Over ripened bananas

Don't throw away those overripened bananas on your counter. Throw them in the freezer. Throw them frozen in a smoothie or thaw them out and use them in banana bread, like my Guatemalan Banana Bread http://thegringochapin.blogspot.com/2009/11/pan-de-banano.html

Money Saving Tip

Sesame Seeds

The next time you need to buy sesame seeds at the supermarket.....go to the asian food section. Usually they will be MUCH cheaper there then in the spice section. Case in point.......today........ a 4 ounce jar of sesame seeds in the asian section was $3, whereas a 1 ounce jar in the spice section was $5.50 for 1 ounce!!!!!! You do the math!!!

Money Saving Tips

Olive Oil vs. Canola Oil

I saw or read somewhere that canola oil is much cheaper than olive oil. They are pretty much interchangeable when cooking. The only time I might not switch out canola for oilve oil in is a dressing or uncooked sauce. Otherwise I have made the switch and have noticed no diffrence in the results. Today I decide to see the difference in cost myself. I had bot canola oil and olive oil in my pantry, luckily the price stickers were still attached! The results? Olive oil 18 cents an ounce versus canola oil 10 cents an ounce! Thats a no brainer and will add up over the course of a year if you do as much cooking as I do or even half as much as I do.

Chimichurri

Chimichurri is a "green" sauce that originated with the gauchos in Argentina to marinade and put on their grilled meat. I have been making versions of chimichurri for years and it has never been wuite right. Up until last week when I made the marinated skirt steak (I did not use chimi to marinate it, I have my own secret marinade). But I did make some chimi to put on the grilled steak. Carlos said it was the best ever! WOW! He said it was seasoned perfectly! I don't know what I did different or better.....but I will take it! So I am going to share my recipe for Chimichurri Sauce. Thank goodness I wrote down what I used the last time in order to have a written recipe!

1 cup lightly packed flat leaf parsley
4 peeled garlic cloves, flattened with the back of a knife
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
2 tbsp fresh oregano
1/4 of a large onion, roughly chopped
zest and juice of 1 large lime
3 tbs red wine vinegar
up to 1/2 cup of canola oil

Place all ingredients but the oil in a blender or small food processor and pulse until well chopped. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in oil until desired consistency is reached. Can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Carlos' Favorite Steak

Everyone has been bugging me for how to make Carlos' favorite meal! Which is actually a dish based on one we had at Gloria Estefan's restaurant, Bongo's at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida. Marinated grilled skirt steak with black beans and rice. At Bongo's they served it with fried plantains/tostones. But I do not do the plantains. I serve it with the back beans and rice and whatever...salad, grilled corn.....
Now to marinate the skirt steak is very simple,
take:

3 tbsp montreal steak seasoning
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup red wine
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 pounds of skirt steak

mix first 5 ingredients together in a small bowl. Place skirt steak in a large container and pour marinade over it. Seal and marinate for2 hours up to overnight. Grill over high heat for about 5 minutes each side. Skirt steak should be served medium rare to ensure juiciness!

For black beans and rice:

1 cup of rice

1 can of black beans, undrained
1/2 small onion, minced
1 bay leaf
1tbs of ground cumin
dash of hot sauce

Cook rice according to package directions. In a small sauce pan, saute onions until soft and opaque. Add the last 3 ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve beans over the rice and voila! You have Bongos cuban steak and arroz!

Cleaning Stainless Appliances

Tip of the week: If you have stainless appliances, you don't need to buy the expensive stainless steel cleaner found in the stores. Just mix equal parts white vinegar and water and use to clean all the fingerprints and stains off your appliances. Makes them nice and shiny without spending a lot of money. I have an old window cleaner bottle I rinsed out well and filled that with this solution. One cup vinegar and one cup of water fills the bottle up and you have it at the ready for a quick and easy cleaning!

Chocolate Cherry Skillet Cake

Ingredients:
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 can (21 oz or 520 mL) cherry pie filling
1/4 cup (50 mL) water
1/2 tsp (2 mL) almond extract
1 pkg. (18.25 oz or 520 g) devil's food cake mix
whipped cream
powdered sugar

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly spray 12-in./30 cm Skillet with oil. Whisk egg whites in large bowl; add pie filling, water and almond extract. Add cake mix; mix until well blended. Pour batter over skillet, spreading evenly.
2.Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Carefully remove from oven using Oven Mitts; cool 10 minutes. Loosen edges of cake and carefully invert cake onto large, heat-safe serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Yield: 16 servings Nutrients per serving: Calories 270, Total Fat 7 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 46 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 330 mg, Fiber 2 g

© 2009 The Pampered Chef used under license.