summer food

Chocolate Covered Banana Pops and Homemade Magic Shell | Make Ahead Mondays

June 18, 2012 by Rebecca 6 Comments

Well, hello Summer Vacation.

That snuck up on us quickly, didn’t it? (My kids would argue that it’s taken forever to get here. Ah, youth.) The boys have already thrown themselves headlong into the summer rhythm of fishing, biking, climbing trees, catching snakes, dabbling toes in brooks and lakes, snacking, and swinging in hammocks.

We spend our Saturdays at the Angelica Farmers’ Market where I am part of the management team and the boys operate their summer business of charming people into buying their hand-made garden and yard sculptures.*

*The salesmen are adorable, tis true, but so are their garden sculptures.

When we get home Saturday afternoon, we are invariably tired to the last man (or wo-man, as the case may be. That’s Woah-Man!) and hungry. We haul in the goodies we purchased from fellow vendors, stash the veggies in appropriate storage containers and collectively collapse on chairs. And then the, “I’m hungry!” chorus starts in earnest. If I haven’t thought ahead this is the moment that makes me regret that acutely.

The very best solution is having something in the freezer to take the edge off of the heat. These frozen treats -Chocolate Covered Banana Pops- or CCBPs, as the kids call them, are a steadfast favourite around here. The frozen bananas taste for all the world like vanilla ice cream pops coated in chocolate! My mom used to make them for me and my siblings when we were little (even though she hated bananas personally) and I’m carrying on the tradition. I keep it up in part because it’s a fabulously healthy snack that feels indulgent but also because I still love eating them myself.

…There is one more reason, though, and it’s a doozy. The chocolate dip for the frozen bananas makes a killer Magic Shell topping for other frozen treats. Didya freeze some strawberries? Throw a few in a bowl and drizzle a little reheated Homemade Magic Shell over the top. Bowls of ice cream cry out for a little tap-tap-tap-break chocolate shell on top. Ice cream cones never looked so good as when they’re dunked into melted chocolate and uprighted to form that little curlicue at the top.

So freeze a few bananas today. Make a double batch of the Magic Shell. Boldly dunk frozen things (or drizzle the melted Magic Shell over the aforementioned chilled goodies.) and remember what it’s like to be a kid in the summer time. This is truly a kid-tested, mother-approved recipe. If you wake up some sweltering morning, you could eat something far worse for breakfast than a CCBP. Not that I’ve done that. Today.

Chocolate Covered Banana Pops and Homemade Magic Shell | Make Ahead Mondays

There just isn't anything more reminiscent of childhood summers for me than frozen Chocolate Dipped Banana Pops. The frozen bananas taste just like ice cream pops! Kids of all ages love these.

Make a double batch of the dip to use as a healthy (and divine) Homemade Magic Shell.

Ingredients

Homemade Magic Shell:

2 cups finely chopped dark chocolate chunks
3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil

Chocolate Covered Banana Pops (CCBP's):

6 ripe bananas, peeled
12 wooden popsicle sticks
Homemade Magic Shell, reheated 'til thin
Optional for rolling onto the chocolate coated bananas:
graham cracker crumbs
mini M&Ms
sprinkles
jimmies
chopped roasted nuts (peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc...)
crushed salty pretzels

Instructions

To Make the Homemade Magic Shell:

Put the chocolate chunks into a microwave safe jar. A wide-mouthed pint jar works perfectly for this project. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove the jar from the microwave, add the coconut oil and stir until smooth. Use immediately or add a tight fitting lid and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating for up to 1 month.

To Reheat Homemade Magic Shell:

Remove lid from the jar and reheat on medium power in 30 second increments, stirring well after each burst, until smooth and thin. Pour and/or dunk as needed!

To Make Chocolate Covered Banana Pops (CCBP's):

Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Cut the bananas in half and insert a wooden popsicle stick about 2-3 inches into the cut end of each banana half, leaving enough stick outside of the banana to grip easily. Arrange the bananas so they are not touching on the baking sheet and put it, uncovered, into the freezer. Freeze until the bananas are solid all the way through.

If you want to have additional toppings to roll onto the chocolate with the bananas, pour them into pie plates or small dessert plates.

Heat your Homemade Magic Shell coating until thin. Remove the tray from the freezer and quickly dunk each banana -1 at a time- into the Homemade Magic Shell, let the excess drip from the banana and quickly roll it into any additional toppings you're using. Return the dipped banana to the spot on the tray where it was before, and repeat with the remaining bananas. When they are all dipped, you can eat them right away or transfer them to a rigid container with waxed paper or parchment between layers. Cover the container with a tight fitting lid and keep frozen up to 1 month.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/06/18/chocolate-covered-banana-pops-and-homemade-magic-shell-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Chocolate, Comfort Food, Desserts, Freezer Pleaser, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Ice Cream, kid food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: Breakfast, budget friendly, dessert, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, kids, party food, quick and easy, seasonal, summer, summer food, Vegetarian

Corn Dog Bread

June 19, 2010 by Rebecca 9 Comments

Summer and corn dogs are like winter and hot cider; you just hafta.

What is is about corn dogs that is so appealing? Is it as simple as the whole “food on a stick” universal truth*? Or is it more complicated? Maybe it comes down to the crazy appeal of the hot dog itself. Perhaps it’s the hint of honey in the crispy-exterior, moist-interior cornbread. Could it be the cultural association of fairs and festivals and carnivals and summer fun in sultry heat? The vinegar bite of yellow mustard dripping down the corn dog? I don’t know. All I know is that when you say ‘corn dog’ I make like Pavlov’s loyal companions and drool.

Alas, having chosen to live in the middle of nowhere as I have done, I don’t often stumble across carnivals and their vittles. And I won’t settle for satisfying my corn dog cravings with an uninteresting box of frozen mystery hot dogs covered in cloyingly sweet cornbread batter*. The only solution is to take matters into my own hands.

*I know that fairs and carnivals probably aren’t serving up Zweigle’s or Nathan’s or Hebrew Nationals in their corn dogs, but somehow the ambiance of a fair makes up for it. I just don’t have the carnival barkers, brightly colored tents or enough tattoos to compensate at home.

Corn Dog Bread is the quickest, easiest, tastiest way to fill that corn dog shaped void in my psyche. Of course, being unable to restrain myself, I added a few flourishes to the corn dog bread that bring it more into my wheelhouse; stoneground cornmeal, candied jalapenos and chopped onions. But friends? If you want the real deal, the most honest representation of corn dogs without a stick that you can possibly get, just go au naturel; use good old yellow cornmeal from the round canister and ix-nay the jalapenos and onions. I won’t be hurt.

It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that this is the ultimate in kid-of-all-age-friendly food. Cut up into squares, it’s easily tucked into a bag to take with you to baseball practice, on a picnic, at the drive-in theater or just out on the front porch enjoying that sweet summer breeze. And this is easily turned into a vegetarian-friendly entrée by swapping out the hot dogs for veggie dogs. Please ‘em all, I say!

Whichever way you make it, spicy or plain, serve with a plate piled with barbecue beans and coleslaw for the ultimate summer meal.

Corn Dog Bread

Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup (4.25 ounces by weight) all purpose flour
3 cups stoneground cornmeal (15 ounces by weight) (You can use regular yellow cornmeal, but be sure not to use self-rising cornmeal here!)
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (garlic powder)
1/4 teaspoon granulated onion (onion powder)
4 eggs, beaten
6 Tablespoons melted butter
2-1/2 cups buttermilk (Don’t forget how easy it is to make your own real buttermilk!)
8 hot dogs, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (You can use leftover grilled hot dogs or fresh hot dogs; either is fine!)

Optional, but tasty:

1/2 a cooking onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 Tablespoons Candied Jalapeno or pickled jalapeno rings ~or~ 1 fresh jalapeno, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, soda, powder, salt and sugar with a whisk. In a medium sized bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, melted butter and buttermilk. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir lightly until the batter has mostly come together but still has some small lumps (Grandma’s notes specify to use a whisk. I do what Grandma says. It’s always for the best.)

Fold the sliced hot dogs and onions (if using) into the batter gently just until combined. Scrape the batter into the greased baking dish and level the top. If using the jalapeno rings, arrange evenly over the top of the batter. Slide the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and it tests done*.

*A toothpick or cake tester stuck into the center of the bread will come out clean.

Slice into squares and serve warm or room temperature with the usual corn dog accompaniments -mustard, ketchup, and hot sauce- or not.

…Whatever you do, and however you make it, don’t forget those Barbecue Beans and coleslaw!

Corn Dog Bread

Author: Rebecca Lindamood

Recipe type: Main, Side

Serves: 8

Everything you love about corn dogs minus the stick. This is the taste of summer and fairs and perpetual youth.

Ingredients

1 cup (4.25 ounces by weight) all purpose flour
3 cups stoneground cornmeal (15 ounces by weight) (You can use regular yellow cornmeal, but be sure not to use self-rising cornmeal here!)
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic (garlic powder)
¼ teaspoon granulated onion (onion powder)
4 eggs, beaten
6 Tablespoons melted butter
2-1/2 cups buttermilk (Don’t forget how easy it is to make your own real buttermilk!)
8 hot dogs, sliced into ¼-inch rounds (You can use leftover grilled hot dogs or fresh ones; either is fine!
Optional, but tasty:
½ a cooking onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 Tablespoons Candied Jalapeno or pickled jalapeno rings ~or~ 1 fresh jalapeno, sliced into ⅛-inch rounds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, soda, powder, and salt with a whisk. In a medium sized bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, honey and buttermilk. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir lightly until the batter has mostly come together but still has some small lumps (Grandma’s notes specify to use a whisk. I do what Grandma says. It’s always for the best.)
Fold the sliced hot dogs and onions (if using) into the batter gently just until combined. Scrape the batter into the greased baking dish and level the top. If using the jalapeno rings, arrange evenly over the top of the batter. Slide the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and it tests done*.

Notes

*A toothpick or cake tester stuck into the center of the bread will come out clean.

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Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast Foods, kid food, Main Dish, Meat, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: cornbread, Frugal Food, kid friendly, kids, leftovers, party food, picnic food, quick and easy, quick meal, summer food

Spicy Corn and Black Bean Salad

April 16, 2009 by Rebecca 3 Comments

Oh mercy. The Honyaks, The Evil Genius and I are all so sugared out from Easter candy that it’s not even funny. We’re all draped over pieces of furniture craving fresh fruits and veggies and some decently Spring-like days. At this point we’d all settle for a sunny day without the -30°F winds. Cripes! It’s April, already. So I’m taking matters into my own hands. I’m turning some of our favorite summer standards (any of them that CAN be done with what’s available in stores, the freezer and the pantry at this time of year) in the hopes that the weather will notice what we’re doing and get into gear.

This Spicy Corn and Black Bean Salad is another from our Bean Files. It’s another great reason to keep containers of cooked black beans in the fridge or freezer. The corn we used? Well, shoot. This time of year it had to be frozen (’cause I don’t do canned corn.) And you know something? I use the frozen corn for this salad even when corn is in season. It’s perfect for this application. Just thaw the bags of corn in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a real hurry, you can thaw it in the microwave, but try not to cook it. Part of the appeal of this salad is a little snappy texture from the corn. Since many of the cell-walls have already been burst in the process of blanching and freezing the corn, you really don’t want to push it along into mush-territory by cooking it.

Do you need help choosing and handling the perfect avocado? Go armed with these tips and you should come home with some good ones:

Examine the skin of the avocado. It should be a uniform color. If there are darker or discolored areas or perforations, it could indicate over-ripe or discolored areas under the skin. It could also indicate a bad avocado.
Locate where the stem is attached to the avocado. Push on it gently like a button. If the stem doesn’t move easily, it’s not yet ripe. If it flies into the avocado with no resistance, it’s overripe and past its prime. If it yields to pressure, without being squishy, it’s probably the perfect avocado.
Once you find the perfect avocado treat it gently! Put it in your cart or basket where it won’t get banged around. Keep an eagle eye on where it lands in the grocery bags so you can carefully take it home. Place it in the middle of your fridge and use within a day or two for best quality.

We like this pretty spicy (as evidenced by the habaneros we used for the spice-kick here). If your tastebuds don’t do chile-peppers, you can always substitute bell peppers for the hot peppers. Feel free. I won’t judge!

I have to say that a big bowl of this is a good, light dinner in my book. But if you are so inclined it makes a wonderful side dish for any and all grilled meats. And if you were feeling crazy, you could add some crispy crumbled bacon to it and you probably wouldn’t regret it. But then again it’s pretty hard to regret adding bacon.

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here!

I love this stuff.

Spicy Corn Salad

Ingredients:

36 ounces frozen corn, thawed but not cooked
2 1/2 cups cooked and drained black beans (or 2 cans black beans drained and rinsed)
2 avocados
2 cucumbers (preferably English seedless, but any two will do)
BIG handful fresh cilantro
1-4 fresh jalapeno or habanero chile peppers (depending on heat preference)

Dressing:

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic or garlic paste
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard (I’m not joking. It’s really crucial!)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup canola or peanut oil

Combine corn and black beans in a large mixing bowl and set next to your cutting board. If using English cucumbers, remove plastic wrap, slice into long strips then slice the long strips into cubes then add to the corn and beans. (If using a standard, wax-coated cuke, peel first, halve, then seed the cucumber before slicing into long strips and cubes and adding to the corn and beans.)

All I could find were the wax-coated cukes in my store and I can't be the only one. Peel the beastie and cut in half lengthwise.

Use the tip of a teaspoon to dig the seedy pulp from the center of the cucumber.

Halfway done and we look like this...

Cut the seeded halves into long strips...

Turn the long strips 90 degrees and cut across them. (Almost) instant diced cucumbers!

Clearly I chose a bowl that was much too small. The smart thing to do would be to switch it into a larger bowl. However, I chose to soldier on... Aint' no fool like a stubborn fool!

Wear gloves to stem and seed the chile peppers.

Slice peppers into thin strips and then turn and cut across the strips to create tiny diced pepper pieces

Can I please re-emphasize to wear disposable gloves when working with habanero peppers? Just trust me.

Don't the habanero strips almost resemble flames? I think that's pretty appropriate!

Turn 90 degrees and cut across your thin strips of peppers. Voila! Tiny diced pieces of habanero. Virtually painless. For now!

Add to the other veggies. Toss gently to mix.

Remove large stems from your cilantro and roughly chop the leaves before adding to the veggies in the mixing bowl.

In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add all ingredients for the dressing except the oil. Firmly screw the lid in place and shake like crazy until everything is evenly mixed. Remove the lid, add oil, replace lid and shake like the dickens. When the oil is suspended in the mixture (you don’t see pools of unincorporated oil) the dressing is ready.

Or you can use a little whisk. Do whatever flicks your Bic!

Just before serving, halve the avocados and remove the pits.

Here's how you work an avocado. Use a nice, sharp knife to cut to the center (pit) of the avocado. Rotate your knife around until you've scored the avocado all the way around the pit.

Here's how you open an avocado. Use a nice, sharp knife to cut to the center (pit) of the avocado. Rotate your knife around until you've scored the avocado all the way around the pit.

With one hand cupping the bottom of the avocado, use the other hand to twist the top half of the avocado. It should come away easily.

With one hand cupping the bottom of the avocado, use the other hand to twist the top half of the avocado. It should come away fairly easily after you get it started.

Now. For that pit...

While your avocado is sitting on the cutting board (NOT IN YOUR HAND!) gently tap it with the blade of your knife. The knife should stick. Then pick up the avocado half and gently twist your knife. The pit should come away from the avocado easily.

Look at those gorgeous avocados!

I wouldn't be so unkind as to leave you with an avocado pit stuck to your precious knife without giving you a way to remove it. Reaching over the back (read: not sharp part) of the blade, pinch the knife where it meets the pit. The pit should, with little convincing, pop away from the knife blade.

Use a butter knife to make slices in the avocados at even intervals from end to end without slicing through the skin. Rotate the avocado 90° and use the knife to cut across the slices you already made to create a grid.

Grid in process.

The completed grid. Ready to eat!

Insert a serving spoon between the skin and flesh of the avocado.

In one side...

Follow the contours of the avocado with the spoon down to the base of the avocado and up and out the other side.

...And out the other.

The perfect cubes of avocado should come easily away from the skin. Add to the salad with the cilantro, pour the dressing over top, toss and serve immediately!

...And this is where I really regretted not switching to a larger bowl. Ah well. We live with our choices, eh?

I ate half of this before it made its way to the table. It's addictive like that.

So good. So easy. So... summery!

Leftovers can be refrigerated for a day or two and will taste wonderful, but the avocado will likely discolor. It’s still good to eat, just not quite as pretty!