As you've known by reading my dear blog, I've been on a mission to find the perfect banana bread recipe. I think I finally did it. This recipe is from the Food Network, but it's the recipe of Cathy Lowe, and I have no clue who she is; I just know that her recipe is ranked 5 stars an impressive 147 times, so I thought, I'll try hers. Ding! Winner! I have made this twice, and each time I've baked one loaf and twelve muffins, with the scrumptious addition of semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or toasted chopped walnuts (approximately 1/2 cup each...feel free to put more, especially the chocolate chips). Everyone who's tasted has agreed that this is the keeper, and my roommate even tried it, though she did try to be a bit inventive with some substitutions. Final word: this recipe is yummy, and my banana bread search is over.
When the weather finally decided to be fully spring-like, I decided to venture into the world of herb growing. I went to the farmer's market and Lowes, and I am now growing my own parsley, thyme, cilantro, rosemary, and basil. I'm a bit concerned about the basil (my friend Josh says it's because the weather hasn't been hot enough yet), but the others are doing quite well. I'm excited about having herbs right outside, not needing the grocery store to provide that small amount of parsley...I can simply snip it from my very own herb garden. My porch is certainly not the Hamptons (though I would happily live in Ina Garten's world!), but it's working just fine for me. I even decided to grow some flowers--an array of vincas, petunias, and other pretty colored things I don't know the name for. You'll have to excuse me, for my one brown thumb is just beginning to turn green.
That farmer's market didn't just give me visions of herb gardens. While talking to the vendor about how to not kill those precious herb plants, I spotted glorious, vibrant red strawberries right next door. A cute little married couple had boucoups of them, quarts and gallons. I couldn't resist, so quickly nabbed a gallon bucket and exited the market, fully content with my fresh, local finds. The strawberries needed to be used and soon, so what else would you make but strawberry shortcake. Now, I must admit I cheated a bit. I was going to make my own shortcakes, but because of time and ingredients, I opted to use a box from Trader Joe's, their Vanilla Cake Mix. So good and so easy. The strawberry mixture did come from a recipe, one from Cooking Light entitled Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake. On to the assembly: I spliced the vanilla cake in half, cut each half in little squares, then placed some strawberry yummyness on one half, dolloped that with hand-whipped whipped cream (that's a workout for the arms), then topped with the other half of the cake, followed with one more spoonful of strawberries. I made this goodie for my small group girls, and the crowd seemed pleased.
I did some other cooking throughout the month, including two more rounds of Chicken Marsala (seriously, it's amazing...have you tried it yet?), two more rounds of Rosemary Bread, and I even utitlized some of the aforementioned strawberries in a lovely salad recipe from Food Network's Alex Guarnaschelli (the super sassy chef judge on Chopped and Iron Chef America). If you're looking for a simple, refreshing summer salad, here it is: Arugula and Strawberry Salad. The only thing I might add to it would be some goat cheese crumbles and perhaps walnuts, but simply following the recipe is completely ok. It's wonderful. Sorry...forgot to take a picture!
The month's cooking ventures concluded with the debut of Giada's Pasta Ponza. The recipe hails from my very own autographed copy of her newest book, Giada at Home. Since my college small group girls and I decided to throw a surprise bridal shower for Morgan, we wanted to do a little potluck beforehand. Perfect opportunity to try the new book out. This recipe has only been "out" for a small amount of time and it's already got 5 stars over 75 times! It's delicious, and it's even garlic-free (I know, that's basically blasphemy for me). Morgan was glad that part of her gift was a copy of the book, as she ate the pasta and said "good," so I know that she and Bobby will soon enjoy it as a married couple.
Our meal rounded out with Sarah and Amy's creation of Ree Drummond's Strawberry Shortcake Cake. Dear goodness. It was AMAZING. Just look at that picture. Seriously. The Pioneer Woman rocks. That's all there is to it.
Enjoy the pictures of all of my sweet girls...most are graduating, so to them and all others, Congratulations UNC Class of 2010! So proud of you. The Lord has blessed me ABUNDANTLY with each of you. I can't begin to express how much this past year has meant to me. Walking alongside you has been a joy I never would have expected...it reminds me to ask the Lord to do big things because He has amazed me with you. How great is our God!
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