Posted in Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, tagged Banana, Banana bread, Bread, Cinnamon on June 9, 2014| 5 Comments »
I’ve become a tough critic when it comes to banana bread, but this recipe had me dancing on the ceiling. The bread is by far one of the best I’ve ever tasted–I can’t stop thinking and talking about it. Although more time-consuming than most banana bread recipes, it is way worth the effort. I could and would have eaten the entire loaf myself, but I figured it best to share!
Posted in Baking, Bread, Cake, Dessert, Dessert bars, tagged Banana, Banana bread, Nutella, Peanut butter on July 30, 2013| 18 Comments »
Calling all peanut butter and banana lovers–I think I’ve found your new favorite dessert. These bars are moist and full of flavor, and the Nutella drizzle takes them to the next level. I know I’ll be making these again very soon.
Last weekend, my best friend’s brother (who happens to be my brother’s best friend), got married. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and one to remember. Congrats Ryan and Stephanie!
If you’re in need of a wedding photographer, I highly recommend Lauren Scotti!
Posted in Bread, Soup, Vegetables, tagged Caramelized onions, Sage on December 12, 2011| 76 Comments »
With the unexpected appearance of rain today, this soup turned out to be the perfect dish. It’s simple and comforting with a slightly gourmet twist. Though fairly easy to make, the soup is time-consuming. If you’ve caramelized onions before, I’m sure you understand. But, we all know the final product is well worth the wait–sweet and buttery onions that melt in your mouth. The addition of fried sage leaves and sage butter gave the soup that extra boost of flavor and complexity it needed.
Now the only thing that would make this soup even easier to make is an immersion blender. I’ve already asked Santa for one this year. :)
Posted in Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, tagged Banana, Walnuts on November 14, 2011| 52 Comments »
Ever since Kristy over at Eat, Play, Love started her ‘Quest for the Best Banana Bread,’ I’ve been on the hunt to find some contenders . Though I wouldn’t know if this is the best bread out there, as I haven’t tested multiple recipes like Kristy, this one has to rank pretty high up there.
The prominent flavors of banana and cinnamon pair wonderfully with the toasted walnuts. Even the texture of the bread is spot on, with an incredibly moist interior and slightly crunchy exterior. Perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee, a mid-day snack or late night treat.
Posted in Bread, Hors d'œuvres, Side Dishes, Vegetables, tagged Bell peppers, BIJA Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Crostini, Swanson Health Products on August 29, 2011| 63 Comments »
I was recently approached by Swanson Health Products to write a review on some of the company’s products, which range from oils to spices to supplements. Swanson sells high-quality, reasonably priced and primarily organic products.
I reviewed BIJA Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Swanson EFAs 100% Natural Macadamia Nut Oil and Swanson Organic Poultry Spice Blend (Swanson sent the products free of charge).
We celebrated my roommate’s sister’s birthday over the weekend with appetizers, drinks and dinner at our apartment. The menu: this bell pepper and onion crostini with pesto, caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, orzo salad with garbanzo beans, tri-tip, apple and gouda chicken sausage and peanut butter blondies for dessert.
I used the BIJA Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil for the crostini, and was pleasantly surprised by its depth of flavor. The oil is rich and smooth, with a beautiful dark green hue. (I’ll feature the macadamia nut oil and poultry spice blend in a separate post).
The crostini was a hit and not a crumb was left on the plate. I will definitely make these again soon.
Are you interested in getting some free Swanson Health Products goodies to review on your own blog? Then check out the Swanson Health Blog for all the details.
Posted in Bread, Grilling, Hors d'œuvres, Side Dishes, Vegetables, tagged Dinner party, Goat cheese, Naan, Roasted peppers on August 9, 2011| 62 Comments »
My roommate and I visited one of our best friends, Ellen, in San Diego this past weekend. We had a lovely time catching up and enjoying the beach (and getting sunburned). Typical of most weekend getaways, we ate every meal out. Shout out to Sean, if you’re reading this. :)
When we got back to LA, I was itching to cook. I had a few bell peppers in my fridge, so I decided to make this bite-size appetizer of grilled Naan topped with goat cheese and roasted red and orange bell peppers.
Simple, delicious and a guaranteed hit at any dinner party.
Posted in Baking, Bread, Fish, Fruit, Vegetables, tagged Asparagus, Halibut, Lime, Macadamia nuts, Mango on June 13, 2011| 62 Comments »
This marks my 100th post on Sweet Caroline’s Cooking. Can’t believe it!
Ever since my family and I dined at The Hali’imaile General Store in 2000, located in Maui, we’ve been making recipes from its Hawaiian-style cookbook.
This is by far our favorite and most visited recipe in the book. The moist and flaky halibut coated with the chile mayonnaise and sweet, mango-lime butter sauce is absolutely divine. Conveniently, for the non-fish eaters in our family, the ingredients also work wonderfully with chicken.
I guarantee your guests will be impressed and eternally grateful if you serve them this dish at a dinner party.
Posted in Bread, Poultry, Sandwiches, Vegetables on April 23, 2011| 10 Comments »
I bought some ground turkey at the market the other day, not having any idea how I wanted to use it. I’d already made turkey chili (here) and lasagna (here), and although I’d already made turkey burgers (here) as well, the components of this burger recipe were much different.
I made a few alterations to this Bobby Flay recipe–I added sautéed red onion to the turkey patties for more flavor, and added a bit of mayonnaise to the mustard sauce to use as a thickening agent.
The burgers turned out juicy and delicious. The warm and fluffy goat cheese melted in my mouth upon each bite, and was delicious with the subtle bite of the Dijon mustard sauce oozing along the sides of the patty. I recommend having a napkin in hand. :)
Posted in Bread, Hors d'œuvres, Pork, Poultry, Side Dishes on March 29, 2011| 1 Comment »
I’ve wanted to make this simple Giada recipe for a few weeks, as there’s not a single ingredient I don’t like–bread, cheese, chicken, apricot and prosciutto. I knew the saltiness of the silky prosciutto and Fontina cheese would pair wonderfully with the sweetness of the apricot preserves.
The recipe says to serve at room temperature; however, I decided to warm the bruschetta in a toaster oven once assembled. Toasting the bruschetta provided even more texture, from the crunchy crostini to the melted cheese to the slightly crisped prosciutto.
If serving at a luncheon or dinner party, the appetizer would be equally delicious cold, especially with spring and warm weather approaching.
I made a similar bruschetta recipe (here).
Posted in Baking, Bread, Bread Pudding, Dessert, tagged Banana, Caramel, Pudding, Toffee on March 15, 2011| 8 Comments »
Talk about rich! Just looking at the picture above makes me want to run to my fridge to sneak a forkful of this delectable banana cake drizzled with sweet caramel sauce.
I found this recipe on the Epicurious website and didn’t need to change any measurements or ingredients. My brother, who couldn’t get enough of the cake, said it tasted just like bananas foster, but in a different form. His comparison was spot on, particularly because of the distinct rum and banana flavor. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong when baking or cooking with alcohol!
sweetcarolinescooking.wordpress.com 
