Chocolate Chip Banana "Bread"

Bread or cake? Bread or cake? This Chocolate Chip Banana "Bread" is a delicious, baffling little concoction that has the flavor of banana bread, the texture of cake/muffins, and some extra treats like chocolate chips and chopped pecans. It's light, flavorful and makes your house smell beyond amazing when you bake it. It can be a dessert or a sweet breakfast bread, because bottom line - it's just really good. I like to make it when I have over purchased bananas like I did this week, and forget to use them because you've been at fabulous Rancho Loma getting engaged! (It's been a pretty good weekend people! I have much more to blog on an amazing dinner we had there later).  Back to the business at hand. I was also trying to find a way to use up the Guittard chocolate chips I used in the brownies last week or week before last, so I don't just keep eating them from the bag in handfuls. This is so easy and takes about 1.5 hours to make from start to finish. Get the delicious, easy recipe after the jump!

Shepherd's Pie

brown and delicious - just 3-5 minutes under the broiler

lots of amazing flavors in this pot

fluffy mashed potatoes

perfectly browned lamb

raw lamb tossed with flour and salt & pep

Happy St Patty's Day, Gour-maybe followers! In honor of the holiday, and my Irish heritage, I decided to make some Irish comfort food (and cure for a bit of a hangover) - Shepherd's Pie. The story goes that these meat pies were originally made from beef and called "Cottage" pies. However, with lamb, they are called "Shepherd's Pie" because it's made from sheep. A little Irish fun fact. There are lots of versions out there, but I chose to adapt a Gourmet Magazine recipe, because I like the fact that it uses chunks of lamb (vs ground) and has lots of savory flavors from the leeks and turnips. I added sunchokes because I am obsessed with the flavor. You can leave them out and substitute 1/2 C more potatoes. This takes about 3 hours from start to finish, but it's perfect for a weekend dinner and will yield lots of leftovers. And who really needs an excuse for a delicious lamb and potato situation to happen on their dinner plate? Get the recipe  and steps after the jump.

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Roasted Red Pepper, Kalamata Olive & Feta Couscous

Couscous is definitely one of my favorite staples, for two reasons. First, I can combine it with an almost endless list of flavors and ingredients. Second, it's a carb that takes less than five minutes to make. For me, the sooner I can get a carb into my mouth, the better. This recipe is beyond easy and perfect for any weeknight side. It's Greek inspired and the flavors are bold. The saltiness of the feta and olives really work well and a dash of lemon zest sets it off. It's great with just veggies for you vegetarians, but you can add a protein of your choice (shrimp, chicken) and make it a more substantial main course. My boyfriend who had never really had couscous and is skeptical of many of my unusual food choices described it as "light but hearty" and "I could eat this" which is high praise for a new food in his book. This particular version takes about 15 minutes and you can't beat that for a gourmet tasting dish that is also pretty dang good looking - note you can also serve it warm or cold. Get the recipe after the jump!

THE. BEST. Brownies

What makes a brownie THE BEST freaking brownie I've ever eaten or made? Well, that would be a combination of great ingredients, the perfect consistency, and some little tricks that make the overall flavor extra special. In my case, those tricks are instant espresso, melted salted butter, Mexican vanilla and Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips. Chocolate fans, you are in luck. Brownies are a great entertaining dessert, because they are so easy. I only use one bowl, and one pan, and the whole batch takes less than 40 minutes. These are so amazing warm, that I usually have to grab "one" - note - size of the "one" not defined -  out of the oven, but they are so moist and chewy that they stay that way even when cool. I make mine without nuts, but please feel free to add nuts - I know I  am strange but I just don't like nuts in my brownies. If these don't blow your mind, please let me know what brownies you've been eating, so I can make those! The chocolaty goodness begins after the jump.