Baked Bananas

Ew. I love banana bread but the idea of a baked banana seems....weird. But I trust CD and this was so easy to make it was a joke. My husband saw me put it in and take it out and his question of "Um, are you going to bake that banana?" and "Uh....that banana is black!" perfectly summed up my hesitations. Then I cut it open and put butter and brown sugar on it and we both shut up so we could shovel in this delicious dessert. The only weird thing then was that my brain was shouting "Hey! That's a black banana - it's going to be mushy!" and my taste buds were singing how good it was. It doesn't taste like banana candy (thank goodness!) but it is great! Try it. First you'll weird out your guests/family and then they'll be asking if there are more.

Cupboard Enchilada Sauce

Excellent. I knew as soon as I opened the lid off the food processor that this was a winner. SO easy to make and really quite good. The only thing that really takes time is the roasted red bell pepper but it's needed to pull all the other ingredients together - so don't skip it! I highly recommend trying this on your next enchiladas. I bought a jalapeno to put into the sauce to kick it up a bit and I forgot to throw it in. Probably better since I know now exactly what the un-tampered recipe tastes like. Next time though...

CS's Famed Tofu-Broccoli Enchiladas

Good. Not swooning good but certainly good. Might I advise you to be sure you don't over-chop the onions and broccoli? You really need those solid chunks in the smooth mixture. I hate adding salt to things but have found it's needed to perk some things up and the mixture needed more salt than the 1 t she suggests. Otherwise, this was really good. My new 'thing' is that, if I'm going to eat something that is high in fat or calories, I don't scrimp. Meaning no more buying cheap, pre-shredded cheese. If I need cheese from now on, I'm buying the good stuff. I did this last night and I noticed a difference. My sweetheart simply proclaimed everything 'good' so who knows. I'll make this dish again but maybe not because I'm craving it.

Iced Herbal Cooler

Known as Punch Juice in my house (my husband is an interesting fellow). I hate tea. I should just tell you that now. Which is why it's weird that I like this so much. It's great. A bit labor intensive (especially when your sweetheart can drink the whole pitcher in a few hours) but worth it - especially for company. I couldn't find red zinger so we use apple or cranberry zinger. Still delicious. In fact, my sweetheart asked for it just the other day and made such a sad face when I said "That's a summer time drink" that I'll probably make it for him when he comes home next (Can you tell which of us is spoiled?) Anyhow, definitely treat yourself and try this out.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

What's that? You can't find this recipe in PV? That's because it's not there. This is a recipe from Soup & Bread and frankly, I don't know why it isn't in PV. I've made bean soups before. They are okay. I never super love them. Mostly I just make them for the warmth and smell they spread throughout the house. This soup, however, I LOVED. The first day I made it it was only okay. But the next day, apparently after the flavors melded, I couldn't stop eating it. I bet I ate six bowls in one day. I'm not bragging- I feel like I'm confessing but that's how it is. It was so good. I did over chop the peppers and onions....so next time I won't do that. But holy cow was this good. And so easy to make. And inexplicable. I mean, it was just some beans, onions and peppers....how did they make such a delicious taste? I'm not sure, but I'm willing to do the research (a.k.a. more tasting) to find out.

Neo-Classic Crepes

I've never had crepes before but, seeing as how we ploughed through the entire batch of these in a few days, I think these were a success. And they were so easy to make! I actually don't even want to try the classic crepes - how could they be any better? Sure, making these required a trip to whole foods to get the special flour but they were SO worth it. And so versatile. I really thought they would be good for about one thing but we ate them with left over vegetables rolled inside and then we ate them for dessert with just a hint of vanilla and powdered sugar. And I felt so fancy making them, too! I can't wait for guests to come over so I can whip these up! I know the recipe looks long but it's mostly just explanation. Try them - everyone you know will thank you!

Blueberry Crisp

Holy COW! This is so, so good. And so easy to make. We had Bill and Agnes (awesome friends of ours) over for lunch and we had a huge meal that they either really liked or put on a good show for me. I served this with ice cream for dessert. They raved and had seconds. I've discovered those to be the perfect compliment to the chef - topped only by asking for the recipe. But the raving is nice. I made this with peaches because I don't care that much for blueberries. I don't hate them but a whole pan of them seems overwhelming to me. Perhaps a half a batch of blueberries. Anyhow, I snuck a bite of the crisp before I baked it and it was so good. I might even like the crisp better than the fresh fruit I was using. It's hard to say. I should make another pan of it to help me decide........

Oven-Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms with Garlic and Course Salt and the virtues of fresh ground black pepper.

YUM! These are quite possibly the best hors d'oeuvres ever - and I don't really like mushrooms that much (morels excluded). I'm eager to try these several different ways; cooked longer to be crispy and cooked less to be more juicy and chewier. They are just so good. I made some and forced my friend - who hates mushrooms - to try them with great success!!! They are just SO good. You must go try them for yourself. (Do yourself a favor and use the sea salt.)

On another note: My husband wants a pepper grinder. We registered for one for our wedding but..well, let's just say the idea of a gift registry - or gifts for that matter - escaped a large portion of our guests. Anyhow, we've never used fresh ground black pepper. Ever. I had never used it. I grew up on ground pepper and I was content to stay that way. BUT - for once I was a good wife and, upon seeing peppercorns in a disposable grinder on super sale, I bought them. I used the grinder once. ONE TIME - and then threw out all our ground pepper. They aren't even the same thing, are they? Fresh ground pepper is .... perfect. It's actually fruity in a way. It's just so good. It makes everything better doesn't it? I beg that you just try it once and if you don't like it (as if!) you can send it to me - I'll use it!

Wenonah Fay's Chilled No-Middle-Ground Peanut Soup

It's odd: I like apple juice, love onions, like celery, garlic and peanut butter. Put them all together and I almost gagged. This soup was really bad. Really. And I REALLY wanted to like it. It sounds great! And the caption says that "only special people" like it. So - much like a good hypnotist- CD had me WANTING to like it. And yet, my taste buds were not on board. Granted, I don't care for curry much (and am thus putting off making any of the curry dishes in PV) so a smarter chef would have had an inkling that I might not like it. But even my good friend Greg agreed - no good. I even tried eating it with toast like CD says. But in the end, I guess I'm just not special enough for this soup.

Shocking Pasta

Wonderful. Very fast and wonderful. Who would have thought I would ever be singing the praises of a beet? But man are they good. I know I've told you before how great they are, so I'll hold off on that. It did take about 35 minutes to bake the beets but, if you have them baked on hand, this dish would take about 10 minutes to make (the time it takes to make the pasta). Its color is beautiful and the raw garlic leaves you with just a little bite. I'm not sure I would serve this to guests just because it is not really very fancy...but then, neither am I so maybe I would. Besides, I can't tell you how much I enjoy it when my non-vegetarian husband asks for dishes like, 'That delicious beet pasta.' Also, the beet greens are so nutritious that buying the beets is really like getting two meals in one.