Being I concocted it for Mr Man's lastest company cook off (no didn't win this time) and did it with Cinci style chili since we live there.

And there are 3 “I’s” in “Banoffi Pie Wins!”

Yesterday Mr Man’s company had a soup and desert contest for charity. We (me) entered both categories. Almost won both.

The contest worked like this: You paid $10 per entry you submitted. Anyone who wanted to judge paid $5. The company got some various local theatre tickets donated for prizes. John wanted me to make stuff since hardly anyone was entering – I think this was the first year for it – no one would want to pay for just a couple soups.

I entered a Italian Potato Sausage soup (if you go to Olive Garden it;s like the Zuppa Toscana) I was competing soup-wise against four chilis – four. Two white, one red, one black bean. Cincinnati loves their chili, even if it’s not Cincinnati style. Only lost by one vote I hear.

The dessert I made was Banoffi pie – already a household standard and mentioned here before – but the first time I’ve made it for anyone outside the family. I discovered this tasty gem in London and googled the recipe as soon as I got home. The contest got a stepped up version.

I added chocolate to it this time. Used real english oaty HobNob cookies to make the crumbled crust in a large springform pan (since it will hold more) On top of the toffee filling I drizzled a little dark chocolate syrup and did a fancy feathering thing with the knife even though it would be hidden since it would look pretty when cut. Made real whipped cream and topped it with a big pile of shaved chocolate.

Mr Man never popped the sides off as the kitchen at the office no longer has real plates so there was nothing to pop the pie onto in case it oozed a bit loose (and it was a bit loose) so they just scooped it out. I was actually a bit disappointed to see the pan come home clean, every bit was wolfed down. the soup too, no leftovers.

I was only competing against one other dessert but Mr Man said it wasn’t even close. He said if there were more desserts I probably would have won it anyway.

So, I win the pie thing, got tickets to The Ensemble Theatre Company of Cincinnati. Whoop. we only did it so there were more entries, since not any entered over all. By the time it was all done they raised $640 for whatever charity they were raising for. Sweet!

The new revised Banoffi pie recipe is is here

Read more for the soup recipe.

With easter coming I thought I’d present a easy roast recipe. Lamb works good, but to be honest anything does though I haven’t tried it with chicken.

Ok, first off, it seems to works on big roasts of pork and beef.

Sear your roast in a hot skillet first, then put in oven pan.

Drizzle on healthy load of olive oil. On top of roast slather on chopped garlic, and dump on one or two onions sliced up, black pepper and salt.

In pan, place in flavorful liquid (use beef broth for beef, chicken broth for pork, a little of both for lamb or get some lamb bullion and make some.) Fill the pan up about 2″ or more.

Add some wine if ya got it. Toss in some Rosemary too if you got it.

Add in 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar to the liquid. (this is the key) Even the crap stuff works good. Wine ain’t enough. Add a bit more if ya want.

Cover pan. Cook according to whatever time the meat needs to to done. i always do it a bit under and let it finish cooking on the counter for 15 min. While meat is cooling on a plate, strain liquid from onions etc… reduce liquid with some flour to a prime time kick ass sauce.

Leftovers? Take the gravy and left over roast and combine with noodles, cream (and if beef roast, some sour cream and caramelized diced onions) – rock on.

When I was in London last year I fell for Banoffi pie. It was everywhere. Hagen Daz even has it as a flavor there.

It’s a toffee banana pie. Very rich, delish and gooey.

So, this year wanting to make something different for Turkey day festivities, I decided it was time to try it.

I had looked up recipes on Google (both major spellings) and found it amazingly simple.

Here we go… click “more” for recipe.

I wanted to pass on our recipe for Supa-EZ Seafood Nachos or hot Seafood Dip since entertaining season is approaching.

I’ll do this recipe in parts since it’s easier for you to scale as you need the ingredients are the same, you just alter some quantities between recipes.

Ingredients List:

— Chopped pre-cooked crab, lobster or shrimp (real or fake seafood is fine, but not canned, blech!)
– Green Onion Chip Dip (the spinach dip or the French Onion is good too)
– Finely Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
– Finely Shredded Parmesan, for the dip.
– Cast of thousands

Recipe For Nachos:

– 2 parts seafood
– 1 part Chip Dip
– Add 1/2 part shredded Monterey Jack Cheese in mixture
– Scoop healthy spoonfuls on to nacho chips or into pre baked wonton sheets
tucked into a cupcake pan to from a bowl.
– Add more shredded Monterey Jack Cheese on top of nachos as garnish.

Options:
– Add diced tomatoes, canned diced chiles or even a couple table spoons of salsa into the mix, if you want. We Don’t, but would still be good.

– Bake till just hot and bubbly, but not browning the chips
– Eat!

Recipe For Dip:

– 3 parts seafood
– 2 parts Chip Dip
– 1 part shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
– Salt, pepper, and/or a clove of diced garlic
– Some shredded parmesan is a nice addition in exchange for some of the Monterey Jack Cheese.

Options:
– You can also add a 1/4 part of finely diced pimento’s, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, fresh scallions or green onions, ect – you get the idea – pick one or two max.

– Put in oven safe dish and bake till just hot and bubbly, but not browned.
– Eat with bread, chips or spread on crackers.

Easy Adobo Chicken

Tonight I made the best chicken of my life. Thought I’d pass on the recipe.

Take one cut up chicken and rub Adobo powder on it till no more will stick, cover ALL the meat, leave nothing bare. Pat it down and add more.

Spritz lightly with Pam (or a olive oil mister), then put some more Adobo on. Spritz once more. (This is to keep it together and not let it met off before it forms a fine crust.) Basically you are going for that “pile of sawdust” look.

Let sit out a least two hours or so to get to room temp and infuse the spice. Also this makes sure the chicken will cook more evenly.

Put on open wire rack, over a pan. (I used a “crispy crust” pizza pan with ridges and holes that fit perfect over a “deep dish” pizza pan to let the chicken cook all the way around and drip off the fat.) Leave a just enough airspace around pieces to keep them from touching.

Preheat oven to 350-375 (my knob is broken off), and when fully heated pop the pan in for 45 min. (might need to add a few, YMMV)

Remove from oven. Eat.

Prep: 5 min
Cooktime: 45.

It was really fabulous. Not hot, flavored all the way through the meat. The spice did what I wanted, it melded to the meat while it warmed to room temp and then in the oven stayed there and formed a thin shell sealing in the juices when the HOT oven sed the outside. Moist as all get out. Perfect. I mean really. You got that flavor in the very deepest part of the breast. That’s not easy!

In case you ware wondering what Adobo is, it’s like Mexican Essence. (BAM!) It’s cumin, garlic powder, pepper, oregano and a bunch of other herby stuff. Nothing hot about it, but very tasty and a bit of zest. Most groceries will have it. We used the REALLY cheap kind (5 oz .99cents – used about a 1/4 of it.).

Mr Man couldn’t shut up about it, and is actually LOOKING FORWARD to the leftover parts we were too full to touch for dinner tommorrow.

Let me know if you try it kiddies.

I’m pretty famous for my chicken salad if I do say so. I’m constantly asked to make it and bring it to various things. Being it’s the picnic and BBQ season, I thought I’d throw another recipe up.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
6-8 eggs
sweet pickle relish
minced garlic (jar stuff is fine)
fresh chopped basil (jarred basil or pesto is fine too)
grated cheddar cheese
SpinBlend Brand Salad Dressing (like miracle whip, but not)

Directions:
Take four chicken breasts (on the rib with skin is fine) and boil them intil they are done in salted/seasoned water. Remove from chicken to plate to cool, use the resulting broth for other recipes. Cut into small cubes, about 1/8-1/4″ or so.

Delish – I guarnatee! No one who’s had this hasn’t raved and requested the recipe and luckily it’s butt simple.

My brother and I both are sort of foodies. Family gathering are usually us comparing recipes of some sort to the dismay of our Mom.

I think our gourmet tastes is a result of my Mom not being much of a chef. Her food didn’t suck per se, just sometimes it was just well “ordinary”. 20 years of ordinary drives a girl over the edge towards the opposite. For instance, I don’t think she’s ever used garlic on anything other than garlic bread. I put garlic in the family recipe for macaroni salad and hd no end of greif. And steak? Steak is still a household joke at xmas time. Until I moved out, steak was small squares of of the cheapest cut she could get ahold of, cooked till leathery in a odd brown gravy. Not kidding.

Now, several years on my own, I only eat my steaks rare and buy garlic buy the pound. I am convinced I used to be a little italian grandma named Rosa in a prior life. Italian food just comes naturally to me. I literally can’t cook without garlic, basil and olive oil. I’m just lost. I’m a natural at it too.

And while there are lots of recipes for this sauce on the net, I thought I’d give my readers a bonus. I make it a lot since I love pasta often and Mr Man only likes meat sauce on his “’getti” – so this makes us both happy. I thought I’d be all sharing and crap and pass on one of my favorite recipes that I’ve made my own.