Black Bottom Banana Cream pie

 

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

This is the best of both worlds chocolate custard, vanilla custard and bananas in a ginger crust topped with heavy cream! From A Bountiful Kitchen... Recipe here:

COURSE DESSERT

CUISINE AMERICAN

 PREP TIME 20 MINUTES

 COOK TIME 15 MINUTES

 CHILL TIME 6 HOURS

 TOTAL TIME 6 HOURS 35 MINUTES

 8

Ingredients

CRUST:

• 1 1/4 cups Ginger Snap crumbs about 25-30 cookies
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

FILLING AND TOPPING:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 1-2 medium bananas sliced
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• chocolate shavings for garnish

Instructions

CRUST:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.

   Combine Ginger Snaps with sugar and salt. Pulse in a food processor until no chunks remain. Add melted butter and pulse a few more times. Press the crumbs evenly into the pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Let cool completely. Set aside.

CUSTARD:

1. In a medium size saucepan, combine: sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and 1/2 cup of milk and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of milk.

2. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes, until the custard is thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted. Pour half of the vanilla custard into a medium bowl and set aside.

3. Whisk the chopped chocolate into the custard in the saucepan until melted. Let cool.

4. Once the custard is cooled, spread the chocolate custard evenly into the pie crust and top with the sliced bananas. Spread the vanilla custard over the bananas to cover completely. Refrigerate the pie for 6-8 hours or overnight.

GARNISH AND SERVE

1. Before serving, whip the cream with powdered sugar. Gently spread whipped cream on top of the pie. Use a grater or vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls or finely chop chocolate as a garnish

• Do not use a pie plate that is too deep, about  1 1/2 inch deep works best. 
• I use Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bars for the chocolate layer and also the chocolate  garnish. 
• For milk, I prefer whole or 2%. 
• Be patient when making the custard layer. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly. The custard will thicken after it is cooked  and will also thicken a bit more after cooling. Lay a piece of Saran Wrap over the custard after cooling a bit to prevent a layer from forming on top of the custard. 
• It is extremely important to allow the crust and the custard to cool completely before assembly. Make sure to allow enough time for cooling and chilling the pie after assembled. 
• To make ahead, prepare the crust (up to 3 days)  early and the custard the day before serving. On day of serving,  or the night before, assemble the pie and chill for 6-8 hours. The crust can also be frozen for up to three months. 
  
  
  

Italian Meatball Soup - Our best bites pg. 105

 Flavorful, bite-sized Italian meatballs are simmered in a tomato and chicken broth soup with garlic, onion and Italian herbs.  You can definitely serve this crowd-pleasing soup for company.  Everyone who tries this soup loves it.  I often double it in two stock pots and have enough to save for later.  One batch makes 3 quarts and serves 8-10.

SOUP:

1 Recipe Italian Meatballs pg. 163 (see below)

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

5 (14 oz cans of chicken broth) (70 oz. or 8.75 cups)

1 cup of water

1 28 can crushed tomatoes

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup small pasta, uncooked

2 cups spinach, thinly sliced

Italian Meatballs:

(use in soup or for spaghetti and meatballs or topped with marinara sauce and melted provolone in a classic meatball sub sandwhich)

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound Sweet Italian Sausage

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesean cheese

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/4 cup dehydrated onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Turn on over broiler.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non stick spray.  Set aside.

2. Gently combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. (use meat disposable gloves).  Shape the meat mixture into meatballs.  A cookie scoop is great for helping maintain a uniform size, you can shape to your liking.  Med scoop around 30 balls, and small cookie scoop bit size soup bites... I've done both

3. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 7-10 min. or until the meatballs are becoming brown and gragrant.  If you're going to be simmering the meatballs in soup or some other type of sauce, it's best to cook them until they're just brown so they can finish cooking in the sauce or soup and release some of their flavor into the cooking liquid.

to freeze meatballs for later:

  Broil the meatballs until just brown and they can hold their shape; they won't be cooked through.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool, then place the entire baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until the meatballs are solid.  Transfer the meatballs to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.  If you're making Spaghetti and meatballs or Soup, drop the frozen meatballs into the simmering sauce and continue simmering until the meatballs are completely cooked.

I typically use ditalini noodles, but any small noodle works~

Thumbprint Cookies

 A favorite cookie of mine, from my Aunt Michelle Bohling who has delicious recipes. She gave me this recipe nearly 20 years ago and I need to make every month.  They are delicious.

The picture doesn't do them justice as they taste sort of like a pecan sandy vibe with cream cheese whipped in the frosting and you can decorate any way you want.

Makes 2 dozen

tip: canned milk use like 1-2 tsp at a time...

Christmas Pretzels, easy with candy

 My pal Carly Tall taught me this during Matt's MBA school in 2012.

Easy and fun.

Need:

Pretzels (I like the square kind but couldn't find at the store and opted for the pretzel twists)

rolos

variety of Hershey kisses (white choc hugs great for Christmas)

nuts - pecans and cashews

Christmas M&M

Put oven as low as it will go (Most settings are on warm or 180 degrees).  Lay pretzels out flat on a cookie sheet with parchment.

Unwrap rolos and kisses, place one on each pretzel.  

Put in the oven for a couple minutes (usually 5-10) until chocolate is soft.  Remove from the oven and add a nut or M&M to each one.  

Let cool/ harden overnight or eat gooey from the oven.

Quick and easy festive treat to attack your salty and sweet tooth.

Grilled Marinated Steak Kebabs

 Simple. Grilled and GOOD!  Brianne makes these and they are so tasty.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

1 1/2 pounds Sirloin Steak, cut into bite size cubes, top sirloin

1 Red, Orange and Green Bell Pepper, cut into chunks

1 large Red Onion, cut into cubes

4 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Seasoning Salt {I use Simply Organic Grind to a Salt}

3/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

2-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 cup Tamari or soy sauce

1/2 cup Olive Oil or maybe a little less

Metal Skewers or skewers that have been soaking in water for 30-45 minutes

 

In a large bowl combine the garlic, seasoning, black pepper, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, tamari and whisk while pouring in the olive oil.

Place the peppers, onions and cubed sirloin into the marinade. Toss to coat and let sit for a few.

Skewer the steak and peppers alternating with the red onion until all the steak is skewered.

On a hot preheated grill {High heat} place the skewers down and immediately reduce the temperature to medium/medium-high. Cook, turning occasionally, until there's a nice char on the outside.

Remove and let rest for 5 minutes or so before serving.

Enjoy!