If you give El Belle a Chocolate Chip Banana Cauliflower Muffin. . . . .

This muffin holds a secret that was NEVER EVER suppose to be revealed!

Meet my niece, El Belle.  She is a "junk food" eater.

The "Bah Humbug" hat says it all about her displeasure of healthy fare.  If it is a vegetable, she won't eat it.  If it is a wholesome dinner being served, she backs slowly away from the table.  If it is filled with fiber, she gags.  AND so on. . . .  .

Meet my baby sister (she is the one in the middle between my parents.)

Suzanne is on a mission for 2010 for her four children.  The mission is simple, less junk and more nourishing "good" for you cuisine.  This is where I come in.  I am the baker.  I am the one bringing all the treats. This is where the muffin story starts.  

This muffin held a secret in the form of cauliflower.  Yelp, cauliflower.  It was a strongly guarded secret until I told my sister. 

You see, Ellie had eaten several of my muffins and "loved" them.  She ate them for breakfast.  She nibbled on them for a snack.  They were packed in her lunch box.  Over a day's time, there were just a few left.

The other night  Ellie had declared my sister's dinner inedible! 

"Mom, can I please have one of Aunt Gin's muffins instead?" Ellie asked my sister.

"Sure, why not.  They are packed full of cauliflower," my sister mumbled.

"YUCK!"  Ellie yelled and vowed never to touch another Chocolate Chip Banana Cauliflower Muffin to her lips. 

Now, the remaining muffins sit on a plate getting more stale as the time goes by.

Gin's Chocolate Chip Banana Cauliflower Muffins

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups steamed fresh cauliflower, mashed

Directions
(1)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line twelve standard muffin cups.  (2)  In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking soda.  Stir in the sugar and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.  (3)  In a mixing bowl stir together the eggs, milk, melted butter, mashed bananas and cauliflower.  All to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened.  (4)  Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full.  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of the muffins.  (5)  Bake approximately  15-20 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.  (6) ENJOY!  

This is an easy five-star muffin recipe that is moist and sumptuous.  The crowning touch of the muffins are the chocolate chips that rest lazily in top.   You will definitely be asked for seconds, if you can keep the secret!

Can somebody please tell me if this means spring is coming?

Have a wonderful day and a great week!!

Happy New Year and a simmering pot of 2010 GOOD FORTUNE

Happy 2010!

Yes, I am a “little bit” behind. The holidays have been (shall I say) hectic for me. I have one son home from college and another son looking forward to college. I have had “big” kids in and out of my house. I have simmered and stewed. I have filled backpacks with snacks. I have fed for hikes and bikes. I served fresh bread and muffins. There were cookies and cakes. I baked and they ate.

One thing that I didn’t do very much was blog. There were a couple of reasons for this lapse. (1.) I have one broken camera and one new camera. The broken camera speaks for itself. It’s broke. Mr. Picky Head insisted on buying me a new camera (that is the kind of husband he is.) This camera is beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. It is unbelievable! It is also beyond my skill level. There is a huge learning curve, but I will prevail. Now on the reason number two. (2.) When you have big hungry boys in and out of your kitchen, there is virtually no time to stop the feeding frenzy for a few photos. That is until I simmered a pot of Black-eyed Pea Soup.

Somehow this one pot of soup stopped the feeding frenzy dead in its tracks. I explained to these boys that eating black-eyed peas for the New Year represented luck. That one bowl would bring them good fortune for the months to come in 2010. Long story very short, they weren’t buying it. Out the door they went in search of fast food that would put as much distance as possible between them and my pot of Black-eyed Pea Soup. Their loss is my windfall and that is all I am going to say about that!

Gin’s 2010 Black-eyed Pea Soup

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas
3 smoked ham hocks
1⁄2 stick butter
3 cups finely chopped cooked ham
1 tablespoon dried red chili pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 small bag of baby carrots, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cups good quality chicken stock
1 large bag of baby spinach or your choice of greens
5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
5 cups cooked brown rice
Chopped scallions, red onions, Sriracha Sauce and crackers for garnish

Directions

(1) Bring peas, ham hocks, and 8 cups water to a boil in a 12-qt. Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, skimming foam occasionally, until peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain peas, reserving cooking liquid and ham hocks. (2) Simmer butter in a 12-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped ham, dried red chili pepper flakes, garlic, jalapeños, carrots, onion, and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. (3) Add reserved black-eyed peas, ham hocks, reserved cooking liquid, along with chicken broth and 8 cups of water. (4) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1/2 hour. (5) Remove ham hocks. Add spinach and cook until done. (6) Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon rice into bowls and ladle soup over rice. Garnish to your taste. (7) ENJOY!

I believe in positive thinking so I am saying 2010 is going to be a great year.

Gourmet Gin is Simmering a Pot of Tom Yum Soup

I am surrounded by people with the flu, people with Mono (for over an entire YEAR) people that are now on their second cold, people that are plagued with allergies, people who claim their immune systems are "just out of whack" and then there is me.

I happy, healthy, smiling merrily on my way.  Well, I might not be smiling "merrily" on my way, because I am the one taking care of all these people. (Which explains my lack of blogging.  Well, that and the fact that I have a new camera that might take me all of 2010 to learn how to use!)

This brings me to the topic of the day.  Tom Yum Soup.  Tom Yum Soup is being studied has you read this blog for it's ability to boost your immune system.  It is thought that the soup can fight cold and flu viruses and quite possibly cancer.   I really can't say enough on how scrumptious this soup is.  Here is my recipe, but there are one hundred different ways to prepare Tom Yum Soup.

Gin's Tom Yum Soup Recipe

•4 cups good-tasting chicken stock (I used homemade)
•1 stalk lemongrass, minced, OR 3 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass (available at Asian stores)
•3 kaffir lime leaves (available fresh or frozen at Asian stores)
•10 cloves garlic, minced
•1-2 red chilies, finely sliced, and 1 teaspoon dried crushed chili
•3 Tbsp. fish sauce (available at all Asian/Chinese food stores and some supermarket chains)
•12 medium raw shrimp, shells removed
•1/2 cup coconut milk (more to your taste)
• 2 packages of ramen noodles, spice packets saved for another day
• fresh limes
• fresh cilantro 
•optional: extra vegetables of your choice (I put none in this batch because of Mr. Picky Head) 
 
Directions
(1.)Pour stock into a deep cooking pot and bring to a boil.  (2.)  Add the lemongrass and boil for 1-2 minutes. If using fresh lemongrass, also add the tops of the stalks for extra flavor.  (3.)Add garlic, chili, lime leaves and Ramen Noodles. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until Ramen is cooked.  (4.)  Add the shrimp (plus other vegetables if using). Simmer 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and plump.  (5.) Reduce heat to medium-low and add the coconut milk plus fish sauce and lime juice. Stir well to combine and gently simmer until hot. Test the soup for salt and spice and adjust to your taste.  (6.)  Serve in bowls with fresh cilantro and lime slices. For an extra hit of spicy add some Thai chili sauce.  (7.)  ENJOY!
 
I have to tell you that this soup isn't worth making without the kaffir lime leaves.  These leaves are a little bigger than bay leaves and have such an unique smoky flavor.  I am in search of other recipes that would use kaffir lime leaves.  They are extremely hard to find unless you are "lucky" enough to live by Jungle Jims in which case you just walk in and get yourself a little pack. I did find out that you can order these leaves on Amazon.  They would be well worth the hassle and you can freeze them for future use. 
 
A wise man (my favorite Sushi Chef) recently told me that Tom Yum Soup is also thought to bring luck to one's life.  I am adding to my New Year's Day menu along with my Peppered Black-eyed Pea Salad.  Food traditions are so much fun and it is a way to get picky eaters to at least try one BITE!
 
I am wishing everybody the best 2010 EVER!
 

Now, on to my new obsession which is Bento Box Lunches. Who is in?

Stay tuned for a blog post brought to you by Red Gold Tomatoes.
 

A Breakfast Bowl for Champions Served to You by Gourmet Gin

When it comes to breakfast (brunch) I tend to take many chances with my family's menu.  My culinary inventiveness (actually it is just a desire to use all leftovers) trumps traditional breakfast fare on most days.

This week, for some odd reason, we had fresh delicious corn on the cob at the market.  Go figure, I have never seen it in December EVER!!  It has been nice here (Cincinnati) so I fired up my grill.  I treated my family to a summer dinner of steak, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes.

I am using family loosely here because my oldest son is away at college, and my senior in high school has a job, a girlfriend, and a schedule that on most days has me feeding him separate.  This has been hard because family dinners have been an important tradition through the years to me and my husband.  Times change, and I am going to change with them.

 I can see that I am really going to have to practice cooking for two!  I had several ears of corn left and there was no way I was going to let those go to waste.

The breakfast bowl consist of my 2 packets of low fat Ramen Noodles, fresh corn on the cob, fried egg, spicy relish and fresh limes.

Gin's Spicy Relish

4 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

(1) Mix all ingredients and let marinate  for 1/2 hour.  (2) Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat, add oil and then sear remaining ingredients for 4 to 5 minutes stirring frequently.  (3)  ENJOY!

I use this relish on just about everything.  I love it, guess who doesn't?

That's right, Mr. Picky Head.  Imagine that??  His loss!  While I am enjoying perfectly cooked fish with a spicy topping, he is just eating fish.  While I am enjoying a taco with an additional fresh topping,  he is eating the same old "boring" taco.  (I think I will stop here since he is helping me with the purchase of a new camera!)

I divided the Ramen Noodles in three bowls and topped mine with the spicy relish, corn, fried egg and fresh lime slices.  The other two bowls were topped with corn and fried egg.  Why?  Mr. Picky Lucas Head is his father's son.

They are two picky peas in a pod.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Here the two are at a picture taking event at his girlfriend's (Betsy) house for senior Homecoming. Betsy's Mother ( in the background) was kind enough to host this event at her house.

This dish is perfect anytime of the day.  I want to serve it with poached eggs, but I am terrible at this process!  The relish gives it just enough kick to get your taste buds going and the lime adds a subtle fresh flavor.

So go ahead, dare to serve this "different" breakfast to your family.  Hopefully you don't have Picky Heads in your house!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!