Avocado-Banana Smoothie

Ron says this smoothie looks like crankcase oil - but adds that it’s delicious! So who’s the smoothie now? This wake-up, shake-up is good for you - and just plain good! It’s also as easy as one, two, three!

Avocado-Banana Smoothie:

1 ripe avocado, pitted and skinned 
1 medium banana
¼ c. plain, natural yogurt 
1-½ c. all-natural apple juice

Whirl at high speed in blender goblet. Yields 2 generous servings.

One: Combine ripe avocado, banana, yogurt, and juice

Two: Blend at high speed 

Three: Enjoy today’s vitamins and minerals!

I’m off to cavort for awhile, Dollinks. The dictionary definition of that intriguing word is:

cavort |kəˈvôrt|verb [ no obj. ]jump or dance around excitedly: spider monkeys leap and cavort in the branches.• informal apply oneself enthusiastically to sexual or disreputable pursuits: he spent his nights cavorting with the glitterati. Spider monkeys? Disreputable pursuits? How exciting! xox Nicole

B.E.L.T.C.H. Breakfast Sandwich

Good morning! It’s time for all you sleepy heads to face another day and consider what you’re going to have for your weekend breakfast!

Enough fooling around! 

Rise and monkey-shine, Dollinks!

Today’s post is a two-parter about sandwiches - the Fluffer Nutter below this post having an amusing name but little of value in it, and the B.E.L.T.C.H. having a revolting name but plenty of good things in it. Take your pick! Despite its name, the B.E.L.T.C.H. sandwich is packed with goodness and all the nutritional basics!

B.E.L.T.C.H. Breakfast Sandwich:

Bacon, as required
Eggs, as required
Lettuce, as required
Tomato, as required
Cheese, as required (see Note)
Hash browns, as required
Bread, as required
Butter or margarine, as required

Fry bacon in spray-greased skillet or on electric griddle. Blot bacon dry. Keep warm and set aside. Fry eggs over-easy in sizzling bacon fat. Keep warm and set aside. Tear lettuce into sandwich-sized pieces. Slice tomato. Remove cheese from wrapper. Set all aside. Fry hash browns until golden and crisp. Keep warm and briefly set aside. Butter the outsides of sliced bread. Place one slice butter-side down in hot skillet or on griddle. Assemble sandwich in order of listed ingredients, excepting hash browns. Top with remaining slice of bread, butter-side up. When bottom of sandwich is golden, carefully flip to brown other side. Serve with hot hash browns on the side. 

Note: I recommend processed sandwich cheese for its superior melting qualities.

Fluffer Nutter Sandwich

Making a Fluffer Nutter sandwich is very simple. It's eating it that's difficult - for me, at least. Personally, I wouldn’t touch one, but all you need are liberal lashings of - ewwww! - marshmallow cream on one side of the bread and peanut butter on the other. This is the fast track to culinary hell, in my opinion:

If you can’t see the videos above or below, visit these websites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-OVQUE5Pvo

Since the Earl of Sandwich created the first one in the 17^th Century, sandwiches have played an important role in our daily lives. Anyone who saw the movie will find it hard to forget this stunning scene about a toasted sandwich from Five Easy Pieces. Now that’s something to digest!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wtfNE4z6a8

Enjoy the sandwich post just above this one for the unusually named but definitely tasty B.E.L.T.C.H.!

Carol’s Baked Winter Pears

My very dear friend Carol Brauner cooks with a conscience. When she told me that the naturally sweetened pears she’d just finished baking were a “macrobiotic” recipe, I must admit I had to look up the word. When I did, I was pleasantly surprised - and yet, knowing and respecting Carol as I do, I wasn’t surprised, at all.

“Macrobiotic” eating is mindful eating. It encourages chewing and discourages overeating. Based on the Taoist principles of yin and yang, it promotes grains and locally grown fruits and vegetables as staples. Avoiding the use of most animal products, a dietary regimen of macrobiotic eating avoids highly processed or refined foods.

I didn’t know all of that when I saw Carol’s Baked Winter Pears. All I knew was that they looked absolutely delicious, and that I wanted to make them in my kitchen, too. And so I did! As usual, I’ve tweaked the recipe, which is what cooks so often do. Carol suggests that the raisins add the sweetness the pears need, and that the conventional oven brings out more flavor than the microwave oven would do. I used Anjou pears in this recipe, which, as written serves 2, but can easily be increased.

Carol’s Baked Winter Pears:

1 fresh pear, halved and unpeeled
1-to-2 tbsp. golden raisins 
Juice of large orange

1 tbsp. orange zest

1 cinnamon stick
1-to-2 tbsp. chopped or flaked almonds
Dash of salt

Low-calorie, great flavor: Carol’s Baked Winter Pears

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Place pear halves cut-side down in baking dish (Carol used a square Pyrex glass baking dish, approx. 9x9 in., so I did the same). Steam and plump raisins 3-to-5 min., covered, in a little water in microwave oven on high. Pour water-and-raisin mixture over pear halves, adding orange juice, zest, cinnamon stick, almonds, and salt around pear. Pour enough additional water into baking dish to bring total liquid to ½-in. around pears. Bake, covered, 25-to-30 min. in conventional oven. 

Straight from the oven … Delicious!

Carol lifts the cover for the last few minutes of cooking, to concentrate the juices. Serve warm or cold. 

Pear Ginger-Maple Pie

Reader Nancy Yildiz passes along this excellent Autumn pie recipe for your enjoyment and mine. Having made this pie yesterday, I’ve already enjoyed it, and can promise it will be a family favorite for many years to come! I’ve changed Nancy’s recipe slightly, just as Nancy changed it slightly from a recipe of the same name that appears elsewhere on the Internet (see credit at end of this post). 

Nancy’s version is quick and easy because it uses a commercially made pie crust. I almost never buy frozen pie shells, and now I remember why! I paid nearly $6 for two tiny pie shells the package advertises as “deep dish.” If this is what some pastry manufacturers consider “deep dish,” I can’t imagine how they’d define a shallow pie. 

But that is a critique for another time and another day. Unless I can’t bear to keep quiet, of course ... The fact is, Nancy’s simplification of this recipe is great! Nancy passed along the recipe at the same time she gave me a large quantity of Anjou pears. Well, Dollinks, the recipe’s a keeper. The pears, we’re working our way through. That’s why you’ll find yet another pear recipe post in tomorrow’s blog.

But first let’s begin with that “deep dish” frozen pie crust, shall we (Didn’t I say I’d have a hard time keeping quiet)? I was “brung up right,” so would never name names - but this was the brand I used:

This brand! This one. No names mentioned.

A couple of readers in the back row said they couldn’t see. 

Still can’t make it out?

Ah, yes! “Deep dish!”

I just happen to own a “deep dish” pie plate. Allow me to show you how the “deep dish” pie shell produced by the Manufacturer Who Shall Not Be Named fits into my “deep dish” pie plate: 

Yep! A picture is worth a thousand words ...

I needn’t ask what’s wrong with this picture, because you already know. So now it’s time to pretend that you made this pie crust with your delicate little hands. If no one asks, let them assume, because it is a tasty (if teensy) pie crust. Rule #1: It is essential that you not serve the purchased pie crust on the foil plate in which it was manufactured. If you do, everyone will know you didn’t make it yourself. Rule #2: Rule #1 is the only rule. Frozen pie shells are usually sold in a package of two. So here’s how you use that to your advantage to fool the world:

Step 1

Step 1: Invert your smallest pie plate over the back of the manufacturer’s foil pan. This ensures that the purchased pastry in the foil pan will fit your pie plate.

 

Step 2

Step 2: Remove pastry from first foil pan by inverting it over second foil pan the package contains.

Step 3

Step 3: Place your own pie dish over the back of the foil pastry-covered dish. Flip the foil dish over, allowing the pastry to snuggle into your own pie dish. 

As luck would have it, the frozen pie crust is exactly the right size for this recipe, so you’ll hear no more whinging from me on that subject!

Pear Ginger-Maple Pie:

To Prepare the Pear Ginger-Maple Filling: 

5-to-6 c. peeled and coarsely chopped pears, firm but ripe 
2 tbsp. cornstarch (see Ingredient Note)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ c. maple syrup
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. chopped sweetened, preserved ginger (see Ingredient Note) 
One 9- or 10-in. frozen, commercially made pastry shell (do not thaw or bake before filling) 

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Place pears in large bowl, combining well with cornstarch, salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, and ginger. Heap pear mixture into frozen pie crust, pressing down lightly so pears fit snugly. 

Slice, core, and peel pears

Chop coarsely (Ron did this job for me)

Don’t omit the sweetened, preserved ginger 
that makes this pie so scrumptious!

Pour well-mixed filling into pie shell

Ingredient Note: Although I upped the original amount of cornstarch to 2 tbsp. from the 1-½ tbsp. of both former versions, I still found this pie had excess moisture on the bottom of the crust. Next time, I’ll omit the cornstarch and instead add the classic pie-filling thickener of 2 tbsp. tapioca. One version of this recipe suggests adding ½ tsp. ground ginger in place of the sweetened, preserved ginger. I strongly recommend you not follow that suggestion. The sweetened, preserved ginger is a major part of what gives this pie its sensational flavor.

To Prepare the Oatmeal Crumb Topping:

⅔ c. flour
½ c. old-fashioned rolled oats
½ c. packed brown sugar
⅛ tsp. salt
⅓ c. cold, unsalted butter cut into ¼-in. cubes

In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients for oatmeal crumb topping, cutting in butter until mixture forms small pea-sized bits. Crumble evenly over pears. Bake 50-to-55 min. Cool on wire rack at least 1 hr. This pie slices more easily when it is baked a day ahead and refrigerated. 

Combine topping ingredients

Sprinkle evenly over pear filling

Slide into oven to bake!

We asked our prettiest guest to serve
this pie. Friend Leslie won!

Perfection: Pear Ginger-Maple Pie

This recipe appears in a slightly different version on
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pear_ginger_maple_pie/ 

Mediterranean Dip

Easy, quick Mediterranean Dip:
Mix, broil, and serve

When we recently enjoyed this appetizer in a restaurant, I did my best to duplicate it at home. This dip and the Baked Tortilla Chips I made to accompany it are easy make-aheads. 

I’ve expressed the measurements in weights because the recipe uses prepackaged commercial products. This recipe yields enough to serve several hungry snackers at any social gathering.

Mediterranean Dip:

8 oz. (250 g) brick-style cream cheese, softened
4 oz. (125 g) feta cheese, softened
2-½ oz. (75 g) cooked and finely chopped spinach, squeezed dry (I use ¼ of a 10 oz. (300 g) pkg of frozen spinach)
2 tbsp. finely chopped canned or bottled artichokes, drained (not marinated)
¼ medium diced tomato, seeds squeezed out (as garnish)
1 black olive, blotted dry and thinly sliced (as garnish)
1 small green onion, thinly sliced (as garnish) 

Whirl cheeses on pulse setting of food processor about 1 min., or until thoroughly combined. Cook spinach 2 min. in small amount of boiling water. Drain well in sieve, cool, and squeeze dry. Add to food processor, pulsing 10-to-12 times until well mixed in. Drain chopped artichokes, blotting dry. Add to food processor, pulsing a few seconds more. Transfer to heat-proof dish. At this point, dish may be covered and refrigerated for up to three days.

If made ahead: An hour before serving, bring dip to room temperature. Broil about 2 min., until top bubbles and becomes golden brown. Garnish with tomato-olive-onion mixture. Serve with Baked Tortilla Chips. See the post below this one for the recipe.

Mediterranean Dip and Baked Tortilla Chips
partner well with a variety of appys ... 

... As well as with Crostini.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Because they’re baked rather than fried, these tortilla chips are lower in saturated fat than deep-fried chips. Start with the lower baking time, because these brown fast! This recipe is especially delicious with the Mediterranean Dip posted above.

Baked Tortilla Chips:

Six 8-in. or 6-in. flour or white corn tortillas
½ c. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Stack and cut tortillas into eighths. 

Stack and cut before brushing with olive oil

Combine oil with garlic salt, pouring into small pan. Dunk several tortilla wedges into oil, brushing more oil on top. Transfer to large, parchment-lined baking sheet in single layer. Repeat dunking and brushing sliced tortillas with oil.

Brush ’n’ bake!

Bake 10-to-12 min. until golden and crisp, rotating baking sheet once. Yields 4 doz. deliciously crunchy chips.

Spinach Roulade with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce

The first time I tried this outstanding recipe, I was certain it would fail. Not only did it not fail - but it was a huge success! If you’re seeking a spectacular first-course appetizer to wow dinner guests, this is it! You may feel the urge to give up, partway through. Don’t! With the help of Ron’s photographs, I’ll lead you through this, step-by-step. Assuming you follow the recipe and method exactly as written, nothing will go wrong.  This make-ahead recipe is challenging - but well worth the effort. It can be prepared two days in advance of a special-occasion dinner, so you won’t feel pressured or stressed. While it isn’t essential to prepare a sauce, this Spinach Roulade takes on gourmet proportions if you circle each slice with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce.

Spinach Roulade with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce: 

To Prepare the Roulade:

¼ c. (60 mL) water

One 10-½ oz. (300 g) frozen, chopped spinach   

1 tbsp. (15 mL) butter (no substitutes)

4 eggs, separated, with whites chilled

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) pepper

⅛ tsp. (0.63 mL) nutmeg

4 tbsp. (60 mL) commercial, shake-on Parmesan cheese, divided

8 oz. (250 g) brick-style cream cheese, softened

1-to-2 tbsp. (15-to-30 mL) light cream

1 roasted red bell pepper (“capsicum”), halved, stemmed, seeded, and blotted dry (see Note)

Be prepared to preheat oven to 400 deg. F. - but not yet. Trim enough waxed paper to fit a 14x10-in. (36x24 cm) jelly roll pan (see Further Note). Set aside. Bring unsalted water to the boil in a small saucepan. Add spinach, bringing water to boil again and cooking 2 min. 

Cook frozen, chopped spinach quickly. Do not rinse. 

Drain, cool, squeeze out excess water.

Add fully cooled spinach to wide-based blender with butter and 4 egg yolks. Purée at high speed, scraping down sides and lid of blender goblet as needed. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Chill 10-to-15 min. in medium bowl inserted into larger bowl containing ice water bath.

Mess = Success!

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. In separate medium-sized bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in chilled spinach mixture until well combined. 

Spinach-egg white mixture will form Roulade base.  

Pour into waxed paper-lined pan, smoothing top with wide spatula and spreading almost to edges of paper. Place Parmesan in shaker bottle with large holes or slots, shaking half over top of spinach mixture (see One Last Note). Bake 12 min., until sides of spinach are solid but centre remains slightly soft.

Pour into jelly roll pan lined with waxed paper.

Smooth surface with wide spatula.

Sprinkle with half Parmesan. 

While mixture bakes, sprinkle remainder of Parmesan inside second, larger sheet of waxed paper on cookie sheet, for stability. 

Shake Parmesan onto waxed paper.

Also while mixture bakes, beat together cream cheese and light cream until smooth.  Set aside. Slice roasted red pepper into lengthwise strips about 1/4-in. (0.625 cm) wide. Set aside. When hot Roulade emerges from oven, cool 1 min. before inverting over second sheet of Parmesan-sprinkled paper.

Invert hot Roulade over Parmesan-
sprinkled waxed paper.

Peel waxed paper from top of Roulade. 

Roulade will be pliable, but surprisingly strong. Carefully insert small, sharp paring knife between the hot Roulade and corner edge of top baking paper, separating the two. Working the knife along the paper as needed, slowly peel back the paper. As you uncover the delicate, still-moist Roulade, lightly rest your hand on it to ensure it doesn’t break. Haste makes waste: Take your time with these steps. 

Spread cream-cheese mixture evenly over cooled Roulade. 

Ron spread cream-cheese mixture to help me out.

Working parallel to long sides of Roulade, stagger rows of roasted red pepper over cream cheese. Staggering rows will allow distribution of pepper throughout sliced, finished Roulade. 

Stagger slivered, roasted red peppers
parallel to long sides of Roulade.

Roll spinach-cream cheese mixture from narrow end.

Starting at a narrow end, roll Roulade tightly before wrapping in cello. Chill several hours or overnight.

Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, unwrap and trim away uneven edges. Slice Roulade into ¾-in. pieces. Transfer to serving plates, ringing with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce, if desired. I spooned the sauce around the Roulade; next time I’ll use a squeeze bottle to apply a little less sauce.

My taste-testers gave this 4-stars!

 Note: Gourmet food stores also sell skinned, roasted red peppers, saving you a whole lotta time! I encourage you to do that. If you decide to make the optional Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce to decorate the plate for this Roulade, be sure to roast two red peppers, using one for the strips in the Roulade, and one for the sauce. 

Further Note: My jelly roll pan is 15 in. (38 cm) long, which nonetheless worked very well. Because waxed paper is a little thinner and more pliable than parchment paper, I do not recommend using parchment in this recipe.

One Last Note: Using a shaker bottle ensures lump-free, even distribution of Parmesan.

To Prepare the Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce:

1 whole red bell pepper (“capsicum”), halved, stemmed, and seeded

Olive oil, as needed

2 tsp. (10 mL) balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. (1.2 mL) salt

1/4 tsp. (1.2 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 c. (60 ml) Chinese plum sauce

2-to-3 drops red food gel

Set oven to “broil” with rack in upper position and oven door ajar. Brush peppers with olive oil. 

Brush seeded red peppers with olive oil.

Broil 20 min., skin-side up, until charred and blistered. 

This is the look you want. If you have a gas stove, roast 

seeded peppers over an open flame.

Transfer to well-sealed plastic container and allow to “sweat” 30 min., until almost - but not fully - cool (see And ...). Peel and discard burned skin. 

Peel away skin ...

Using blender or small food chopper, buzz skinned red pepper, vinegar, salt, sugar, plum sauce, and red food gel until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until needed. This quantity yields about ½ c. (125 mL) sauce. Place Spinach Roulade onto appetizer plate, spooning Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce around edges.

And ... It’s far more difficult to remove the charred skin from a cold pepper. Be sure your roasted pepper remains warm after sweating.