Recipe: Chai-Spiced Banana Bread

Now that we're all stuck in our homes due to the Coronavirus, we've had to make our own fun since we can't go to restaurants, bars, concerts, shows, etc. Of course my first choice was to bake something!

Years ago a friend introduced me to cardamom (I'm sure I had enjoyed this spice before, but didn't know what it was called.). I love the flavor, so when I saw it was half-price at Safeway, I immediately bought some. But then I thought: what am I going to do with it?

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I found this banana bread recipe on the Once Upon a Chef blog* by Jenn Segal (not sure if this particular recipe is included in her cookbook). Chai tea is my go-to coffee shop drink (since I don't like coffee), so I figured a Chai-inspired banana bread would be delicious!

INGREDIENTS

·       1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       1 cup granulated sugar

·       2 large eggs, room temperature

·       1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife

·       1 teaspoon baking soda

·       3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

·       3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

·       1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

·       1/4 teaspoon allspice

·       3/4 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 bananas

·       1/2 cup sour cream

·       1 teaspoon vanilla

·       1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1   1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2   2. In a large bowl or electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.

3   3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat gently until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla and mix on low speed until just combined. Gently stir in nuts if using.

4   4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until deep golden brown and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Let rest in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely. This bread is best enjoyed warm out of the oven or toasted.

I followed this recipe pretty closely, except for the spices. I didn't have ground ginger or allspice, so I just added a little more cardamom and cinnamon, as well as some pumpkin pie spice. And my PAM happened to give out just before making this, but the wrapper from the butter did the trick. Thought the bread turned out great!

*Can I note that at the top of her blog post, there is a "jump to the recipe" button so you don't have to read the mumbo-jumbo-journey of the chef through this recipe-blah blah. Brilliant!

Sugar Cone Chocolate Chip Cookies

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After the "meh" recipe for coconut chocolate chip cookies (read that blog post here), I wanted to try another recipe. I have SO many sprinkles at home (I guess I dream of making ice cream sundaes every night), so I thought I'd use some of them up in cookies. I came across this recipe from the Taste of Home website. It seemed easy enough, and it was! I really enjoyed how this website just got down to the facts without the (long) story beforehand. Get to the important stuff!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 2 cups coarsely crushed ice cream sugar cones (about 16)
• 1 cup sprinkles

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, crushed sugar cones and sprinkles.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

This dough was very easy to work with! It was so creamy and smooth. I didn't bother with the ice cream cones, and I only did one cup of chocolate chips (I find more than one is just overpowering to any cookie.). And the cookies came out of the oven as perfect circles! BUT... eight minutes is not long enough. Even though they looked perfect, as I tried to remove them from the cookie sheets, they started cracking and breaking. Even after I put one sheet back in the oven for another five minutes, that still didn't seem like enough time. I like my cookies soft and chewy, but they still need to be able to keep their shape!

But other than that, I was really pleased with this recipe. Very yummy, and pretty, too!

Review: Perfect Arrangement at Silver Spring Stage

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This past weekend I went to Silver Spring Stage to see the play Perfect Arrangement. At first I wasn't sure if this would be an offensive or distasteful show because of the Goldstar summary:

Silver Spring Stage transports audiences back to 1950’s Washington, D.C., for Topher Payne’s award-winning comedy/drama of two ideal “All-American” couples who are actually gay with a perfect arrangement of each other’s spouses. 

But the show is actually the opposite! Two lesbians (played by Maryanne Henderson and Emma Wesslund) pretend to have husbands who in reality are two gay men in their own relationship (Nicholas Temple and Brian E. Wright). The two couples have made this arrangement so that they can continue with "normal" lives, but have their own, true-love relationships behind closed doors. We learn that they have lived in this scenario for several years, but it all starts to fall apart when the government starts a witch-hunt to remove homosexuals and other "immoral" people from the ranks. In the end, three of the four of them join the movement to fight for the rights of homosexuals and to stop hiding their real identities. Honestly, the most offensive parts of the play are when the boss of a government department (played by Greg Garcia) talks down to women (saying things like " the little woman," etc.) and the others just have to play along with it.

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The on-stage chemistry was so good between the actors! I was impressed by them individually (and had seen Wesslund and Temple before in The Importance of Being Earnest last year; read that blog post here), but they were even better together. The show did hire an intimacy choreographer, Emily Sucher, from Intimacy Director International, which I had never heard of (the organization or that role in production). She spoke after the show, and it was interesting to hear her talk about her work. She works with actors to make sure there is consent between them (use the acronym FRIES), and helps choreograph the intimate scenes so that they are believable and fit the story, but also are completely comfortable for the actors. She did a great job, as did the performers, because I totally bought their love for each other!

I definitely recommend this play. Along with the important story it tells and the wonderful acting, it's also just a beautiful play to watch. The set is complete with mid-century furniture, and the costumes are definitely on-point for the 1950's. I also love this theater because the setting is very intimate; there's not a bad seat in the house!

You can still purchase tickets on Goldstar for this Friday's show! Don't wait!

Here are two other reviews about this show:
https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2020/02/22/perfect-arrangement-silver-spring-stage-explores-perfect-present-future-dreams/

https://mdtheatreguide.com/2020/02/theatre-review-perfect-arrangement-at-silver-spring-stage/

Recipe: Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I had leftover shredded coconut and a lot of chocolate chips, so I had to give this recipe from the Chew Out Loud blog a go. And I prefer chewy cookies, so it sounded even better!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 cup salted butter, softened to room temp (not melty)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, blend together the butter and both sugars until fluffy and light, 3-4 minutes. (Alternatively, you can use an electric hand whisk.) Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated and smooth.
3. On low speed, gently mix in the dry flour mixture just until incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed; do not over-mix. Add coconut and chocolate chips and slowly mix just until combined; again, do not over-mix. Wrap dough airtight in cling wrap and chill for at least 1 hours, or up to several days in fridge.
4. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350°F, with rack on lower middle position. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mat. Let chilled dough sit at room temp 5-10 min. Form 1 TB rounded dough balls, 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets. Slightly depress dough balls, as they will only spread moderately during baking. Bake about 8 minutes or just until golden; cookies will seem slightly under-baked, but will set upon cooling.

I wanted to make the cookies right then and there, so I did not refrigerate the dough. And my brown sugar had turned into a solid rock, so I used more white granulated sugar instead. But otherwise I think I followed the recipe closely. And they do taste good and are chewy!

But overall I was disappointed with this recipe. The dough was SO hard to work with. Perhaps it was because the coconut I used was sort of dry, but it didn't incorporate well, and neither did the chocolate chips. After I had made the cookies into balls, I had more than a handful of chocolate chips left at the bottom of the bowl. What a waste! I did save them so I can add them to some granola, but when I make a recipe, I expect to use all of the ingredients. And because the incorporating wasn't good, it was difficult to shape the cookies as well. Maybe I over-mixed the dough, but it didn't feel like it!

There are lots of coconut chocolate chip recipes out there. I would recommend trying something else. (Like the sprinkle chocolate chip cookies I made the next day.)

Recipe: Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba Style

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I'm always looking for new ways to eat spaghetti squash that's not just with pasta sauce. So when I saw this Asian-inspired recipe on the Pickled Plum blog, I definitely wanted to try it.

This is one of those blogs that goes on and ON before finally getting to the ingredients and instructions. So I'm going to save you the time and give you all of that in the beginning:

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds spaghetti squash
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 10 shiitake mushrooms (or button mushrooms)
• 2 stalks scallions (finely chopped)
• 1 cup coleslaw mix of carrots and cabbage
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon dried red chile (chopped) - optional
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place spaghetti squash on a microwave safe plate or other microwave safe container. Place the cut side down (skin facing up). Microwave on high for 10 minutes.
2. Take the spaghetti squash out of the microwave and shred with a fork. If the squash is still hard, microwave for another 2-3 minutes, or until tender.
3. Use a fork and scrape the flesh into strings.
4. In a large pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and onions. Cook for 3 minutes or until onions are soft. Add coleslaw mix and red chile and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add spaghetti squash, scallions and sauce, and mix well until the sauce has evenly coated all the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes and turn the heat off. 
7. Transfer to a bowl, top with sesame seeds and serve.  

As usual, I didn't bother with all of the ingredients. For the sauce, I just poured in a bunch of soy sauce. And I didn't buy fancy mushrooms or sesame seeds just for this recipe. I just bought regular sliced white mushrooms, and I added bean sprouts for a little crunch. And I don't like things to be too spicy, so I did not use any red chile.

And I cook my spaghetti squash differently. I still recommend microwaving it (SO much faster than roasting it in the oven!), but I don't even cut it before hand. I just take a knife and poke lots of holes into the skin to let out the steam as it cooks. I microwave it for five minutes, roll it over, and then microwave it for another five minutes. Works like a charm!

Unlike the recipe says, I'm not sure I would cook everything on high heat. I burned the onions a little bit because it was so hot. I think medium-high heat would be sufficient.

Otherwise I thought this recipe was pretty good! For me it made three servings; this may depend on the size of squash you start with (I did not weigh my squash, clearly.). The recipe was easy to make, so I will certainly keep it in mind for future meals.

"Phantom of the Opera" at the Synetic Theater [SPOILERS]

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I saw the classic Phantom of the Opera musical several years ago at the Kennedy Center (read that blog post here). I really enjoyed it, so I was excited to see the Synetic Theater putting on their own version. Their productions are always a little dark (and without dialogue!), but I knew the biggest twist was that the phantom was a woman instead of a man, so I was interested to see what that dynamic would be like.

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This new version starts with the female phantom's younger self (Lottie Guidi) dancing as a ballerina. When she gets burned in a fire, that's when she becomes the Phantom (Irina Tsikurishvili). As an older woman, she discovers Christine (Maryam Najafzada), another talented dancer, and takes her under her wing as her protégé. While the original is clearly a love story, this take has a teacher-tutee feel, as well as a sense that the Phantom sees her younger self in Christine; there's that longing of what could have been had she not been disfigured.

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The chemistry between Tsikurishvili and Najafzada was very strong onstage. The way the Phantom would use a baton to gracefully move Christine's body into proper position was beautiful and a dance in and of itself. And when the Phantom would grow frustrated and even hit Christine with the baton, the young dancer would forgive her teacher, almost like a child with a reprimanding parent. I think it would be fair that there is love between the characters, just not the romantic kind.

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I should also talk about the set. Like the Kennedy Center version I saw, there were moving staircases to give the illusion of going into the depths of the Opera House. The staircases were also hollow with openings in them, so they were used throughout the set as doorways, changing rooms, etc., so that was pretty cool. But a lot of the set was actually created with the use of a screen in the background. Sometimes the graphics would give the illusion of falling down into an abyss; other times the screen showed a brick backdrop or a performance stage. And of course the lighting was very effective; I really liked the strobe lights that came on when the chandelier fell. Synetic seems to use a lot of technology in their productions, and that was no exception.

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I also enjoyed the moments of comic relief in the show. Christine's lover, Raoul (Jacob Thompson), is a clumsy man, literally falling for her. And while at times the Phantom's demon minions were very scary (especially when they wore multi-faced masks), they were funny at times, like when they were holding flowers and wine glasses for a special "date" between the Phantom and Christine.

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And the costumes were beautiful! The Phantom's mask was much prettier than the original one, and of course I loved the ballerinas in their tutus. And the outfits during the masked ball were amazing! They were so colorful and ornate. The Phantom wore a red dress with a skull mask surrounded by sun beams (my friend Jen leaned over and said, "It's the Sun God!"). And like I mentioned above, the Phantom's minions wore headpieces that featured multiple masks, so it was like they were always watching you, even when their backs were turned or their real faces were looking down at the ground. I thought the costumes really fit the set and the story well.

I still had some questions after the show, though. Is the black lake really an ocean? Because the way the fabric that represented the water was moving, it looked like crashing waves. And at one point the demons brought out several large mirrors. The Phantom removes her mask and sees her reflection; she essentially has a nervous breakdown. I just want to point out that someone who is disfigured in that way probably wouldn't keep a lot of mirrors around. And in the end, when the Opera House is burning, the Phantom jumps off a ledge, as if killing herself. But we're left with the Phantom's younger self putting on her mask, and that's the finale. How should I interpret this?! I need closure!

If you want more of a sneak-peek, the trailer is great:

There is still time to see this show! Buy your tickets here!

If you're interested, here's a review from DC Theatre Scene (I agree with the author's point that the ballet in this production is sub-par if you are used to watching professional ballet dancers like those of the Bolshoi.).

Here are some of the other shows I have seen at Synetic:
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Alice in Wonderland
Romeo and Juliet
Man in the Iron Mask
Sleeping Beauty

Cooking demo

Last week there was a cooking demo at work. Not only as the food delicious, but these vegan recipes seem pretty easy to make (I am not a cook my any means), and I learned a few new facts!

Here are the recipes:

Not a picture from our lunch, but this is something similar. Image found here.

Black Bean Butternut Squash Stew
Ingredients
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 green onions, chopped
-2 cups butternut squash, peeled & cut into small cubes (raw)
-1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
-2 sprigs thyme
-1 cup coconut milk
-1 cup vegetable broth
-1 vegan boiullon
-1 cup greens (kale, spinach, collard greens), chopped
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and bell peppers; cook until onions are soft (~3 minutes)
3. Stir in garlic and green onions and cook for one minute; add butternut squash, black beans, Italian seasoning, and thyme; stir.
4. Stir in coconut milk, vegetable broth, bouillon cube, and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.

Not a picture of the salad we ate, but pretty close! Image found here.

Roasted Corn Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette 
Ingredients for salad
-1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
-3 cups roasted corn kernels
-2 avocados, peeled and diced
-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
-1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
-1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
-2 tsp olive oil
-2-3 tsp lime juice
-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
-2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper

Ingredients for vinaigrette
-1/4 cup champagne vinegar
-3/4 cup olive oil
-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-3 tbsp fresh orange juice
-1 tbsp honey or agave
-1/4 tsp salt

The directions for these are pretty much to mix everything together! For the vinaigrette, it might be easier to use the blender and add the olive oil slowly.

These are some of the fun facts I learned:

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• There are male and female bell peppers. I guess I knew that plants had both male and female counterparts, but I never thought about if both would bear fruit, if the fruit would look or taste different, etc. For bell peppers, they are distinct! The female peppers will have four lobes, while the males have three. The female peppers are slightly sweeter, while the males might be a little spicy. 

Original image on left found here; image on right round here

• Tongs are the new citrus reamer. You know that wooden tool your mom used to juice lemons? No more! Tongs can be multipurpose when it comes to juicing citrus fruits. You can use the tip to juice them (like the reamer), or squeeze half the fruit in between the tong handles to really get a lot of leverage. And if seeds fall into the bowl? Pick them out with the tongs!

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• Homemade dressings don't have to separate. You know how you usually have to shake the dressing because the ingredients have separated? You don't have to if you add a little bit of vegan mayonnaise or Dijon mustard (depending on your taste). As emulsifying agents, they help bind the other ingredients together.

I am looking forward to making these recipes on my own!