Author: RJ

Barefoot Contessa Recipe #34: Banana Rum Trifle

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The recipe is from Modern Comfort Food, page 208.

A number of weeks ago I purchased a quart of heavy cream for a recipe that I wanted to make. However, plans changed and it didn’t happen. Soon, I realized that the expiration date on the cream was nearing and I didn’t want to throw it out. So, I started searching for recipes that would use a decent amount of the cream. Enter Ina Garten’s Banana Rum Trifle.

This is Ina’s take on banana pudding and let me tell you, it’s one of the best desserts I’ve had in a while! I will say, I did omit the rum from the recipe. I also chose not to “decorate it” with the whipped cream. However, this wonderfully light and sweet dessert can easily serve a crowd. In fact, I can see it going over very well at a summer picnic or holiday.

You begin by making a plain pudding….at that moment it is unflavored, just quite sweet. Once that chills for a while, you whip 3 cups of cream with vanilla and vanilla bean seeds. Then you add in the pudding and whip some more. Then the building phase begins.

The layers of cream and Nabisco wafers and bananas blend so well together and make this dessert taste like it came from heaven. A tip: follow the recipe and actually WAIT the time stated in the recipe before digging in. I know it will be hard, but it will be worth it!

The only downside to this dessert? It’s addicting! Be prepared to go for a jog afterward…for like an hour.

This one is going on the Favorites list!

Busy Few Days in the Kitchen…

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Aside from the usual Friday night dinner recipe (which I made on Saturday this week), I made two additional recipes that I didn’t really plan on making. Luckily, I was able to make them all Ina recipes, so they all count towards the blog! Stay tuned this week as I review and post about each one!

Of course, I’ll have an herbal related post, even though they are less popular than some others. And I’ll be posting my February wrap-up post as well!

So many surprise recipes! Needed more than I originally thought. Check out the blog next week to read about everything I ended up making over the next few days.

  • Cavatappi pasta
  • Half gallon whole milk
  • Unsalted butter (if on sale)
  • 12 ounces Gruyere cheese
  • 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar
  • Buttermilk
  • Eggs
  • 1 package cream cheese
  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • Nabisco vanilla wafers OR Ginger Snaps
  • 5-6 large bananas

Cooking Plans Weekend of 2/26/21

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The weekend is almost upon us. That means I get to start planning what recipes I’ll be making. With the warmer weather on the way, I decided that I should take advantage of it still being February and make some comfort food.

Luckily for me, Ina has made this easy. Her latest cookbook is all about comfort food. But, I also want something easy so I’m not spending so much time in the kitchen or breaking the bank. I’ll still be making an Ina recipe, it just will be something a little simpler.

I’ve decided to make mac & cheese because nothing screams comfort food like mac & cheese, right?

Ina has a few recipes for this, one of which does appear in her latest cookbook, Modern Comfort Food. But, I’ll be making the one out of Family Style. I’m so excited, I can almost smell the cheese sauce simmering away!

Barefoot Contessa Recipe #33: French String Beans

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This recipe can be found in Barefoot in Paris, page 160.

The side dish I made to go along with the Panko-Crusted Salmon last Friday was something that took no time at all in the kitchen! Ina’s French-inspired French String Beans turn up the flavor on otherwise pretty bland veggies.

Sadly since it is February, I did not get the chance to truly enjoy the full potential of this recipe. I had to use frozen regular “American” string beans instead of the thinner, slightly longer French ones. But, I still think it turned out well enough for me to get a sense of what Ina was going for with it.

In the recipe, you pair the string beans with a mixture of peppers and a red onion. You roast the onion and peppers in the oven for about 15 minutes. I did this, but upon eating the meal I think they need another few minutes in the oven. The peppers were okay, but the onion could have used a little more “roasted” texture. To be honest, I’m not really sure what I’m trying to describe here. It seemed like another two to three minutes in the oven would have made things a bit better.

Despite this, the recipe produced a flavorful side dish that was pretty easy to make. That’s a win for me!

What Herbalism Program Am I Taking?

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Please note that I am not receiving a commission for this post. Nor have I been asked to promote any of the programs listed here. The opinions expressed are mine and mine alone based on my personal thoughts and goals in the field of herbalism.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, my journey with herbal medicine is a long and varied one. Over the years I have done research into various herbal schools and their programs. I have enrolled and completed a few but this blog will mainly focus on programs that I am currently enrolled.

As of this writing, I am enrolled in two different programs at two different herbal schools. The first one, through The Herbal Academy, I began last spring when they offered a discount on some of their courses. So I enrolled in the Introductory Herbal Course and the Intermediate Herbal Course. Right now, I am about halfway through the Introductory Herbal Course.

Continue reading “What Herbalism Program Am I Taking?” →

Barefoot Contessa Recipe #32 – Panko Crusted Salmon

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This recipe is from How Easy is That?, page 152

For Friday night dinner, I made my first fish recipe in the Ina cook-through saga. My family usually eats fish about once a week, typically salmon. So, a salmon recipe seemed like the logical choice. We already had the fish and almost all the ingredients to make the panko crust. I think I only had to buy a lemon for the zest.

This recipe is pretty straight forward. But, to be honest, it’s nothing special. The dijon mustard does give the salmon an extra flavor and it plays nicely with the panko crust. The panko prevents the salmon from drying out which, obviously, make it more flavorful. If you’re looking to dress up your run-of-the-mill salmon filet, then definitely try this one. One of the perks is all the ingredients are pretty standard, so it won’t break the bank either. That was a nice reprieve from some other Ina recipes.

To my dish, I decided to throw in some of the pine nuts I used for the gremolata I made a few weeks ago. Those little nuts are expensive and I don’t want them to go to waste!

In addition to this recipe, I made a side dish. That recipe review will be posted later in the week.

See ya then!