Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are hands-down my favorite muffins.  I stumbled across a blog called For the Love of Cooking and found this recipe.  The muffins come out moist and delicious and are easy to make.  They are also a good way to use up ripe bananas.  I make these all the time!

***I have recently discovered that if you have very ripe bananas that are in danger of becoming rotten, put them in the freezer before then.  The peels will turn black, but when you take them out and peel them, they will be ready to use.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins original recipe here 

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup of canola oil
1/2 cup of fat free vanilla yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large, very ripe bananas
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, white sugar and brown sugar until well combined. In another bowl, mix the egg, oil, yogurt, vanilla and mushed bananas until mixed thoroughly. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Don't overmix. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and a tester inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Cool completely before storing.

Bacon, Tomato & Onion Pasta

So, we have had a busy past couple of weeks.  We were out of town for two weeks visiting family.  While it was great to be with everyone, I can't say I was sorry to be home.  I missed my house, my bed, most of all cooking.  The night we got home, all I wanted was comfort food.  And when I think comfort food, I think of something I grew up on and ate very frequently- pasta. 

I got this recipe awhile ago out of a Rachel Ray magazine.  I made a few changes and halved the recipe.  To me, this was simple comfort food.  It only has a few ingredients and is not anything fancy, but it defintely hit the spot.   Oh, and I don't normally cook with bacon, but we had some left over, so this recipe was perfect.

Bacon, Tomato & Onion Pasta adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine

8 oz. thin spaghetti

5 slices of bacon

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 large egg yolk

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 cup parmesan  cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2-3/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water

salt and pepper

In boiling, salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water.  In a large pan, cook 5 slices of bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon and discard most of the bacon fat, except 1 tablespoon.  Add onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until softened.  Add chopped tomatoes of and cook for 2 minutes more.  Add pasta water (start with 1/2 cup) and bring to a boil.  Add the rest of the water if needed.  Stir in the spaghetti and remove from heat.  Stir in the egg yolk.  Add the bacon and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with extra cheese on top.  

Grilled Steak Fries with Citrus-Thyme Aioli

Sorry, this picture is so terrible, but the end result was quite delicious.  I got this recipe from watching Bobby Flay's Grill It!  Since I didn't feel like making Marc bother with the grill, I broiled them in the oven instead.  I made these to go along with turkey burgers the other night.  I usually have a hard time getting my oven fries crispy and browned.  Since I can eat potatoes cooked ANY way, it usually doesn't bother me too much, but I still keep trying.  These turned out perfectly golden and crisp.  I am also usually too lazy to make any dipping sauce to go along with my fries.  Ketchup is just so much easier.  I am so glad I actually took the time to make the aioli.  It had a slight citrus flavor and the coolness really complemented the hot fries. 

Grilled Steak Fries with Citrus-Thyme Aioli from this recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com/
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest, Meyer lemons, preferred (I only had regular.)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 russet potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves (I used fresh rosemary instead.)

Preheat oven to broil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic, zests, thyme, paprika, honey and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Put the potatoes in a pot of cold water, add 2 tablespoons of salt and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, but still firm, about 10 minutes. Drain, let cool and cut each potato lengthwise into 8 slices.

Place evenly on a baking sheet and brush the potatoes with oil.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Broil for 10 minutes and then flip fries to the other side.  Cook for around another 10 minutes, until fries are golden brown. 

Serve warm with aioli.