Thursday Meals by Heather

Last night I had a dream about peanut butter banana muffins, so this morning when I got up I figured I would find out the recipe and give it a go. This recipe came in a booklet with the mail (I think that it was done by Robin Hood Flour but I can't confirm as I just ripped out the page) and this is my first time trying it.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

3/4 cup mashed banana

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup chocolate chips

(today I used Skor bits instead because Brad likes them better)

Combine wet ingredients in medium bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips and mix lightly.

The recipe says to divide evenly into 10 muffin cups but I got 18. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Rating:

Brad - 8.5 - "good thing this made more than it said, I ate 5"

Heather - 7.5 - "I like the flavor combo but there is room for improvement"

A very rare occurrence happened today. Brad and I got to eat lunch together. Rather than waiting until I get home from work (at 9:00) to have our big meal we figured we would have lunch as our big meal today. Yesterday I took out chicken to cook for supper but ended up going to Kandy's on my way home so it never got cooked. I was going to make stove top with it today (guilty pleasure) but after conferring with Brad we decided to make one our favorites, tomato orzo. This recipe is from Everyday Food Magazine May 2008. It was a side dish for a chicken recipe. When I first made it, I made both the chicken and the orzo. The chicken was a miss but the orzo has become a staple side dish for us.

Tomato Orzo

1 cup orzo

1 cup grape tomatoes (cut in half if big)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

(today I used cilantro and I have used dill before as well)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cook orzo until al dente. Drain well and return to pot. Add tomatoes, parsley, butter, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine.

We normally make a separate vegetable with this but today (much to Brad's dismay) I decided to try tossing some asparagus in the pot while the orzo was cooking instead. I love it and would do it again. Brad said I shouldn't mess with a classic, and to cook the asparagus separately.

Rating:

Brad - 10 - "in my top 2 favorite side dishes"

Heather - 10+++ - "mmmmmmmmmm"