Banana Fosters Pancakes

A perfect Sunday morning feast!
At work this week we made banana fosters all week as a dessert with vanilla ice cream(this did not suck!). I love this as a breakfast with pancakes or french toast. The bananas soak up the sugar and evolve into that perfect consistency. I have played with this using plantains which are great and a heartier texture. They take a little longer to cook.
 I tried four different pancake recipes but I didn't really like any of them enough to post it here, so just use what ever pancake batter you like. I am still seeking that perfect pancake recipe... Let me know if you have a great one!
I also wrote this as a one person per serving.

Ingredients-
1/2 Banana sliced
3 Tbl Butter
2 Tbl Brown Sugar
1oz Rum
Pancake batter

Directions-
1. Make your pancakes and hold them in the oven at 170 degrees.
2. In a medium saute pan over medium heat add butter, once melted add your brown sugar and cook for  60-90 seconds. Plate up your pancakes.
3. Add bananas and cook for 45 seconds flip over bananas and cook for 30 more seconds.
4. Add rum and flambe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1QcTtMrkpE here is a video to help. Once the flame goes out pour bananas and sauce over the pancakes ...enjoy!

Pan Seared Striped Bass

I paired this with some sauted yellow squash, zuccini and a baker. You can add what ever sides you like, my wife wanted a suace but it didn't stop her from eating all of this.
Ingredients-
4 Bass Fillets
3 Tbl Butter
1/4 Cup White Wine
1 Pinch of each Salt, Pepper and Herb De Provence

Directions-
1. Heat medium saute pan over medium high heat and add butter, once melted add bass skin side down. Add salt, pepper and herbs and cook for 4-5 minutes. Before you flip it add wine, flip it over and let it cook for 3-4 more minutes, turn it back over and give it another minute or so...enjoy!

Strawberry and Blueberry Grilled Cheese with White Cheddar

A server brought this idea to work and the first thing we thought was why white cheddar? I thought brie would play so well with the berries. So we made one with brie and it was just ok, so we tried the cheddar and it was so much better. I was a little disappointed in the brie but the cheddar nailed it.

Ingredients-
1 1Lb package Strawberries tops cut off and quartered
1 6oz pack blueberries
1Lb shredded White Cheddar
2 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tbl Sugar
2 Tbl Olive Oil

Directions-
1. In a medium saute pan over medium heat add strawberries, balsamic and sugar and saute for 8-10 minutes. Taste it and make sure you like it add more sugar if you like it really sweet.Turn on oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saute pan over medium heat add olive oil and blueberries saute for 4-6 minutes or until you see little blue spots in the oil this means your berries are cooked.
3. On one piece of bread butter one side or use mayo, add your blueberries and as much cheddar as you like. Put it in the over until the cheese is gooey, take out of oven. Butter and add strawberries to the other piece of bread, don't add a lot of strawberries because the bread gets soggy.
4. In a large saute pan over medium heat add your piece of blueberry bread and your strawberry bread, cook for a minute or so. Add the strawberry bread to the other piece and remove from heat and plate it with what ever sides you like... enjoy!

Green Chili and Apple Pork Chops with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I had to use up some pork porterhouse chops at work and they where huge 12oz of awesomeness. I thought a apple and green chili on top would add some different elements to it, a little sweet and spicy.

Ingredients-
3 Apples peeled, cored and sliced
4 Tbl Butter
1 Tbl Cinnamon
1 Tbl Brown Sugar
1 4oz Can Green Chilies diced
4 Pork Chops
1 Lb Brussels Sprouts
1/2 Cup Oil
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

Directions-
1. Add butter to medium saute pan over medium high heat, once hot and butter is melted add apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Saute until apples are soft 7-9 minutes add green chilies cook for 2-3 more minutes.
2. Turn oven to 350. Clean and cut sprouts in half put into mixing bowl add oil and balsamic and toss. Pour onto a sheet tray and put into oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.
3. Turn on grill and grill chops until reach internal temp reaches 135-145 degrees.
4. Plate as shown in picture… enjoy!

Baked Grapefruit with Basil

I'm still in a summer kind of mood even thought it has snowed here. This is a nice dessert or just something sweet to eat.

Ingredients-

1 Grapefriut supreme per person
1 Tbl Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Sugar
1 Large leaf of Basil cut into strips

Directions-
1. Turn oven to 350 degrees.
2. Supreme the grapefruit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbmlgZhls-8 here is a vidio how to do it.
3. In a small mixing bowl mix brown sugar, cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkel how ever much of the mixture over the grapefruit add basil.
Put into oven for 10-12 minutes let it cool...enjoy.

Crab Stuffed Shrimp with a Mango and Pineapple Salsa

I cannot wait for summer, I hate the cold. We had a very nice spring day here in Denver so I thought about a fun summer dish to make. We went to the store to buy shrimp and the 8-12 prawns where on sale for 14.99 a pound or the 21-25 where on sell for 7.99 a pound. My cheap-ass went for the smaller shrimp, would of rather had the bigger ones because it looks so much better on a plate. Ok... I am done venting about the price of shrimp, on to a new rant when ever I type in the word THE this is what shows up "karen rocks". My wife will not tell me how to change it, yes I am computer moron. She thinks this is so funny, HAHAHAHAHA. Ok I'm really done now back to this dish, this can be a fun appetizer  for a party or a main dish. Make it how ever you like.
Ingredients-

Salsa-
1/2 Cup Red Onion 1/4 inch diced
1 Cup Mango diced peeled 1/4 inch diced
1 Cup Pineapple 1/4 inch diced
1 Jalapeno cored and seeded 1/4 inch dice
1/3 Cup Cilantro Diced

Crab stuffed shrimp-
1 6oz packet of Crab Meat (or you can do extra work and get karen rocks crab legs...)
1/4 Cup Mayo
1/2 Small Onion any color 1/4 inch diced
1 Stick Celery 1/4 inch diced
1 Bell Pepper 1/4 inch diced
1 Tbl Old Bay seasoning
1 Tbl Garlic minced
8 21-25 shrimp tail on and not cooked or 4 8-12 prawn tail on and not cooked. Butterflied
2 Tbl butter
3 Tbl butter melted
2 tsp Worcestershire

Directions-
1. Add all salsa ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix together, put it in the fridge for half an hour.
2. In a medium mixing bowl add crab meat and Old Bay, cover and put in fridge for half an hour.
3. In a medium saute pan melt 2 tbl butter. Once melted add onion, celery, peppers and garlic. Saute for 7-9 minutes remove from heat and let cool.
4. Once cooled add veggies to crab meat and add mayo and Worcestershire, mix.
5. Turn on stove to 350 degrees.
6. Remove any shell on shrimp but leave the tails on. Butterfly the shrimp by cutting down the center of the big end cut about 3/4 of the way through so it will stand up as shown in the picture (this is where the big prawns come in handy).
7. With a spoon add a good sized portion of crab mixture to the shrimp. Pour 1 tsp of melted butter over the top of the shrimp this will act as a glue to help hold it together while it cooks.
8. Put into over for 8-12 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. Plate as shown or how ever you like...enjoy.