Banana Black Walnut Bread

I like bananas. I also like banana bread or banana nut muffins. But I can't stand banana flavored things or adding a banana to a smoothie.

Like strawberry-banana smoothies? Yuck. I love strawberry smoothies and as I said above, I like bananas. Just please don't put them together. The banana just overpowers it. And banana flavored candies and such are just too sweet.

This banana bread? 

Out of this world. 

Maybe even the universe. It's that good. Brent and I ate the whole thing in less than 48 hours.

The original plan was to make it and take it to his family's Thanksgiving. We were headed up the night before and I thought it would be a great late morning snack while the turkey was cooking.

But the bananas didn't ripen fast enough. Which is the opposite of what happens when I buy them and want to eat them whole. They seem to spoil in like 1.5 days no matter how green they are when they hit my counter.

Anyway, we came back a home a few days later and my bananas were finally perfect for making banana bread.

This banana bread is dense, moist, flavorful and delicious. I don't think I'll ever need another Banana Bread recipe again...well except maybe a "healthier" version. 

I used black walnuts which have a bolder walnut flavor but feel free to use regular or english walnuts, which are more readily available and cheaper. Also, if you'd like the bread to be a bit less sweet, you can reduce the granulated sugar to 3/4 cup instead of a full. 

Black Walnut Banana Bread Recipe

*Makes 1 loaf

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          4 very ripe bananas

-          4 tbls softened butter

-          ¼ cup light brown sugar

-          1 cup granulated sugar*

-          1 tea vanilla extract

-          1 large egg

-          ¼ tea salt

-          ¼ tea baking powder

-          ½ tea baking soda

-          ½ tea cinnamon

-          1 ½ cups flour

-          Heaping ½ cup chopped black walnuts or plain walnuts

• You can reduce the white sugar amount to ¾ a cup if you prefer less sweet bread.

Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade Pork Roulade

Coming up with new ideas for pork is always a challenge for me. In my opinion, pork can be a bit more temperamental than chicken breast when it comes to keeping it juicy and flavorful. And while I like pork, I always find myself opting for other meats instead because I have better ideas for chicken or shrimp. This recipe was even inspired by a way I prepared chicken not too long ago.

In the summer, I love to grill chicken and then top it with fresh veggies or herbs in either a pesto or tapenade mixture. I find it to be a simple supper that is fast and fresh tasting. The tapenade/pesto-like mixture here was one of those “sauces”. One I definitely plan on using over chicken again, or even on crostini as an appetizer. Some day I’ll be sure to make a larger serving of it and post here for those purposes, but in the meantime, feel free to use the ratio here just omit the bread crumbs. I added those for use in this recipe.

Mediterranean Tapenade Pork Roulade Recipe

*Serves 4
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          ¼ cup pine nuts

-          10-12 basil leaves

-          Small bunch parsley

-          8-10 sun-dried tomatoes

-          1 clove garlic

-          ¼ cup kalamata olives

-          ¼ cup feta cheese

-          3 tablespoons bread crumbs

-          juice of one lemon

-          2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil

-          2 tablespoons evoo

-          Salt and pepper

-          4 thin cut pork loin chops

-          4 slices bacon, cut in half

Directions:

Last Minute Appetizer - Herbed Cheese and Prosciutto Spread

This is one of the easiest appetizers I have come up with to date. The first time I made it was out of desperation to serve unexpected guests that came to our house. It went over so well that I've been making it regularly ever since. In fact, I made it last night for Brent to bring to his potluck at work today.

So if you happen to be looking for a quick appetizer to share for Thanksgiving tomorrow, this one might be your best bet. If prosciutto sounds scary to you, feel free to substitute thinly sliced deli ham.

For picture purposes, I spread the dip on some crostini but I usually leave it in a bowl and arrange crostini or crackers around it for serving.

Herbed Cheese and Prosciutto Spread Recipe

*Makes approx 2 cups/ Serves 8-10

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          8oz whipped cream cheese

-          6.5oz spreadable garlic and herb cheese (such as Boursin or Aloutte)

-          3 oz prosciutto, sliced thin

-          Fresh ground black pepper

-          Crackers, crostini or bread for serving

-          Parsley – optional

Directions:

1. Allow cream cheese and herb cheese to come to room temp, and then place in a large mixing bowl.

Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Panini

Buffalo sauce drenched shredded chicken. 

Blue cheese. 

Sharp cheddar cheese. 

Fresh tomatoes. 

Caramelized onions. 

Chewy whole grain bread. 

And bacon. Oh yes, there’s bacon too.

This sandwich is a sandwich’s sandwich. It is a two napkin man’s sandwich. It is what other sandwiches want to be – chewy, gooey, cheesy, and mouth-watering delicious.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this but I prefer sandwiches that are toasted or warmed up a bit. Something about melting the cheese and toasting up the bread just makes me weak in the knees.

Buffalo sauce also makes me a bit weak in the knees, so this panini is right up my alley. I ate one whole one and then another half just because. Brent said he didn't think he could eat his final half, but I told him to pull his britches up and man up. If I could eat one and a half, so could he.

I’ll be eating salad for the next 7-10 days to make up for the calories but it was totally worth it.

Buffalo Chicken Panini

*make 4 sandwiches

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken

- ¼ cup buffalo wing sauce

- ½ large red onion, sliced

- ¼ cup butter, divided

- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese

- 2 tablespoons sour cream

- 8 thin slices tomato, approx 1 large one

- 4 slices bacon, sliced in half and cooked

- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

- 8 thick cut (approx 1”) bread - Choose a good chewy and dense bread

Directions:

1. Start by caramelizing your onions over low heat with 2 tbls of butter. (Click here for a How to Tutorial.)

2. In a small bowl, smash blue cheese into sour cream. Stir well to incorporate and set aside.

3. In a sauce pan, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add chicken and buffalo sauce. Simmer together until chicken is thoroughly warmed through and well coated with sauce.

4- Assemble sandwiches. Spread blue cheese on one slice of bread and place cheddar on other slice. On top of cheddar add bacon, onions, chicken, and tomatoes in any order you prefer and place blue cheese covered slice on top. (Mine went like this: cheddar, bacon, chicken, onions, tomatoes, blue cheese)

5- Place on a heated sandwich press – a George Foreman-like grill works too – and press sandwich for 1- 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted and browned. If you are using a regular pan, heat over medium, spray with cooking spray and flip sandwich midway through.

6- Let cool for a minute before slicing and serving.

Happy Friday!

Be sure to follow Kitten with a Whisk on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Cannellini Bean and Basil Pesto Dip

Do you say white beans or cannellini beans? I find myself switching between the two all the time. So this is either Cannellini Bean and Pesto Dip, or White Bean and Pesto Dip depending on day.

Regardless of which way you say it, this is a really tasty dip to share. And so easy too! I made this for a birthday lunch we made for Brent’s mom. He was making her a big Italian dish for the main course, and I wanted something light for an appetizer that would pair with it.

It was so simple to pull together. The only real cooking you’ll do is simmer the beans for a few minutes to get the raw taste out of them, and warm up some pita bread if that is what you want to serve it with. You could also serve the dip with veggies, pita chips, or sliced baguette. I think it would pair beautifully with any of them.

The recipe below makes just shy of 3 cups which would serve about 4-6 as a light appetizer. It can be easily doubled/tripled if you’re serving more.

Cannellini Bean and Pesto Dip

* Makes approx 3 cups

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          2 cups cannellini beans, (one 19oz can)

-          ¾ cup basil pesto

-          Juice half a lemon

-          Zest of whole lemon

-          2 tbls water

-          S&P

Directions: