Sautéed Bananas & Nutella on Whole Wheat Chiabatta

I got the genius idea to use some the bread that Michael made us for a dessert. I asked Dino if he’d toast some up, slather it with Nutella and put some bananas on top. Well…let’s just say that he took it to the next level. This was AMAZING! He sautéed sliced bananas in butter (use a non-stick pan or spray), sprinkled some raw sugar on top to help them caramelize, and then put them on top of the toasted ciabatta and nutella. Oh…my….GOD it was fantastic!

Thanks again for this amazing bread! We’ve really been enjoying it!

The Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese with Peas and Bacon

Here’s the mac & cheese recipe. My pictures turned out pretty crappy from that night…If you want the photos of your dishes, I can give them to you, but they don’t look so hot. I had to do a LOT of color correcting on this one to get it to look presentable. At least it tasted good!

The Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese with Peas and Bacon
Tyler’s Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Anytime – Tyler Florence

I don’t know a man, woman or child who doesn’t love a bowl of great mac and cheese. Sweet peas and bacon spooned on top take it to a whole new level. This is the one and only macaroni and cheese recipe you will ever need.

Serves 6 to 8.

kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups warm milk
5 ½ cups shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Leaves from 1/4 bunch of fresh thyme
2 cups frozen peas, thawed in colander under cool water

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to keep lumps from forming. Gradually whisk in the milk and, whisking vigorously, cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Stir in 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

While that’s going, heat a 2-count of olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the bacon, onion, garlic and thyme and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Fold in the peas and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, scatter the pea and bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoky pea mixture on each spoonful.

Rhubarb Custard Pie


Our Swiss Pantry
Mrs. Willis W. (Magdalena) Lehman

4 cups rhubarb
¾ cup sugar
1 ¼ cups sugar
4 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
3 eggs, well beaten

Mix rhubarb and 3/4 c. sugar; let stand till watery. Work 1 1/4 c. sugar, flour and salt into butter; add eggs, then add to rhubarb. Pour into an unbaked 10″ pie shell and bake 15 minutes at 400° then 45 minutes at 325°.

If frozen rhubarb is used, pour off water before adding sugar.

MacGourmet Rating:: 5 Stars

Standard Pastry
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

8- or 9-inch one-crust pie
1 cup all purpose flour*
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening, or 1/3 cup lard
2 – 3 tablespoons cold water

10-inch one-crust pie
1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour*
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening, or 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons lard
3 – 4 tablespoons cold water

8- or 9-inch two-crust pie
2 cups all purpose flour*
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening, or 2/3 cup lard
4 – 5 tablespoons cold water

10-inch two-crust pie
2 ⅔ cups all purpose flour*
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening, or 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lard
7 – 8 tablespoons cold water

* if using self-rising flour, omit salt. Pie crusts made with self-rising flour differ in flavor and texture from those made with plain flour.

Measure flour and salt into bowl. Cut in shortening thoroughly . Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl (1-2 teaspoons water can be added if needed).

Gather dough into ball; shape into flattened round on lightly floured cloth-covered board (for two-crust pie, divide dough in half and shape into 2 flattened rounds). With floured stockinet-covered rolling pin, roll dough 2 inches larger than inverted pie pan. Fold into quarters; unfold and ease into pan.

For one-crust pie: trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pan. Fold and roll pastry under, even with pan; flute. Fill and bake as directed in recipe.

For baked pie shell: prick bottom and side thoroughly with fork. Bake at 475° for 8-10 minutes.

For two-crust pie: turn desired filling into pastry-lined pie pan. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of pan. Roll second round of dough. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Bake as directed in recipe.

Note: if possible, hook fluted edge over edge of pie pan to prevent shrinking and help keep shape.