Zucchini-Banana Muffins

Zucchini-banana muffins are both sweet from the bananas and healthy from all the rich fiber from the zucchini and whole wheat flour.  I use King Arthur's Whole Wheat White flour in this recipe so it packs in the fiber but has a mellower taste them regular whole wheat flour.  I decided to try an experiment on these fiber rich muffins by exchanging some of the sugar from this recipe with Blue Agave sweetener.  Blue Agave sweetener has a lower glycemic index then regular sugar and is made from the agave plant.  If you are in the mood to experiment try this all natural sweetener in your next muffin recipe.  These muffins freeze well so make a double batch of muffins and freeze them for your kids lunches.

Zucchini-Banana Muffins:
Makes:  18 regular muffins or 35 small muffins
Pre-Heat oven:  350 degrees

1 large zucchini, shredded
2 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Blue Agave sweetener or 1/4 cup additional sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 1/2 cups King Arthur's Whole White White Flour or all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, 60% Cocao, like Ghirardelli

1.  In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the sugar, agave sweetener and oil together for 1 minute.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy about 2 minutes.  Add the vanilla, cinnamon, mashed banana, salt, baking powder and whole wheat flour and mix until all the ingredients have been incorporated.

Shredded Zucchini

Zucchini-Banana Batter

2.  Line the muffin tins with cupcake liners and spray them with cooking spray.  Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way up.  Cook the muffins in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes for the regular sized muffins and 15 minutes for the mini- muffins or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Filled Muffin Tins

Mini and Regular Sized Zucchini-Banana Muffins

Gnocchi With Tomato Sauce

Gnocchi with tomato sauce is a winter comfort food.  My twin boys Alex and George stated in the car ride home from school that they would like me to make Gnocchi for dinner tomorrow night.  So I searched my cookbooks and found a gnocchi recipe from Mario Batali's cook book called "Molto Italiano".  This recipe makes enough for two meals so I just froze half of the gnocchi on cookie sheets to use for another night when I am running behind.

Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce:

Serves:  10

3 pounds Russet Potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 extra large egg
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup canola oil

1.  Wash and peel the potatoes.  Cut the potatoes in small cubes and cook in a large pot of salted water.  Cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and remove all the water.  Mash the potatoes while they are still warm with a hand mixer or vegetable mill.

Mashed Potatoes

2.  In a large pot of boiling water add 1 tablespoon of salt.  Set up an ice bath (a large bowl of cold water and ice) next to your stove.

3.  In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, flour, egg, salt and canola oil together.  When the dough comes together dump it onto a floured work surface and need the dough for 4 minutes or until the dough is dry to the touch.  If the dough is too sticky add small amounts of flour so you can work easily with the dough.

Gnocchi Dough

4.  Divide the dough into 6 balls.  Roll the the dough out into 6 rope like pieces about 3/4" in diameter and cut into 1" pieces with a knife or pizza cutter.  Roll each piece with the back of a fork to create ridges.  Drop the Gnocchi into the boiling water in 6 different batches and cook for 1 minute or until they float up to the top.  Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon and place them directly into the ice bath.  Continue with the other 5 batches of gnocchi in the boiling water and ice bath.

Dividing The Gnocchi Dough Into 6 Different Pieces With Dough Cutter

 Cutting The Gnocchi Dough Into 1" Pieces And Marking Them With A Fork

Cooked Gnocchi Toasted With Olive Oil

5.  Drain the gnocchi from the ice water bath. Place them in a large bowl and toss with olive oil.  The gnocchi can be stored, covered in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

6.  Re-heat gnocchi in a pan on medium heat with hot tomato sauce.  Heat the gnocchi until they are hot and the tomato sauce starts to bubble.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese  and fresh mozzarella before you serve them.

Tomato Sauce:
Serves:  5

1 28 oz. can Cento Italian style peeled tomatoes
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
1 cup sweet onions, diced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, like Mc Cormick's Tuscan Gourmet Collection
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into small chunks

1.  Puree the can of tomatoes with a hand mixer.
2.  In a large saucepan on medium high heat, saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes.  Add the pureed tomatoes, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to the onions and garlic.  Lower the heat and cook the tomato sauce for 15 minutes.  Remove the the heat.  Serve hot over gnocchi with fresh parmesan cheese and chunks of fresh mozzarella.

Diced Sweet Onions

 Tomato Sauce

Gnocchi In Tomato Sauce

Black Bottom Chocolate Cream Pie

Black Bottom chocolate cream pie is fun to make with your kids.  My kids love stirring the rich custard filling while it cooks and painting the crust with dark melted chocolate.  If your kids are like mine they need to bee doing something with their hands all the time.  This recipe allows them to help you in the kitchen and keep those hands busy in a creative way.  This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's cook book called "The Baking Handbook".  I made this recipe healthier by adding none fat milk instead of whole milk. This lowers the fat content, but I bet you will not know the difference since you are adding a rich layer of dark chocolate to the crust.  The black bottom crust helps keep the crust crunchy and will not allow it to get soggy even the next day.

Makes:  1 9 inch deep dish pie
Pre-Heat Oven:  400 degrees

1 9 inch deep dish pie crust, like Marie Callendar's
1 large egg plus 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 cups cold none-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces semi sweet chocolate, small pieces

1.  Line the frozen pie crust with parchment paper.  Add 2 cups dried beans to the top of the parchment paper.  Cook pie crust at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Remove the beans and parchment paper and continue to cook the crust for another 7 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow the crust to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

2.  Whisk the egg and egg yolks in a medium size bowl with a wire whisk and set aside.  In a medium size saucepan on medium high heat, place the cold milk, salt, sugar and cornstarch and whisk together until there are no lumps.  Allow the milk to come to a simmer and then lower the heat and cook for 3 more minutes until thick.  Remove from the heat.

3.  Remove one cup of the hot milk and add it slowly to the eggs while whisking the eggs the whole time (tempering the liquids together).  Then slowly add the eggs to the hot milk while whisking them all together (continue to whisk or you will have scrambled eggs).  Put the saucepan back on the heat and cook the liquid until it starts to simmer again and thickens up about 2-3 minutes.  Remove the saucepan  from the heat and stir in the 2 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate pieces. Place the saucepan directly into a large bowl of ice water (a bowl full of ice and cold water) for 20 minutes.  When the custard has cooled remove the saucepan and place the custard into a medium size bowl that has a cover and continue to cool the custard in the refrigerator until cold.  The custard is good for up to one day in the refrigerator.

Cooking The Chocolate Custard

Whip Cream And Chocolate Bottom Crust
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons powder sugar
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips like Ghirardeli 60% Cacao, melted

1.  In a mixer with the whip attachment on high, beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks appear.  Lower the speed and add the vanilla and powder sugar.  Return the mixer to high and beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks appear.  Keep the whip cream in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the pie.

2.  In a small microwaveable bowl, add the chocolate chips and microwave on high for 45 seconds.  Take the bowl out and stir the chocolate.  Return the bowl back to the microwave for 1 more minute.  Stir the chocolate and make sure all of it had melted.  Using a pastry brush, brush on the melted chocolate over the entire pie crust.  Freeze the crust for 10 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened then remove it from the freezer.  The hardened crust can be saved in a cool dry place for 1 day.

Brushing The Crust With Melted Chocolate

3.Fill the crust with the chocolate custard.  Then add a thick layer of whip cream to the top of the custard.  Serve immediately or save in the refrigerator.

Topping The Chocolate Custard With Whipping Cream

Black Bottom Chocolate Cream Pie

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie

Brown sugar pumpkin pie is a sweet creamy pumpkin pie.  My son Alex, loves pumpkin pie so I am always on the look out for good easy recipes for pumpkin pie.  Pumpkin is a terrific vegetable packed with vitamins and beta carotene.  This recipe comes from the Food Network Kitchens.  I did try for the 1st time an organic pumpkin from whole foods for this recipe and I think the results were terrific.  If you are looking for a fast and healthy dessert for your family this is the dessert for you.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie:

Makes:  1 9 inch Deep dish pie

Pre-Heat Oven:  400 degrees, 350 degrees

1 frozen pie crust:  like Marie Calendars

1 can, 15 oz. unsweetened organic pumpkin puree, about 2 cups

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups half and half

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons powder sugar

1.  Line the frozen pie crust with parchment paper.  Place 2 cups of dry beans on top of the parchment paper and bake the crust at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Remove the beans and parchment paper and continue to cook the crust for 7 more minutes.  Allow the crust to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

2.  I a large bowl place the pumpkin, brown sugar eggs, half and half, cinnamon, salt, ginger, allspice and nutmeg and mix together with a wire whisk until all the ingredients have been incorporated.  Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

3.  Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake the pie for 50-60 minutes.   Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.  Serve the pie at room temperature with a big scoop of whip cream.

4.  In a mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on high until it thickens, lower the speed and add the vanilla and powder sugar to the cream.  Beat on high until the whip cream has thickened.  Serve on top of the pumpkin pie.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie

Tiropitas

Tiropitas are a greek appetizer that is loaded with 3 types of cheese and incased in a flaky phyllo crust.  I have made this recipe 3 times for different parties and each time they were eaten up as fast as I could bake them.  This cheesy appetizer works great because you can make them ahead and freeze them.  This allows you to free up your time the day of a big party.  I just made these for my nieces graduation party and they were a big hit with the kids, adults and all the grandparents.

Tiropitas:
Makes:  45 tiropitas
Pre-Heat Oven:  375 degrees

2 green onions, finely diced
1 tablespoon butter, melted
9 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 # crumbled feta
15 oz. ricotta
4 cups shredded gruye cheese
1 tablespoon fresh dill weed, finely chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
1.  Place all the above ingredients into a mixer with a paddle attachment and mix for 3 minutes or until all the ingredients have been incorporated.

Assembling the Tiropitas:
1 box phyllo dough
1 stick butter, melted

1.  Melt the butter in a small microwaveable bowl in the microwave for 1 minute or until it has melted.
2.  Lay the thawed phyllo dough on a clean work surface.  Place one sheet of phyllo dough on the counter and butter the sheet with a pastry brush. Repeat until you have 3 buttered sheets of phyllo on top of each other.  Cut the phyllo sheets with a sharp knife, 3 inches apart giving you 4 different strips length wise.
3.  Place 1 scoop of filling,  about 1 tablespoon, on the right side of the bottom of the strip.  Begin to fold the strip diagonally  all the way to the top of the strip.  Seal the edge with butter to the filling is sealed in the middle of the phyllo dough. (If you are going to freeze these and cook them later, place the tiropitas in a container that is lined with parchment paper.  Fill the container and freeze up to 2 weeks).
4.  Bake the tiropitas on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Watch them carefully because they will burn very easily because of all the butter.  (If the tiropitas are frozen, place them on a baking sheet from the frozen state.  You will have to increase the cooking time by just a few minutes).

Tiropitas

Coconut Cake With Marshmallow Coconut Frosting

Coconut cake with marshmallow frosting is a beautiful white cake that has a sticky white frosting which is coated with toasted coconut flakes.  I made this cake for New Years day to match the 7 inches of white snow that Denver received over night.  My kids and I went sledding in the new snow and I decided we needed a white coconut cake to match are outdoor experience.  This recipe comes from Thomas Keller's new cook book called "Ad Hoc At Home".  I  changed the name of the cake because the frosting reminded me of marshmallow's covered with toasted coconut.  I ended up replacing the coconut milk in the original recipe with none fat milk and 1 teaspoon of coconut extract.  This cake makes an impressive presentation and tastes nutty from the coconut and sticky sweet from the marshmallow like frosting.

Coconut Cake With Marshmallow Coconut Frosting:

Pre-Heat Oven:  350 degrees
Serves:  12

1 cup none fat milk or 15 ounces of coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract (if you used the none fat milk)
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup egg whites (from 6 large eggs)
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature

2 cups dried shredded coconut, toasted
meringue/marshmallow Frosting

1.  In a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until medium soft peaks appear.  Add 1 1/4 cups sugar to the egg whites and beat until medium peaks appear.  Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Place the egg whites in another bowl so you can use this bowl for the next step.

Egg Whites And Sugar Beaten Until Medium Peaks 

2.  In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and continue to beat the batter until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and coconut extract, salt, baking powder into the batter and mix well.  Alternate the flour and the milk into the batter and make sure you scrape down the bowl.  This batter will be thick.

Cake Batter

3.  By hand, fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the cake batter.  Then add the remaining 2/3 of the egg whites into the batter.  Don't over mix.

4.  Divide the batter into two 9 inch greased cake pans.  Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 23-26 minutes or until your tooth pick comes out clean.  Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack for at least for 10 minutes.  Then invert the cakes onto a parchment lined plater and allow to finish cooling.

1st Layer Of Cooked Coconut Cake

5.  Place the coconut onto a cookie sheet at bake for 6-8 minutes or until all the coconut has browned.  Allow the coconut to cool.


Meringue/Marshmallow Frosting:
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.  In a medium saucepan, cook 1 1/4 cups sugar and the water over medium heat until the temperature reaches 220 degrees and the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes.

2.  In a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they become foamy, then gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of sugar to the egg whites.  Increase the speed to high and whip until the egg whites form soft white peaks.  Slowly add the liquid sugar syrup to the egg whites, pouring it down the side of the bowl.  Add the vanilla extract and continue to whip the whites until stiff peaks form and the bowl is cool.  Frost Cake immediately with frosting.

Pouring The Liquid Sugar Syrup Into the Egg Whites

Meringue/Marshmallow Frosting

Decorating the cake:
1.  Frost the 1st layer of the cake with 1/3 of the meringue/marshmallow frosting.  Sprinkle the top of the cake with 1/2 cup of coconut.
2.  Frost the 2nd layer of the cake and the sides with the remaining frosting and sprinkle with remaining coconut over the top and sides of the cake.  This cake is best served the day you make it.

Frosting The Coconut Cake With Meringue/Marshmallow Frosting

Coconut Cake With Marshmallow Coconut Frosting

Rack Of Pork Arista

Rack of pork arista is a special treat that I prepared for new year's day.  This recipe comes from Thomas Keller's new cook book "Ad Hoc At Home".  Thomas Keller is the owner of the famous French Laundry restaurant in California.  Which is rated the best restaurant in the country.  My family gave me this new cookbook for my 42nd birthday.  This recipe is a little time consuming but makes a wonderful center piece for your next big special event.  Thomas Keller likes to brine his meats which I had never done before with a rack of pork.  The pork arista turned out tender as butter and you could taste all the different flavors in the crust.  The cook book stated "that legend had it that the Greek and the Roman churches were fighting so they had a dinner to work out the differences".  "They were served this dish of roasted pork seasoned with cloves, pepper, garlic, fresh herbs and all the dignitaries were heard to murmur, Arista, arist (This is terrific, the best), so it was called".

Rack of Pork Arista:

Serves:  8
Pre-Heat Oven:  350 degrees

Pork Brine:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
12 bay leaves
3 large rosemary sprigs
1/2 bunch thyme
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 cup Kosher salt
8 cups water

1.  Place all the ingredients into a large pot, cover and bring to a boil on medium high heat.  Boil the brine for one minute until all the salt has dissolved.

Ingredients For Pork Brine

Pork Brine Cooked

2.  Remove the brine from the heat and allow to cool.  Then chill before using.  The brine can be made up to 3 days before you need to use it.  This brine is enough for 4 # of pork meat.

Pork Brine: Cold
One 6-8 bone-center cut rack of pork (about 4-5 pounds) bones frenched
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
6 garlic cloves
1 lemon (rind and juice)
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
1 tablespoon minced sage
3 tablespoons canola oil

1.  Pour the cold brine into a container that will hold the pork and submerge the pork in the brine mixture.  Refrigerate the pork in the brine for 10 hours (no longer then 10 hours or it will be so salty).

2.  Remove the pork from the brine  and rinse under cold water.  Pat the pork dry with a paper towel (discard the brine).  Score the fat with a sharp knife making shallow cuts about 1 inch apart.  Don't cut into the meat.

3.  Make the rub for the meat.  Grind the cloves and peppercorns together with a mortar and pestle until pulverized.  Add the grated garlic and zest of the lemon into the peppercorns.  Add a pinch of kosher salt and mash to a paste.  Add the herbs and mash to a paste.  Stir in the juice of the lemon and oil into the paste.  Rub the paste all over the pork roast.  Feel free to season the roast with kosher salt as well about 1 tablespoon.

Herb Paste

Rack Of Pork With Herb Paste

4.  Place the pork roast on a wire rack which is placed in a roasting pan and allow the pork to  rest for 1 hour before you cook it.    Roast the pork in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat temperature has reached 135 degrees to 140 degrees for medium rare. (My roast ended up taking about 1 1/2 hours to cook for medium rare). Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pork to rest for 30 minutes before cutting into the meat.  Carve the meat into chops and arrange on a plater.

Rack Of Pork Arista