Banana Split Party
My birthday is coming up in a few days, and one of the things we considered to celebrate (and I always celebrate with my extended family) was throwing a Banana Split Party. Sounds fun, yes? Here’s how to do one of your own:
Planning a Banana Split Party
Your theme is Banana Split. This means that you should stick to colors reminiscent of a banana split when planning your decor and invitations. Bright yellow for bananas, bright red for cherries, chocolate brown, strawberry pink… you get the picture.
Create a Banana Split Station. This should be at the heart of your party. You’ll need:
- Bananas. Lots! Keep them unpeeled so they don’t turn brown and yucky before guests arrive.
- Ice cream. Classic flavors are Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry- but it’s really up to you. Get Banana-flavored ice cream if you really love bananas.
- Syrups. Chocolate syrup, of course! Some Strawberry syrup, Caramel syrup or Butterscotch topping is nice.
- Toppings. The funnest- and prettiest- part of your Station has to be your available toppings. Sprinkles, Mini M&Ms, Skittles, Reese’s Pieces, Chocolate Vermicelli, Cinnamon Sugar… your options here are endless!
- Whipped Cream and Maraschino Cherries are classics, and will make any Banana Split look inviting. Whipped Cream in a can will do, and fresh cherries are of course better!
Most importantly, have fun! A Banana Split Party is supposed to get messy… it’s part of the fun!
Make it Yourself: Fries!
I was never exactly a fan of deep-frying at home, and it does seem easier to drive over to McDonald’s for some of their delicious fries, but once you try making your own, there’s a very good chance you’ll fall in love with the taste of homemade fries. I did.
There’s something about grabbing a bag of potatoes, a bottle of oil, and some kosher salt, and turning them into these that spells magic to me. Want to give it a go? Let’s make some fries!
Homemade French Fries
Ingredients
5 large potatoes
lotsa oil (of your choice- I like Sunflower oil, but feel free to use Canola or Peanut)
kosher salt
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat up about 5-6 inches of oil. Or more. Seriously, don’t skimp on the oil here. You can always cool it, run it through a coffee filter, and reuse it later on. You want your oil at around 320 degrees. While that’s heating, get your potatoes ready: wash, peel, and cut them into sticks. I like ‘em thick. As you slice them, put in a large bowl of very cold water. This will help make them crispy later on. On a hot day, I’ve been known to keep them in the freezer for a bit.
Drain the potato sticks (they’re not fries yet!) thoroughly. Once your oil is ready, carefully put your potatoes in. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove them from your pot, drain, and let cool. Do NOT turn down the heat yet… you want to get your oil back up… all the way up to 375 degrees. Re-fry your fries, around 2-3 minutes again.
Drain on some paper towels, sprinkle with kosher salt- and serve immediately. So, so delicious.
All About Agave
It isn’t easy being married to a diabetic, especially when you run a home baking business and are up to your elbows in granulated sugar on most days. I’ve posted several diabetic recipes before, but today I want to talk about one of my favorite ingredients ever, and something that’s made life so much easier for my dear husband: Agave syrup.
Agave syrup is a natural sweetener- which means that it’s not artificial like Splenda or Aspartame- from the Agave, a succulent plant common to Mexico (see photo above). Also known as Agave “nectar”, it’s similar to honey- but, as we soon discovered after receiving our first bottle, so much better.
It’s better because, unlike honey, Agave is sweeter in taste- so you need less of it. It also tastes less “floral” than honey, giving it a flavor closer to real sugar. It’s also better than honey because it has a much lower glycemic load.
It’s important to note, though, that Agave will affect your blood sugar levels. It’s made up mostly of fructose, so it’s definitely not a free-for-all food for diabetics. What is is is a worthy alternative for diabetics like my husband.
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Food & Water Safety after a Flood
Photo from jekert gwapo
Yesterday, floods in the Philippines killed dozens of people, and left even more without homes, food or water. Now that the storm has gone, disease prevention is of utmost importance- here are some tips for food and water safety after such a disaster:
Drink bottled water. Do not drink from the tap or other sources.
If you don’t have bottled water, boil water. Make sure you filter the water as much as you can, then boil it vigorously for ten minutes. The water will taste flat, but you can make it taste better by aerating it: pour it back and forth from one container to another.
If you can’t boil water, treat it chemically. See this chart on how to use household bleach to sanitize water.
Sanitize all pans, dishes and utensils that came into contact with flood water. Boil them in clean water.
Throw out food that came in contact with flood water. This includes foods packed in cardboard, foil, cellophane, fabric, or paper and canned foods as well. Cans that didn’t come into contact with flood waters are safe to keep.
Throw out all wooden spoons, chopping boards, and plastic utensils or bowls.
After a power outage, keep in mind that your refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about four hours unopened (24 hours for a freezer).
Simple Pleasure: Milk & Cookies
The Urban Dictionary defines “milk and cookies” as:
the best medicine to be found in the kitchen
… and I have to agree. My mother-in-law is 82 and looks incredibly good for her age. Seriously, she looks at least twenty years younger (I’d post a photo here if she wasn’t so shy). One of her secrets? Milk and cookies for dinner.
Now, this might not seem like the healthiest of choices- but really, how can you go wrong? The milk gives you calcium and Vitamin D, the cookies give you chocolate (chock-full o’ antioxidants). And the combination of a chilled glass of creamy milk and some chocolate cookies gives you comfort- and a lot of pleasure. It is, after all, what you traditionally leave for Santa on Christmas Eve.
You can, of course, simply open a bag of Oreos, which are classic. But if you’d like to kick up your experience a notch, here are some of our recipes for cookies that go awesomely with milk:
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