Magnolia's Banana Pudding-mmmm

At work we tried to make our weekly team meeting more exciting by having everyone bring in a different recipe each week. One of the recipes that was brought in was Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding. It is one of my roomie's fav desserts so the other night my we took a stab at it and I have to say it was one of the easiest and most delicious deserts I have ever made. You absolutely can not mess up this recipe-or stop eating it! I wish I had prettier pictures but unfortunately we made it then ate it. So amazing!

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water
• 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
• 4 cups sliced ripe bananas

1. In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.
2. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.
3. To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.
   
   

   

   I found 4 of the same sweatshirts at a sample sale so I brought 1 home to each roommate. We call them our team 2E sweatshirts. 

Potato Pancake Time

My time at my parents house is coming to and end and I am so excited to get back to the city. It was the first night of Chanukah last night and since I am home we decided to celebrate. I fried up some potato pancakes and they were prettyyyy awesome. Instead of traditional dreidel my dad and I played black jack for gelt. He was prepping me for my A.C. trip tomorrow;)

I like to enjoy a glass of wine when cooking- makes it extra relaxing

Grate potato's and a yellow onion. Drain potato's with cheese cloth. Add salt, pepper, 1 egg, and a few tablespoons of flour to thicken. 

Add oil to pan and heat. Add potato mixture and start frying!

Dip in sour cream and applesauce and enjoy!

I Heart Pumpkin

http://www.nataliedee.com/archives/2007/Nov/

Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin CUPCAKES! I, along with one of my roommates (who literally eats pumpkin puree out of the can) love pumpkin. I wanted to make something to bring to our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday so I took a shot at pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing-yum! They came out perfectly! So perfect that my mom and dad would not stop hovering in the kitchen fighting over who would get the first taste. Unfortunately, I do not have a good camera yet (although I plan on purchasing one very soon!) so I took a few shots of the treats with my phone.

What is your favorite pumpkin confection?

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

                  2 cups all-purpose flour

                  1 teaspoon baking soda

                  1 teaspoon baking powder

                  1 teaspoon coarse salt

                  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I added additional at the end by taste.)

                  1 teaspoon ground ginger

                  1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I added additional at the end by taste.)

                  1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

                  1 cup packed brown sugar

                  1 cup granulated sugar

                  1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

                  4 large eggs, lightly beaten

                  1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (I used a 14-ounce can and it was still lovely and pumpkin-y)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and the spices. In another bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs. Add dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Then whisk in pumpkin puree.

Line the cupcake pan with liners and fill each about halfway with batter. Bake until tops spring back when touched and a cake tester comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

                  8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

                  1/2 cup butter, room temperature

                  3 cups icing sugar, sifted  (I only used 2 1/4 cups and it was definitely sweet enough.)

                  1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and sugar.

Rack of Lamb with Balsamic Reduction

There is not much I can do except lay on the couch with my foot elevated and hobble around the house on crutches (as mentioned here).  Luckily, my boyfriend is getting tired of playing doctor and decided to cook us an incredible dinner of lamb chops and string beans with brownie a la mode for dessert.

Sean had never made lamb chops before and they came out perfectly! He very experienced in the kitchen but the recipe is simple (for those of you less experienced chef's) and totally worth it. 

Recipe-click for instructions: Serves 4-or 2 very hungry people who love food

• 
  
• INGREDIENTS:
• 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter

Sean is a whiskey lover, so our dessert (Ghirardeli brownie with Starbucks Frappucino ice cream) was accompanied by Irish Coffee.