Banana Bread

Going Bananas

Next week my kids will be returning to school. I am both dreading and looking forward to the start of the new school year. I look forward to it because the kids will be occupied with learning new things, and getting back to their regular extra curricular activities. I also dread it because they will be occupied with learning new things, and getting back to their regular extra curricular activities.

The start of the school year is an adjustment. All of a sudden the lazy days of summer, sitting by the pool when questions like ” Yes, you’ve been in the pool but when was the last time soap touched your body?” turn into, “We need to eat by six because you have homework and you have to shower off the grime from soccer practice so that you can get to bed on time because I don’t want to have to tell you fifty times to get out of bed the following morning.” (This quote is one of many that can be found in the Mom’s Time Honored Phrase Library right next to “I am not the maid”, “Because I said so”, “You’ll put an eye out”, “Your Father said WHAT?” and “Don’t run with the scissors”

It is also a time when I try to think ahead so that I have different meals on hand for when it gets crazy. Mornings are usually the worst, so having something easy and available makes a huge difference. One of my favorites is banana bread. Because I always have bananas on hand, and because they don’t always get eaten in time, it’s easy to throw a batch together using the over-ripe ones. A slice of banana bread along with a fried egg and some juice make for a fast and easy breakfast.

Since I make it frequently, I play around with the ingredients. Sometimes I add nuts (usually pecans because I’m not a huge walnut fan). Sometimes I throw a handful of shredded coconut in the batter. If i’m feeling tropical I’ll throw some pineapple chunks in with the coconut. For banana bread with a bit of a praline flavor, I’ll substitute 1/2 of the white sugar for dark brown sugar and definitely add pecans. Blueberries are good too. Streusel topping or granola can make it interesting. So can some Rum, but that’s true of a lot of things. The bread makes pretty tasty french toast as well, or bread pudding…the possibilities are endless.

Below is the basic recipe I use for perfect banana bread. Try it out and give it your own twist. Read more…

Winning Chili & Cornbread Recipes

Max takes the lid off the winning chili recipe.

Chili Cook-Off Winners!

Over the weekend we had our inaugural Piedmont Grocery Chili Cook-Off. Wow, what fun! I had a blast, and the general consensus is the we should do it again next summer. I think we shall.

My life revolves around food. It is my passion as well as my hobby. It’s also what I do for a living which means I talk about food a lot. Talking about food or favorite recipes is a common enough experience in any work environment but it is even more so here at PG. It makes sense–people who work with and around food all day would have a pretty good idea of what ingredient would taste good with what other ingredient and what would be the best preparation for any ingredient. We also have our resident “experts”. These are the individuals who are known for (and sometimes share 🙂 ) their particular specialty, be it crab cakes (Josh) or to die for German Chocolate Cupcakes (Sarah) and, of course, we have a secret weapon in the deli (Phil).

Needless to say, all six of our Chili Cook-Off entries were made by people who knew what they were doing, and it showed. The best part, and what made it interesting, was that each chili was totally different than the others. We had spicy chili. We had chunky chili. We even had duck chili (with duck cracklin’ on top! Are you kidding me? So Good.)

The customers who came by to taste were awesome, and so culinary-aware, and so educated. It was really cool to stand there and talk to them about ingredients while using phrases like “nuance” and “depth of flavor”. Yes, I realize we were talking about chili but it felt like we were discussing the recipes of Thomas Keller.

All of the chili recipes were tasty, but since it was a chili cook-off there has to be a winner. So, without further ado, the winning chili as voted by our fabulous customers is…

Chili #5 by Max & Sarah
Anyone who has been through our checkout stands or had their groceries placed gently in their bag, has probably met one or both of our winning chefs. Their collaboration produced the most classic chili of the bunch, and tasted like what one would want on a cool fall day…preferably during a football game. Well, it’s what I would want in fall after or during a football game…or just about anytime, really. And don’t get me started on the corn bread! Read more…

Mexican Christmas Eve

Mexican Christmas Eve After we bought our house four years ago, we finally had room enough to host a large number of people. I officially took over Christmas Eve Feast & Merriment duties. The first year was traditional (for our family at least) with the usual ham, my grandmother’s scary jello thing, and lots of booze. The following year we were at the end of a major remodel, but the house wasn’t quite ready yet. We were in a panic as to what to do. Do we cancel and risk disappointing the kids with no lead-up to the man in the red suit? Can we really live without the scary jello thing? (The answer is a resounding YES! by the way.)

Rather than cancel our Christmas Eve Revels, the party was moved to my sister’s house. We ordered big pans of Enchiladas and Tamales from one of my favorite Mexican restaurants and made margaritas. It was great. I love Mexican food. I could eat it every day, and the rest of my family is no different. The night was a big hit. So much so that last year, when I had my kitchen back, we decided that we should start a new tradition of Mexican Christmas Eve. I must say it was indeed a very good idea.

As I put the finishing touches on this year’s Carta, I have listed last year’s menu for those who want to add a little fiesta to your usual Holiday Fare. Be sure to try the corn pudding, even if it’s not for the holidays. It’s an excellent side dish for any time of the year.

Feliz Navidad A Todos! Read more…

Tagine Bil Kok (Moroccan Lamb Tangine)

So, have you heard the holidays are here? I gotta be honest, I’m just not in holiday mode yet. Thanksgiving came on us way to quick, as did the decorations, and Black Friday started on Thursday this year. I’m not yet ready to roast Jack Frost on an open fire…or whatever. So I’m staging a culinary protest this week. No peppermint, roasted birds or people sitting around wearing velvet and sipping eggnog. I’m going exotic and spicy.

Santa’s gonna need Tums!

First on the list, Moroccan food…and my favorite tagine. While it’s not actually spicy, it is darn good over couscous.
Read more…