Happy Aloha Friday and some Banana Bread!

Good morning! It is beautiful today in the Pacific Northwest.  I woke up to sun streaming in my window, birds chirping, and oh the beeping of construction trucks.  Besides the last thing on that list, today feels like its going to be an awesome day.  Starting with ..... what to do with 2 overly ripe bananas? Ummmm make some banana bread! I got right to it and it took me less than an hour to make and bake this! This is a fast and quick recipe.

Banana Bread
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of walnuts
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of mashed overripe banana

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
• Combine flour, baking soda, salt and set aside.  In another bowl, cream together brown sugar and butter.  Stir in eggs and mashed bananas and mix.  Combine dry and wet ingredients along with walnuts, do not over mix. Pour into pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan and then take out.  

Yummy!

It's so moist with a nice crust on the top!

Simple and an awesome way to get rid of some leftover bananas!  It also makes your house smell yummy! Although I have to work tonight, I'm happy I got to spend some time chilling with a friend, jam to some music, and bake. Happy Aloha Friday!!

Burgers and things....

Some interesting foods and things that I've encountered and made these past couple of days. Enjoy!

Interesting....

Boston cream pie was a thumbs down for me.  The ice cream portion was really sweet, but I was told the little cake pieces really did taste like the pie.  Oh well, Cherry Garcia is still my favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor! The Johnny's was a thumbs in the middle.  It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't bad at all. A bit overly salty, but once you got past that with a large glass of water, it tasted pretty good.

Turkey Burger with sauteed onions and mushrooms

(turkey mixed with chopped parsley, green onion, garlic, pepper, & salt)

I had some ciabatta buns and ground turkey in the fridge, so decided to whip together some healthy burgers for lunch! Throw in an egg with everything nice that is getting mixed in with the meat and you're ready to grill some burgers.  Also, while you're at it saute up some nice crimini mushrooms and onions to top it off. Yum!

Froyo time!

Churn, churn, churn!

Delicious!

Frozen Yogurt

- 3 cups strained yogurt or Greek-style yogurt
- 2/3 cup sugar

• Mix together the yogurt and sugar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Obon dances remind me of summers back at home in Hawaii.  I lived a block away from a temple and on summer nights I would hear the pounding of the taiko drums and the sound of Japanese singing.  It was fun watching everyone dance and the weather was great!

Seattle Bon Odori!

Fun!

Obon dancing!

So cute!

Summer is in full swing and I am enjoying these long days.  Hope you all are having a great summer as well!

Fruit Tart

My first attempt at a fruit tart with my brand new tart pan! I'm also trying out a new recipe that I found off of allrecipes.  It had fantastic ratings and I'm hoping those ratings ring true when the taste test comes tonight.

White Chocolate Fruit Tart
Crust
- 3/4 c butter softened
-1/2 c powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 c of flour
Filling
- 1 10 oz pack of white chocolate chips melted
- 1/4 c whipping cream
- 1 8 oz pack of cream cheese
- fresh berries (raspberries,  blackberries)
- 1 sliced kiwi
- canned mandarin oranges with juice
Glaze
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice 

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour; mix well. Press into an ungreased 11-in. tart pan with removable bottom or 12-in. pizza pan with sides. Bake at 300 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack

For filling, in a small mixing bowl, beat melted chips and cream. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Spread over crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drain mandarin oranges, reserving 1/2 cup juice; set juice aside. Arrange the berries, oranges, and kiwi over filling.

For glaze, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in lemon juice and reserved mandarin juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool; brush over fruit. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.  

Ingredients for the filling 

Glaze in progress

Glazed fruit tart!

The entire tart making process was not difficult, just time consuming.  The crust came out beautifully with a minor crack that I fixed by putting a thin layer of melted white chocolate.  As for the filling, it was the first time I've ever heard of using white chocolate as part of a base.  I melted the chips in my own makeshift double boiler which I then transferred into a bowl with my cream cheese and whipping cream.  I would suggest definitely using a mixer to get the creamy consistency.  The rest of the process was the fun fruit arranging and glazing of the tart.  I didn't have a brush for my glazing, so it was hard to get a consistent layer across the entire top, but regardless glazing got done.  

Tart making is not as hard as I thought it would be.  I definitely want to try more with different fillings and fruits as they start coming into season.  I think to prevent cracks from happening, I will fill a pie pan with dried beans or rice and place over the crust as it is cooking and I will be picking up a brush for glazing.  Perfection will come, but for now I am content with my first ever fruit tart! 

Baking Time!

Spring is in the air and temperatures were up in the 60's today! Exciting!  The cherry blossoms and the sun are out and I think winter is finally coming to an end.  To celebrate that I decided to make some yummy cookies!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Bowl of yumminess

Not skimping on the chocolate!

Ready to go in the oven!

 Nom nom nom!

This recipe has never failed me yet.  I substituted half of the flour with whole wheat flour for a healthier and crispier cookie! In addition to a happy tummy, I also have a wonderful smelling kitchen!