AKA: heaven in pie form. I absolutely adore, ADORE banana cream pie. Or coconut cream pie…or chocolate cream pie. Basically any pie, really, but this one truly is amazing. It’s like a pie plate full of sunshine. Which brings me to another topic. Yesterday, I received a very sweet comment on my Chicken Tortilla Soup from a reader named Marisa:
Hey Amy,
I discovered your blog a few days ago by looking at foodgawker.com and saw the amazing sushi you made! I am currently going through chemotherapy as I was diagnosed with cancer in February. Since I am no longer able to work or go to school I have been cooking a lot, and I saw this [chicken tortilla] soup on your page. I made it tonight for my family and absolutely LOVE it! I added black beans to get more protein, and have to say the flavor just in the broth is amazing! All in all, keep up this blog, it is so fun to read and look at, and congrats on your new daughter, she is SO adorable with the red hair!
I replied to the comment, but somehow it didn’t seem like enough. The rest of the night, I couldn’t get Marisa off of my mind. I was so touched that she had found comfort in the kitchen using my recipes. I wanted to do a little something to cheer her up and let her know how much I appreciate her as a reader. This pie seemed to be the perfect solution. I have no idea where Marisa is from, or what her favorite dessert is, or if she even likes banana cream pie, but I’m dedicating this recipe to her. Marisa, this delicious pie is for you; it’s such a happy, sunshiny dessert, and while I know I can’t send you a slice, I hope it will bring a smile to your face. Maybe you can make it for yourself and your family soon and enjoy a little slice of happiness.
Salted Caramel Banana Cream Pie
1 9-inch pie crust, recipe follows (you can also use a store-bought crust)
For the filling:
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 3/4 cups milk (low fat is fine; I actually used lactose-free milk and it was perfect!)
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce, recipe follows (if you’re in a hurry, feel free to use the jarred stuff)
3 bananas
Topping:
1 cup fresh whipped cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, chilled or frozen
4 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water
Salted Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
Make the filling: Whisk the milk and pudding mix together at high speed for 2-3 minutes, until thick. Stir in one banana, cut into small chunks. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Make the topping: In a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form.
Make the pie dough: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla; cut or work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a cold pastry cutter until you have large pea sized chunks scattered throughout. Alternatively, pulse the dough in a food processor, or mix in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed.
Add the ice water slowly while stirring with a fork, or in the food processor or mixer, until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Roll out one chilled pie dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Reserve the second pie dough disc for another use. Transfer dough to pie plate, pressing the dough lightly into the plate; trim the edges. Dock the dough with the prongs of a fork evenly over the bottom of the pie plate. Line the docked dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake the pie crust until the edges are brown and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the weights. Return crust to the oven to finish baking for another 5 minutes.
Make the salted caramel sauce: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt, to taste. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool. Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce.
To assemble the pie: thinly slice the two remaining bananas and place in a single layer in the cooled crust. Drizzle with the 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce, then pour in the pie filling. Top with the whipped cream and drizzle with additional caramel sauce before serving. Makes 1 9-inch pie.
Recipe source: adapted from Kelsey Nixon (Kelsey’s Essentials)
Happy Friday! YAY! What better way to start the weekend off than with a cold, tart grapefruit margarita! I know the picture is a little boring, but trust me, these margaritas are anything but! After a long week of taking care of Cassidy, keeping the house clean in case they decide to show it, then having to grab everything and get out of the house on a moment’s notice for showings (10 showings so far, no offers yet…keep praying!)…all I need is one of these babies and I’m GOOD. I happen to love salt with my grapefruit, so the combination of the tequila with the grapefruit, lime and salty rim is just perfect in my book. Like all excellent margaritas I make, this one comes from my friend Shawnda, aka: the Margarita Queen. So, my best advice to you this weekend: whip up one of these margaritas, grill some fajitas or burgers, and sit back and enjoy the weekend!
Grapefruit Margaritas
3 ounces tequila
2 ounces orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
2 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice
6 ounces fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice (1 large grapefruit)
blue agave nectar, to taste
salt for rim, optional
Stir together tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, grapefruit juice and agave nectar. Check for sweetness and add additional agave if desired. Pour over two small glasses of ice rimmed with salt. Serves 2.
Recipe source: barely adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride
Happy May, y’all! It’s going to be a good month, I can just feel it! It started off especially awesome since Cassidy slept until 9:30 this morning! Hallelujah! AND, Saturday is Cinco de Mayo, so you know what that means- Mexican food and margaritas all around! Yee haw! Speaking of Mexican food- Joel and I made these amazing mushroom fajitas Saturday and BOY, were they good! I’m kind of obsessed with mushrooms, so the idea of a fajita centered entirely around garlicky grilled portobello mushrooms is fantastic in my book! I marinated the mushrooms in a garlic/lime juice/oil mixture and Joel grilled them; then we topped it with pepper jack cheese and grilled onions and peppers. Served alongside my grilled corn salad (always a favorite!), this was one amazing meal!
Mushroom Fajitas
2 portobello mushrooms; stems removed and sliced into thick slices
1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
juice of 2 limes
salt
cilantro
shredded pepper jack cheese
4 corn tortillas
Combine the garlic, oil and lime juice in a small bowl and toss with the mushrooms to coat. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and grill mushrooms over medium-high heat until soft, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Grill onions and peppers about 10 minutes until soft. Top the corn tortillas with the mushrooms, vegetables, cheese and cilantro. Squeeze over additional lime juice if desired. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
I can easily say this is hands down, the BEST meal we’ve had in a long time! In fact, there are leftovers in the fridge and I can’t stop thinking about them! I dreamed up these tacos when I discovered chicken breasts and a couple of chiles in adobo stashed in my freezer. I had no idea they’d turn out this good. All it took was a brief description to my mom and she was off to the store to get all the ingredients! Spicy, moist chicken topped with a cool, creamy, smoky yogurt sauce…oh man, I’m getting so excited just thinking about it! You MUST make these tacos. You MUST.
Crockpot Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Cream
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 chiles in adobo, whole
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lime
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
handful cilantro, stems and all (don’t chop it)
1/2 cup water
flour tortillas
avocado for serving
Throw everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chiles and set aside (you’ll need them for the chipotle cream). Remove the stems of cilantro and discard. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Spoon into flour tortillas and top with chipotle cream and avocado. Serves 4.
Chipotle Cream
3/4 cup reduced fat Greek yogurt
reserved chipotle chiles from the chicken mixture, seeds removed and finely diced (at this point, they’ll almost be mush after cooking for so long; all you’ll need to do is mash them up a little)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until combined.
*If you don’t want your sauce too spicy (those chiles are hot!), you don’t have to use the chiles at all- you can just spoon in a little of the adobo sauce from the can instead. You’ll still get that awesome smoky flavor without all the heat.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
First off, let me (again…) apologize for my absence lately. I’ve simply been having too much fun with my little cupcake! She’s 11 weeks old now and constantly keeps us on our toes! She smiles SO much (freaking adorable!), eats a TON, and is growing like a weed- 12.75 pounds at her 2 month appointment! My little red-haired girl definitely has a personality all her own- I love it! Here’s a few other things that have been going on lately:
I won’t be singing with the Fort Worth Opera this season. It was a hard, hard, HARD pill to swallow, but being at home with my little girl is what matters most right now. I simply wouldn’t be able to give her what she needs being gone every single night and weekend for 2+ months. There comes a time when you have to make hard decisions in life; and while this was a very hard decision, I can say with total confidence, it was the RIGHT one.
We’ve decided to move back to our hometown. We’ve found the perfect house, put our house on the market, and turned our lives upside down. This decision literally came out of nowhere, as we never intended to move back there after getting married. But, when something is right, it’s right. Cassidy will be going to the same schools we went to (she’ll even be at the same elementary school I was at! Yay!), she’ll be in the same town as her grandparents, which I happen to think is very important, and we’ll be going to the same church both of us grew up in. Joel and I met there, were in youth together there, and got married there. My family has gone there for 4 generations. It’s a special church, and Cassidy will be a part of it.
And of course, getting used to being parents is still a big part of our lives (the biggest part, actually). Taking care of little miss Cass is a huge responsibility and a joy. Being parents is just awesome. 
Ok, now that you’re up to date on all the happenings, let’s get back to food! The good folks at Tillamook asked me to whip up a grilled cheese sandwich recipe for them since April is National Grilled Cheese Month. They sent me 4 kinds of cheeses to try and asked me to create a delicious grilled cheese for them. Done and done! I love a good grilled cheese. Especially if it happens to have spicy pepper jack cheese, sliced avocado and cilantro butter on thick, buttery Texas toast. Yes sir.
Mexican Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
4 slices Texas toast (not the frozen kind- you can find this with the other sliced breads)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
pinch salt
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
2 slices Tillamook Pepper Jack cheese
1 avocado, thinly sliced
salsa, for dipping
Stir the chopped cilantro, salt and butter together until spreadable and smooth. Spread the butter mixture on one side of each slice of bread. Place two slices of bread buttered side down on a preheated grill pan over medium heat. Top each with a slice of cheese and 2-3 slices of avocado. Place the remaining two slices of bread, buttered side up on top. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip, cooking until cheese is melted and bread is lightly browned. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper
Oh man. Are you ready for a FANTASTIC meal?? This salmon surprised us in the best possible way. I found some bottled ginger-sesame sauce/glaze at the store along with some beautiful looking salmon and decided to throw together a quick Asian-inspired dinner. Wow and WOW. Not only did this meal come together in less than 30 minutes, it blew us away. The ginger-sesame sauce would have been nice on its own, but the addition of lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and cilantro really took it over the top. The glaze keeps the salmon nice and moist and the flavors of ginger and cilantro combined with the salmon was an excellent combination. I served it with some quick noodles with peanut sauce and it really was the perfect quick, delicious weeknight meal. You really need to try this one!
Asian Glazed Salmon
2 salmon filets
2 tablespoons ginger-sesame sauce (I used an organic brand called Full Circle, but any ginger sesame-based marinade or dressing [not salad dressing] will do. If you can’t find this, a teriyaki sauce will do)
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
squirt of fresh lime juice
1 rounded teaspoon brown sugar
cilantro
In a small bowl, stir together the ginger-sesame sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and cilantro until combined.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the salmon filets, skin side down, on a baking sheet lined with greased foil. Brush with half of the marinade and bake for 10 minutes. Brush with remaining marinade and return to oven for 10 minutes more until salmon is cooked through. Top with additional cilantro. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
Oh, how I’ve missed margaritas over the past 9+ months. Anytime we’d go to a Mexican restaurant and Joel would order one, I’d stare at it longingly across the table as I sipped my lousy, boring water (no matter how many limes you add to your water – it won’t taste like a margarita). But now, my beloved margarita has come back into my life and all is well again! When I found some gorgeous looking blood oranges at the store recently, I knew I had to make margaritas. And my friend Shawnda, the queen of margaritas, has the perfect recipe! If you’ve never tried blood oranges, you’re missing out; their deep, red juice is SO sweet and bright- it almost has a floral taste to it. Add that to a margarita and you’ve got one lip-smacking cocktail! Cheers!
Blood Orange Margaritas
3 ounces tequila
2 ounces orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
2 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice
4 ounces fresh-squeezed blood orange juice (3-4 oranges)
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Stir together tequila, orange liqueur, lime, orange juices and confectioners’ sugar. Check for sweetness and add additional sugar if desired. Pour over two small glasses of ice rimmed with salt. Serves 2.
Recipe source: barely adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride
We’re all familiar with chicken parmesan- a breaded chicken cutlet topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. A lot of people’s favorite “Italian” dish. I’ve never been much of a fan, for whatever reason. This recipe, however, I’m a HUGE fan of! It’s basically just a vegetarian version of chicken parm; and it’s soooo much better, in my opinion. I love mushrooms any way I can get them and when they’re topped with marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese??? Sign me up! The best part about this recipe? It’s ready for the table in about 30 minutes. You can’t beat that!
Portobello Mushroom Parmesan
4 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
salt
pepper
1 cup marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced in 1/4 thick slices (shredded is fine too)
grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Place the mushrooms top-down on top of the marinara sauce and top with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and bake about 15 minutes. Top with fresh mozzarella and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is nicely melted. Serves 4.
Recipe source: heavily adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
I feel like I live in my rocking chair these days. It’s where I feed, burp and rock Cassidy to sleep, so obviously, it gets used a LOT. Some days I feel like I don’t get out of that chair. Luckily, it’s in the living room so I can at least watch TV while I’m rocking. I pretty much keep it on the Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and History Channel. A couple of days ago I was watching a show on the Cooking Channel and the chef cooked fish and vegetables in a pouch in the oven. I know this is done a lot, but for some reason I never think of this. So last night I tried it. I found some beautiful Alaskan Cod at the grocery store, seasoned it very simply with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon, and baked it with zucchini and squash. I took it a step further by topping it with a cucumber/pepper relish. What a fantastic meal! Not only that, but it came together in less than 45 minutes total! Perfect for a busy mom with a very slim window of time to get dinner cooked! Make this! You’ll love it!
Baked Alaskan Cod with Cucumber Relish
2 filets of Alaskan Cod (or any white fish you prefer)
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 squash, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
salt
pepper
olive oil
Cucumber Relish
1/2 a Hothouse (seedless) cucumber, diced (you can use a regular cucumber, you’ll just need to peel it and deseed it)
1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
Make the relish: toss cucumber, red pepper, jalapeño pepper and salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place zucchini and squash in two large pieces of greased foil (large enough to fit the vegetables and fish when you make a pouch). Season with salt and pepper. Season the fish with olive oil, salt, and pepper and place on top of the vegetables. Place 2 or 3 lemon slices on top of the fish. Fold the foil down on the top and sides to make a pouch (be sure it’s sealed up tight on the sides so no liquid escapes during cooking). Place on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes until fish is flaky. Top with the cucumber relish. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
If you’re looking for a perfect peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, look no further. This one is amazing. Chewy, soft, slightly crisp around the edges with the perfect ratio of peanut butter to chocolate. I love them. I made two batches of dough so I could have plenty leftover to freeze after the baby came. Lucky I did, because these tasted SO good after a long day of diapers, feedings, burping and rocking. In fact, I still have a little bit left in my freezer right now…we may have to bake some up tonight! YUM!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini-sized)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and peanut butter. Beat until smooth. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Makes approximately 30 cookies.
Recipe source: The Pastry Affair
