Steph's Pick: Brown Butter

So if you've read my blog in the past, you might remember that I have an avid dislike of butter.  Yep, I'm one strange creature.  I promise it's not because it's unhealthy - I totally work out enough to compensate for a least a few tablespoons a week.  It's the taste!  So the even weirder part in this twisted story is that I'm going to introduce a new type of blog post about cooking tips that you can apply to any recipe involving the featured method or ingredient...and my first one is about BUTTER.

What?!

Peanut Butter Banana "Ice Cream"

Now that the weather is finally starting to warm up, my cravings for ice cream are getting totally out of control!  Don't judge me, but I might have accidentally eaten it not 1, not 2, but 3 times last week!  I can't help it if it's my favorite dessert and my self control magically vanishes at the mere thought of it!  Yeah, I definitely need to cap this indulgence off at a once-per-week limit, which means I have to be creative and come up with healthier substitutes.  This little gem of a recipe popped into my head yesterday on my drive to the gym and I tested it a few hours later.  It TOTALLY worked.  Hellllloooo Peanut Butter Banana "Ice Cream!"  Where have you been all my life?!

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal

Ever since I first discovered the convenience of microwavable oatmeal my freshman year of college, I've been hooked on the stuff.  Luckily, the microwave phase only lasted through my dorm years, because the real stuff is so much better tasting and better for you!  It's kind of like a blank canvas with unlimited topping possibilities!  On a normal day, I'll jazz it up a bit with some cinnamon sugar, raisins and walnuts.  But on the weekend, when my heart says blueberry pancakes but my brain tells me egg whites and a smoothie, I can compromise and make blueberry banana oatmeal!  With sweetness from fresh blueberries, banana, coconut and brown sugar, a little crunch from walnuts, some spice from ground cinnamon and a boost of protein, calcium and omega-3s from chia seeds, I have the perfect breakfast to satisfy my sweet tooth while staying on track.  It's seriously SO GOOD!

Bananas Foster Pancakes

Yesterday morning, I made the most delicious pancakes for Howie and I!  You got to admit, there's no better way to kick off a relaxing Saturday then a big breakfast!  These weren't just any old pancakes, they were my sinfully sweet bananas foster pancakes.  I heat butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and a ripe banana together until it forms this melt in your mouth "syrup" that will make you never want to buy the store-bought kind ever again!  I came up with this creation a few years ago, back when I was in undergrad, but never really wrote my recipe down.  Told you guys that's my downfall with cooking...I love winging it and seeing what happens!  Yesterday I measured everything in this breakfast treat, and want you guys to be able to make it in your own kitchen too.  Let's just say I've come a long way since Flapjack Friday at the Miami University Architecture School!

New Year, New Smoothie: Triple Berry Green Smoothie

Happy New Year!  I thought I would start 2015 off right with a healthier recipe, since almost everyone's New Year's resolution involves eating better, losing weight, exercising more, or a combination of all three.  Back in August, I started making a smoothie for breakfast everyday because they were the most convenient meal to take with me on my 45 minute drive.  Little did I know, they would actually make me lose about 6 pounds without even trying!  It's definitely the best way to improve your energy, increase your protein and nutrient intake, gain lean muscle...and it tastes great!  I make all different types of smoothies depending on the fruit I have at the time, but this Triple Berry Green Smoothie has definitely become my favorite combination lately!

Peanut Butter Chip Banana Bars

I'm on a serious mission to find creative ways to use my entire banana graveyard by the time I move out in 3 short weeks. For those of you that don't know what a banana graveyard is, it's the lonely top shelf of my freezer home to half a dozen ripe bananas that are begging to be incorporated into baked goods.  They actually look dead because of the dark brown color they turn when they freeze.  No matter how hard I try to bake banana things, the collection seems to keep growing.  Though I pride myself on my banana bread recipe, I'm bored of baking the same loaf and having it go stale after one day in the summer (thank you Lake Erie humidity!).  I did, however, come up with a new recipe that I'm really excited about: peanut butter chip banana bars.  It's pretty great that I came up with a new way to use my banana graveyard, even more great that they taste delicious, but fantastic that they rely on peanut butter and banana, my favorite flavor combination on earth!!

Blueberry Banana Streusel Muffins

Today is the big moving day from Tremont to Lakewood for Howie and his 2 roommates!  Since I know I won't be much assistance with the heavy lifting, I decided to use my real skills to do my share for the day: baking!  My blueberry banana streusel muffins are soft and fluffy, with a slight tartness from the blueberries balanced out by a crunchy, buttery cinnamon topping.  I know the guys are going to love them...especially considering all their food is packed away in boxes!

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothies

I had the pleasure of getting mouth surgery yesterday morning, which has resulted in a liquid diet for the next 4-5 days.  It's the worst.  I made a promise to myself that I will try to follow these instructions for at least 2-3 days, but I'm going nuts already considering the fact that dairy upsets my stomach and they said no hot foods.  What happened to soup and oatmeal being my Plan A?!?!  Clearly I had to get creative to avoid not eating altogether, so I created a delicious Plan B.  My peanut butter banana oatmeal smoothies are not only filling, but taste like a dessert!  And did I mention that they're less than 400 calories (thank you almond milk!); this beats my favorite Mitchell's PB Banana Smoothies by a long shot!

The Best Banana Bread...Ever

The recipe I'm about to share with you is a very special one.  I've actually been sitting on my couch for the last twenty minutes debating if I should share it publicly because it's taken so long for me to make it perfect...but the smell of warm banana bread with a hint of cinnamon is wafting into my living room and bringing out my soft side, and I feel like it would be morally unjust not to spread the happiness that this recipe brings around to everyone!  I'm going to start by saying that banana bread is one of my all-time favorite desserts.  It's just so comforting, light, fluffy, it somehow feels healthy (even though it isn't), and tastes great anytime of the day, even for breakfast!  Usually, I make a recipe once, and if I like it, and then other people like it, I consider it a keeper.  This recipe, however, is a combination of 2 family recipes, a helpful tip from my friend's mom, and a new twist I added on my own...COCONUT!  I've baked this recipe close to a hundred times, experimenting with different additions each time, and can honestly say it's finally perfect...every single batch I share with people yields at least one response saying "this is the best banana bread I've ever had!"