The Pajama Chef

Grandma’s Banana Nut Bread

July 19, 2013July 19, 2013 Sarah

While I love making all sorts of fancy schmancy muffins and scones, cookies and cakes with recipes I found online, sometimes I get cynical of it all. The internet is overrun with complicated [but tasty] fad-type recipes, full of weird or rich or exotic ingredients and things our grandmas may or may not have called food. I like muffins made with greek yogurt and chia and goji berries and bittersweet organic chocolate chips and a flaxseed egg as much as the next food blogger, but you know what? Sometimes I just want simple. Familiar. Reliable. Or to eat my greek yogurt with a spoon. Whatevs. Sometimes I just want my Grandma’s Banana Nut Bread.

It’s the best banana bread I’ve ever tasted, buttery and soft and vanilla-y. Looking at the ingredient list it might look a little bland. No cinnamon, no nutmeg, no warm spice whatsoever. But if you use good quality ingredients–good butter, real vanilla, really ripe bananas–that doesn’t matter. You can use nuts if you want. I’ve made it with and without, and can’t really say which way is better. 🙂 Walnuts and pecans are my favorite two options here though. I can’t tell you how many loaves of this bread I’ve made over the years, with my mom and grandma surely, but also with my sister, my roommates, my husband. As it bakes up perfectly every time, I just think of family and love. Eating a warm slice of this bread is absolutely heavenly. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine!

Grandma’s Banana Nut Bread
click to print

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in a little hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 medium bananas, mashed
1/4 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening and sugar, then add ingredients in order given. Bake in 2 nut pans or 1 large [9×5] loaf pan for 1 hour.

Time: 65 minutes.

Yield: 14 servings.

Linked up with: Foodie Friday and Weekend Potluck.

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Eggplant Potato Frittata for Two [or a crowd]

July 17, 2013July 17, 2013 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. Last fall, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

from September 8, 2011… I need to make this again soon!

Q: How do you get a husband (or kids) to eat eggplant?

A: With eggs, cheese, and potato of course!

This summer my husband and I joined a CSA for the first time. CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture” and is basically a chance to purchase a basket of produce each week from a local farmer. You can read more about our experience here, but for the most part, it’s been great–and it lasts until early November so we still have several months to go! I love that my CSA basket has items that I would never purchase on my own… but sometimes it does create challenges, like when you have an eggplant-hating husband and you receive a pint full of those purple vegetables.

Enter the frittata, also known in my kitchen as a “miracle vegetable hider” or just plain “delicious.” A frittata is a crustless quiche, prepared mostly on the stove but thrown in the oven for a delicious finishing touch. Frittatas sound complex, but are really simple to prepare and make a great, filling dinner on a busy night or an impressive looking meal for company.

Over the past few months, we’ve had the opportunity to make many combinations of frittatas with different vegetables and herbs. It’s amazing what egg and cheese can do! This is my latest version–sweet, chewy eggplant combined with familiar, comforting potatoes was a winner in our book, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Eggplant Potato Frittata for Two [adapted from In Praise of Leftovers and The Pajama Chef]
click to print

Ingredients:

olive oil
3/4 cup potato, cut into very thin rounds
3 small eggplants, chopped [about 3/4 cup]
4 eggs
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped [I used basil] or 1 tablespoon dried herbs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese [I used mozzarella]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a small, ovenproof, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil [once around the pan], then add potato and eggplant. Cook 4-5 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, beat eggs, water, and herbs together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

After vegetables are soft, pour in egg mixture and use a spatula to evenly distribute vegetables. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, until the bottom of the frittata starts to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.

Note: Recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, etc. as needed, but leftovers aren’t the best so just make what will be consumed in one meal if possible.

Yield: 2 servings.

Time: 30 minutes.

Linked up with: What’s Cookin’ Wednesday.

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces

Kale Pesto Pasta

July 15, 2013July 17, 2013 Sarah

If you read my menu plans with any regularity, you might notice that our vegetarian meals tend to fall into one of three categories: black beans, eggs, and kale. Before we got married, I never thought Ben would be a guy who enjoyed vegetarian meals, and I certainly didn’t think he’d be a kale aficionado. But he is, and I am grateful because it’s healthier and easier on the budget to eat vegetarian meals a night or two per week. One of our fave veg meals is Lemony Kale Pasta, and once I saw this recipe, I knew that we had to try it. I am so glad we did, because it is absolutely amazing!!

I’m a big fan of pesto in any form–classic basil, sundried tomato, and now, kale. Pesto can totally be made with a variety of herbs/greens, nuts, and cheese–this version is flavored with just a few fresh ingredients: kale, walnut, garlic, and lemon. And don’t forget the cheese! I used asiago, but Parmesan or any other hard or semi-hard Italian cheese would also work. I just love the flavor of Asiago… and have since my first taste of those famous Panera bagels. 🙂 But back to this pesto. I could just eat it by the spoonful, sans pasta. It is utterly heavenly!

Each bite is a burst of nutty, lemony, cheesy flavor. This is a great starter kale recipe, since there are many other strong flavors in the sauce. If you aren’t into lemon, or don’t have one lying around, it can easily be omitted but I highly recommend it! The flavors just go so well together.

I can’t wait to make this pesto again. I think it would be a fabulous appetizer or light lunch–you could spread it on mini toasts, use it as a breadstick or veggie dip, or as a pizza sauce… or really, however you use pesto normally. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! What do you use pesto for? I’m in search of excuses to make this pesto again soon. 🙂

Kale Pesto Pasta [slightly adapted from What Megan’s Making]
click to print

Ingredients:

⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons walnuts
1 large bunch kale, stems discarded, roughly chopped
1 cup grated asiago cheese [2 ounces] + more for topping
1 clove garlic
zest of 1 lemon
freshly cracked black pepper
½ cup olive oil
12 ounces fusilli or other short pasta

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant, about 6-8 minutes. Cool, then chop 2 tablespoons of walnuts and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, then add kale and boil for 30 seconds. Remove kale to colander, saving the cooking water. Return to a boil, then add pasta to water and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, add asiago, garlic, ½ cup walnuts, lemon zest, and pepper to a food processor. Use spatula to press kale against side of colander to squeeze out excess water. Add kale to food processor and pulse until finely chopped. With food processor running, pour oil in through the feed tube in a steady stream.

When pasta is cooked, reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return to pot. Add the pesto along with ¼ cup cooking water, tossing to coat. If pasta seems dry, add more water as necessary. Serve pasta with additional toasted walnuts and grated asiago.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Linked up with: Tuesday Talent Show.

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

July 14, 2013July 13, 2013 Sarah

Week of July 14

Monday: leftover chicken & bean tacos/quesadillas… we still have a lot from last week 🙂 so good!!
Tuesday: dinner w/ our small group
Wednesday: chicken stir fry
Thursday: chopped thai chicken salad
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: stacked roasted vegetable enchiladas w/ avocado cream sauce
Sunday: summer mexican soup

Potatoes, Recipes, Sides

Mom’s Potato Salad

July 13, 2013July 12, 2013 Sarah

Everybody has their own favorite potato salad recipe. You know, the only one you’ll make. Well, this is mine. Actually my Mom’s, or more likely her Mom’s. Or something like that. Anyways. This potato salad is absolutely perfect. Creamy, crunchy, classic–with just the right ratio of potatoes to eggs to celery to onion, with a super simple mayo-mustard dressing. The only catch? You must make it in this very yellow bowl for its perfection to truly shine through.

Yes, that faded Pyrex yellow bowl is the potato salad bowl. A piece of family history, if you will. If you don’t have one, don’t despair. Just be sure to serve it up with tons of paprika and it’ll even out. 🙂 Lots of paprika on potato salad is key, imo. Do you agree?

Maybe it’s easier for me to make it in this bowl because it’s one of those recipes where you just eyeball everything without measuring [though I did provide rough measurements in the recipe below, recorded from when I recently made this].

Regardless of the bowl, this is seriously the best potato salad I’ve ever had, and I hope you’ll give it a try too! But even though I think this is the best, I’m curious to know… what’s in your potato salad? Links welcome! I’m super curious. 🙂

P.S. I know I don’t usually post on Saturdays but I just joined The Salad Bar, which is a new monthly blogging group challenge. Wendy of The Weekend Gourmet started this group last month and I am so happy to be part of it. You can request to join by clicking on the above image [linking to our Facebook page]. The theme this month is potluck salads, so please check out the other awesome recipes below. I know I cannot wait to do just that later today!! 🙂 Have a great weekend!

Mom’s Potato Salad
click to print

Ingredients:

6-8 white potatoes [about 2 lbs]
3-4 hardboiled eggs, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
about 1/2 to 1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
about 2 to 4 tablespoons yellow mustard
freshly cracked black pepper
paprika

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add potatoes, and cook until soft. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into chunks and place in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, celery, and onion, then enough mayonnaise to coat. Add mustard to taste, then season with a little pepper and a lot of paprika.

Serve warm or chilled.

Time: 60 minutes.

Yield: 10-12 servings.