frozen bananas à la Bluth

What are you going to be eating on May 26? This has been the topic of many conversations in our house. On that date, Season 4 of Arrested Development will be released, all at once, on Netflix. 

We talked about a few possibilities for our family viewing party: hot ham water, candy beans, juice...but really, there is only one sensible choice, and that is frozen bananas. The banana stand is at the heart of the Bluth Company, after all. And while no one in our family would really enjoy cornballs or mayoneggs, there is no one who doesn't like frozen bananas.

Chocolate-Covered Frozen Bananas

You need: bananas, chocolate, butter, popsicle or caramel apple sticks and (optional) nuts. Ideally, the bananas would be slightly riper than shown here. The stick will split a green banana, but will sink in nicely to a lightly freckled one.

We have one child who loves almonds, and one who doesn't like nuts at all, so I alternate between both plain and crunchy bananas (ie, nuts and no-nuts).

Cut the bananas in half, push the stick up the base, and place them on a tray to freeze for at least half an hour, and up to overnight.

Meanwhile, chop the nuts. 

When the bananas are frozen, melt the chocolate over a double boiler (or in a pot nestled in a larger pot) and add enough butter to bring it to the consistency of, say, mayonnaise. Chocolate melted alone will be too thick to coat easily.

Because I don't have a dipping pot, I spread the chocolate on the bananas with a frosting spatula, seen above. Then, depending on your preference, you can either roll the banana in nuts or place it back on the tray to freeze again. But work quickly, as the frozen banana starts the process of hardening the chocolate almost immediately.

That's pretty much all there is to it. Whether or not you watch Arrested Development, a frozen banana is just about the perfect treat on a hot summer afternoon.

happy birthday, julia child

This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!

~ Julia Child

She may have gone to Smith, but Julia Child had the heart of a born unschooler. Today would have been her 100th birthday and if there were ever a reason to eat a good meal and appreciate every bite, this is it.

I don't own Mastering the Art of French Cooking, nor any other books by Julia Child. I love her mainly because I have memories of coming home from school and watching her show. She fascinated me because she was both extremely knowledgeable and kind of silly. She was sloppy and playful and skilled all at once—a reassuring model for any child.

During this same time my neighbor was going to college in Cambridge, where Julia lived and worked. She remembers occasionally catching glimpses of the green VW Beetle with a spoon or a spatula (she doesn't remember which) wired to the antenna; everyone in town knew it was Julia's car. She and her friends gathered every week to watch The French Chef as it was broadcast, then again on the weekend to cook the dish Julia had made on tv. Apparently Julia's favorite corner butcher shop always ran out of the cut that was featured in the recipe, so savvy Cambridge residents would get there as soon as possible after the show.

Remember, 'No one's more important than people'! In other words, friendship is the most important thing—not career or housework, or one's fatigue—and it needs to be tended and nurtured.

                                                                                                      ~Julia Child

I suspect that cooking was merely a medium for Julia's particular joie de vivre. She loved food because she loved living. She loved to cook because she loved eating with people. And likewise, we love her not for her beef bourguignon, but for her huge and inquisitive spirit.

Last night some friends and I paid our own kind of tribute. The movie Julie and Julia played in the background while we assembled salade niçoise, warmed up quiche and mixed upside-down martinis.

Dessert? There were two: chocolate mousse, and reine de saba cake, complete with birthday candle and singing.

Whether or not you are inclined to make a special meal, I hope today that you eat well, try something new, tend to friendship, and above all, have some fun.

And if you do any one of these things, give a little nod to Julia Child.

more popsicles

Today was a typical Central Valley midsummer day: dry, still, 100plus-degree air. DH and I did not stain the fence like we'd planned. C did not go running. S opted out of a paintball game.

What we all did instead was cool off with popsicles. It would seem this is somewhat common around here. Popsicles are the perfect summer treat: cool, tasty and fun. I grew up in this very same valley with my mom's original milk popsicles. Though I never learned how to make them from her, I often blended up fruit and yogurt to make another version for the kids when they were small. Sometimes, like Jen, we started a particularly hot day with them.

You don't really need fancy molds for popsicles, and you definitely don't need recipes. Anything that tastes good in liquid form will make a good popsicle. This summer we've made:

strawberry-lime (a blenderful of strawberries, a splash of lime juice, a little sweetener)

berry mashup (blackberries, raspberries and grapes, if I remember correctly—no extra sweetener required)

and one night after a party, I poured the leftover sangria into molds and made:

It is DH's favorite on a day like today.

We tend to make popsicles with what we have on hand, but I wonder what else one might use. The kids' favorite Arnold Palmer concoctions? It's been done. A green smoothie for health? Check. Mint tea? Here it is.

Do you have any favorite popsicle combinations?

why i love cold brew coffee

I like coffee. So does DH. We usually have coffee together every morning, but we don't have the same coffee.

DH uses a French press and adds lots of milk.

I drink coffee black and make cold brew.

I won't go into all the hows and how-tos of cold brew. It can be found all over the web: here is one place, and here is another.

I have made my brew in different ways. Currently, because the cork for my Toddy (no affiliate connection) went missing, I am soaking my favorite coarse ground in the Vitamix pitcher overnight and straining the liquid into a carafe in the morning. A 12 oz bag of coffee makes concentrate for about 30 cups when diluted.

That's a full month...2 weeks...10 days...or so worth of coffee, depending on your consumption level.

Even in these baked July days, I still like my morning cup hot.

Though iced is good, too.

So is ice cream.

coffee ice cream 

1 pt whipping cream

1 c. milk

3/4 c. cold brew concentrate

sweetener of choice to taste

freeze in ice cream maker or as for homemade ice cream

And did I mention ice cream?

banana coffee ice cream

3 frozen bananas

1/2 c. half and half

1 c. cold brew concentrate

(no sweetener needed with the bananas)

blend in Vitamix or blender until creamy and partially frozen

As I look at the photos, I'm thinking I should add that chopped chocolate is a nice addition to coffee ice cream. Apparently.

Popsicles

coffee popsicles

1 c cold brew concentrate

2-1/2 c. milk

sweetener of choice to taste

stir ingredients together and pour into molds, adding stick when partially frozen

What else could you do use cold brew concentrate for? How about—

milk shakes 

affogato 

liqueur 

Any other ideas? I'm wide open.

chocolate agave syrup

I have a number of coffee-loving friends, some of whom do not use refined sugar. Last Christmas I came across this recipe for coffee syrups, but realized I would have to tweak it for my friends. Because agave can be used as a straight substitute for simple syrup, it was a pretty easy swap. The only problem was that in my first experiments, the agave flavor was stronger than anything I was adding. I finally gave up and decided that they would all have to have chocolate in their coffee. As it turns out, this syrup also makes a fair cup of hot chocolate and tastes pretty good over ice cream. It didn't occur to me until I was finished, but this is just chocolate syrup! It's not particular to coffee.


I bought bottles from here for $5/case. Even with shipping, I seem to remember that it came in well under $2/bottle. The ingredients for the syrup itself (shown for a single 8 oz bottle) are:

• 1 Tbs. cocoa powder (the very same from yesterday's popcorn)
• 1 cup agave
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Pour the cocoa powder in a small saucepan and add about 1/4 cup very hot water, stirring to dissolve completely.

Add the agave, and just bring to a very gentle boil, stirring to blend. The mixture will be light at first, then marbled, and finally it will mix into a beautiful dark chocolate color.

Remove from heat, add vanilla and salt and let cool completely before bottling.

You can multiply the quantities to make a batch for gifts. Although these were Christmas gifts, I think the red ribbon and the heart on the label also make them perfect for Valentine's Day. The only change I would make would be to write the label without the word 'coffee,' and with a list of ways the syrup can be used.

spicy mocha popcorn

Once again the Superbowl somehow snuck up on me. Yesterday I learned that it is happening 3 days from now...!?


Clearly I'm no football fan, but I do love my football-crazy son and he loves a Superbowl party, even if he is both host and sole attendee.


We've talked about a spicy baked shrimp recipe that we saw in the Sunday supplement, and after hearing my sister rave about them, I'm also thinking of making deviled eggs with Sriracha. 


Yes, this child loves a little heat in his food. So the third thing I will be making is this popcorn, sprinkled with every combination of deep, sweet and spicy powder that we had in the house. The "mocha" is a bit of a misnomer, since there is no milk in here, but I couldn't think of a better way to describe it. Any ideas?

spicy mocha popcorn

1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
1-2 tsp sugar (I like more, C likes less)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I like less, C likes more)


All you do is whisk it together and toss it with a big bowl of popcorn. We pop on the stove, so there is just enough oil on the kernels to hold the powder on. If you use a hot air popper or microwave with no oil, you might want to drizzle a little melted butter or coconut oil over your bowl first.

eggs

As they grow bigger and older, their eggs will get bigger, too. The eggs in back are from the older girls. I didn't set this up—the chickens like to share laying boxes.

Fresh eggs are no good for hardboiling (they won't peel well), but they poach perfectly. Simmer water in a pan, slide the eggs in, turn over once. When done, lift out with a slotted spoon. Season. Mmm.

Update: Since writing this, I've seen Jules' poached egg experiment and tried it myself. Take a look at what a difference a little glug of white vinegar makes:

I'll definitely be adding it to the water from now on.

blackberry paletas

It's blackberry season again. And it was hot yesterday, so after tossing some blackberries in a blender and straining out the seeds,

...adding water, lemon juice and agave syrup to taste, we made blackberry paletas.

Because paleta sounds so much more appealing than popsicle, don't you think?

midwinter s'mores

Last summer some friends were planning a day at the beach and asked our family to bring something for roasting marshmallows. Our first thought involved sharpening some willow twigs, but soon we had another whim and were making a run to the thrift store for 10-cent forks.

In a few minutes, these:

became these:

As things turned out, fire permits were not being issued that day. We held a regular potluck at the beach and stored the willow forks in the garage until the other day when, upon cleaning the pantry and finding graham flour (why would I have bought graham flour?), I decided to make graham crackers.

Alton Brown's Graham Crackers (slightly amended, based on reader comments)

8-3/8 ounces graham flour

1-7/8 ounces all-purpose flour

3 ounces dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

3 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled

2-1/4 ounces honey

1-1/2 ounces whole milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

Place both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the honey, milk and vanilla extract and process until the dough forms a ball, approximately 1 minute. Press the ball into a 1/2-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Unwrap the chilled dough and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper and top with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick (or even thinner—the kids and I preferred thin, crisp crackers, while DH liked them thicker and chewier). Slide the rolled dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut the dough, using a rolling pizza cutter, into 2-inch square pieces, by making vertical and then horizontal cuts all the way across the dough. Trim off any excess. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the dought. Leave the crackers on the pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the edges just start to darken. Remove from the oven, set the sheet pan with the crackers on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely. Once completely cool, break into individual crackers and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

That evening, we built a fire in the fire pit and finally got to use our willow-and-thrift-store roasting forks.

It wasn't quite a summer cookout on the beach, but s'mores are always a treat—the more so with these very easy homemade graham crackers and free-trade chocolate.

sugru cookie cutter

We'd never heard of sugru before this year's Maker Faire, where it caught our attention by having hands-on demos and the unabashed enthusiasm of everyone who worked in the Shed. We came home with a pack, not entirely sure what we'd be using it for but thinking it could be a fun material to have around.

Fast forward to the other day in the car, when I idly mentioned that my ideal phone mount would attach to this part of the dash and be angled just so. S's instant response was, "Why don't you just make that with some sugru?" That's how much faith we have in this sci-fi amazing material now.

Sugru is a moldable silicone that cures at room temperature in a matter of hours. It adheres, flexes, and is heat resistant. And it comes in colors, which you can mix. It's like silly putty, but brighter and more durable. It's also like the grip on your favorite kitchen utensil—one you can mold to fit the contours of your own, individual hand.

In just a year, sugru and its users have repaired, tweaked and created a full gallery of applications.

We've used it for typical fixes, like this storage bin whose lid had cracked from being stuffed too full.

Or to cover up a large picture hook which didn't seem decorative enough to hang my favorite broom from.

I'm not much of a baker and have absolutely no talent for decorated sweets; nevertheless, something in me really wanted to make this melted snowman cookie as soon as I saw it. I'm also linking to it because of its story, a likely too-common tale of an idea published for free, only to have others appropriate it as their own.

But back to the cookie: her original directions call for cutting out the melted puddle shape with a knife. I knew I would not have the patience for that and thought it would be faster to make a melted puddle cookie cutter instead. 

And yes, you guessed it, sugru was used.

In fact, this is the sum total of what was used: the metal strapping discovered at Halloween (I knew I'd be using it again!), some J-B Weld, and the sugru.

The strapping was bent into shape and epoxied.

Sugru was applied to the top, both to seal the shape and as a bit of a grip.

Had I meant for this to be a lasting cookie cutter, I would have used enough to cover the entire top; but I really wanted to just try this as an experiment first. What is on here is the contents of a single packet. It might take 2-3 packets to cover the entire top edge.


Here are the melted snowmen, made in gingerbread instead of sugar cookie dough (not an improvement, I have been told by the kids) and with the lazy-baker modifications of half a marshmallow for the head and candy-covered sunflower seeds for the nose.

Thank you, Meaghan Mountford, for sharing a fun and adaptable cookie idea. May you regain all the credit you deserve.