I (think) I can cook too!!

Hi Sister,

Okay, I'm very delayed in posting to our blog and it's due to one simple fact. No, it's not the divorce, or single motherhood, or a hectic social life in Washington (ha! doesn't that sound grand) or the various trips on which I've taken myself and the kids this Spring. No - it's because I really, truly cannot cook successfully! Or bake. But I think I can . . . I'm determined to try . . . and I've been attempting it more regularly over the past several weeks, with our blog as an incentive.

So I'm proud to present, as my very first post to you, this gorgeous, decadent banana-chocolate chip-coconut bread. I've been making chocolate chip-banana bread for years, as it's the one thing I can (kind of) do well, but not until last week did I have the inspiration to add a dash of coconut to it. The result? AMAZING. The inspiration? YOU! I was inspired after reading about your pineapple coconut muffins, which I thought were absolutely delicious when I had them with you last month. The memories of Hawaii that you posted were lovely, and I can't wait to read more about what is inspiring you in the kitchen as you continue to cook, bake, and blog! Our project is already working, and I'm so very delighted.

Banana-chocolate chip-coconut bread....

Preheat oven to 350

Whisk together thoroughly:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

In large bowl, beat:
5 1/3 TBSP unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar

Beat in flour mixture until blended and the consistency of brown sugar.
Gradually beat in:
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Fold in until just combined:
4 bananas (my change - Joy of Cooking recipe calls for 2)
Lots of chocolate chips (hooray!)
Enough dried coconut - until it's thoroughly and evenly distributed (scrumptious)

Bake in oven for 50-60 minutes. Let cool in the pan on rack for 5-10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack. **Note that I did not follow the directions and instead, out of sheer enthusiasm, "unmolded" it straight from the oven and ate it. Delicious!!

From my kitchen to yours,
my heart to yours,
Your Sister

It's a Milkshake, Not a Smoothie!

Sister, it's gorgeous here in Seattle ~ blue skies, bright sun, blossoming trees ... nice enough for the girls to wear shades :) You just missed the great weather! And we're craving your delicious milkshakes, big time! Can't believe we neglected to make those while you were here.

Now, just for the record : It's a milkshake, Sister, not a smoothie!! Here I am outing you on our blog -- but just because you put fruit in the blender with your ice cream, does not make it a smoothie. Even if the ice cream is the slow-churned, half the fat stuff that we both love so much. Yes, I know you so well! Okay, I will admit that I have ordered a few "smoothies" in my time that have turned out to be milkshakes -- shame on you, Jamba Juice, for tricking me with your healthy looking choices! But that doesn't make me any less right -- ice cream blended in any form is, well, a milkshake. Just a play on words, really.

 

That being said, everyone reading our blog needs to know that my big sister makes a wicked milkshake. Wicked as in de-lish-ous!! So, I'm offering a trade: my basic/boring SMOOTHIE recipe in exchange for your creamy/delicious MILKSHAKE recipe. Whadaya say?

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Lisa's Smoothie Recipe

Blend together the following:

5 frozen strawberries (no need for ice then, and feel free to use a different fruit)

1 banana

1 cup of yogurt (whatever you've got in the fridge)

1/2 cup - 1 cup juice (play around with the consistency you like ... less juice = thick drink)

Tip--buy your frozen berries at Costco to save $$ and it lasts a long time!

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That's it! Easy Peesy! Now I'm waiting for yours so I can pretend this sunny Seattle weather is actually warm, which of course it's not. Hence, why the girls aren't outside with their shades on. Very jealous of your upcoming trip to California for Easter ... remember our Easter Egg hunts when we were little, wearing matching spring dresses and never needing to wear our sweaters?

Missing you in Seattle,

Lisa

Maui Muffins

I fully admit it: I am obsessed with muffins. Apple muffins, blueberry muffins, carrot & walnut muffins ... or these delicious coconut & pineapple muffins from Maui ~ yum! My sister experienced my obsession first hand last week while visiting from the East Coast (note picture of Christie dancing with Lucy in my kitchen - sneaking bites of said muffins ... I miss you, Sister!!).

Maybe it's because I'm nursing a newborn, or it's because of the cloudy-gray Seattle skies, or maybe it's because I'm in denial about losing the baby weight . . . but whatever the reason for my obsession, muffins are just plain yummy. A warm, homemade muffin right out of the oven with a little bit of butter dabbed in the center -- well, it's enough to cure any one's blues. And lately, I've been craving a taste of the islands, one of my favorite places in the world.

Warm and tropical, fragrant and alluring -- Maui is like a little slice of heaven. I remember as a kid, stepping off the airplane into pure warmth, like the sun itself had been stirred into the air, with just the right amount of sweet plumeria to make your senses swoon. It's where my sister and I as kids built sand castles and ate ice cream sundaes with our feet buried in the sand; it's where I honeymooned with my husband and celebrated our 10 year anniversary just this last year; and of course it's where I tasted these muffins for the first time during a delicious breakfast at the Swan Court restaurant at the Hyatt. Coconut, pineapple and butter . . . it tasted like Hawaii. I've been on the hunt for a recipe ever since, and landed on a pretty good one on the internet. I've tweaked it a bit, so now it's my own.

By the way, these muffins are really sweet and buttery, so they verge on being cupcakes instead of tasty, "good morning, it's time to start your day so here's a taste of Hawaii," kind of muffins. (I'm working on another version of this recipe that might be more muffin-y, and will post it when it's ready). Best eaten with a cup of hot coffee, while playing a great Hawaiian CD like The Hula Honeys -- an adorable band trio I discovered in Lahaina who plays all the classics but in a modern, jazzy way.

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Maui Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the following:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

In a smaller bowl, melt 1/4 cup butter. Add the following to it:

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup pineapple juice (use real, concentrated juice for great pineapple flavor)

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Slowly stir the liquids into the flour mixture. Then add:

1 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained well (from the can ... buy a large can, save the extra)

Pour into greased muffin pans or use muffin cups (makes about 18 muffins)

Stuff a little of the extra pineapple into the center of each muffin.

Top each muffin with a sprinkle of coconut.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until slightly toasted on top and firm.

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Can't wait for our next trip to the islands, Sister . . . this time with our own kids so they can build their own sandcastles -- and memories -- by the sea.

Until then, here's a little aloha love from my kitchen to yours!
Love, Lisa