Ultimate Banana Cake | The Ingredients of You and Me

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

How does embarking on new adventures, cementing good friendships, moments packed with sexual tension, and getting your mojo back sound? Good, right!? I think so, which is why I adored The Ingredients of You and Me, the 3rd book in Nina Bocci's Hopeless Romantics series. To be fair, I fell for the residents of Hope Lake halfway into the first book when I read it last year, so that soft spot was just waiting for another installment.

A few months ago I shared this Garlic Parmesan Wings recipe inspired by book 2, and today I'll be sharing a book 3-inspired recipe with you as part of my TLC Book Tours stop!

Brown Butter Garam Masala Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Do you have a certain ingredient that you have to stock up on during the holiday season? For me, it's butter. Both my fridge and my freezer are piled high from October through December, and I still find myself dangerously low sometimes. While a fair share does go towards baking and sweets, I love the richness it adds to savory dishes.

Brown Butter Nut Bread | #RedwallAugust

Hey, hey, it's #RedwallAugust! Ummm...it's what now?

I very well may be the last person to hear of this series of 23 children's fantasty novels written by Brian Jacques, and first released in 1986. But, not only is it a popular book series, there are also a bunch of adaptations that include about 10 "related" books that like The Great Redwall Feast, The Redwall Graphic Novel, and The Redwall Cookbook (which I just checked out from the library). There has also been a Redwall television series (1999) and even an opera based on the first book in the series.

Spiced Blueberry Peach Streusel Muffins

I'm super excited about two things today: delicious muffins (I'm super picky about muffins...weird, right?) and an amazing giveaway—both of which are related to a book that you have to get your hands on if you don't have it already, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. As you may have guessed, this comes from the same people who brought us The Flavor Bible, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

If you're not familiar with either, they are both very useful, working books. Not so much cookbooks, because they don't contain recipes, but rather tools. The Vegetarian Flavor Bible has around 550 pages...the first 90 or so are an introduction to a proper vegetarian diet. You'll find vegetable protein sources. as well as tips on how to maximize flavor. Plus, there's an extremely cool timeline of Vegetarianism Through the Ages. Even if you do not adhere to a strict vegetarian diet, there is so much to inspire in the first 90 pages alone.

Moving on to the remaining 450+ pages, you'll find ingredients listed alphabetically from Acai to Zucchini Blossoms—this is where you'll turn to match flavors. Under each ingredient is listed most (or all) of the following things:

• Season: peak growing season for ingredient
• Flavor: ingredient's primary taste
• Volume: relative flavor, or "loudness" of ingredient
• What it is: a brief description of less common ingredients
• What's healthful about it: nutrients, health benefits, etc

Brown Butter-Blueberry-Bacon Pancakes + Homemade Instant Pancake Mix

Happy National Blueberry Pancake Day!

I know.  Really, I do.  You're shaking your head and murmuring about how there is no such thing as a national day celebrating blueberry pancakes.  But I'm just throwing back a shrug and a half-grin and saying gently how there actually is a national day celebrating blueberry pancakes.  And that today is that day.

Gnocchi bathed in Brown Butter and Thyme

I've mentioned before how I enjoy the sensuousness of tender gnocchi pillows.  And how adding the deep nuttiness of browned butter makes them downright sexy (especially when paired with earthy sage).  Now...thyme may not be quite as seductive as sage, but there was something else that elevated this particular bowl of gnocchi to another level.  Making the gnocchi from scratch.  Getting your hands involved.  Feeling the dough come together with seamless effort.  While I have no problem with picking up a package of gnocchi that was made by other hands, I definitely think that taking an extra 20 minutes to nurture your own turns sexy into euphoric.

Gnocchi bathed in Brown Butter & Thyme

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

makes ~60 gnocchi

¼ c. butter
1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
1 (1 lb.) russet potato
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. finely ground black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
¼ c. all-purpose flour (+ more as "kneaded")
 Parmesan, freshly grated

Prick your potato all over, place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for ~12 minutes, turning halfway through.  Put a large pot of water on to boil.  Let the potato cool for a couple of minutes, then carefully cut it in half and peel away the skin, or scoop the flesh from it.  Place potato in a large bowl and mash it well with a fork.  Add salt and pepper and mix.  Measure out three tablespoons of the egg and mix that into the mixture, as well (discard remaining).  Sift the flour over the top and begin to work it in gently.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface to finish kneading all of the flour in. Dough should not be sticky...add a bit more flour, if needed.

Put the butter in a heavy skillet over low heat until it begins to brown and smell nutty and amazing, ~5-7 minutes (but keep a close eye on it). Turn off the heat and stir in the thyme leaves.  Set aside for now.

Turn your attention back the dough, then divide it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your palms and the work surface into a rope (about 15" long & ½" in diameter). Cut the dough into 1" pieces. Roll each piece of dough over a wooden gnocchi paddle with ridges (if you're lucky enough to have one) or simply over the tines of a lightly floured fork (if you're not) to form grooves in the dough.  I just push down lightly with my thumb or finger and roll it down the tines.

By now your water should be boiling, so salt it liberally and then gently the gnocchi in and cook until the gnocchi rise to the surface, about 1 minute...then continue cooking until the gnocchi are tender, about 4 more minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the warm browned thyme butter skillet and toss gently to coat.

Transfer to serving bowls and grate Parmesan over each serving.

Sharing this post with:
~ IHCC  where our theme this week is Spuds! (One week left to cook with Giada, then we welcome Jamie Oliver. Yay!)
~Claire at Chez Cayenne who is hosting PPN this week.

Gnocchi w/ Mizithra in Brown Butter & Sage ...watch out JT, I'm bringin' sexy back!

They slide over your tongue like a deep, sexy kiss.  You feel your eyelids dropping closed while your brows are reaching for the sky in a moment.  A moment lost in rich, buttery ecstasy.  Butterflies in the pit of your stomach...excited chills up and down your spine...the newness of disrobing these soft pillows of that subtle, seductive nuttiness that envelopes them.  But it's more than just the newness of the relationship...because it seems as if you've been there before.  Familiar, earthy, comforting...  Sure, there's a hint of something unexpected...something creamy...but that just mingles and melts and you know it must have been there all along.

Gnocchi w/ Mizithra in Brown Butter & Sage

from the kitchen of girlichef

makes ~4 servings

1 lb. gnocchi

4 oz. butter

big pinch of sage

7 oz. mizithra, crumbled

sea salt 

freshly ground black pepper

Put a large pot of water on and salt it just after it comes to a boil.  Drop the gnocchi into the water and cook until they all float.

In the meantime, put the butter in a large, deep pot over medium-low heat.  Swirl it around a bit and watch it until it begins to turn golden and a gorgeous, nutty smell is released.  Throw in a big pinch of fresh, chopped sage (or rubbed sage if you don't have any fresh). Turn off heat.

About this time, the gnocchi should be done.  Scoop them out of the water with a slotted ladle or skimmer and drop directly into the pot with the butter and sage.  A bit of the cooking water will come with them, but that is exactly what you want...to bring some of those starches along to help form that seductive sauce.  Turn the heat back on, as low as it will go and then drop in the crumbled mizithra.  Toss everything around, ever-so-gently.  Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.  Take off heat.

Dish up ecstasy.

Although you never want it to end, you know that this is just the beginning of something that will last for the rest of your life.  Heck, you know it'll last through lifetimes...you've found your soul mate.  That dreamy look clouds your eyes as you relive your first time together...and anticipate all that is to come.

*This post is linked to:

Presto Pasta Nights is being hosted by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours this week!

I'm choppin' Broccoli

Yup, still working on clearing out the kitchen pantry, cupboards, fridge, etc. I had a couple of heads of broccoli staring at me from the crisper...meant, with best intentions, to be used for BSI a week or so back. Many people mentioned that when they do a cleaning out of their kitchen (like I'm doing now), they often end up eating things that don't necessarily go together. Same here...I just got lucky with the curry. I mean yes, the things actually in this broccoli dish worked...and I didn't end up serving it with anchovies and phyllo (still looking for a use for those)...but it did wind up actually being my whole meal. Kiddos ate it with chicken nuggets and french fries...so, not too shabby I suppose. I did, however find a use for that almost empty bag of slivered almonds in the freezer and the just threatening to shrivel lone orange in the crisper, looking all lonely next to the heads of broccoli. Fortunately I still have butter and plenty of sea salt to bring everything together into a nice side (or main) dish.Broccoli with Orange, Almonds and Brown Butter
by girlichef


2 small heads broccoli, cut into florets (~5 c.)
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. sliced almonds
1/2 of an orange, zest & juice separate
sea salt


I started with the broccoli. The quickest and easiest way to do it is to pop it into a microwave-safe bowl and add a little (couple Tbs or so) of water, cover it and microwave for a few minutes, or until just al dente. Carefully drain the little bit of water off and set aside for a moment.

Next, place the butter in a small saute pan over low heat. Once it has melted, swirl the pan constantly and watch for the milk solids to start to turn brown and smell for that nutty, buttery scent. Once it has started to look & smell this way, remove pan from the heat immediately. If it goes farther, it'll just burn and be bitter. Ick.

Drop in almonds and orange zest and swirl around. Pour over reserved broccoli.

Squeeze the orange half over the whole thing and toss well. Add sea salt to taste.

Serve as a side dish or just eat it alone.
Now....any suggestions as to what to do with my anchovies and phyllo dough? There's still a couple of days to enter to win some free cookie dough...

*Update 12/26/10: I'm sharing this w/ the 12 Days of Bloggie-mas!