Banana Bottom Parfaits

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Banana Bottom Parfaits! Three cheers for a dessert that will make everyone smile. It’s light and creamy with a touch of sweetness, and a fruit finish that has you pushing back from the table and saying, “Ahhhhh!” Whether you choose a mini shot-glass portion or a stemmed goblet, the presentation on this dessert is rated 5-star, according to my husband. 

BANANA BOTTOM PARFAITS

Ingredients:

Shortbread cookies, broken into pieces*

1 box 3.4 ounce Banana Cream Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

3/4 cup Cool Whip Whipped topping 

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

Carmel Pecan Topping (see recipe below)

Toasted Coconut for Garnish

French Vanilla Cookie Straws

* I used Kauai Kookie Banzai bite-sized cookies. 

Instructions:

Crush shortbread cookies into coarse crumbs. Using a hand mixer, beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Reserve 4 banana slices for garnish. Between the dessert dishes, layer a few banana slices in the bottom of each parfait glass. Add a spoonful of caramel sauce. Next layer the shortbread pieces.  Carefully spoon in the banana pudding, making sure the layers remain separated. Repeat layers ending with pudding on top.  Refrigerate 15 minutes or longer. Before serving, sprinkle with toasted coconut, garnish with one banana slice, and a cookie straw. 

Hint: To prevent sliced bananas from turning brown, toss them with lemon juice. Pat bananas dry with paper towel before using.  

Pecan Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup half and half

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3 teaspoons Crown Royal

Pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients except pecans, in a 2-quart sauce pan over medium-low heat. Cook while gently stirring 5-7 minutes, or until thicker. Turn off heat. Add pecans. Pour into jar. Store in refrigerator. 

Avocado On My Mind

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Avocado on My Mind! Watermelon and avocado, when mixed together, have a uniquely gratifying flavor.  Surprised?  It’s as refreshing as a walk in the park. Not only is this salad appealing to the eye, it’s easy on the wallet. These two fruits are affordable, low in calories, and can be eaten often since they are packed with nutrients. Permission granted. 

AVOCADO ON MY MIND

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado 

1 wedge watermelon, seedless

1/2 lime, sliced

1 tablespoon feta cheese, crumbled

1 sprig cilantro 

Instructions:

Open the avocado, discarding seed. Remove pulp. Squeeze lime juice over both halves to prevent discoloration. Chop avocado into pieces and place into a medium-sized bowl. Using a melon-ball utensil, scoop the watermelon into round pieces. Discard rind. Add watermelon balls to bowl, tossing gently. Sprinkle feta cheese over top. Snip cilantro to taste. Garnish with lime slices. 

The Daily Special

Gail’s Kitchen seems to be open 24 hours a day. Pull up a chair for “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: The Daily Special!” With over 3000 posts, the response continues to amaze me on this journey of the palate. Thanks very much to all of my followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support and moving words of encouragement. I’m also on Instagram @gail_dorna and Pinterest @gaildorna. Please check it out. 

What’s cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? It’s as simple as reciting your A-B-Cs. One of my passions is being at home in my own “gourmet” kitchen.   I love to cook, and my husband loves that I do it often.  Now more than ever, since I am retired, I relish the thought of creating something delicious from scratch.  I adore time-honored traditions using tried-and-true recipes. Yet, I often never think twice about tweaking old favorites or modifying others to suit the inner craving of the moment.  Most of the recipes serve 2-4 people, but can be altered in any direction.  The leftovers are golden morsels to be eaten again later or shared with others.  And I love to share.  To me, seeing a smile in gratitude is thanks enough. The recipes you will find here in the next several weeks can be prepared very easily.  Feel free to contact me with questions.  Now take a deep breath, inhale the aromas, and join me on a tasteful journey entitled, “EATING MY WAY THROUGH THE ALPHABET: THE DAILY SPECIAL!”

Zuzu’s Peach Sparkler

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Cut Above: Zuzu’s Peach Sparkler! Attention peach-lovers. For a refreshing cocktail, sit up and take notice. This simple, but elegant mixture can be the star attraction at your next brunch or afternoon happy hour. The recipe is for one drink, but can easily be made while chatting with your friends and family as they gather around the bar. Zuzu’s Peach Sparkler can also be topped off with a bubbly ginger beer, seltzer water, or splash of prosecco. The vibrant color practically screams, “Let’s kick back and have a great time. You’re worth it!”

ZUZU’S PEACH SPARKLER 

Ingredients: 

1 half peach, crushed

1 lemon wedge

1 orange wedge

2-3 mint leaves

1 1/2 ounce cognac

1/2 ounce peach schnapps 

1 1/2 teaspoon simple syrup

Peach slices, for garnish

Fresh mint sprig, for garnish

Instructions: 

In a cocktail shaker, combine the crushed peach, lemon wedge, orange wedge, and mint leaves. Muddle together. Add ice cubes, cognac, peach schnapps, and simple syrup. Shake until completely chilled. Strain sparkler into a cocktail glass filled with crushed ice. Add peach slices for presentation. Garnish with fresh mint sprig. Serve immediately. 

Yukon Cheesy Potatoes

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Cut Above: Yukon Cheesy Potatoes! Before you stand in judgment over me, let me first say that a cheese-flavored product with outstanding melting capabilities is the reason I keep this item around. And I happen to know that popular restaurants also use it in combination with shredded cheddar cheese for amazing results. When I was growing up, it became associated with comfort food, like macaroni and cheese. It also melts wonderfully in homemade soups, dips, and queso. 

YUKON CHEESY POTATOES

Ingredients: 

24 ounce bag of Yukon Gold baby potatoes, skin on

1 pound package pasteurized prepared cheese product 

1 cup milk

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 small jar pimentos 

Instructions: 

Place potatoes in a 4-quart pan with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 20 minutes; drain. Allow to cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cheese product, milk, and cheddar cheese. Microwave on 50% for five minutes. Stir and repeat until a smooth creamy consistency is obtained. Add chopped green pepper, chopped onion, and chopped pimentos. Mix until combined. In a 9”x13” baking dish sprayed with nonstick oil, arrange the cooked potatoes. Pour the cheese mixture over the potatoes. Gently stir to coat all the potatoes. Bake in a 350° oven for one hour. Serve warm. 

Xingzi Apricot Wedding Cookies

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Cut Above: Xingzi Apricot Wedding Cookies! When time is of the essence, all cooks and bakers may take a shortcut or two. Sure, I could’ve given you the recipe to bake the wedding cookies from scratch, but let me tell you why I didn’t go that route. The main reason was, I needed the cookies to be uniform in shape, exact to be specific. I wanted pretty little dessert sandwich cookies that didn’t require me spending a couple hours building. Obviously, you can choose whatever flavored jam you’d like to substitute. Raspberry comes to mind for me. And you could melt chocolate chips to give definition to the stripes. The end result is pure satisfaction, no matter which way you spin it. 

XINGZI APRICOT WEDDING COOKIES

Ingredients:

4.5 ounces package of Mexican Wedding cookies 

1/2 cup apricot jam

Chocolate syrup, for drizzling

Instructions: 

Form tiny sandwich cookies by taking 2 wedding cookies arranged flat side up. Spoon a layer of apricot jam on one side of one cookie. Place the other cookie, flat side down, on top of the confection to make a “sandwich”.  Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat until the platter is full. Before serving, drizzle apricot wedding cookie sandwiches with chocolate. Serve. 

Whipped Feta Rice Cake

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Cut Above: Whipped Feta Rice Cake! Every once in a while a craving for a rice cake enters my mind. Sure, I realize they are basically like eating fat-free air pockets with a satisfying crunch, so I can somewhat rationalize this temptation now and then by adding delicious toppings. Feta cheese, when whipped into submission becomes smooth, rich, and creamy. Lemon adds a refreshing zing, which goes well with pitas and veggies like my favorite, cherry tomatoes. Feel free to add fresh herbs or dried peppers. There’s really no limit to what you can do. 

WHIPPED FETA RICE CAKE

Ingredients: 

8 ounces Neufchâtel cheese, room temperature 

8 ounces feta cheese

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons natural honey

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 lemon, zested

5.5 ounce package plain rice cakes

8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

Micro greens, for garnish

Instructions: 

In a food processor, combine Neufchâtel cheese, feta cheese, water, natural honey, black pepper, sea salt, and lemon zest. Blend until mixture is smooth and creamy. Spread the whipped feta onto a plain rice cake. Spoon the cherry tomatoes over the top. Garnish with micro greens. Repeat assembly steps for number of servings needed. Enjoy!