Banana Peanut Butter Nut Bread

One of my favorite breads to make has always been banana nut bread. Unfortunately we never had bananas hang around too long to make the bread out of them since we would peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Mmmmmmm....

For the record, I just found out that one of Elvis Presley's favorite sandwiches was peanut butter, banana, and bacon. It is delicious, omg...

Anyways, back to this bread, I decided that this time I was going to try to combine both the bananas and the peanut butter in the bread since I usually spread peanut butter on my banana bread when I eat it. It came out perfectly! The bananas remained in tact and helped keep the bread moist, while the peanut butter was still able to come through without overpowering the banana. Great success for me! Enjoy!

• 1/2 cup and 2 Tbsp Butter
• 4 oz Chopped Walnuts
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 cup and 2 tsp White Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 3 ripe Bananas
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 cup AP Flour (AP = All Purpose)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit  In a container, combine 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp white sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Then in a medium sauce pan, brown 2 Tbsp of butter on low heat until the butter turns a rich brown color. Once browned, coat walnuts in the butter and then place in the container with the sugar mixture. Shake around and evenly coat the walnuts. Once coated, set walnuts on some parchment paper to dry and move aside.

Step 2: In a bowl, take your three bananas and cut up to fit in the bowl. Then take a fork and mash the bananas, but be sure to keep some lumps in it. Set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl, cream the 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar together. Add in the peanut butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Then slowly start adding in the flour until it has all been added. Lastly, fold in the banana mash, making sure to keep the lumps of banana in there. 

Step 4: Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan and cover with your sugared walnuts. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Once done, pull out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before taking out of the pan. Enjoy!


Note: Serve with cream cheese (just spread it on your bread as you eat it!)!

Yield: Makes 1 loaf.

Shrimp Linguine in Tomato Cream Sauce

I feel so fancy when I get to eat shrimp. Growing up we didn't have shrimp too often, mostly on New Years Eve and maybe a few other holidays here and there. So when I get a chance to get shrimp, I take it and I feel fancy!

Looking through the pantry the other night I had all the ingredients for some tasty pasta, I just didn't have a meat selected. Immediately I jumped on the chance to have shrimp! I ran to the store and started brainstorming ideas on how to create this pasta. I hope you find this recipe as tasty as I did! Enjoy!

• 4 oz Linguine (cooked)
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
• 3/4 cup and 2 Tbsp White Wine (I used Chardonnay)
• 2 Tbsp Garlic (minced)
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 30-40 Large Shrimp (peeled and uncooked)
• 2 Tbsp Cream Cheese
• 1 cup Spinach (raw)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (shredded)

Step 1: In a medium sauce pan, heat up 1 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Once warm, add the diced tomatoes and 1/4 cup white wine. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes and then add 1 Tbsp garlic and turn off heat. Set aside.

Step 2: In another saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the shrimp and 1 Tbsp of garlic and cook until the shrimp becomes a nice reddish pink color. Set aside.

Step 3: In another saucepan, add 2 Tbsp White Wine and the spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted and then add to the saucepan with the tomato pan. In the same pan you cooked the spinach in, add 2 Tbsp cream cheese and 1/2 cup white wine and bring to a slow simmer. Add in 1/2 cup Parmesan and stir until most of the cheese has been melted. Add this mixture to the same pan that now has both the tomatoes and the spinach. On a plate, dish out one serving of pasta and cover with a nice amount of the tomato mixture. Throw a few shrimp on top, and voila! Enjoy!


Note: Serve with a wedge of lemon, a spoonful of pesto, and some extra Parmesan cheese.

Yield: Serves 2-4.

Fried Tofu with Ponzu Sauce

One of the foods that I wish I had discovered earlier in life is tofu. It has a multitude of uses and can taste however you want it to, with a little help. You can make smoothies with it, you can add them to stir-fry for extra texture, or even turn it into a delicious hamburger patty for your vegetarian friends.

I recently have been craving sushi but haven't been able to go grab any yet so to feed my craving I decided to make some fried tofu and dress it up with some homemade ponzu sauce (my favorite sauce, I can honestly eat it with everything). After researching a few different sauces and playing mad kitchen scientist, I was able to come up with a recipe that is tasty and full-bodied. Make this dish as either a side dish or serve it as your main course. Either way it will be a very tasty night! Enjoy!

• 14 oz package Firm Tofu
• 1/4 cup Orange Juice
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 1/3 cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Mirin (Sweet Cooking Rice Wine)
• 1/4 tsp Wasabi or Horseradish Paste
• 2 Tbsp Green Onions (diced)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Flour
• Canola Oil (for frying)

Step 1: In a container, combine orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, Soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar, Mirin, and Wasabi and mix until the Wasabi has been thoroughly mixed in. Add in the green onions and set the mixture aside.

Step 2: Open the tofu container and slice it into 8 equal pieces. Place these pieces in the mixture and let marinate for at least 1 hour. 

Step 3: When you are ready to cook the tofu, grab a sauce pan and place canola oil in the pan so that it goes up the side about 1-2 inches. Heat oil on medium-high heat, and while the oil is heating lightly beat an egg in a separate bowl. Once oil is hot enough, dredge tofu in the egg and then cover with flour. Cook the tofu for 4 minutes on each side in the oil (the edges will start to turn a golden brown). When done cooking, pull the tofu pieces out of the oil and pat with a paper towel to soak up some oil. Place tofu on a plate and cover with your marinade (it is ponzu sauce). Serve warm. Enjoy!


Yield: Serves 2.

Feta Stuffed Steaks

It had been too long since the last time I remember having asparagus, so I was on a mission to create a recipe that included asparagus in the dish.

Looking through my refrigerator I was a little sad since it is close to food shopping day so I didn't have too much to work with. What I did have were 4 mighty tasty looking steaks and some leftover feta cheese from another dish. I didn't want to just cook and serve everything separately  so I decided to try to make a 'stuffed' steak. The best I could do with my steaks were roll them, so that was just what I did. If you love feta cheese, make sure to have extra on hand in order to top the dish off for extra flavor, and serve these either by themselves or with mashed potatoes like we did! Enjoy!

• 4 3 oz Steaks (I used Beef Chuck Arm Steak)
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 16 Asparagus Spears
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper
• 4 Tbsp Feta Cheese
• 8 Toothpicks

Step 1: In a container, combine 1 tsp Olive Oil, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire, 1 Tbsp Montreal Seasoning (if you don't have this, a blend of black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne will suffice  just make the combo equal 1 Tbsp), and 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce to create your marinade. Place the steaks in this marinade for at least 1 hour (the longer the better).

Step 2: When you are almost ready to cook your meat, combine the 2 Tbsp Balsamic, 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice, and 1 tsp Olive Oil and coat the asparagus with them. Place the asparagus and liquid mixture in a sauce pan and cook on medium heat until the asparagus are soft (the softness is all preference, so cook them as long as you'd like until you are happy with them. Once finished, toss the 1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper on top of the asparagus and set aside. 

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Take out another sauce pan and lightly grease it. Turn it to medium-high heat and once it has warmed up, start cooking your steaks. Cook them for 2 minutes on each side to give them a nice brown color. Don't forget to toss in the marinade as well so that the steaks can cook in it.

Step 4: Once you have cooked the steaks, take out a cookie sheet and place some aluminium foil on top. Place each of the steaks on the cookie sheet and lay out 4 asparagus on each steak. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp Feta Cheese on top of each steak, and then carefully roll the steak around the cheese and asparagus. Use 2 toothpicks in each steak to keep it together. Place the steaks in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes. Then take them out of the oven and let set for 1 minute. Sprinkle with extra feta cheese if you'd like. Enjoy!


Yield: Serves 2-4.