Banana Muffins

My boys love to bake with me and this is a recipe that we make together quite a bit. They love to mash the bananas, crack the eggs, and line the muffin tins with muffin liners. Sometimes we will even put dark chocolate chips in them, which makes them more like dessert than a snack or breakfast! I top them with oats and walnuts or you can find a yummy mascarpone cream frosting recipe here. The recipe comes from one of my favorites, Giada De Laurentiis. 

Pizza Party

 Ina's White Pizza with Arugula

 Antipasto Platter with Grilled Vegetables

 Sparkling Sidecar

I love the idea of having a pizza party with homemade pizzas. These recipes are found on the food network under Spring Entertaining. Giada de Laurentiis also has some homemade pizza recipes here and here.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I made these for Hudson as a snack and thought they turned out pretty good! You can alter the recipe to make it healthier by adding a dried fruit in place of the chocolate chips. I also saw on a review for the recipe that someone replaced the butter with canola oil. I needed to bake mine a little bit longer then the 15 minutes that the recipe calls for to keep them from falling apart. Refrigerating them may also help to keep them from falling apart. 

 Ingredients:

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup (1-stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted, *see Cook's Note
• 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 7 by 10 3/4-inch nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Lay a 6 by 18-inch piece of parchment paper in the pan, allowing the excess paper to hang over the sides. Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, using a hand beater, beat the egg white until frothy. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and honey. Add the melted butter, oats and almonds. Stir to combine, then add the chocolate chips.

Using a rubber spatula, spread mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing lightly to form an even layer. Bake until the edge of the mixture begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares and serve.


*Cook's Note: To toast almonds, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Recipe by Giada  De Laurentiis

Tilapia with Purple Potato Crust and Chive Rosemary Oil

I've been looking for some new recipes lately and can't believe I haven't come across this one yet. I am a big fan of Giada de Laurentiis and also a big fan of tilapia. I made this tonight for dinner and it is soo good. I halved the recipe and also didn't have any fresh rosemary, so I used dried thyme. After baking it in the oven, the potatoes still were not crispy on the edges, so I placed the skillet back on the stove top on a high heat for a few minutes to brown the potatoes. The chive oil that you drizzle on top is really good!

Ingredients:

• 4 (4- to 6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• 8 to 12 ounces purple potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary leaves, plus 1 tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup minced fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the fish fillets on a work surface and season with salt and pepper. Top each of the fillets with enough slices of potato to completely cover the surface of the fish, overlaying the potatoes like shingles. Sprinkle the potatoes with a bit more salt and pepper, and the 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves.

Heat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the butter. When the butter is melted and the oil is hot add the fish, potato side down. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the fish is cooked through, about 15 to 17 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the extra-virgin olive oil, chives, the remaining 1 tablespoon rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

To serve, place the fish on serving plates, potato side up. Drizzle the fish and the plate with the chive oil. Serve immediately.

Pecorino Crackers

 This recipe is found in Giada de Laurentiis cookbook, Giada's Kitchen. These crackers are really yummy, and can also be used crumbled over soups or salads.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups grated pecorino Romano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter. Using a hand mixer, beat the cheese mixture and butter until combined. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing only until incorporated and the mixture holds together.

Place tablespoon-sized balls of the dough on 1 or 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets, tapping the dough down gently with your fingertips. Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.

Recipe also found on foodnetwork.com

Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze

I made these for the first time this weekend and they are very, very yummy! The cupcakes are very moist and the strawberry glaze tastes great! They are easy to make too, you just add to a white cake mix box.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 box white cake mix
  
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  

Directions

Special equipment: 4 mini muffin tins and 48 mini muffin paper cupcake liners

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the mini tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the mini cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.

• Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis

Chocolate Chip Mascarpone Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

• 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Nestle morsels)

Ganache:

• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Nestle morsels)
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Special equipment: 2 (12-count) muffin pans with paper liners

Directions

For the Cupcakes:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

Combine the unsweetened chocolate and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese until the mixture is smooth.

Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl for 30 seconds. Stir in the mascarpone mixture. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture. Stir until just blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with no crumbs attached. Cool the cupcakes completely before dipping, about 1 hour.

For the Ganache:

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips. Using a fork, gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Dip the tops of each cupcake in the ganache and transfer to a baking sheet. Place the dipped cupcakes in the refrigerator to set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Allow cupcakes to return to room temperature before serving.

Cook's Note: For puffier cupcakes allow the batter to rest in the muffin pans for 20 minutes before baking.

*Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis

(she's one of my favorites and has lots of great Italian recipes)