Banana Pudding!

If I had my way, I would visit Manhattan as often as humanly possible, if not live there. I am one hundred percent in love with everything about it, including (and often emphasized) the food. Anyone who has ever been to NY has visited Magnolia Bakery. Or at least they should have. I have an undisclosed source that provided me with the recipe they use for banana pudding - one of my favorites!

Magnolia Bakery's Banana Pudding

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups ice cold water

1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups heavy cream

1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers

5 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. I like to add about a cup (measured before) of pureed banana to the pudding. 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.

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.

To assemble the dessert, place 2-3 semi-crushed up Nilla wafers in the bottom of a clear plastic cup (the recipe calls for the entire dessert to go into one large glass container, but I prefer individual servings). Place several banana slices on top of wafers. Scoop a generous spoonful of pudding on top off wafers and bananas. Continue layering until cup is full. The recipe should yield about 18 individual serving cups. Cover cups tightly with plastic wrap and allow to refrigerate for at least four hours (but no more than eight).

New Recipes

I am no chef. Nor do I want to be. But I do love finding new recipes and playing with them to make them better. This week, I decided to try 2 new recipes. And so the search began. I have been an avid Food Network user to find something new, but I've never fallen in love with any. I've watched a few episodes of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and decided to look up some of his recipes for something new. The man is amazing. Finding dishes that both my husband and I would like (we dislike what the other likes, generally) is simple, and the cooking directions are easy to follow. There is always a description of the origin of the dish, which is interesting.

The first dish I made was Beautiful Courgette Carbonara, and it was a hit.

The pasta sauce is a great change from the usual Alfredo, Vodka or tomato sauce. The raw eggs kind of weirded me out, but you couldn't taste the egg. I used half and half instead of whole cream, and half the bacon it called for. I would recommend you allow the pasta and veggies to cool down to about about a luke warm temperature, otherwise the eggs scramble. I thought it had cooled enough, but they still scrambled a little. Overall, the dish was a success!

The second dish I made was Hunter's Chicken Stew (pollo alla cacciatora).


It's not much of a stew, but rather a sauce for the chicken. It takes a little while to prep, but if you space it out, it's really not that bad. I only marinated the chicken for about 5.5 hours, and only used chicken breasts. This is my new favorite dish. I was concerned about the anchovies, but you couldn't taste them. I would also suggest skinless chicken, because the marinade didn't reach the meat underneath.
Overall, it was amazing.

I would recommend using Jamie's recipes, and I am actually considering buying several of his cook books.

I've recently fallen in love with Crate and Barrel, and coincidentally, I'm redecorating our bedroom. After doing some research, I've come to the conclusion that I want a bright patterned duvet cover with some coordinating accents. Our new bedroom set is espresso colored, so anything against it would really pop out and look great. The reason I mention my new found love for Crate and Barrel is because I found a duvet cover that matches my requirements:

Crate and Barrel - King Duvet - $119
(Pillows and additional bedding extra)

I'm hoping the yellow will be as bright as it is in the picture, though comments on the website imply otherwise. Also, I wont get all the pillow covers in this pattern, some will be plain white, along with the bed skirt. Or a complimentary color. What is across from yellow on the color wheel?
Peter and I have decided to buy a house once I get a job (it would be dumb to buy a house and then have to move to a new location for work), and when that happens, I want to paint the bedroom walls a light gray. Thanks to jetsetmeg for pointing out this great idea! Since seeing it on her blog, I've noticed gray all over the place.

And I've fallen in love with gray.
I like this sample, but would probably go with a shade lighter.

Completely unrelated to gray or duvet covers, here are some random accessories that I have also fallen in love with...

World Market - Metro Clock - $49
(Ive wanted a big clock for the bedroom since we got our new furniture set)


Crate and Barrel - Savana Candle Holder - $18.95


Crate and Barrel - Canteria Mirror Set of Three - $189
(I know I can find a mirror set for a little less elsewhere)
But a set of mirrors like these are a great idea.

Anyway, these are my ideas, which are most likely subject to change :)

Oh the Places You'll Go!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.”

I GrAdUaTeD!!!!

May 1, 2010