Williams Sonoma Banana Bread

When your bananas look like this:

There is just one way to dispose of them, banana bread! Last week, I tried the Williams-Sonoma Breakfast (Simon and Schuster, 2003) recipe for Banana-Raisan Bread with a few of my own tweaks.

Being a raisan-hater, I substituted chocolate chips and made my own buttermilk (vinegar and regular milk, recipe at About.com). The bread came out pretty good. The recipe called for much less sugar than I am used to and the result is a banana bread that isn't sickly sweet. The chocolate chips fulfilled the raisans' role by adding moisture and sweetness. All in all a good recipe.

P.S. HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!

Ah, Wisconsin!

We spent the weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin visiting family and eating some of the best Italian food we've had in a long time. The food feast started with the Lent special at Mike and Angelo's in Racine. Lake Michigan perch fried golden in a light batter and served with your choice of fries or spaghetti.

After dinner, we headed for drinks at Captain Mike's Lighthouse Pub, the bar where everyone will know your name if you can make it through the 100 beers on hand (30 on tap) in record time. On Saturday we started with a trip to Oliver's Bakery for cookies, and then off to Tenuta's. If you are from Wisconsin, you know this is the place to get any of your Italian staples. Their cheese, charcuterie, and wine selections are impressive as is their collection of dried, fresh, and frozen pasta. We loaded up on Parmesano Reggiano, aged provolone, and dried pasta, but, regretfully, had to leave the pasta sauces and wine for our next road trip.

Tenuta's meatball bombers and seasoned olives held us over until dinner at Wells Brothers Pizza rated one of the top ten pizzeria's in the U.S. by USA Today. Cut in squares, the incredibly thin and crispy crust is piled with savory toppings and cheese in any combination you want: anchovies and garlic, sausage and onions, tomato basil, or simply pepperoni. It is simply amazing how quickly those little squares of savory goodness go down. We tried some of Wisconsin's microbrews with our dinners, but will definitely have to come back for a more thorough examination of the state's breweries.

Finally, we capped the weekend with a home-cooked lunch that bested them all, complete with arroncini [fried risotto balls] made from scratch, fresh ravioli, and my father-in-law's newest invention, an eggplant-topped dish with layers of potato and spare rib meat hiding underneath. Top that off with a Kenosha staple, Cardinali's bread, and what can I say, it was great.

Aprihop at Dogfish Head Alehouse

Last night, we celebrated the launch of Dogfish Head Alehouse's Aprihop beer with our friends Rob and Emily and with Chris. For those of you who haven't been, Dogfish Head Alehouse in Falls Church (they have one in Gaithersburg as well) offers great casual dining and an excellent selection of unique brews that you won't find in many other restaurants of the same caliber. We tasted the Aprihop beer for the novelty (and the free glass), and I found it to be a great date beer. There was a hint of apricot to keep it sweet for her, but enough hops to make it manly for the gentleman. The food tasted great and was delivered promptly at the proper temperature. I ordered the Greek salad to start and shared a pizza, Cajun-Alfredo with Vince. The greens were crisp and not overdressed and the pizza exploded with flavor. I am now on a quest to find andouille sausage to cook with in my own kitchen. Service was smooth and the only drawback I can see to coming here with a large party is the "one check per table" rule. While this is certainly an advantage to the dining establishment, it can make things complicated at the end of the meal, especially when there are so many excellent beers to sample. My advice, bring cash and follow this simple formula recently expounded by my friend : "When the check comes-- PLEASE be sure to account for Everything that you ATE + DRANK + TAX + TIP."

A new spin on Mom's cooking

When we think of "mom's cooking" many of us hearken back to the comfort foods we had as children for some this might be creamy gooey mac n' cheese, meatloaf, or, in my case, rice and beans. But just because these favorites have a special place in our stomachs and hearts doesn't mean that moms can't spread their own culinary wings and try new favorites. For example, this past weekend my mom made a dish I had never her make before in a culinary tradition that isn't ours by heritage. Embellishing on a recipe found in Real Simple magazine, she cooked up some thai-chili shrimp and fried shitake mushrooms served on a bed of white rice and watercress. This was a quick and savory meal that balanced sweetness, savoriness, bitterness, and acidity while still looking beautiful on the plate.

First Picnic 2009

This weekend was a glorious weekend in DC. Warm weather for the first time this year, sunshine at least on Sunday afternoon, and time to relax and enjoy with my favorite people. My sister Ana came to visit and that gave us an even greater incentive to get out and see the monuments and visit Great Falls National park. On a regular day, the teeming crowds would have made me crazy, but this weekend they added to the euphoria as everyone broke free from the cage of winter weather. Even cloudy skies and a little mugginess on Sunday afternoon couldn't dampen our spirits. Saturday we celebrated a peak at spring with a visit to the Eastern Market, hopping with vendors, and a picnic of pulled pork sandwiches on the mall. At night we topped it off with an impromptu barbecue at Chris's house and a fire just to savor the warm air a little longer. One of the unexpected surprises came as we were crossing the Potomac River on 395 with the windows down; up from the southwest waterfront, wafted the incredible smell of crabs and old bay seasoning a taste of the bounty coming in the next months.

Resolution Check-In

I was just surfing the internet while eating my lunch, and I came across this little gem of a slideshow from msn. com Seven Decades of Wacky Dieting Trends. It really is amazing what people will subject themselves to in order to drop a few pounds. Seen with the cool eye of reason and a several decades of perspective, some of these plans (smoking, cabbage soup, diet pills) seem insane. Not that it stops people from continuing them to this day! I, for one, must confess to the 3-day diet (hot dogs, cottage cheese, you get the picture), weight watchers (which does work as long as you can count your points) and various other crazy things. Being as it is March and usually a time when resolutions have been long forgotten, I wonder if there isn't a better way to diet? Is it possible to change your relationship with food: to love it, rather than hate it; to understand it, rather than fear it? As the Weight Watchers commercials tell us, "Diets don't work", but changing our attitude toward food might. For more on this approach to eating, I suggest French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Giuliano. While I may not agree with everything she says, the central wisdom of the book is right. Enjoy food of the best quality you can in judicious quantities. Don't feel guilty for loving, desiring, or even (gasp!) eating chocolate if that is what you really want. Savoring the moment leads to satiety and a greater appreciation of the amazing mechanics of the human body that allow us to enjoy food rather than simply photosynthesizing it out of the air. Until next time, Adieu and Bon Apetit!

Yay, Miami!

I've been home for the weekend in Miami and will be here for the next couple of days. It's been a whirlwind trip and not soon to stop. A few quick notes before the full report to come, Mom's cooking will always be delicious and comforting, wedding dinners don't have to taste bad, and celebrating your grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary will always be emotional (in a good way). Hooray for warm weather, but why is it 50 today in Miami? At least it's not wintry mix!

Photo from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30472988@N00/172428385/