Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins!

It's no secret that in my house there is always chocolate around.  So by the end of Easter I had my fair share of various chocolate bunnies and eggs lying around.  OH WHAT TO DO WITH THEM!?  I knew I had to bake something to share with others so I didn't gorge myself into oblivion, and ended up adapting a recipe I found online to make banana chocolate Peanut Butter muffins!  They turned out so moist and delicious, I knew that one was probably enough but I ended up having 3 in one sitting...and some of the batter at the end.  So much for not gorging.

ENJOY!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large bananas, mashed
2 HEAPING tablespoons of peanut butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 12 count muffin pan with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and stir in the chocolate chunks (this makes for even chocolate distribution in the batter later). Combine mashed bananas, peanut butter, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans up to the top of the liners (you will probably  be left with a bit of batter for tasting, but not quite enough to make more).
Bake in preheated oven for 20. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Hurrah for Stuffed Cakes!

HEY CUPCAKE LOVERS!  Just wanted to let you know I had one of the most delicious cupcakes the other day from a place called Stuffed Cakes in West Seattle. A co-worker's wife (thank you Erin!) gave them to him to bring to work, it was so thoughtful of her. Checking out their website's "Menu" link, I can see they have quite an extensive array of flavors including their signature "stuffed" varieties.  My cupcake was part of their "Boozy" line, called the White Russian.  I love that someone made this cupcake because it's such a stellar idea! It's White Russian cake with vodka and Kahlua with a throw-back-your-head-in-heaven Kahlua buttercream.  And I'll tell you why I absolutely loved this cupcake more than most these days: because the frosting was sweet, creamy and the scent of a White Russian was what I was tasting.  I'm loving less those ones that just taste like they spread a whipped nob of butter on my cake, even sort of flavorless, I mean just close your eyes and you might notice it next time.  I enjoy it more when the cake is not too sweet, so the more sugary frosting balances the whole thing.  Not that I'm going to refuse any cupcake that's given to me, or not try one from a new place.  But Stuffed Cakes gets my vote for one of my favorites in Seattle now.  If you do a quick search for "cupcake wars" in my blog, you'll find I talk about many of the cupcake places in our city that I love and the ones that fall short of impressing me.  So next time you get over to West Seattle, head a bit south on 35th to 9003 35th Ave SW and stuff yourself!

Lunch at Serendipity Cafe, Magnolia!

Had to run some errands during lunch in Magnolia the other day and was trying to find out online where a good place for lunch might be, and decided to try the Serendipity Cafe at 3222 W. McGraw St.  So really I can only base this review on this one visit, but it was quite delicious and simple which is exactly what we wanted.  I had the French Onion soup and my co-worker David had the mac n' cheese.  The former had some nice hearty whole grain bread on top with melted cheese, a refreshing change from the traditional white french bread.  I felt it was more like a meal that way, and added to the already flavorful soup.  The mac n' cheese had some really nice sharp cheeses that gave it a real zing!  Although the sauce was a bit runny, it was still quite good. I would definitely order that again.  The staff was really nice, the prices reasonable, and the food good so we're definitely going back! 

Charlie Rose interview with Danny Meyer

Ever thought of owning your own restaurant?  Ever been encouraged by friends and relatives to open that quaint cafe or family bistro featuring your famous apple pie or roasted chicken?  This is an informative interview on Charlie Rose with the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, Danny Meyer, that will open your eyes to some of the challenges he's faced over the years.

http://www.charlierose.com/view/content/12311

What's in Season?

If you live in Washington, you have most likely seen specific veggies being spotlighted or specials at restaurants popping up that have a running theme.  For April and May, take advantage of these seasonal veggies that are at the peak of their freshness:


asparagus
cauliflower
garlic
lettuce
mushrooms
pears
radishes
rhubarb
scallions
spinach


No wonder I've seen so many mushroom risottos and rhubarb pies lately!

I need to get cracking myself on these deals.  I'm thinking sliced cauliflower roasted in the oven with garlic - insanely delicious as it caramelizes!  Perhaps trying my hand at pie again, because I just love rhubarb.  Have fun with the recipe searches!

Spitfire for Happy Hour and a Game!

Just a quick post about perhaps a lesser known happy hour at Spitfire in Belltown that's not too shabby for food and drink!  My husband ended up choosing this place during the hockey playoffs because they are very hockey friendly and the food is surprisingly good! I say surprisingly, because there aren't many sports bars downtown where I have liked the fare very much, or they take too many prep shortcuts and the service is poor.  Spitfire has really nice staff and frankly I just couldn't go wrong with these delicious sliders for $6 during happy hour.  The burgers were done perfectly (just under medium) and the soft potato rolls are practically like dessert for me!  Apparently the nachos are quite the sight too, just a towering mound of chips and toppings that could feed a whole family!

Their happy hour is 4-6pm  and 9-11pm weekdays!
$3 domestic drafts, $4 well drinks, $5 house wine

A Late Easter Post!

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend, however you celebrated, or even if you didn't! I received the most amazing chocolate egg I think I've ever seen.  It was from Fran's Chocolates in Seattle that my mother in law gifted me.  The outside of the dark chocolate egg looked like a Van Gogh painting (as one of my friend's oh so accurately described) with big swirls dusted with really fine edible sparkly paint which gave it a rich shiny luster. Upon cracking it open, it revealed 6 beautiful caramel chicks both in milk and dark chocolate.  The quality of these chicks was amaaaaazing! I was trying to savor every bite, eyes closed, letting it sit in my mouth melting over my tongue.  INSANE.  And the outside egg was really delicious too.  It's one of those things that is so good that you want to make it last as long as possible.  I give myself another few days.

Here are some photos from the treats that weekend. Enjoy!  HAPPY SPRING!