Those mushy brown bananas on the kitchen counter don’t look very appetizing, do they? Relieve some stress, go ahead and mash ‘em up…then throw them in a big ol’ mixing bowl. It’s time to make double chocolate banana bread. It’s addicting, I tell you!
Though Tune’s Mom’s Banana Bread sounded pretty good, I was in the mood for chocolate. As you know, chocolate cravings can’t be ignored, at least in my house. So I added 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 1 cup of chocolate chips.
The house not only smelled amazing, but my craving was satisfied. What resulted from the cloning was a moist and chocolatey loaf of homemade banana bread. Comes together pretty effortlessly, too! The hardest part was waiting for it to finish baking!
If you’re like me, you’ve used apple sauce to sweeten up your pork chops, instead of serving it alongside them…
But it turns out pork chops and apple sauce are old news. Sure, they might’ve made a fine pair on your dinner plate many times, but there’s a new ingredient in town stirring up trouble between the two. Things have literally turned a bit sour, but in this case, it’s a good thing. Balsamic vinegar is the guilty party.
Rosemary and balsamic vinegar are partners in crime, in Chef JR_4’s Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chop recipe. Go for the fresh rosemary, like the recipe says! The vinaigrette recipe works well for pork chops, but I can see it used in anything from chicken to a juicy steak. Marinate over night if you can, for best results :).
If you’re certain you’ve found the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, or think you might’ve actually invented it yourself, chances are you’re gonna want to share that recipe with everyone you know. Now you can, thanks to the world of social networking!
From here on out, our sign in page will allow you to log in using your Facebook account. This feature makes it possible to share your newly posted Key Ingredient recipes with Facebook friends.
After choosing to log in using your Facebook account, simply add a recipe, like you normally would. Then, check your Facebook feed page to see a link to that Key Ingredient recipe displayed.
There’s much more to come on this end, so stay tuned for updates!
If you want to get away with eating something resembling dessert for breakfast, try a parfait. Nope, not the drive-thru kind, the Key Ingredient kind! Use our tutorial to make a satisfying breakfast that’s far more exciting than a bowl of cold cereal.
If you feel like going on an even more exciting kitchen adventure, follow EstelleB’s Homemade Yogurt recipe before getting started on our tutorial.
For our homemade granola and fruit topping recipes, check out the recipe card below :).
First preheat your oven to 225 :). Then, in a large bowl, combine the oatmeal with the canola oil and honey first, so that the rest of the ingredients adhere to the oats. Next, add the vanilla extract, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon (you can also add nuts). With clean hands, toss the oatmeal so that all of the ingredients evenly coat the oats. They should have a slight shine/gloss (like the picture above)–that’s how you know you have the right amount of oil/honey (note: adding more honey will make the granola softer, and it will take longer for it to bake. If you’d like sweeter granola, add a bit more sugar–but I think our recipe yielded granola that’s got the right amount of sweetness :).
Next, you’ll want to cover two cookie sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spray with non-stick and then arrange the oatmeal on the cookie sheets (half of the recipe on each sheet) so that it’s evenly spread out over the surface.
When the oven is nice and toasty, place the cookie sheets side by side on the middle rack. Close oven door and let the oats bake for about 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, remove the cookie sheets and toss the oats with a spoon, then bake the oats for another hour at the same temperature. Once the hour is over, you can turn off the oven and leave the granola in the oven until it completely cools, or you can leave the cookie sheets in there over night if you’re making this in the evening. This last step helps ensure the granola has a nice crunch.
This is how the granola will look when it’s done. It will likely stick a bit to the foil, so you can use a spoon or plastic spatula to remove it from the foil (it should come off fairly easily though).
For the fruit topping, wash the berries and dry them off well, then place them in a sauce pan with the diced/peeled peach and lemon juice. Coat the fruit with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar (I like to use powdered because it contains corn starch, which helps create a thicker fruit topping). Cook covered on medium/low just until the berries start to soften a bit, then carefully remove half of the liquid with a spoon. Turn off the heat. Next, add the other half cup of powdered sugar and fold the fruit into the sugar until it dissolves. Uncover and cook on low until the berries and peaches are soft but not mushy. Refrigerate until it’s thickened and you’re ready to make the parfait.
..And here’s the tasty finished product! Top either plain or vanilla yogurt with the fruit and the granola. Sounds like a good breakfast to me :)!
When the cold weather rolls in, one of the first things I crave is soup. Though it wasn’t cold, as soon as it started raining this past weekend I cranked up the AC and began rounding up the ingredients to make Italian Wedding Soup.
After checking out a few of the recipes online, I decided to try rpanzano’s because it sounded like a classic, but it also included veggies, or carrots. Because we didn’t have orzo, I used macaroni noodles instead.
Overall, this is a recipe that comes together pretty quickly and doesn’t require much prep time. If you enjoy the comforting flavors in chicken noodle, you’ll enjoy this Italian Wedding Soup.
Whether you can’t have dairy, need a healthy pick me up in the afternoon, or you’re looking for a post work-out snack, there’s a smoothie recipe out there with your name on it. Actually, read on, it’s in this post…
Mom2My10 uses oatmilk to make her Oatmilk Strawberry Smoothies. For those who can’t have dairy or almond milk, oatmilk is a great alternative. It’s also delicious in cool treats.
I always thought that smoothies had to include fruit, but lindybug’s Nut’N'Honey Smoothie uses peanut butter and almonds to create a rich and creamy nutty smoothie. The nuts make this a protein-packed snack. Who needs premade protein shakes when you can cool off and fill up with lindybug’s smoothie in just a few minutes?
Boberlicious has a low glycemic and lean smoothie recipe that would work as a nutritious on-the-go breakfast. His Banana-Agave Smoothie is yogurt based and uses agave nectar rather than sugar to bring out the natural sweetness of the blueberries and bananas. Because agave nectar is sweeter than sugar, you can use less agave than sugar when substituting it in a recipe.
Leejaywv shares a recipe for Cherry-Berry Smoothies that could also double as a popsicle recipe because it’s completely fruit based. If you don’t have popsicle molds, do it the old fashioned way with an ice cube tray :)…
Nothing completes a homemade breakfast like a hot stack of pancakes with warm maple syrup on top.
Did you know that maple trees grow in Europe, but we didn’t learn how to actually use their sap until the Native Americans taught the colonists about it? Man, am I grateful to those Native Americans.
I have a confession to make: I was actually under the impression that maple syrup came straight out of trees, but that’s not the case. The trees give us a liquidy sap that is only about 2% sugar; it’s only after boiling the sap and having most of the water evaporate that we get the delicious caramel-colored syrup.
Not all maple syrup is made the same. In the U.S. you can usually find four different grades, which really relate more to the flavor of the syrup than its quality.
The lightest varieties are Grade A Light and Medium Amber. These have a delicate maple flavor that most people prefer for pancakes. Grade A Dark Amber and Grade B tend to have a stronger flavor and are most often used for baking. I guess I’m in the minority, because I go for the darkest syrup that I can find for my pancakes!
Speaking of pancakes, surprise your family with aliciabanks’ Vietnamese Pancakes. Crepe fans will approve, pancake fans will too…
Veggies and a side of rice — the standard side dish combo. Boring! Why not mix it up. Better yet, mix the two. Make a rice pilaf. DeeRaz’s Rice Pilaf recipe offers a great template for those who like to experiment without getting too complicated.
Without much extra chopping, we managed to clone this dish while still keeping it simple and delicious. When preparing rice dishes, I like to combine frozen and fresh veggies–that’s what we did here. Also, instead of using chicken bouillon and water, we used chicken broth. Because broth’s flavor is milder than bouillon’s, we added a bit more salt.
Lunch is just about over, but we hope you left room for dessert! DomesticMuse has it covered today, she’s our member in the spotlight and also quite the baker.
Dear readers, you know how big of a caramelized onion fan I am, right? They make any savory dish extra delicious, I say. I’m thinking the same goes for desserts when it comes to DomesticMuse’s Caramelized Oranges in Lavendar-Thyme Burnt Orange Sauce! The title’s quite a mouthful, but I have a feeling this citrus treat offers more than a mouthful of flavor.
Fluffy is how I’d describe the perfect pancake, how about you? Top it off with some homemade compote and you’ve got an ideal breakfast or heavenly dessert. Because it’s always pancake time, her Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Compote would satisfy my dessert craving right about now.
Have you ever tried a savory biscotti recipe? Genius! That’s what comes to mind with DomesticMuse’s Black Pepper, Lemon, and Walnut Biscotti. If you’re thinking biscotti only goes well with hot tea or coffee, think again! Enjoy hers with a cool refreshing soup, like Ingrid’s Asparagus Soup. This is summertime, after all! Make yours a tasty one :).
Summer is the season for fish. Mahi Mahi, in particular, offers a light and almost sweet flavor that’s perfect when it’s too hot for a heavy meal. Amy_e posted a Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi recipe that’ll have you smackin’ your lips by the end of this post!
Sweet, spicy (from the ginger), umami… This recipe’s got all of the above covered, and then some. But with all those flavors, you’d think it’d take hours to prepare such a savory meal. Nope, just fresh ingredients. If you’re used to using ginger in powdered form, we highly recommend going for the fresh version, especially when the recipe calls for it. It makes all the difference!
One more tip: fish shouldn’t smell fishy! Even if you don’t live on the coast, you can still buy fresh fish, just let your nose be your guide. Fresh fish shouldn’t have a funny smell. :)
