Food Maker, Chef, and Traveling Diner
I’m always on the search for the perfect bagel. Something that’s not too crazy, you don’t have to be in the kitchen for too long making it, and it’s just plain satisfying. I don’t eat a bagel the same way twice, but this one made me think …
My niece, Maleeya, just recently turned one on Easter, which was April 8th, so we decided that it would be a good idea to celebrate Easter with our family, including a small birthday celebration for her and then, the following Sunday, have her huge birthday …
Sometimes we just need something to eat on the go, but with our crazy lives it gets a little tough. I understand–it happens to me too–the days when I can’t get four hours in the kitchen for all the insane ideas I’d love to commit to, but just can’t. …
often find myself checking out the fridge because I’ve forgotten that I should eat something. I know most people don’t do that, but I think it’s the reminisce of chefdom which occasionally peak it’s head out of the shadows and stops me from eating even …
I hope everyone’s having a marvelous weekend. I’m at my volunteer yoga studio gig trying to speed up time till I get in the car and am headed for Sin City. I haven’t been to Vegas in maybe 9 months or something like that but that city sparks something in me that can only be felt not said. More than anything the amount of culinary genius set in such a small strip of land of course delights my chef mind. I’ll probably sneak away to a fancy dinner on my own. My co partners in crime aren’t the foodie type. But here i’d like to leave you with a sweet treat and the promise of so many culinary adventures upon my return. I have some really amazing content that I’ve just been so busy with visitors and my niece to be able to write about but I will soon. So here it is.
Banana Vanilla Creme Wafer Pie
I don’t like Banana, a taste so inherited from my dad who doesn’t like banana either. So why would I make this pie? Well I make it because my family adores it. My grandmother used to make this banana pudding from which this pie was so imagined. Its part of my family pudding pies such as the pistachio pie it wrote about here. This pie is a couple of simple ingredients and a lot of beautiful wow factor for a quick sweet treat to an elegant dinner party I’m pretty sure you can get away with this pie. I love pudding pies just for that reason. Simple and ready to go. Layers of waffer cookies, fresh slices of bananas, and vanilla pudding as well as whipped cream line a simple graham cracker crust thats sure to please the pallet of any banana lover. I hope you will enjoy this.
1 graham cracker crust either prepared or store bought
1 large box of vanilla pudding either instant or cook and serve (I think instant is much easier then you don’t have to wait for the pudding to cool and you don’t run the risk of getting a lot of lumps)
2 3/4 cups of milk
5-6 ripe bananas
about 1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1 box of vanilla wafers
Prepare pudding by mixing 2 3/4 cups of milk with pudding mix if using cook and serve like pictured here whisk over medium heat continuously till the pudding comes to a boil take off of flame and mix for two minutes then transfer into a bowl whisk to get excess heat out of the pudding then line with plastic and place in the fridge for about 1 or 2 hours till cool
Cook n Serve kind
If using instant pudding just mix the milk in until its completely incorporated and chill
Mean while Add heavy cream and powdered sugar using a hand blender or a mixer till the cream becomes whipped and stiff about 6-7 minutes depending. Make sure your cream has not been sitting out or it will not mix up also that there is no water in the bowl your mixed your creme in as this too will fail your creamy whipped topping
After the pudding has chilled place 1/4 of the pudding in to the whipped cream you just made fold in with a spatula and set in the fridge
with the other 3/4 of the pudding place about 1 1/2 bananas sliced into the pudding and mix in preserving the banana by mashing only gently. There will still be large chunks of banana in the pudding mixture
Line the bottom of the graham cracker curst with sliced bananas all the way around
then line with vanilla wafers up the side along the crust
add 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the top and smooth out
Repeat this process using bananas in a flat layer and then the cookies in a flat layer then cover with the rest of the pudding mixture
Smooth out the pudding over the top of the pie
Finally remove the whipped cream from the fridge place the whipped cream and pudding on the pie to form a mound and smooth over. If your whipped cream looks too runny you will risk a big runny mess of a pie so make sure its whipped enough to stay in place.
Lastly gently press cookies and bananas on final top layer alternating and you’ve got your pie refrigerate for and hour and serve
You can also make little individual pies as well.
I hope you love this pie as much as my family does. This pie is best eaten quickly so the cookies don’t get too soggy.
Cheers- Kimberly
Lets just make this quick and dirty. well not too dirty I made these with the absolute intention of making space in the fridge. I used to make “Fuji wraps” which is what my co workers would ask me for when Italian wasn’t cutting it …
I love food as a celebration. Large parties, huge spreads of tons of food that have peoples eyes opening wide and mouths salivating and pleasant aromas and sights to only be quieted by the shoveling of food in to mouths. Those are the times I …
Cheers…Here’s to the most unconventional of recipes where I’m talking a lot instead of only showing you how to make something… ahahaha
Easy pasta in case one day you’re a little hungry
just cause it says poached don’t get scared
its just tactics for fancy cooking
tell someone you poached something for them
their gonna be like holy hell this kid can
cook!
plus it eliminates use of a lot of oil and I’m trying to not be 1000 pounds before the end of my life
Farfalle with Tomato Poached Chicken and Broccoli
one box of whatever short kinda pasta you like
i used farfalle… i mean just look at that name… it sounds… delicious
anyway i digress like always
this is why i don’t write recipes
geezus get going…
The Stuff
4 Roma tomatoes chopped
1/2 medium white onion minced
3 cloves of garlic
about 1/2 bunch of basil chopped
2 cups of broccoli washed cleaned and chopped into bit sized pieces my bits are pretty big i don’t like the broccoli to get lost or too smushy!
2 chicken breasts sliced into small pieces now when you do this make sure you go against the gain of the chicken so the pieces remain tender and try and make them as similar in size as possible otherwise you’ll have some dry pieces and some raw ones
1 tablespoon of oregano
2 small cans of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
black pepper to taste
a little smoked paprika if you got it
and a dab of cayenne pepper for kicks
salt
large pot of salted boiling water
1 box of you choose it
The Way
okay so now
I add the olive oil to the pan… heat it up
then add the onions
cook them for about 4 minutes
then add the tomatoes
sir em a bit till their good and warm
add the garlic
let that cook some more till everything smells pretty good about 3-4 minutes making sure the fire isn’t too high so your not burning anything
there’s nothing worse than burnt garlic so if you burn it throw it away or else your whole dish is gonna be disgusting
okay so now that’s look in good
pour in the broccoli
mix mix mix
add to this the tomato sauce
and mix it all about
simmer a couple of minutes
then add milk and seasonings
good news is were almost done
okay now that the sauce is bubbling away lower the heat and bubble some more for about 5 minutes
add the chopped chicken to the liquid
mix mix mix again
i know but cooking is repetitive just do it
okay so by this time you can stop mixing
put a lid on the sauce and let it cook
about 6-7 minutes
chicken is quick don’t over cook it
and your not gonna die if you get a tiny little piece of raw chicken so don’t be so paranoid your house isn’t the health department and I’m sure your cleaner then your average taco stand so don’t worry plus everything cooks a little longer when you toss it in. Best bet is make sure the pieces of chicken are the same size for even cooking.
anyway the chickens gonna let go of a lot of nice juices into your sauce
so after you got all that cooked up
your gonna cook your pasta in the water
nice and al dente now
none of this over cooked pasta bullshit
that’s disgusting
my none existent Italian grandmother would be rolling over in her grave
anyway
drain the pasta
add a little good extra virgin olive oil to it
i know i said not too much oil but i don’t even think of olive oil as fat really cause its so good for your skin and your life honestly
you need more olive oil in your life
add the pasta to the sauce
mix mix and let all those juices stick to that yummy goodness
adjust for seasoning
always always always taste and put freaking salt in your food!
lesson number one if you got through all this fucking taste your food
it will help
you know what you like
if you want it spicy
if you want it more tomatoey
if you want it to have candies inside i don’t care your gonna eat it fix it the way you like
At the very end put in the basil
because fresh herbs have the most power when fresh meaning at the end always
and sprinkle with a little parmigiano reggiano or maybe you just have a little packet of cheese from take out pizza the other night
whatever floats your boat
and you got it homies
pasta
enjoy
ps I’m down to vegetarianize… veganize this
get rid of the chicken and milk add an extra can of tomato sauce and a little bit of veggie stock or water 1/2 cup instead of milk
chop up some extra broccoli maybe even some peppers or eggplant would be awesome
cook it in the sauce like you would the chicken
and you got the veggie pasta of your dreams