Apple Banana Pineapple Bread

Banana Bread is one of my very favorite things. Recently, I bought and juiced a fresh Maui Pineapple and decided it might add a nice touch to banana bread. In addition to the pineapple, the other gift Hawaii provides to this recipe is the apple banana. It is a slightly sweeter version of the bananas available everywhere else and it adds an amazing additional level of flavor. I actually found some in LA on my last visit. They were grown in Columbia, and they were not labeled apple bananas, but they were similar in size and tasted about as good. They are really small, only about 4-6" long. If you can find them, use them! This bread is amazing.

2 C Flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 C Banana
1 1/4 C Sugar
3/4 C (minus 2 tbsp) Shortening
2 tbsp Butter
1/4 C Pineapple Juice - fresh squeezed if possible
3 eggs

1/3 C 60% Cacao, Bittersweet chocolate - I buy a bar of Ghiradelli and chop to little chunks.
1/3 C chopped nuts - I used Macademia

1. Combine dry ingredients
2. Blend wet ingredients
3. Add dry to wet
4. Pour nuts and chocolate on top. Mix in a bit if you wish - i did.
5. Pour into buttered 8.5x4 baking dish, to about 3/4 full. This recipe makes more than one loaf so I made 24 tiny muffins or you could make about 6 full size. Cook at 350 for 40 mins, then 325 for 20 minutes more (the muffins will be done sooner, mini-15 to 20 and full size-25 to 30.

Pesto pasta salad

BBQ 2!! Happy 4th of July! Our friend Christine hosted today's festivities at a local hillside park with a view of the ocean and the fireworks. We decided to use our leftover basil and bring pesto pasta salad. OMG, we had to taste test, obviously, and it is delicious. Again, pretty light flavor - good for eating outside. I like this recipe because it is not too much garlic and not too much basil. Well balanced.

The leftover sauce is delicious on bread. We are considering using it on a pizza tomorrow. Yum.

Pesto
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c pine nuts, or walnuts or the two mixed
2 c basil leaves, packed
3/4 c olive oil
1/2 c parmesan, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Pasta
1 lb pasta, I used elbow macaroni and a little bit of rotini spiral
2 tbsp olive oil

Pesto, from above
1 bag spinach - saute and cool
1 tbsp lemon juice

10 oz package sliced grape tomatoes- probably 1 1/2 c
1/3 c pine nuts and walnuts mixed
1/2 c parmesan
1/4 tsp pepper

Make pesto:
Put garlic, pine nuts in food processor, puree. Add basil, salt, and pepper to processor. With processor running, add olive oil in through feed tube. Process until thoroughly pureed. Add parm and puree for an additional minute. Leave in processor.

Boil pasta, drain, add olive oil so it won't stick together. Cool.

Sauté spinach in olive oil. Cool.

Add spinach, lemon juice to pesto and puree. Add mixture to cooled pasta with parmesan, nuts, pepper, and tomatoes.

3rd of July salad

BBQ season began on July 3rd this year with a gracious invite from our friends Mark and Anita. I was asked to bring a salad. I put this together with a mixture of the leftovers I had in my fridge - squash from the vege lasagna and olives and feta from the Greek salad.  It was a HUGE hit. The lemony-parmesan dressing was perfect for eating outdoors. The lemon juice also keeps the cut veges from going brown so you can prepare it early and it will still look appetizing later.

1 zucchini - slice then cut into strips
1 yellow squash - cut like zuccini
10 baby carrots - slice thin in the long direction so they are about the same size as the squash pieces
1/2 avo ( I would have used more but my tree just is not ready) salt and pepper and 2-3 tbsp lemon juice, let it soak in while you chop
1/2 cup nuts - I used sliced almonds and macadamia nuts - saute to brown and bring out oils
12 kalmata olives - sliced in half
4 leaves basil, chopped

1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 c vinegarette
1/2 c parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp feta cheese, chopped very fine

1 bag chopped romaine lettuce

Mix all ingredients except the lettuce together and allow to marinate in refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Pour over lettuce right before serving.

Viuscitine

These cookies were my Italian Grandma's specialty. There was never a single moment that I was in her company that Viuscitine's (we pronounced them wisk-a-tina's - stupido Americanas) were not around.

They are made without any added fat, other than eggs, and were used within my grandmother's Sicilian family to sooth teething babies. They also make adults very, very happy.

Beat in mixer for 30 mins (remember, my ancestors did this by hand so it must be very very important)
3 eggs
1 1/8 c sugar

Add:
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour

Let batter sit for 10-15 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 mins on lightly greased baking sheet.

Greek Salad - sort of

Wow, I just made the most amazing simple Greek-ish Salad. I did not take a pic, so I am highlighting the main ingredient - the kalamata olive.


Ingredients:
Salad greens - all I had was basic-traditional-available-everywhere head of green lettuce, it was perfect because it had so much moisture in it, good for a hot day.
1/2 diced avocado, salt and pepper and coat in lemon juice
Sliced in half Kalamata Olives
Feta cheese
Chunky diced cucumber
One thinly sliced, the long way, baby carrot
Lightly toasted sliced almonds - I toasted them right before putting them on the salad and eating so they were a little bit of warm added to the salad.

I added a little bit of Raspberry Walnut vinaigrette dressing from Paul Newman. The flavors were all just wonderful together. I am sure a tomato would have made it even better.