Hobbies, Family, & Geekery from a Stay-at-Home Dad
I really didn’t want to be that guy who does nothing but constantly remind you how fast time is going, but seriously, we’re almost done with October and it’s absolutely insane. I mean, it’s great, don’t get me wrong. Being able to open your windows …Read More….
Due to a lapse in government funding, this blog will not be updated until further notice. Please accept a picture of these awesome Pumpkin Swirled Brownies as consultation for any inconvenience this may cause. Ok, fine. I’m not funded by the government. Can you believe …Read More….
I know we’re more than a week into it but seriously, freaking September?!
I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the age we live in now where the world is at our fingertips, but when I was a kid a year felt like a year. On top of that, the month of December felt like a year too. I mean, should I be like retail stores and start with my holiday posts now? Just to stay caught up and relevant?
Tally this one up as my first fall post. The cinnamon swirl easily brings this banana bread to the top and the cinnamon streusel is what pushes it over the edge. Throw in chocolate chips for good measure and you’ll get the perfect pairing to your Pumpkin Spiced Latte.
Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (slightly adapted from a blog who got it from another blog who got it from Sandwich Hoss)
Bread:
4 each ~ Bananas, over ripened, smashed up
1/3 cup ~ Butter, melted
3/4 cup ~ Brown Sugar
1 each ~ Egg
1 teaspoon ~ Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon ~ Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon ~ Salt
1 1/2 cups ~ Flour
3/4 cup ~ Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup ~ Walnuts, chopped (optional)Cinnamon Swirl:
1/3 cup ~ Sugar
1 tablespoon ~ CinnamonCinnamon Streusel:
2/3 cup ~ Brown Sugar
1/4 cup ~ Turbinado Sugar
1/2 cup ~ Flour
1 teaspoon ~ Cinnamon
4 tablespoons ~ Butter, cold
Notes:
Alright, let’s go bananas.
B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
I made this once after I did it for this post and I tried to double the swirl because you know me and cinnamon. Yeah, it was like a banana bread and cinnamon swirl sandwich. The two halves were slipping and sliding, the entire loaf was one big mess. It was one of those things you just don’t like to admit ever happened and no matter how hard you try to forget you know deep down inside you really truly messed something up big time. And then the salt in the wound when you tweet or post on G+ that you’re making it and then people expect pictures afterward. The one time you wish someone wasn’t paying attention…
And that be that. This is my first banana bread recipe I’ve posted on here but I’ve made a couple in the past. Needless to say, this one is clearly the best I’ve ever made. There’s chocolate, a thick ribbon of cinnamon, and streusel. Freaking streusel! I love that stuff! When I die I want to be buried in streusel.
Streusel all the things!!
Now excuse me as I go stock up on canned pumpkin.
The song – White Flag Warriors by Flobots. For obvious reasons
First off, allow me to apologize. When I ventured into making this meal I had no idea where I was going with it. I didn’t know how I was going to plate it nor did I know how it was going to taste. Because I …Read More….
Kid Rock – All Summer Long Guess what? Summer is almost over! Man, I can’t wait. But other than that, remember when I mentioned I had more than a few things lined up for the blog and all I had to do was find the …Read More….
Blink 182 – Whats my age again
I briefly mentioned it once or twice but I guess I’ll reluctantly bring it up again since the bulk of this post has to do with it…
About a month ago, I… I celebrated my 30th birthday.
There, I said it. The big 3-0.
You women tend to think us guys don’t care about the numbers because, well you know, we’re like fine wines and all. But that’s beside the point. Just because we grow awesomer by the day, doesn’t mean we don’t feel hurt when you put a number next to our level of radness. Sometimes I feel (or “act”, as I’m told) like I’m 20, but that parade I’m riding gets torn down when my wife constantly reminds me that I’m 30.
“Hahaha, look, you have grey hair because you’re 30. You’re an old man. Sebastian, tell your father he’s thirty hahaha..”
(Sebastian) “You’re dirty daddy, hahahaha”
Then everyone laughs. Everyone but me. It’s like a short, tight leash on an already domesticated dog.
But hey, I’m not here to talk about all that. It’s not like I cry about it at night…
I’m here to talk about the spoils of my birthday. You already know my mom was awesome enough to pay for a year of hosting for my blog, but in addition to that, she also got a sweet deal on this:
As you may recall on my first and only smoothie post (as of this writing), I said “Until my $20 blender that I don’t even remember buying burns out and dies, don’t expect me to get too invested in this game.” But after some consideration I decided to go back on what I said.
A few reasons why I became so interested was mainly due to the price. It was on a pretty good sale and it is insanely difficult for me to not pay attention to something when it’s on sale (yes, I am a man, and men do that, in case you’re wondering). The price, coupled with the fact that my amazing wife will be giving birth to Mini-Me #2 literally any day now, made me want to be ready for the time when baby food was needed. I really want to go the homemade route for baby food this time around and after some research I saw this can do a pretty good job at it. And lastly, I really wanted to try and start eating more balanced. Like I mentioned, I’m… not as young as I think I am and I’m constantly afraid that’s going to catch up to me one day. I felt like consuming various smoothies which I wouldn’t mind doing would help me get more of the stuff I needed into my body in an easier way.
Oh yeah, and the color. Freaking love the color. One day all my appliances will be that color (the little ones, not like the fridge and stuff).
Considering all of that, it went on my birthday list and was eventually gifted. Thanks again mom!
So what better way to introduce a new kitchen appliance than to put it to use with a recipe?! I’ve been on an almond milk kick as of late and I must say it is somewhat of a secret weapon in smoothies. When I first tried it a couple of weeks ago, it made regular milk taste like water. And that was just the vanilla flavored. Then I tried the chocolate and it was all over.
I’ve been wanting to try almond milk for a while but it wasn’t until I saw this Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Smoothie by Ashton at Something Swanky that I really got a kick in the butt to try it. Strangely enough, when I put this smoothie together, I wasn’t even thinking about Aston’s. But now that I look at it again I guess it was a subconscious thing that they’re fairly similar.
Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Smoothie: subconsciously adapted from Something Swanky
1 each ~ Banana, sliced
2 tablespoons ~ Peanut Butter
½ cup ~ Old Fashioned Oats
2/3 cup ~ Chocolate Almond Milk
½ teaspoon ~ Cinnamon
about 10 ice cubes
Notes:
Don’t quote me on this, but it looks like there is a lot of stuff that is good for you in this smoothie. I like to think that I’m on the right track with eating better in the mornings, what do you think?
Nope, I’m not going to tell you how to make the smoothie since my 3 year old pretty much makes them for me. But, I will share this with you:
It’s an unboxing video!!
The food blogging world may not be familiar with the art of unboxing videos, but where I come from in the video game world, it’s pretty much a given to expect one every time you get something new to show off. The level of our coolness is measured by these vids, no matter how weird my wife looks at me. I always loved doing unboxings for the special editions of games and stuff like that, so I thought it would be cool to do one for the blender and post it on the blog here.
And that’s that. I’ll experiment more with smoothie recipes in the future and I’ll more than likely share my experiences in making homemade baby food when that time comes. Until then, I hope you enjoy this one!
If you’re interested, this version of the Ninja Blender in the Cinnamon Red color is only available exclusively on QVC. It’s a decent price compared to regular stores, and it comes with the.. well, check out the unboxing video if you’re interested. Everything works great. I use the 72 oz pitcher and single serve cups on a daily basis, and the food processor has been put to use rather successfully. Especially considering the price, this has my vote over any of those fancy shmancy $400+ blenders.
About the song: What’s My Age Again? by Blink-182 – I used to LOVE Blink. They were one of my favorite bands growing up and I have nothing but fond memories rocking out with friends listening to them. Every year on my birthday I am guaranteed to listen to this song on repeat. It is off Enema of the State.
Pink – Here Comes The Weekend There are plenty of good things that come out of taking what feels like years to customize your blog the way you want it. One of those things is having a nice chunk of content to blog about when …Read More….
It’s Cinco de Mayo time in the food blogosphere so I figured why not throw my contribution in the hat too? I am Hispanic after all, and it would give me a good opportunity to show off my latin flare. …. Haha, Ok, that …Read More….
If you’ve never made caramelized onions before then you’ve been missing out. It has to be the best way to have onions.
…If you don’t count deep frying them.
I can understand if you were intimidated and didn’t want to venture into the deep, dark, scary road that is caramelizing onions. But at the same time, I don’t understand at all!
Like all things that are worth making in the kitchen, the secret behind caramelizing onions is not what kind of onion you use; it’s not about the inclusion of a super secret ingredient or what color your underware is that day. It’s simply… Wait for it… Patience.
A lot of people, including myself, have instructed to “cook your onions for 5 to 10 minutes on med-high heat until they’re brown in color”. While it’s possible to change the color of an onion in that time, you’re not getting a true caramelization. At least, not like you would if you cooked them slow. The temperature is a big factor as well. So big, in fact, it should be listed as an ingredient. “Med-high” is definitely not the way to make caramelized onions. The cooking temp – in this case a steady medium, is crucial in letting the natural sugars in the onion break down and become caramelized.
It’s a simple technique I learned many, many years ago; and when you do it once, you’ll realize setting the time aside is worth it. The flavor is deep and concentrated and you’ll give a whole new appreciation for the onion.
As far as what you can do with caramelized onions is up to you and is only limited to your likes. While possibilities are numerous, a few options you have are putting them in or on baked potatoes, sauces, soups (Mmm, French Onion soup), pizzas, burgers, grilled cheeses, breads like focaccia, or my favorite – a nice layer of them on a medium cooked steak. Damn the drool on my keyboard…
Caramelized Onions4-6 each ~ Onions, medium or large, sliced medium
1-2 tablespoons ~ Butter (depending on amount of onions)
1 tablespoon ~ Oil
good pinches ~ Salt and Pepper
¼ cup ~ Brown Sugar, lightly packed
¼ cup ~ Red Wine Vinegar
pinch ~ Thyme (optional)
Notes:
Alright let’s talk onions
Why oil and butter? I’m glad you asked.
It’s simple really. Butter has a low smoke point meaning that it doesn’t take too much heat to get it to break down and begin to burn. Oil on the other hand has a higher smoke point so if you add a little bit of oil to your butter before sautéing or pan frying anything, the butter will go a lot longer before it burns on you.
Other than peeking underneath an edge to check the color after the 10 minute mark, do not touch them.
And that be that. You can now add caramelized onions to your repertoire. Like I said they store easily can be used in tons of dishes so go nuts with them!
