Homemade Banana Ice Cream

There is something amazing about a 3-day weekend. Does the world not seem more manageable with 3 days to spend away from your normal everyday work routine? Gosh. I just love it. The weather here in Chicago can't really seem to make up its mind....which let's be honest....that isn't unusual. Semi-nice day on Friday. Humid, cloudy and rainy on Saturday. Dark as night, cold, and pouring down rain on Sunday. 90 degrees, gorgeous, and sunny on Monday. Make up your mind Chicago. Somehow, one nice day in every so often around here, makes all the other not so nice days completely worth it.

Saturday: For the past 4 years, Memorial Day means event weekend for our DetermiNation team at the Soldier Field 10 Miler. Runners love it because they can finish on the 50 yard line at Soldier Field. I love it because it is an event without an expo and one that it is not overwhelmingly stressful. I can take time to enjoy the excitement of race morning, take time to chat with committee members who are running or volunteering for the day, and chat with our runners to learn why they are running for our organization. I love the folks at Fleet Feet who put on the race, and all in all, it makes for a great start to the weekend.

Saturday night, Andy and I ventured out to see Hangover 2 on opening weekend. I live in what you could call a touristy area, and often avoid hanging around some of the locations within walking distance to my apartment - the movie theater now being one of them. I've learned my lesson. Don't go to this movie theater on opening weekend on a Saturday night for a popular movie....especially on a cold and rainy day when there is nothing else in the world to do. After waiting 20 minutes in line to get 1 bucket of popcorn and 2 drinks, I declared aloud that "we are never coming back here". I do believe the workers there were popping the popcorn 1 kernel at a time, and freshly carbonating the Diet Coke for each individual customer. That has to be the answer. Why else would one wait in line for 20 minutes with 6 people in front of them?

Sunday: As if seeing Kristin McQueen (pictured center above) once over the weekend wasn't enough, we decided to venture out to downtown Naperville to do dinner and a movie. Girls choice, we picked Bridesmaids. Funny movie in parts. A little slow in the middle, but overall a good see. Not great, but good. I spent all week on Yelp for downtown Naperville looking at restaurant reviews. By the time Sunday night arrived, I could easily rattle off all the non-chain restaurants, how many reviews they received, what they were known for, and highlights of the menu. I think I have a sickness in over-analyzing dinner options. I'll say that Naperville has a lot to offer, despite being outside of the Chicago city limits. And to top off the night, we stopped and got ice cream at Cookie Dough Creations. The name says it all. They serve their ice cream with a scoop of cookie dough on top. Genius? I do believe so.

Monday: Andy and I decided to follow suit from last year's Memorial Day weekend and have lunch while sitting outside at Rosebud in Little Italy. I like the idea of tradition. Last year's Memorial Day weekend was perfect, so I aimed to have this one be just the same. What's not to like about tradition? There is a great little Italian deli that is located in that area (I believe I've mentioned it many times before), and they always have amazing basil plants lining the street for sale. Have lunch, grab some basil, and call it a great day.

Me: Oh no. I don't see the basil plants outside. Maybe the basil isn't out yet.

Andy: It just might be inside. Is it open?

Me: (looking at the sign on the door that says "Closed for Memorial Day"). It's closed. Didn't we do this last year?

Andy: I think we were here on a Sunday.

Me: (defeated) Oh.

So we had to resort to plan B, which slightly throws off the tradition, but it is the thought that counts. We ended up getting the basil from Whole Foods, the small bag of soil too. Sorry to let you down on this one Dad. Potting soil from Whole Foods and not from Countryside or Home Depot, wouldn't be your first choice I know, but it was convenient.

The phrase "it doesn't get much better than this" came out of my mouth today when describing the weekend. It truly is the little things in life. And I'm lucky to have such wonderful days sometimes.

This recipe is perfect for the Memorial Day weekend - homemade banana ice cream. It's hot. You are outside at picnics and bbq's. Nothing ends the weekend like a great scoop of ice cream. There is nothing fancy or out of the ordinary about this recipe. I had some ripe bananas laying around, and thought a banana ice cream would be the perfect remedy. The recipe is from a generic ice cream maker recipe book. I swapped out some of the white sugar for brown sugar, as I believe it gives the dish more flavor, I added more vanilla, and added some cinnamon. This ice cream tasted like you are biting into a warm slice of banana bread. So good. Let your bananas ripen, and make this treat for the summer.

Homemade Banana Ice Cream

adapted from this website

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2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 bananas, pureed or mashed into a paste

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, eggs, sugar and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Refrigerate the mixture until cool. Combine the cooled custard with the bananas, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour into freezer container. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Green Herb Cucumber Ceviche

The phrase "I need to host a dinner party" has flown out of my mouth more times than I can count since 2011 began. It has been too long. I think I had a turkey in the oven the last time I had people over for dinner, which equates to almost a 6 month break in the action. Completely unacceptable. In my mind, there is nothing more relaxing than spending a night in at home, entertaining some friends while eating good food, drinking a little bit of wine, or in this case margaritas, and listening to some music. An ideal night.

Although I guess there are good reasons for a break in the action when it comes to hosting dinner parties. We're busy! And trying to find a weekend that works for everyone can be just about near impossible. Andy and I have 9 weddings this year. I have 5 DetermiNation events to staff, plus multiple other work obligations over the weekends throughout the summer. Andy has 2 races this year - one of them being this little race called Ironman. Between the holidays, birthdays, family get togethers, and god forbid just a little vacation, you could say we are booked from now until Thanksgiving. Lately, this is what has been keeping us busy......

Dressing up in bridesmaids dresses for your typical Saturday night out. We got questions from multiple random people that night saying "what in the world is going on here?" as they see about 50 people dressed in the most random bridal attire possible......

Seeing the Cubs and Cardinals play. Despite the monstrous rain delay in the 5th inning. The Cubs won. Just for the record, for all you keeping score out there.

Seeing Peter Bjorn and John at Lincoln Hall. A nice sushi dinner out. A little concert. Sounds like a great night to me.

And to top it all off...we even saw a no-hitter at the Twins/White Sox game. The Sox got no-hit, for all of you keeping score out there......

So, yes. Busy would be an understatement. But better to be busy, than to be bored!

When brainstorming what to have for dinner when the guests came over, I immediately went to my shelf of cookbooks. Surely something would come to mind. We were just approaching the beginning of May, and even though my party wasn't until mid-month, I figured there would be nothing wrong with the idea of hosting a belated Cinco de Mayo party - Rick Bayless style. I had received Rick Bayless' latest cookbook "Fiesta at Rick's" but hadn't really had the time to cook much from it. There are so many recipes to try in this book - they all look so good.

Andy and I are making up our diet as we go along, so I guess it doesn't really have a specific title or label. We are still vegetarian, but have added fish into the diet. Pescatarian? I don't really like that phrase. I've been saying vegetarian, but eating fish. It was easier to nail down the menu options knowing I had to narrow the main entrees down to just fish. When having people over for dinner, the key for me is having everything ready before the guests arrive. That truly allows you to enjoy the company, and not be stressed out with multiple tasks in the kitchen. When guests arrive, you can make drinks, sit down, relax, and enjoy. Here is what I went with....

The Menu

Drinks

Heather's Pomegranate Margaritas

Regular Margaritas

Modelo Negro

Dos XX

Appetizers

Pumpkin Seed Guacamole

Store Bought Salsa (just being honest here)

Chips

Main Dish

Lindsay's Southwestern Slaw

Green Herb Cucumber Ceviche

Avocado Dressed Shrimp Tacos

Black Beans

Suzy's Swordfish and Pepper Kabobs

Dessert

Homemade Sweet Corn Ice Cream w/ Corn Cake

I'll be talking about a couple of the dishes I made for the night over the next couple of blog posts, but I wanted to start with this Green Herb Cucumber Ceviche, because it was just so "I can't believe I made this in my own kitchen" kind of good. Don't be fooled by the title. Even thought it is coined as a "cucumber ceviche" there is still fish in the dish. The original recipe called for scallops, but tuna was on sale at Whole Foods and so was the halibut, so I went with both of those options. I think any fresh fish would work here. The crunch from the cucumber, the tart lime juice, the creaminess from the avocado, and the bite of the fish with the herb marinade, just makes for an outstanding dish.

I know the thought of cooking fish with lime juice can be a bit....well, how do you say it...daunting? Scary? It's not. If you are working with the freshest fish possible, you can't go wrong. The ceviche is just completely melt in your mouth delicious. You could serve this with tortilla chips or as a side dish with your main meal. It is such winner. Thanks Rick Bayless. You never let me down!

Green Herb Cucumber Ceviche

adapted from Rick Bayless "Fiesta at Rick's"

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Herb Marinade:

1/2 head garlic, cloves broken apart

3 serrano chiles

1 bunch cilantro, stems cut off

1 bunch parsley, stems cut off

1/2 cup olive oil

salt

Ceviche:

1 pound fresh tuna, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 pound fresh halibut, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup fresh lime juice

2 English cucumbers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 avocados, pitted, flesh scooped from skin, then cut into cubes

To make the herb seasoning:

Set a dry skillet over medium heat. Lay the unpeeled garlic cloves and chiles in the pan. Roast, turning frequently, until soft and blotchy brown spots appear, about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 minutes for the garlic. Cool until you can handle. Slip the skins off the garlic, pull the stems off the chiles and roughly chop. No need to remove the seeds. Place in a food processor along with the cilantro (about 1 cup if packed), parsley (about 1 cup if packed), oil and 2 teaspoons salt. Process until nearly smooth. Scrape into a storage container and refrigerate until serving time.

To Make the Ceviche:

Pour the fresh lime juice over the tuna and halibut. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every few minutes. Drain off all but about 1/4 cup of the lime juice. Stir in 1/2 cup of the herb mixture, cucumber, and avocado. Taste and season with more salt if you think necessary. Serve in martini glasses.

Cabbage, Chickpea and Bulgar Stew

I've officially come up with a new blog title. I think this is.....what...at least 1.5 years in the making? I've falsely announced that the blog would be changing titles multiple times, but this time, I think it is for real. And I throw the phrase "I think" in there, just in case I change my mind again. At one time, I was 99.9% sure my blog would be titled "The Toasted Avocado". Melissa and I spent weeks brainstorming clever food titles for the blog, and came up with this one based on my loved for avocadoes. It could easily have been called "The Burnt Avocado" with the number of mishaps I have had in my kitchen over the past couple of years. I even purchased the domain for that web address, but after sitting on the title for awhile, I didn't think it was the perfect fit. I stopped eating avocadoes for lunch, and somehow the title just lost speed.

I'm working on creating a new blog header for the site, before I actually release the new name. And when I use the phrase "I'm working on creating a new blog header" what I really mean, is I've enlisted the help of a few friends to help me create this new header. After spending at least 2 weeks creating the last one, I'm hoping to have something a little different. When I release the new header, I'll also explain the story behind the new blog title. How's that for building a little suspense?

Why is it that homemade cornbread doesn't taste quite like the box mix? Or at least my homemade cornbread never seems to have as much flavor as the boxed variety. It is good. Yes. And definitely edible. Yes. And good with jelly, butter, or Karo syrup. Yes. Now I realize that my version is probably 1. much healthier 2. less sugar 3. and better for you....but still. I can't seem to make an outstanding cornbread. I've tried multiple recipes, and just can't come up with a winner. If you have any recipes to share that are winners and not completely unhealthy, please share away! In addition to perfecting a cornbread recipe that is better than a box variety, I'm still working on making better brownies than the boxed variety. Come on, Duncan Heinz....cut us home cooks some slack and stop making brownies that everyone likes better than homemade!

Me: I made cornbread last night.
Andy: The boxed kind?
Me: No, homemade, using cornmeal.
Andy: Oh.
Me: It didn't taste as good as the boxed kind.
Andy: I bet.


The recipe I'm posting below is a FANTASTIC one. This is what you would classify as an easy, vegetarian, filling meal to make that ends up lasting for days in your refrigerator. Cabbage with Tomatoes, Bulgar, and Chickpeas is another recipe from the fabulous New York Times website. Cabbage is one of those produce items that just multiplies as you cut it up. I swear one head of cabbage could feed an army, which is why this dish makes so much product.

I'm starting to become partial to the savory cabbage at the grocery store. The texture seems to be a little softer and I think it cooks up better in meals. I'm still a fan of the regular cabbage when making cole slaw and a topping for fish tacos, but in all other instances, I think savoy is a better way to go. Grandpa assures me that there is plenty of cabbage being planted in the garden right now, so I'm stocking up on my cabbage recipes!

This recipe comes together so easily. Cabbage. Tomatoes. Bulgar. Chickpeas. Broth. Throw it all in a pot and let it simmer, and you are set to go. It makes for great lunches throughout the week, especially when you want to have something on hand without doing major cooking in the kitchen each day. Thank you New York Times for another wonderful recipe!

Cabbage with Tomatoes, Bulgar, and Chickpeas
adapted from the New York Times

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1 onion, finely chopped
Salt to taste

1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 medium head green or red cabbage, finely shredded
1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup coarse bulgur
2 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy lidded skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion, and cook, stirring often, until tender, about five minutes. Stir in a pinch of salt and the paprika. Cook, stirring, until the onion is thoroughly tender and infused with paprika, three to four minutes.

Add the cabbage, and cook, stirring, for three minutes or until it begins to wilt. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar and vinegar, and add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes until the cabbage is thoroughly tender.

Stir in the dill and the water, and bring a to a boil. Add the bulgur and chickpeas. Stir to combine. When the water comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer 10 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Celery Root, Potato and Apple Puree

Everyone has their strengths, right? It's what makes the world go round. Ask me to talk about the British Empire and I am honestly at a loss. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Ask me to rattle of my 10 favorite classic novels, and I bet I couldn't give you more than 2. Ask me my favorite show on the History Channel and I will tell you my tv doesn't go to that channel. But ask me how to make pesto from scratch? I could easily talk about that, while also giving 5 different varieties of pesto that you could easily make to put over pasta. Not everyone knows how to make pesto, and I'm ok with that. As long as they are ok with me knowing nothing about the British Empire. Ask me my top 3 favorite cookbooks, and it would be quite a process to come up with a list of just 3.

Maybe geography isn't my best subject either. I did used to play the license plate game when going on road trips as a kid, writing down each state that I saw, hoping to get all 50 before the end of the trip. I never did get all 50 at one time; I usually needed Hawaii or Alaska to complete the project. And I wouldn't count that as being good at geography.

Andy and I were in St. Louis over the Easter holiday weekend and were having lunch out on the patio. While I was inside, the following conversation took place (and I'm paraphrasing here since I actually wasn't outside to hear the conversation).....

Erika (Andy's cousin): We are taking a trip to the Poconos this summer.

Andy: Where are the Poconos?

Erika: You don't know?

Andy: I don't know....Florida?

(crowd laughs making fun of Andy for not knowing where the Poconos are)

(I come out from inside and am not back out on the patio)

Andy: Hey Emily....do you know where the Poconos are?

Emily: I don't know....Switzerland?

(crowd laughs and thank you Andy for throwing me under the bus)

Am I the only one that wouldn't have known the right answer?

I've started becoming attached to the New York Times website and the oodles and oodles of fantastic recipes that they have posted there. I haven't given into purchasing a subscription to the site yet to have unlimited visits and views, but I'm guessing that may be the case in the near future. They have a healthy recipe section, and while the recipes are not specifically vegetarian, I'm finding that very few of them actually contain meat products, which is great. I have about 15 recipes that are bookmarked and I'm slowly making my way through them.

The first one that I am posting about here today is a Celery Root, Potato and Apple Puree.

Celery root is a kind of celery, grown as a root vegetable. It may be used raw or cooked. It has a touch outer surface, which is sliced off before use because it is too rough to peel. Celery root has a celery flavor and is often used to give flavor to soup or stews. I had never cooked with celery root before, but thought it would be an interesting vegetable to tackle. I was able to use a vegetable peeler to get the skin off. My celery root didn't have an immensely tough skin, so it was pretty easy to get off. I think you could easily cut it off with a knife as well.

The recipes calls for you to boil the potatoes in a separate pot from the apples/celery root. I'm not exactly sure why you couldn't cook the two together, and next time, will try boiling them all at once to save on a pot in the kitchen. You take the cooked vegetables and process them through a food mill, and it gives you a product the consistency of mashed potatoes. This is a great side dish and I have been eating it all week. I even took a bit of the puree, and served 2 poached eggs over top of it with a touch of marinara sauce. You don't have to ask me twice to add eggs and marinara to something.

Celery Root, Potato, and Apple Puree

adapted from the New York Times
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1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces

2 large celery roots, about 2 pounds, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 large or 2 small tart apples, such as a Granny Smith, peeled, cored and quartered
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

Place the potatoes in one saucepan and the celery root and apples in another. Add salt to taste to each, about 1/2 teaspoon. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, and return to the pot. Cover tightly, and allow to sit for five minutes to steam and dry out. Drain the celery root and apples through a strainer set over a bowl. Purée all of the produce using a food mill or a potato ricer. Stir together, and whisk in the broth until the mixture is fluffy. Add the butter to the hot buree, stir until the butter melts, and season to taste with salt and pepper.