Glazed Frozen Banana Treats

I have been around for over 26 years and I have never thought of glazing and freezing bananas ... until now....when I saw a post about this on Jennifurla's blog.
I have not made them following the exact same method, but they are quite the same in the end.
She used round sprinkles and I used chocolate Jimmies and while she dipped the banana in chocolate, I chose to just drizzle to glaze.
All in all, super easy and delicious.
Ah - and an all year round type of treat too, considering the fact that bananas are available at any time.
Yum !

Ingredients:
bamboo skewers or any other kind of wood sticks you like
bananas

sprinkles

chocolate

plastic bag
shredded coconut

parchment paper or waxed paper

Directions:
First of all, the equipment needs to be ready for use, so start with the bamboo skewers and the paper lined dish that will go in the freezer.
Pick as many skewers as many bananas you have,

given the fact that you will cut both bananas and skewers in half.
Cut the sticks in half with either a knife or a special tool like this one

used to cut flower stems and them wash them and inspect for any loose pieces.

Line a tray / plate or dish with waxed or parchment paper and set it aside.
Place the chocolate in a plastic bag

and put it in a bowl of very hot water so that the chocolate melts easily.
Next, spread your toppings on plates and have them handy for dipping.
Peel the bananas

and cut them in half.
Prick each banana half and set on your work surface,

then drizzle chocolate.

Pick them up carefully and dip them in the toppings of your choice, then lay with the topped side down so that you can drizzle chocolate on the other side too.

Freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight.

This is how a coconut one looked after I moved it in the pan more than I should have.

Delicious nonetheless.
You have to try these !

New York Strip Steak with Angel Hair Pasta

Remember that Roseanne post quite some time ago ? Recently I heard her saying something about "Angel Hair Pasta with a light tomato sauce" and the thought sort of born into my head....and here we are with this delicious dinner.
Also, the steak cut choice is due to the fact that I realized that a more marbled piece of meat

will yield a more tender and juicy steak as opposed to the very lean tenderloin that we usually purchase.
The price was reasonable, if you take into account the $ 14 to $25 price tag for a steak dinner at a restaurant.
Here is a picture of what it looked like before opening the package.

So with Roseanne in mind, here is what you need to make this super delicious dinner:

Ingredients:
1 handful angel hair pasta

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella combined with ceddar)
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes, diced

2 TBSP olive oil
2 pieces of New York strip steak

kosher salt
large ground pepper
2-4 teaspoons oil

Directions:
Let the steak come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes so it will not seize when placed on the grill and when ready to handle, just coat with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat up your George Foreman grill or a skillet that withstands high heat and cook the meat for 5 minutes in the George Foreman or 3 minutes on each side in the skillet.

 

Let it rest for at least 1 to 3 minutes before serving.
Right when you start heating up your grill or skillet put a small pot with water on the stove.
When the water starts to boil, add some salt and drop the pasta in.

The pasta should not take more than 5 minutes to cook as it is very fine and thin.
While the food is cooking, open the tomato can

and either use them as they are or pulse them with a hand mixer or a small kitchen robot.
I pulsed half of the can and left the other half chunky.
When the pasta is done cooking, just drain well, do not rinse - place back in the pot it boiled in and top with the cheese.
Add the tomatoes and toss to coat.
Now just plate and add the juicy steak that had been resting for a little bit.

Enjoy !

Barefoot Contessa's Omelet for Two - adapted

Isn't it right that sometimes the best dinners have breakfast food on the menu ?
We - for example, like hash browns with eggs and of course, pepper bacon as dinner on occasion....which is what inspired me to make this omelet for two for tonight's meal.
THIS is the link to Ina Garten's recipe on Food Network if you want o go look and see how hers is different.
I saw Ina making it and it looked not only very good, but also something we have not had in a while and here it is now, shared with you.
Jeff took it a step further and also topped his 2 pieces of omelet with fresh salsa.
It's hearty, meaty, cheesy, crunchy and very satisfying.
Oh, and I'll give you my shortcut trick to making this super fast.

Ingredients:
4 to 6 eggs
1/2 bell pepper, chopped

a few cheese sticks or just a nice block of cheese, cubed

1/2 onion
2 to 3 medium size potatoes, peeled and cubed small (I first cut them in 3 lengthwise, then each third in 2 and each long strip in roughly 4 pieces each)

a few sausage slices

3 TBSP butter

salt
pepper

Directions:
 Begin with the sausage, frying it sliced

and then brake it in bite-size pieces and have it ready for mixing with the rest of the omelet ingredients at the end.
In a non stick skillet or sauteeing skillet melt the butter, then fry the potatoes and onion for a few minutes
 

or if you are not too sure they taste or look ok, then just transfer them into a glass pie pan and cook them in your microwave for 1 minute at a time, until they look and taste perfect.
I cooked my potatoes for about 10 minutes on the stove, but wasn't too happy with the result and then moved everything over to the glass dish and used the microwave for 1 minute at first then 1 minute more and they were just perfect.
Preheat your oven to 375 or just use the microwave again.
While the potatoes are cooking, just mix the rest of the ingredients.

When the potatoes are done, top them with the egg mix

and either cook in your oven for 10 minutes roughly, or use the microwave to cook the omelet for 3 minutes total, using 1 minute increments.

Either way, it's very delicious !