumbers! These changes are reflected below. We ate the salad with these amazing turkey burgers, which incidentally were even better the next day as leftovers.

Quick Pickled Cabbage
Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Printable Recipe
Makes 4-6 servings

6 cups cored and shredded red or green cabbage, about 1 small head
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 red onion
2 cucumbers
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
3 tbsp. rice or wine vinegar

1. Toss the cabbage in a colander with the salt


2. Peel and slice the red onion, separate it into rings and toss with the cabbage. Peel the cucumbers if necessary and cut in half lengthwise. If there are a lot of seeds, scoop them out with a spoon. Slice the cucumbers thinly and mix the slices with the cabbage and onion.


3. Lay a plate over the vegetable mixture while it is still in the colander, and weight the plate with whatever is handy: a few cans, your teakettle filled with water, or a brick, for example. Let rest for about 30 minutes; 1 hour is fine.


4. Rinse the mixture, dress with caraway seeds and vinegar, and serve. This will keep refrigerated quite nicely for a day or 2.

Dog Eat Dog World

Sorry for the cliched post title. My new digital SLR camera arrived today and it's already changing the way I see the world. I L-O-V-E it! I still have everything to learn about photography (just like cooking and everything else I like to do), but I'm ready to hit the ground running.

I got some shots of my favorite model playing with one of his favorite toys, a lovely decapitated dog. It's a dog eat dog world in here!

Hello Cuteness

Have y'all heard of Hello Naomi? She is responsible for bringing infinite amounts of cuteness into the world through her baked goods. Poke through her Flickr photostream to see some serious artistic talent. She almost makes me want to try doing something with fondant. Nah, maybe I'll leave that to the pros. Anyways, SO cute. Take a look.

(all images via Hello Naomi's Flickr stream)

A Lettuce Wrap Experiment

We were recently gifted with a large bag of fresh organic lettuce grown in our friends' greenhouse. I decided to skip salad, the obvious choice, and used the lettuce as my inspiration for some ground turkey wraps. I used Food Blog Search and found this recipe by Kalyn's brother Rand over at Kalyn's Kitchen. My cookbooks are so deprived and lonely these days because of Food Blog Search!



In our house, whenever one of us feels at all unsure about something we're attempting in the kitchen, we call it an experiment. That way there's no pressure to get it right, and somehow that lessens the pressure! Luckily, our experiment failure rate is pretty low. This recipe was definitely considered an experiment since there were no quantities for ingredients, but I took that as an opportunity to play around a bit and really enjoyed it! I've been actively trying to teach myself about when ingredient quantities matter vs. when a recipe is more customizable. Because this dish turned out so well, I feel more confident in my ability to use my gut to guess the right proportions.

The most surprising ingredient in these wraps was orange peel: it lent an nice flavor that I wouldn't have thought to add in myself. I'll definitely be making these again. I had almost all of the ingredients on hand already, but if you don't have something random like Thai fish sauce or dry sherry, you can improvise.


Not pictured: orange peel, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, salt & pepper

Ground Chicken or Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen
Printable Recipe

1. In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, low sodium soy sauce, water, dry sherry, salt and pepper. Add ground chicken or turkey and mix well. Let the mixture marinate in refrigerator for about an hour.

2. In a small bowl, combine low sodium soy sauce, dry sherry, water, hoisin sauce, thai fish sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a bit of orange zest. Mix well and set aside.

3. Heat a bit of peanut oil in a large skillet. Take the chicken or turkey out of the fridge and brown it in the oil, breaking up larger chunks as you saute. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add a bit more peanut oil to the pan and get it nice and hot. Add fresh ginger, minced garlic, green onions, sliced bamboo shoots, chopped water chestnuts, and any other veggie you like. I used some chopped white onion, and mushrooms or diced bell pepper would be yummy too. Saute until desired doneness, then return chicken to the pan and add the sauce. Mix everything together and simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.



Serve with lettuce leaves and steamed rice (or whatever the heck you want). The original recipe included a dipping sauce, but I felt these were flavorful enough on their own. Enjoy!

Danger: Pinkberry Ahead

Note: Playing House is growing up... it now has its own domain name! Please change your bookmarks to www.playinghouseblog.com. RSS feeds won't be affected. Now back to regularly scheduled programming.

If you're my Twitter friend, you probably know about my severe Pinkberry addiction. I had it every day of my LA trip last week. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Pinkberry phenomenon, it is a frozen yogurt chain in LA and New York (with many knockoff chains popping up all over).

Pinkberry is different from regular froyo for a few reasons: the yogurt is tart and only comes in 3 flavors (original, green tea, and pomegranate), they have a wide range of interesting toppings, and the design aesthetic of their stores is sleek and modern. Some say it's overrated, but I could live on the stuff.



When Andy told me recently that he had found a recipe to make Pinkberry-like frozen yogurt at home, I thought it was too good to be true. Turns out it's true and it's amazing. The only difference is that the homemade version isn't fat free like Pinkberry, but somehow that makes me feel good since Pinkberry's product is mostly chemicals. Yummy, yummy chemicals. The blog post he found is from one of my favorite food blogs, 101 Cookbooks, and the recipe itself is from The Perfect Scoop cookbook by another talented blogger, David Lebovitz.

For some reason I gravitate towards the most artificial, processed toppings possible, so I recreated my favorite combo of fruity pebbles and white chocolate chips. Don't judge!





Pinkberry-esque Frozen Yogurt
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop via 101 Cookbooks
Printable Recipe

3 cups strained yogurt*or Greek-style yogurt.
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional, I skipped it)

Mix ingredients together. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

*To strain yogurt, line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Add 6 cups plain whole milk yogurt into the lined strainer and refrigerate, suspended over a bowl, for 6 hours. 6 cups will make 3 cups strained, which is what you need for the recipe above.

Seeing Stars, 4.20.09

It's Monday! Time for Seeing Stars, my weekly feature highlighting some of my favorite posts from blogs I subscribe to in Google Reader. The spring weather is finally here in full force, and I feel energized and inspired. This brilliant sun and blue skies makes the long gray winter worth it. I hope you all find some sunshine this week!

One more thing: it is my duty to inform you that tomorrow (Tuesday, 4.21.09) is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. I'll see you there!





Apple Blossom Blackberry Tart with Homemade Puff Pastry by Zoe at Zoe Bakes


















Tofu and Soba Noodles with Lemon Ginger Dressing by Jaden at Steamy Kitchen


















How to Make a Radish Wreath for Spring by Faith at Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn


















Fun with Envelopes by Jinnie at Lilacmoon















The Contessa's Chinese Chicken Salad by Rebecca at Ezra Pound Cake














Outdoor Rooms by Amy at Angry Chicken


















Magazine Mondays: Chocolate Chip Muffins by Ivonne at Cream Puffs in Venice


















Lemon Pineapple Sorbet by Jenn at JustJENN Recipes


















Printable Recipe Card Templates by Dana at Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn
(Image via Wild Olive's Etsy shop)














Raisin, Fig, & Ginger Chutney by Kelly at Eat, Make, Read

Go-To Marinara Sauce

I can count on one hand the dishes in my repertoire that I consider staples, ones that I can confidently make without relying on a recipe. One of my ultimate goals in my quest to teach myself how to cook well is to have more of these go-to recipes stored away in my brain, and I'm slowly getting there. Baby steps!

One that I keep coming back to is America's Test Kitchen's marinara sauce. It's actually part of their manicotti recipe (which I highly recommend), but I loved it so much the first time I made manicotti that I've been making the sauce on its own ever since. It calls for canned tomatoes, but tastes fresh and bright, which I love. I may or may not have been spotted eating this sauce like soup, that's how much I like it. This recipe is easily halved, and it also freezes well.



Marinara Sauce
adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Printable Recipe
about 8 servings

2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
salt
2 tbsp. fresh basil leaves

1. Pulse the tomatoes with their juices one can at a time in a food processor until coarsely chopped with pieces measuring about 1/4 inch (or to your taste) about 3 pulses, set aside.

2. Heat the oil, garlic and pepper flakes in a large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil, season with salt and pepper.

Turkey Burger Innovation

I turned to Food Blog Search tonight looking for a turkey burger recipe, and I'm glad to say it was a success. I'm a big fan of America's Test Kitchen and their scientific approach to recipe perfection, so when I come across a recipe of theirs I'll usually try it. Their turkey burger has a unique twist: the addition of whole-milk ricotta cheese. Wouldn't you know, I just bought some today for something else I'm making, and happened to have extra!

My husband and I tag-teamed this one. I love it when he joins me in the kitchen! We served the burgers with french fries, tomato slices, and pickled cabbage salad that I'll be blogging about soon. These were up there with the best turkey burgers I've ever had, and I would definitely make them again. I'm a pretty big mustard hater, but I'm glad I took a risk and used it anyways.





Juicy Turkey Burgers
adapted from America's Test Kitchen via Serious Eats
Printable Recipe
Makes 4-5 burgers

1 1/4 pounds 93% lean ground turkey breast
1/2 c. whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1. Combine turkey, cheese, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and mustard in a medium bowl until blended. Divide the mixture into 4-5 portions. Lightly toss one portion from hand to hand to form a ball, then lightly flatten the ball with your fingertips into a 1-inch-thick patty. Repeat with the remaining portions.

2. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet (preferably cast iron or stainless steel with an aluminum core) over medium heat until very hot. Swirl the oil in the pan to coat the bottom. Add the burgers and cook over medium heat without moving them until the bottom of each is dark brown and crusted, 3-4 minutes. Turn the burgers over; continue to cook until the bottom is light brown but not yet crusted, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

3. Reduce the heat to low, position the cover slightly ajar on the pan to allow steam to escape, and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes longer, flipping once to promote deep browning, or until the center is completely opaque yet juicy or an instant-read thermometer inserted from the side of the burger into the center registers 160 degrees. Remove from pan and serve immediately.

A Little Experiment

Happy Saturday, y'all! I'm making a few small changes to the blog, so this is a little experiment. Hope you have a great Springy weekend!

Backyard pear blossoms in full bloom: