Banana Nut Bread

by Irene Lindvall

We're leaving for Vegas in a few hours so I decided on a quick banana bread before we left. I've been feeling great since my last loaf and was ready to try this one especially since the bananas were stinking up the kitchen. I believe that I probably over stirred the banana mixture into the flour mixture. I'm not positive I did, but I thought about it as soon as I did it and usually my intuition is right. I also don't know whether this was a cause of why my loaf came out unbaked in the middle or not, but regardless, it was uncooked in the middle and I am saddened. I left the loaf in for an additional four minutes and then decided to pull it out because it was getting too brown on the outside. I brought it over to my mom's house and we cut the ends off and they tasted great, but the center was still raw. She ended up re-baking it and eating it and it came out fine, but this is obviously not how I want to bake loaves in the future. On a taste note, the recipe is delicious.

Things I learned from this recipe:

My LeCreuset pan may be get resurrected from the back of my pantry. 

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

This recipe is close, but mine included the addition of 3/4 cup chopped walnuts and the cook time was 40 - 45 minutes.

Crab and Tangerine Salad (lunch)

by Irene Lindvall

Tangerines, satsumas, mecans - whatever you call them it is the season for these delicious little nuggets of citrus. Today was the first day I purchased any this season and I was pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted. My mom bought some a few weeks ago that were almost inedible so I was happy when these tasted perfect. I loved everything about this salad. The lightness of the frisee with the heavy texture of the crab coupled with the acidity of the satsumas was perfect. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

A tangerine dressing is interesting and I will definitely considering making it this fall and winter for other salads.

I do not skimp on crab so each of us ate about a quarter of a pound.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe

Chimichurri Chicken w/Rice

by Irene Lindvall

The is the second 30 minute recipe from Sunset this month's issue and it was also fantastic! I should mention I took a few liberties with this dish. The first being that I didn't have cilantro for the chimichurri sauce so I used extra Italian parsley and basil and also added in some regular parsley. I would say the sauce is very similar to pesto so I assumed my modifications would be okay and they were. Secondly, you may remember I have a bad relationship with long-grain rice, so I chose to use my own rice. I also chose to use my pre-cooked frozen rice to save time. I'm not sure this was the worst idea, but the rice did come out a little soggy, but I'm assuming any rice would since it was simmering in the broth. I think soggy rice just isn't my thing. All that said, the chicken and the chimichurri sauce were amazing - another great meal for a cold night.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Frozen rice isn't good for everything. While it wasn't inedible, it probably wasn't the best choice to have pre-cooked rice simmering for 15 minutes. 

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely, but I would cook the chicken on it's own.

The recipe

Parmesan Polenta w/Quick Ragù

by Irene Lindvall

I am in love with the recipe section in Sunset's magazine titled "Weeknight Cooking". They are all recipes that take 30 minutes or less and taste amazing. This recipe is from this month's issue and it did not disappoint. I've recently started paying attention to what month my outstanding recipes are from and tried to cook those in the current month first. 

For the ragù I used ground turkey instead of beef and it worked perfectly. I cooked the ragù in a cast iron Dutch oven which was great, but what I didn't understand was how to cook the polenta. The directions were a little odd, especially for a Sunset recipe, but it said to stir in the butter and cheese into the polenta pot. What it didn't mention was whether the water was supposed to absorb into the polenta (I don't think it was) or whether or not you were supposed to drain it. However, if I was to drain it I don't know what would've happened with the butter and the cheese - that would've been a lot of ingredient to just flat out absorb into the polenta. I ended up compromising and poured out some of the water and mixed in the butter & cheese with the remaining water. I thought it came out fine, the polenta tasted fine, but it seemed like a waste to put in the butter and chees. The ragù would've been all the flavor the polenta needed.  All that said, I would make this dish again in a heartbeat and is perfect for a cold night. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

Nothing wrong with plain polenta. 

You can never have enough fresh basil or freshly shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Would I make this dish again?:

Definitely

The recipe

 

Apple-Pear Crisp

by Irene Lindvall

Happy Veteran's Day and Happy Birthday to my dad! We went out for a traditional Japanese meal tonight so I decided on a dessert to make at home. I pre-read in the directions that it would take about an our to prepare and bake, but what I didn't see was that it wanted two hours to cool. TWO HOURS?! I thought that was a little crazy and I didn't have time for that. We managed to have our first bites before midnight so it still counted for today! It was quite tasty and the oat topping was delicious. When I served the dessert it was very runny underneath all the apples and pears, and I'm not sure if that was how it was supposed to be, but I used a slotted spoon to serve it so what we ate was not runny. I don't know if it would've been less runny if I would've let it sit for the entire two hours, but I did manage 1hr 15min and figured that should be enough. Regardless, still edible.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I've had no experience with pears and I learned that cutting them is just like cutting an apple.

Would I make this recipe again?

Yes

The recipe