Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Have you ever had bananas in your kitchen that were so black and shriveled, you almost threw them out? It's happened to me so many times. Day after day I I tell myself I will make a batch of banana muffins. And finally, the day arrives when I actually pick up the deflated bunch of almost unrecognizable fruit and head for the door, with intentions of taking them out to the woods for animals to enjoy. But, I just can't do it. So, this week, I squeezed the mushy fruit from its shriveled, dark skin and stirred it into a rich mix of cream cheese, sugar and eggs to make cheesecake.

I must back up a little bit at this point. Years ago, in 2005 actually, I copied a recipe for Hot Buttered Rum Cheesecakes with Rum-Caramel Sauce from that year's December issue of Bon Appetit magazine. I ordered a bunch of tiny (4 1/2-inch) springform pans, ready to make the cheesecakes and give them as gifts. It never happened that year, or any year since that time. But, I still have the recipe. I vaguely remembered the recipe instructions for reducing some dark rum to stir into the cake batter. With the experience of tasting warm, rum-spiked bananas foster still clear in my mind – I made several flaming pans full of the dessert for a recent fundraising event for the Headwaters Science Center in Bemidji – I wondered if I could match the flavors of that dessert in a cheesecake.

There are many versions of eggplant parmesan. I probably like them all. The earthy sweetness of the eggplant and tomato sauce, the gooey mozzarella, and the sharpness of the parmesan all come together to make something delectable. Eggplant parmesan was the most satisfying vegetarian dinner I ate when I was growing up.

In some recipes the eggplant is breaded and fried. While this adds a whole extra layer of texture, I don't think it's necessary. The version I grew up with was one my mom made and perhaps it's just the familiarity of it, but I really do think it's the best. Because it isn't fried it's not greasy which is often what happens with eggplant. A hearty filling entree I wouldn't dream of serving it without spaghetti on the side.

Sunday evening always marks the end of a weekend. And whatever the weekend was filled with, Sunday evening is the time to finally relax.

My weekend was a busy one. I was away from home from early Friday morning until late this afternoon. After several hours in the car, I was ready for some home-cooked food that would bring warmth and contentment.

It took only about 45 minutes to put together a pot of Thick and Hearty Soup. It could probably be called a thick Italian-style stew, as it is rich with tomato, pasta and Italian seasonings. Earlier in the week I was in Minneapolis and stopped at Trader Joe’s where I picked up some fully cooked chicken and turkey spicy andouille sausage. I sliced it up and sautéed it with some chopped vegetables before pouring some chicken broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato puree into the soup pot. Little shells of pasta simmered in the pot for the last 20 minutes, thickening the soup as it cooked. I used a blend of Italian seasoning to flavor the soup. You can use your own favorites – oregano, basil, rosemary, sage or thyme are all nice choices.

I have to say, I love something a little sweet after my meal. Especially lunch. I feel it's time to revive the "after lunch dessert" movement. Wait, is that actually a movement?

Anyway, this was our after lunch dessert and let me just say, its lemony-goodness hit the spot.

If I didn't have to finish making lunch for my family, getting everyone a different drink, cleaning up spilled milk and washing the dishes...I could have taken a picture right away and you would have seen that this dessert comes out of the oven all puffed up and beautiful. If you serve them right away, they will look that way.  My food blog fantasy is to have a team of people ready to take pics as soon as things emerge from the oven....prolly' not gonna happen.

This sweet little dessert (that by the way is low-cal), has a delicate sauce on the bottom....a nice little surprise. It's perfection. Make it soon, you will love it too.