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Banana Dutch Baby w/ Maple Bourbon Cream

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Every Sunday, growing up, we would eat banana pancakes. My dad loved them. Well, I loved them too. The bananas would get naturally caramelized when they touched the griddle and the sugars with the maple syrup were a perfect combination. This is my grown up version of my childhood favorite.

If you haven’t had a dutch baby before, its basically a thicker pancake that poofs up when cooked creating this perfect vessel for filling with yummy stuff like bananas. I just happened to have some bourbon on hand and mixed that in with my maple syrup creating a magical mixture.

So, the next time the kiddos are at a sleep over..break out the bourbon and fancy up your breakfast, grown up style.

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Caramelized Banana Dutch Baby with Maple Bourbon Cream

Course Breakfast
Cuisine Breakfast
Keyword Breakfast, Dutch Baby, mardi gras, Pancakes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Maple Bourbon Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp maple bourbon syrup recipes follows

Maple Bourbon Syrup

  • 1 cup good maple syrup
  • 1 tsp bourbon

Dutch Baby

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup warm milk
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 pich salt

Caramelized Bananas

  • 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

Maple Bourbon Syrup

  • Heat syrup and bourbon in a small sauce pan over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.  Let cool before folding into whipped cream.

Maple Bourbon Whipped Cream

  • In a medium bowl, blend on high with a mixer, cream, sugar and vanilla until thick and creamy.
  • Fold in maple bourbon syrup.
  • Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Dutch Baby

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Using a hand mixer, blend eggs, flour, warm milk, sugar, vanilla and salt until combined.
  • Place butter one large or two small cast iron pans in the oven until melted.  Rove from oven and swirl to coat pan with butter.
  • Pour batter evenly into either the two cast iron pans or one large pan. Place in oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until large and poofed up with no jiggle left to it.
  • Rove from oven and top with caramelized banana and maple bourbon whipped cream.

Caramelized Bananas

  • While the dutch baby is cooking, make the caramelized bananas.
  • In a small pan over medium high heat, melt butter.  Place banana slices in pan and toss to coat.  Add brown sugar and cook until browned and sugary 3-5 minutes.

Plate Dutch Baby

  • Spoon caramelized bananas over dutch baby, drizzle a little maple bourbon syrup, top with maple bourbon whipped cream.  Add a lemon slice for fun.

Jambalaya with Shrimp & Andouille Sausage

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A.k.a the one pot wonder dish. No kidding… When word gets around that Jambalaya is on the dinner plan for the week, soon we have half the neighborhood gathered around the table. It’s miracle food, but that’s what food is suppose to be, the thing that brings us all together.

Cajun food is quite often made using fresh seafood, which is one reason why as a Pacific Northwesterner I happen to love Cajun food. The other, of course, is that I married a Southerner. When we were first married, Emeril’s cookbook: Louisiana Real & Rustic was my bible. I’m pretty sure I made nearly every recipe in the book, well, except rabbit, but we won’t go there. So, make this jambalaya, it’s really so easy. Gather your friends around and share stories. I’m pretty sure they’ll be back for more.

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Jambalaya with Shrimp & Andouille Sausage

Course Main Course
Cuisine Seafood
Keyword cajun food, fat tuesday, jambalaya, mardi gras
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 16 large shrimp peeled, deveined
  • 1 ½ cup andouille sausage
  • 1 ½ cup yellow onion chopped
  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 ½ cup stewed tomatoes or 1 – 14 oz can
  • 3 bay leaves
  • ½ tsp cayenne
  • ¼ tsp thyme
  • S & P to taste
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 2 cup chicken broth or fish
  • ½ cup green onions chopped

Instructions

  • In a large cast iron dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.
  • Saute onion, celery, green pepper and garlic until softened.
  • Add andouille and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add stewed tomatoes, bay leaves, cayenne, thyme and S & P and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add rice and chicken broth, cover and cook on medium low until liquid is absorbed about 20 – 25 minutes.
  • Garnish with green onions.

Seafood Gumbo

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Mardi Gras 2019

“Laissez les bons temps rouler” ~ Let the good times roll

We are right around the corner from Mardi Gras and things are beginning to get real flavorful around here! I’ve got a few recipes up my sleeve, but we’re going to start with the most extravagant, it’s Fat Tuesday, you know!

Depending on where you’re from you could celebrate the final feast day before Lent with a fat stack of pancakes OR if you’re southern (or married to a southern boy..like me) with this AMAZING bowl of seafood gumbo. Of course, we make gumbo several times a year, but not like this. This gumbo is the ultimate, packed with Dungeness crab, shrimp and andouille sausage.

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Seafood Gumbo

Course Main Course
Cuisine Seafood, Soups, Stews, Chowders
Keyword cajun food, gumbo, soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

Roux

  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup flour

Gumbo

  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 6 cup seafood or chicken broth
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 5 large bay leaves
  • 1 large Dungeness crab (or your local favorite 1lb +) body shell reserved, if available
  • 8 large shrimp, cleaned well, peeled with tail left on
  • 1 cup andouille sausage, sliced in rounds on a bias
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 3 tsp file powder

Instructions

Roux

  • Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium high heat.  Stir in flour using a wooden spoon.  Continue stirring until roux is copper penny colored.  This could take up to 20 minutes. Do not stop stirring because it will burn and taste horrible.

Gumbo

  • After roux is copper penny colored, add onion, celery and pepper.  Stir to combine 2-3 minutes until softened. 
  • Add broth, cayenne, bay leaves and body shell of crab, if using. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Remove body shell of crab.  Add crab meat, shrimp, andouille sausage, parsley, salt, Cajun seasoning and file powder.  Simmer for another 10 minutes. 
  • Serve with rice, chopped green onions and crusty french bread

Bacon Wrapped Poblano

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Bacon wrapped poblano stuffed with Oaxaca cheese and sausage served in corn crema

One of my favorite dishes to make are stuffed poblanos. I’ve made them a million different ways, but this might just be my favorite. If you’ve ever tried a poblano pepper, sometimes called pasilla pepper, you know that one time you’ll get a spicy one and other times they have a definate kick to them, which makes this sweet corn crema the perfect way to eat these up! These babies are stuffed with a creamy Mexican melting cheese called
Oaxaca and spicy crumbled sausage, them wrapped up in a smokey piece of bacon. You’ll want to make extra of these!

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Bacon Wrapped Poblano

Fire roasted poblano stuffed with creamy Oaxaca cheese and crumbled sausage, wrapped in smokey bacon and served on a plate of corn crema
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword bacon wrapped peppers, pasilla pepper, stuffed pepper, stuffed poblano
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5

Ingredients

Poblano Peppers

  • 5 poblano peppers (pasilla peppers)
  • 1 lb hot ground sausage
  • 10 oz Oaxaca cheese, grated (found in Mexican section of dairy)
  • 5 slices bacon

Corn Crema

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cup corn, frozen
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tsp lime juice, fresh
  • 1/2 tsp sugar

Instructions

Bacon Wrapped Poblano

  • Heat oven on broil
  • Place poblano peppers on sheet pan and broil on each side until blackened
  • Remove from oven and quickly place in a bowl with lid.  Leave here for about 5 minutes to allow the skin to steam off.  After 5 minutes, remove and place on cutting board.
  • Carefully, using the back side of your knife, scrape off the blackened skin. Make a small slip in one side of the pepper and remove seeds.
  • In a medium pan over medium heat, cook sausage untl browned and crumbled.
  • Place bacon slices between two thick paper towels and microwave for two minutes, cooking partially.  Set aside.
  • Stuff peppers with 1/5 of cheese and 1/5 of cooked sausage.
  • Wrap a piece of par cooked bacon around each pepper and secure with a toothpick. 
  • Place on a sheet pan and bake for about 10 minutes while you make the corn crema.

Corn Crema

  • Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat.  Saute onion until softened about 2 minutes. Add corn and cook another two minutes. Add chicken broth, cream, cilantro, lime and sugar. Remove from heat. 
  • Blend mixture using an immersion blender or pour into a standard blender and blend until creamed.

Plate

  • Place a ladle of the corn crema on plate, set poblano on top and serve with desired garnishes such as lime and cilantro.

Roasted Cod with Spinach and Mushrooms

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Flakey roasted cod on a bed of wilted spinach and mushrooms with a lemon shallot sauce.

Monday’s dinner needs to be simple. This Roasted Cod with Spinach and Mushrooms is ready in 15 minutes. Yes, I said 15 minutes! Grab a bag of spinach, a pack of cremini mushrooms and a few fillets of cod, the rest of the ingredients I bet you have on hand.

I like good food. I want it to taste like fine dining restaurant food every time. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled. I like to say I had a really good mom who made meals from scratch and that is what I’m passing down to my kids. Some people look at this plate and think it takes too much effort, but really it just takes a little planning and some fresh items in your fridge.

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Roasted Cod with Wilted Spinach & Mushrooms

Course Main Course
Cuisine Seafood
Keyword 15 minute meals, cod, weeknight dinner
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Roasted Cod

  • 4 fillets cod
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Wilted Spinach & Mushrooms

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced 1 small package
  • 1 tbsp garlic, mined
  • 8 cup spinach 1 small bag
  • 1 pinch red chili flakes

Shallot Lemon Sauce

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp basil, dried
  • tbsp tarragon, dried
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions

  •  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Shallot Lemon Sauce

  • In a small sauce pan over medium high heat, sauté shallot and garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes.  Add butter and stir until melted. Add chicken broth, basil, tarragon and lemon. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

Roasted Cod

  • Heat a large oven safe pan over medium high heat. Season each side of cod fillets with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to hot pan and sear each side of each cod fillet, one minute each side. Place pan in oven and cook for about 5 minutes. This really depends on how thick your fillets are. Cook until opaque in the middle and just starting to flake.    

Wilted Spinach & Mushrooms

  • Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil, then mushrooms, sauté until browned about 4 minutes. Add garlic, spinach and red pepper flakes. Cook until spinach is wilted.

Plate Food

  • Place spinach and mushroom mixture in a mound on plate. Place fillet on top and spoon over shallot lemon sauce.

The BEST Mac N Cheese

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If you love Stouffer’s Mac N Cheese – You will love this!

Who doesn’t love a good mac-n-cheese? My favorite is Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese, yes, found in the frozen section at the grocery. Maybe it’s because I grew up eating it, OR maybe because it’s rich, tangy, creamy and addictively good. The top gets all golden brown and crusted over and when you scoop your spoon in, it’s pure creaminess.

Many recipes have come close, but this is the best yet. It all came together when I got a promotional box of cheese from our PNW local Tillamook Cheese. It’s my favorite cheese and that says a lot because I LOVE CHEESE! I wanted a simple recipe with the fewest ingredients possible (because my friend Brittany says she needs recipes with less spices and less ingredients all together). O.k. Brittany, I know you can make this and LOVE IT!

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The BEST Mac-N-Cheese

Course Main Course
Cuisine Pasta
Keyword mac n cheese, macaroni and cheese, pasta, stouffer’s mac n cheese, the best macaroni and cheese
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 lb large elbow macaroni
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 cup milk
  • 2 cup cream
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp dry mustard powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Tillamook sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 cup Tillamook medium cheddar cheese, shredded

Topping

  • 1 cup Tillamook medium cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Tillamook sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

  • Boil large elbow macaroni according to directions.
  • In a large sauce pan melt butter over medium low heat
  • Stir in flour and continue to stir, cooking for about 3 to 5 minutes.  Basically you make a roux and want to not only combine the mixture, but cook the flour taste out as well.
  • Gradually pour in milk and cream, stirring continuously to combine well.
  • Stir in paprika, dry mustard powder and salt.
  • Gradually stir in the first set of cheeses, reserving the cheese designated for topping.  Stir until creamy.
  • Gently fold together the cheese sauce and the cooked large elbow macaroni.
  • Pour mixture into a baking dish. (Try not to eat massive spoonfuls during this process).
  • Top with remaining topping cheese.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, then switch to broil and broil for 5 minutes or until golden browned on top.

Steak with Port Wine Sauce

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Steak with Port Wine Sauce

Class up your favorite steak with this easy Port Wine Sauce.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Beef
Keyword port wine sauce, quick demi glace, steak sauce, valentines recipes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 Tri Tip or New York steaks
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Port Wine Sauce

  • ¾ cup port wine
  • ½ cup beef broth
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp drippings from steak

Instructions

  • Season steaks with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with olive oil 
  • Let rest at room temp until grill is ready
  • Grill steaks until desired doneness (I like mine medium rare 135 degrees)
  • When done, let rest under a sheet of foil
  • Collect drippings
  • Make port wine sauce

Port Wine Sauce

  • In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add port wine and drippings
  • Bring to a simmer
  • Combine beef broth and cornstarch in small dish and mix well.  Add mixture to port wine.
  • Simmer on medium high until thickened
  • Add butter and remove from heat
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste

Cola Shredded Pork Sliders with Kale Apple Slaw

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Using coca cola when cooking pork roast adds such a nice caramelized outer crust that is hard to get when cooking in liquid, but this method sears the roast first, sealing in all the flavor and cooks in cola for extra flavor and color. My friend made a batch of pickled jalapenos and for my birthday I was lucky enough to get a couple jars, which meant I needed a recipe to use them with and this Cola Shredded Pork Sliders with Kale Apple Slaw sounded just perfect. I just happened to have kale and apples in my fridge and they hold up nicely in this slaw, which can be kept in the fridge for a day, in case you have leftovers! This recipe is pretty easy and can be made in a slow cooker, but you won’t get the same outer crust.

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Cola Shredded Pork Sliders with Kale Apple Slaw

Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza, Pork
Keyword bbq pork, bourbon sliders, pulled pork, sliders
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 5 lb pork picnic roast, bone in
  • 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown mustard
  • 1 tbsp bacon grease or lard
  • 2 cans coca cola
  • 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
  • 1/4 cup Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon BBQ sauce plus extra for serving
  • 1 1/2 cup water or enough to just cover the roast
  • 2 packages brioche slider rolls warmed

Kale Apple Slaw

  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut in matchsticks
  • 1 apple, peeled and cut in matchsticks
  • 3 cups kale, thinly chopped
  • 1/2 cup purple cabbage, thinly chopped
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 splash milk to thin
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Rub roast with brown mustard. Massage in Cajun seasoning and brown sugar.
  • Heat a large cast iron pot over medium high heat.
  • Place bacon grease in pot and sear roast, rotating sides until browned all over.
  • Add coca cola, onion, BBQ sauce and water.
  • Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 4 hours or until when pierced with fork, meat pulls away in strands.

Kale Apple Slaw

  • In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, milk and salt / pepper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine vegetables and toss with mayonnaise mixture. Let site for at least 5-10 minutes.
  • Serve over shredded pork on a slider roll.  Add pickled jalapenos. if desired.

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Crispy Fried Shallots

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We finally got our snow day in the PNW and man, does that make me hungry! It’s hard work playing in the snow all day. The creamy roasted parsnip soup is loaded in Vitamin C and super filling. Top it with crispy fried shallots or your favorite toppings like bacon or chives.

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Roasted Parsnip Soup

Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Soups, Stews, Chowders
Keyword parsnip, root vegetables, vegetarian soup, winter soup
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
  • 5 large parsnips, peeled and rough chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cup celery, sliced
  • 1 bunch rainbow carrots, sliced
  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Place parsnips and onion on sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Place in oven and roast for about 45 minutes or until golden in parts and able to pierce with a fork.
  • In a soup pot over medium high heat, saute celery, carrots and garlic in butter until softened, abut 5 minutes.  
  • Add roasted parsnips and onion to soup pot, cover with chicken broth and add thyme sprigs.
  • Simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Using an immersion blender (pour into regular blender and pulse if not using immersion) blend until fairly smooth.  Add cream and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
  • Top with crispy fried shallots or chives, bacon, etc. 

Crispy Fried Shallots

  • Thinly slice 3-4 large shallots.  Place in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Let soak for 30 minutes. (No buttermilk? It’s o.k. just mix 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp. white vinegar)
    Remove shallots from buttermilk and toss in 1 cup flour. Pan fry in vegetable oil over high heat until golden brown. 
    Remove and drain.

Snapper in Spicy Tomato Broth

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Lightly coated snapper in a spicy tomato broth

Sometimes simple is satisfying. This recipe features a fillet of snapper that has been lightly coated in cornmeal and gently pan fried. The fillet sits in a simple broth of Mexican inspired herbs and spices.

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Snapper in Spicy Tomato Broth

Lightly coated snapper in a simple spicy tomato broth
Course Main Course
Cuisine Seafood
Keyword mexican, snapper, soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Snapper:

  • 4 small fillets snapper
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Broth:

  • ½ yellow onion frenched
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 5 cherry tomatoes halved
  • ⅓ jalapeno sliced
  • 1 tomato chicken bouillon cube
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ tsp coriander
  • ¼ tsp New Mexico chili powder
  • 1 pinch red chili flakes

Instructions

Make broth:

  • In a pot over medium heat cook onions in olive oil until softened.
  • Add cherry tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add remaining broth ingredients, cook on low until fish is done.

Make fish:

  • Combine cornmeal and flour in a small bowl.
  • Dredge each fillet in cornmeal mixture.
  • Pan fry in butter and olive oil over medium heat until golden brown.
  • Serve in broth.