Cinnamon banana bites

In the mood for some late-night comfort food, I got a bit creative and made cinnamon banana bites! I've been making banana cinnamon pancakes for a while, and these are basically just mini, bite-sized versions of them.

 First I sliced a banana, slightly at an angle just cause I think it's more fun.

Then I added some cinnamon to pancake batter (I cheated and used the "Just add water!" kind). I LOVE cinnamon so I added a lot, if you try this then just do it to taste.

I submerged the banana slices in the cinnamon-y batter and transferred them to a buttered pan.

I cooked them on medium until slightly browned, then flipped them and cooked the other side. Essentially the same as cooking a pancake except it took slightly less time as they are smaller.

Finished, super yummy! Probably best served with syrup. In the future I'd like to try plain pancake batter with chocolate chips, or dipping the final product in melted chocolate.

The start of the holiday season

It's coming! 

The holiday season is almost upon us, as the mall is evidence of. So many sparkly things, yummy scents, and Christmas carols! 

This is one of the most fun times of the year!

Rainbow Connection

Finally! OPI's Rainbow Connection, part of the Muppets Holiday 2011 Collection. 

It's AMAZING! The SPARKLIEST! 

This was incredibly hard to photograph, but this is the most true to color. This was three coats of Rainbow Connection, with a base coat and a top coat. 

I'm in love!

T-shirt scarf/necklace

  

I've been seeing t-shirt scarves and necklaces all over Pinterest. Although at first I didn't love them, I had a shirt that didn't really fit but was a pretty color so I decided to try it.

I cut out the back of this shirt and cut one inch strips horizontally. I ended up with 20 strips.

I then stretched the strips a few at a time until they became long and thin and the sides curled.

I divided my stack into two groups (ten each) and tied knots between pairs, one from each group.

I ended up with ten long strips which I made one big knot of in the center (both ends were loose).

I didn't like the look of the big knot, so I took a sleeve and wrapped it around the knot a few times until it completely hid the knot. Finally, I tied all of the pairs that were previously loose, completing the circle.

This is what I ended up with! I'm pretty pleased :)

Rice pudding

Had a break in the middle of my day, which I used to make a batch of rice pudding! After a bit of web surfing, I ended up creating my own compilation recipe. Here's how I made my rice pudding:

2 1/2 cups of lowfat milk

1/3 cup of uncooked rice

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup golden raisins

I combined the milk, rice, and salt in a pot on low until the rice was tender (about 30 minutes), stirring occasionally. In a separate bowl, I mixed the egg and brown sugar thoroughly, and added it to the pot. I let it thicken on low (about five minutes). Finally, I took it off the heat and added the vanilla, cinnamon, and golden raisins to the mix. 

Mmmmmm...

Easy homemade eggnog

Brrrrr! It's so cold out! Last night and this morning we got plenty of snow once again. Woke up to find this huge icicle hanging off the tree in our front yard and at least six inches of snow on the ground.

It's basically winter already and I saw eggnog in the store yesterday (that is seriously one of my favorite moments of the year!) so I started craving it. In the spirit of my week of having enough free time to cook all day, I decided to make my own eggnog instead! I found this recipe (from Pinterest, obviously) and got to work!

I halved the recipe since I didn't need much, so here is what I used: 

(doubling it serves 8)

2 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 cups of lowfat milk

I whisked the eggs and sugar together until the sugar was dissolved, then added the vanilla, nutmeg, and milk. I simmered the mixture for at least a minute (because of the uncooked eggs) but it was delicious beforehand, so I may be substituting with pasteurized eggs in the future to be able to drink it uncooked.

Yum!

Parlez-vous Français?

I've had more time than usual this week to enjoy things like cooking and baking :) Though admittedly this recipe didn't take very much of my time at all. I found a French onion soup recipe here (through Pinterest, naturally) and modified it just a little for my vegetarian needs. Also, I scaled it back a little because I didn't need quite as much soup as it would have made. I somehow always thought that it would be too difficult to make French onion soup so I never tried. I was missing out! Basically the only effort I actually put into this was slicing the onions, the rest was just sitting and waiting.

My French onion soup consisted of:

2 sweet onions, sliced

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1 32-oz carton of vegetable stock
French baguette, sliced on the bias
Asiago cheese

I melted the butter in my slow cooker on high for a few minutes. In the meantime I sliced my onions and added them to the butter to caramelize them, which took about an hour (my house smelled so great at that point!). Then I mixed the flour, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and pepper in a separate bowl, adding them to the crock pot with the vegetable stock. Then it was smooth sailing, as I let it sit for 8 hours on low as I went about my day.

When it came time for dinner, I toasted the sliced French baguette and melted the cheese on top. I put the bread in the soup, sprinkled a little more cheese on top, and voilà! French onion soup!

Also, it is imperative that you listen to this and this while you prepare and devour this meal!