Banana Bread Cookies

Prior to moving down South, I spent quite bit of my time working at a children's boutique, Snapdragon, in Grand Rapids.  It started out part-time in the evenings for something to do and a way to earn some extra cash to go towards bills, food, shopping, etc.  Unfortunately, the company I had worked for closed their doors so I ended up spending even more of my time at Snapdragon!  I have to say that it was, by far, my favorite job ever!  For me, it wasn't work....it was fun and I got to be creative doing the things I love: shopping and socializing, with customers, of course!

What brought me to the vision of these delectable cookies was this cute little cafe right next door to Snapdragon, CG's Prep Kitchen.  They were definitely known for their great soups and sandwiches as well as their make-ahead-meals, but what really got our boats floating over at Snapdragon, was their baked goods!  Man, did they have some goodies over there!  I will say that I certainly put on some extra pounds making regular trips over there at night!  I guess while me leaving Snapdragon to move to the South was bittersweet, it was much more like a blessing in disguise to prevent me from further gaining anymore weight!

But my favorite thing was their chocolate chip cookies.  Chocolate chip cookies are most everyone's favorites, but I'm pretty particular about my cookies and while they were usually a little more crunchy for my liking, I certainly overlooked that with the great flavor they had!  There was always a subtle hint of banana and possibly cinnamon in them, but it wasn't enough to really overpower the chocolate chip flavor.  For some reason though, I seemed to always find myself wanting a little more of that banana flavor to come through.

So, I decided to try my hand at recreating a sister version, but more to my liking: more banana and more chewy.  What was once my classic, everyday chocolate chip cookie recipe is now reminiscent of the sweet, moist and delicious banana bread cake my Mom always made growing up! 

Banana Bread Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
6 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Egg
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup Old Fashion Oats
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3 Bananas, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar until it resembles a crumbly texture (about 1 minute).  Add in the egg and vanilla and continue beating until mixture becomes smooth and creamy (about 1 minute).  Add in half of the flour mixture and blend in at a low speed.  Add in the remaining flour mixture and continue blending in on low.  Add in the oatmeal and chocolate chips; mix until evenly distributed throughout the mixture.  Using a wooden spoon, carefully mix in the banana pieces.
Using a tablespoon, drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake until the edges are lightly browned (about 15 minutes).  Carefully remove from the oven and let cool on pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Finish baking the remaining dough, following the same steps.

Store in an air-tight container or resealable bag for up to 4 days (or longer if kept refrigerated).

Yield: 18 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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Creamy Shrimp & Grits

Let me preface this post by saying this: After I ate this dish, I'm pretty certain I had died and gone to heaven!  I know you probably think I'm being a little dramatic and normally I am, but this time, I promise I'm not.  Promise.  I'll be the first to admit that Southern cooking has won my heart over, for sure, but this recipe pretty much takes the cake as far as favorite meals go!

First off, if you've never had grits, you should definitely try them.  Although I caution you on where you have them because I've been to some places where they're not very good, especially if you're a grits virgin - they could scare you away!  Essentially, grits are ground corn and they come in 2 different kinds: white and yellow.  Like oats, you can get them stone ground (which is the best option), quick cooking or instant (which I don't recommend).  They resemble the taste and texture of polenta...slightly sweet, but thick and creamy.  And traditionally, they're served for breakfast but are eaten at any time of the day (especially in our house)!

Shrimp and grits is a very popular dish among the South (primarily on the East and Gulf coasts) and there are a variety of ways to prepare it; however this dish really hits the target in combining a base of creamy and cheesy grits with a slight hint of hot sauce topped with perfectly cooked shrimp in a gravy made of bacon, onions and peppers.  Honestly people, it doesn't get any better than this!  And if you're still a grits virgin, this is definitely a great recipe to break you in!

Creamy Shrimp & Grits

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Lemon
Hot Sauce (I use Frank's) to taste
1 1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cups Stone-Ground Grits (white)
6 slices Bacon, chopped
1 Sm. Onion, chopped
1 Sm. Green Pepper, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Scallions, sliced
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 cup Chicken Broth
2 cups Cheddar Cheese

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp with the juice of the lemon and several generous splashes of hot pepper sauce; set aside.

To make the grits, bring 6 cups of water and 1 Tsp. of salt to a boil in a large saucepan.  Gradually whisk in the grits and reduce heat to low.  Let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned.  Add in the onions and green peppers; continue cooking until onions become translucent and peppers are tender.  Stir in the garlic and scallions and let cook up for 1 minute.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in the chicken broth and remaining salt and cook until thickened (about 5 minutes). 

While the gravy is thickening, add the butter to the grits and stir until melted.  Stir in the cheese and season with hot pepper sauce and salt to taste.

Once the gravy has thickened, add in the shrimp and cook until pink (about 3-5 minutes).

Spoon the grits into a large shallow bowl and top with shrimp mixture; serve immediately.

Note: If using Quick-Cook Grits, follow the directions on the package to prepare them.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake, originally adapted from "A Real American Breakfast"

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Boneless Wings

One of Chris' favorite things to eat are wings (especially from Buffalo Wild Wings...AKA: B-dubs)!  While I'm not a huge fan of major chain restaurants, I do love me some B-dubs!  Don't get me wrong, chain restaurants aren't horrible by any means, but I'd much rather eat at a place highlighting local cuisine (you know, those wonderful hole-in-the-wall places that you just can't beat the flavor of)!

When we first moved down here, it was nearing Chris' birthday and his requests were: going out for wings and a cheesecake for dessert!  Luckily for me, I was able to accommodate both!  Being new to the area, I scoured the Internet for the closest B-dubs with no luck.  Wings are pretty popular down here and there are several local chains with "amazing" wings that were recommended to us, so we decided to try them out over the course of the time we've been here.  BIG MISTAKE!  HUGE mistake!  Apparently we had been spoiled....

But as every story has a happy ending, so does ours....not too long ago, B-dubs finally opened a restaurant in the area and even better yet, they're getting ready to open one right around the corner from us!  Woohoo!  Of course, as you know though, eating out isn't the best and I know that B-dubs may have some tasty fare, but going there regularly is not going to help our girlish figures!  So we decided to copycat one of our favorites here at home.  And you know what?  They were pretty darn good! In fact, we kind of liked them better than B-dubs!  Shhh....don't tell them!

Boneless Wings

Ingredients
1 lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 2" pieces
1 cup Flour
3 Eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
Peanut Oil for frying
Wing Sauce of your choice - we used Asian Zing from B-dubs

Directions
Heat oil in a large pan over med-high heat. Set up a dredging station with the flour, eggs and Panko crumbs, each in their own dish.

Begin dredging the chicken pieces first in the flour, then in the egg and then into the Panko crumbs to coat evenly.  Place coated chicken pieces on a plate and continue dredging remaining chicken.

Once oil is heated through, carefully place the coated chicken pieces in the pan.  Cook the chicken until the coating on the outside is golden brown and the juices from the chicken have run clear (about 2 minutes).  Place cooked chicken on a plate covered with paper towels and continue cooking the remaining chicken.  Note: Do not overcrowd the pan with the chicken or it will not cook evenly!

Place the cooked chicken in a resealable container or bag, along with the sauce of your choice.  Close the container or bag and gently shake to coat the chicken even with the sauce.  Remove and serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and celery sticks.

Note: You can also use vegetable oil in place of the peanut; however we prefer the peanut oil because it's better for you and it gives a little more flavor to the meat.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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Black Eyed Pea & Ham Salad

Unfortunately, this weekend was not as nice as they had predicted. We had plans set for 2 weeks to hang out with some friends on the lake but Mother Nature decided to her own thing and gave us dreary and wet weather the entire time. We were nothing short of disappointed, to say the least, but we made the most of it and still hung out together and as usual, we had a great weekend with them!

In addition to our lake plans, I had high hopes of grilling out and making this recipe for a nice, summery salad I recently heard about! But, yet again, my plans were foiled. However, I did not let Mother Nature get me on all accounts, so I still decided to make this salad and we cooked inside instead. I am SO glad I made this recipe because it was so much better than what I anticipated!

Since moving to the South, I have quickly become a fan of Black Eyed Peas. If you've never had them, I highly recommend you try them sometime (I think most of you would probably enjoy them)! Despite their name, they're not peas. Not at all. They're more like a bean and a great source of protein! I think they're delicious and I usually have them warm but this salad is a refreshing way to eat them and a great pairing with practically any entree you make during these warm Spring and Summer months!

The dressing base for this salad is vinegar and I'm not a fan of the flavor of vinegar, so while I was excited to try the dish, I was also a little nervous because I wasn't sure how that flavor would come across. Honestly, I couldn't taste the vinegar at all! It was really light and the crunch of the celery and onion provided a nice texture blended with the peas and ham. And the flavors of garlic and parsley were a great accompaniment! I improvised a bit on this recipe because I didn't realize until half-way into making it, that I was out of a couple of ingredients, but nonetheless, it turned out wonderfully and both Chris and I were pleased with the addition of a new side dish to eat this year!  He even referred to it as being "the flea's knees!"  If you remember, he said this dish was "the bee's knees" so he changed it up to fleas....whatever that means!  I'll take it as a compliment though!

Black Eyed Pea & Ham Salad

Ingredients
1 cup Dried Black Eyed Peas, sorted and rinsed
1 cup Cooked Ham, cubed
1/2 Sm. Red Onion, diced
2 stalks Celery, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 1/2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Flat-Leaf Parsley, chopped

Directions
Add the peas to a large pot of boiling water and cook, over high heat, for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ham, onion and celery; mix well. Add in the cooled peas along with the garlic, red pepper flakes, vinegar, oil and parsley. Toss to combine and let set to bring to room temperature before serving.

Note: I actually used 2 Tbsp. of Red Pepper Flakes and it was pretty hot (even for us) so I would cut back to at least 1 1/2 Tbsp. or less depending on how much heat you like in your dishes! Jalapeno peppers would be a great source for heat instead as well!

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: Adapted from Oishii

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Meatball Pizza

I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned on numerous occasions here that Mexican is my favorite type of cuisine. That is definitely true, but I would have to say that Italian runs a close second. What can I say, I'm a sucker for some good 'ole starchy pasta or cheesy pizza! My hips love it too!

We eat pizza a lot here and it's funny because I've never blogged about it. Well, now that I think about it, most of the pizza we get is usually delivery (or DiGiorno...please don't get them confused because they are very different despite what the commercials say). Yes, we eat frozen pizzas! While I know in the foodie community, that is a big fat no-no, sometimes you just have those days where you don't feel like cooking and you don't want to pay the delivery guy. Enough said.

This recipe is one of my favorites and I've been making it for years! There's not much to it, which is wonderful, and it has always been a hit here at home and for parties (especially big game days...it goes over so well with the guys and pairs exceptionally well with a glass of vino or a nice cold brewski)!

I like all kinds of pizza and am usually not too picky when it comes to toppings. A lot of times it depends on my mood....sometimes a classic pepperoni will do the trick and other times I may be craving supreme or Hawaiian or margherita. But this one is meatball and it tastes like a giant meatball...SO, SO GOOD! There's really not much to it and it doesn't need any fancy schmancy toppings because the flavors of the meat and the dough married together is perfection!

Meatball Pizza

Ingredients
1 Pizza Dough (store-bought, homemade or from local bakery/pizza shop)
Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 sm. Yellow Onion, diced
4 Tsp. Garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
1-6 oz. can Tomato Paste
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
3 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
10-12 slices Mozzarella or Provolone Cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray baking pan with cooking spray and spread out the dough to the edges of the pan. Using a fork, poke holes on top of the dough and lightly drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle the rosemary and salt evenly over the dough and bake for 10-12 minutes (less for softer dough and more for crispy dough).

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the beef over med-high heat; drain any excess fat from the pan. Add in onion and cook until they become translucent and tender. Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the tomato paste until combined with meat mixture. Add in the Parmesan cheese, oregano and parsley; mix well to incorporate.

Carefully spread the meat mixture over cooked pizza crust and layer the cheese slices over top. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: Adapted from 30 Minute Meals by Rachael Ray

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Broiled Grapefruit

Confession: I'm not a huge fan of grapefruit. I want to like it and I've tried to like it, but for some reason, my taste buds won't allow me to get over the sour after-taste this popular fruit leaves in my mouth!

Grapefruit is really good for you, as most fruits are, but it aids the body in more ways than others. Did you know that it increases your metabolism, is low in sodium and pushes excess water out of your body, resulting in weight loss? In fact, there is even a diet out there consisting of eating just grapefruit! It's also rich in Licopene, aiding in the prevention of cancer. And last, but not least, it's a great source of Vitamin C, which can lead to radiant skin! Bonus!

Despite all of the wonderful things this pink fruit has to offer, it's definitely not on my weekly grocery list. But recently, Joy the Baker, posted about broiling grapefruit with a touch of brown sugar and ginger on top. She said it was "super delicious" and described it as "grapefruit creme brulee." It sounded really good and wanting to like love grapefruit like so many I know, I decided to give it a shot, hoping it would convert me!

It was good and I liked it. I didn't love it, but it was good and I've eaten it a couple of times since! I don't know if I'd go as far as putting it in the same category as creme brulee, but the sweetness of the brown sugar definitely helped in providing a solid contrast to the sourness I grew to despise!

Broiled Grapefruit

Ingredients
1 Grapefruit, sliced in half
3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Directions
Turn the broiler on. Place the grapefruit halves on a baking sheet, lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the sliced pieces, one tablespoon at a time. Note: Allow the brown sugar to dissolve into the juice and meat of the grapefruit before adding additional amounts.

Broil for 7-9 minutes, turning the pan half-way through. Note: While broiling, prop the open door open slightly to allow the fruit to broil evenly.

Yield: 1 Serving
Source: Adapted from Joy the Baker

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4-C's Cookies

I'm one of those people who has, what I like to call, FOTB (Food On The Brain). Some people have Baby On The Brain (I have that too, but waiting for Chris to pop the question first...heehee), but my mind is constantly honed in on food just about 24/7!

I'm really not exaggerating when I say that my mind is going a.million.miles.a.minute - all.the.time. And a majority of it is focused on what my next meal will be, what time I'm going to make dinner, what I'd like to bake next, what I think I may want tomorrow, what recipes I've seen recently that caught my eye that I need to look up again...I think you get the point.

But one thing I do spend quite a bit of time working on in my head is coming up with new recipes (to cook or bake)! Once in a while, I'll get an idea of something that sounds good - a unique combination of flavors or ingredients. I'll rack my brain trying to figure what is out there that would be comparable to what's in my head. Sometimes I find it and sometimes I don't. It's the times that I don't when my creativity kicks in to overdrive!

This weekend, for example, was one of those moments! Chris and I were being lazy Saturday afternoon, laying around and watching movies. All of a sudden, it occurred to me that I needed to make a new batch of granola, but I wanted to do something different. I was craving a combination of chocolate and cherries and then coconut popped into the mix and then I fell in love! I thought a granola mixture of the three would be uber yummy until.....I started thinking of a name for it. I could call it 3-C's Granola! But wait, I could make them into cookies. Yes, cookies would be much better. Chocolate cookies, in fact, would be perfect. And they shall be named 4-C's Cookies (Chocolate cookie base with Cherries, Coconut and what else, more Chocolate)! The granola will have to wait for another time...

4-C's Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 Egg
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
3/4 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 cup Dried Cherries
1 1/4 cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes
3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions
In a large bowl beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture into the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.

Add in the cherries, coconut and chocolate chips; mix into dough until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop a tablespoon full of dough and roll into balls using hands. Place cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes and then move to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 18 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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