Banana and Nutella Pastry Bundles

Growing up I did not enjoy sweets. I only liked Hershey's chocolate bars that my grandmother would buy boxes of at Costco to give me as treats. To this day it is my favorite candy bar. My mom used to having a cake business so I used to sit and watch her create beautiful masterpieces, plus I got to eat frosting. I was about 4 or 5 years old at the time but at that age I knew I wanted to bake cakes/sweets just like my mom. As I got older and was slowly allowed to take the reigns in the kitchen, I not only started making dinner but dessert as well. It was a beautiful, funny irony: I loved to bake sweets but did not like sweets myself...until recently. I don't know what has happened to me, maybe my brain turned on a sweets switch that has been off for 25 years, but I now like a whole lot more sweets. My favorites being donuts, cookies and flaky pastries. This recipe combines two things I enjoy: nutella and a flaky pastry. You could attempt to make your own puff pastry but I have heard horror stories behind the making of this delicious delight; either way even chefs use pre-made puff pastries! The egg brushed on the pastry is what makes it golden, extra crispy which is the lotto for my taste buds. It also seals everything together, however, do not be alarmed or surprised if yummy gooey-ness does leak out of the pastry. The beauty of this recipe is that it does not have to be perfect. You can enclose the banana nutella ingredients in the puff pastry as you choose because the more rustic it looks the better. Have fun with the shapes you can form; I personally made little purses. Enjoy!

Recipe:
1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 banana, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces, 9 pieces total
9 teaspoons of Nutella
1 egg, beaten

Weekly Recipe Round-Up November 25th - 29th

I don't know about you but this week has just flown by for me.  And I was really not quite ready for Thanksgiving, I didn't even get the disposable bakeware that I usually use to take the side dishes to my brother's, (fondly named Mr. Ed) house. Thanksgiving is always at Mr. Ed's house and Christmas Eve dinner is always at my house.  It's what we have been doing since the passing of our parents. This holiday always reminds me of my father in particular, he loved having the family all around the dinner table, everyone talking over each other, the noise level getting almost unbearable (it's a Cuban family after all). It made him very happy, and I miss seeing him, his face glowing with happiness, because his family was there with him, and that meant everything to him.
I do hope you have fond memories as I do and that you had a beautiful Thanksgiving!

This week's Recipe of the Week was featured on Wednesdays with Eryka,

Banana Nutella Pastry Bundles.  It had the most shares and likes by our awesome followers and for that we Thank You!  Here's what was cooking in the kitchens of The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon this past week.

Featured on Monday:

Easy Yummy Roasted Carrots

Ridiculously easy to make and delightfully delicious is what describes my Easy, Yummy Roasted Carrots! Uses 5 everyday pantry staples, easy on the budget and about 2 minutes in prep time. Nothing could be easier! Great Thanksgiving side dish too!

Featured on Wednesdays with Eryka:

Banana Nutella Pastry Bundles

Take a sheet of puff pastry, bananas and nutella and you have perfect little bundles of deliciousness Don't be surprised at how quickly these Banana Nutella Pastry Bundles disappear!

Featured on Friday: 

Truffle-Garlic Roasted Asparagus

Truffle-Garlic Roasted Asparagus is a nice bistro style treat to serve alongside your favor chicken or fish dish or in a salad. Infused with garlic, truffles and truffle oil that compliment the flavor of the delicate asparagus.

The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon wishes you a ...

Weekly Recipe Round-Up November 18th-23rd

In less than a week most of us will be sitting down to a great Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends, and this year I am really behind on everything. I have a lot of catching up to do this coming week, just not sure how I am going to get it all done, but I will.
This week's Recipe of the Week was Slow Cooker Mustard & Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs, and it was our Friday featured recipe.  It had the most shares and likes by our awesome followers and for that we Thank You!  Here's what was cooking in the kitchens of The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon this past week.

Featured on Monday:

Brine, Brine, Brine That Turkey!

Since we are less than a week away from Thanksgiving, I thought I'd post my brine chart and my Turkey Brine Solution with a Hispanic Twist so you can start planning ahead, and brine, brine, brine that turkey!

Featured on Wednesdays with Eryka:

Easy Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein

Why order take-out, when in the time it takes to deliver, you can be eating this delicious, easy, Weeknight Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein. Its the perfect weeknight meal!

Featured on Friday:

Slow Cooker Mustard &
Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs

In  this recipe I use juicy, tender turkey thighs, that are smothered in mustard, then braised in beer with fresh thyme and caramelized onions. And what you get is the nothing short of spectacular, deep flavor. Even people who say they don't like turkey, like this turkey. It's simply that good. Adapts to slow cooker or stove top cooking, easy to make and budget friendly.

Slow Cooker Mustard and Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs

I know what you're thinking ... another turkey recipe during Thanksgiving. But this turkey recipe is as far from being your standard Thanksgiving Day turkey.  In this recipe I use juicy, tender turkey thighs, that are smothered in mustard, then braised
in beer with fresh thyme and caramelized onions. And what you get is the nothing short of spectacular, deep flavor.  Even people who say they don't like turkey, like this turkey. It's simply that good. And, if that isn't enough, the cost to make this entire meal for 4 is under $5. I get turkey thighs at BJ's Wholesale, and they are roughly under $4 for about 2 pounds, which is 2 thighs. When I originally made this recipe I started with plain old yellow mustard and a bottle of Heineken, because it's what I had on hand. Each time I've made it since, I use a different mustard and change-up the beer. I've used all types of mustards, from champagne mustard to cardamon mustard, and I've had fun changing up the beers, from pale lagers to rich, deep dark stouts, each one adding its own unique flavor profile to the overall recipe.  I hope you get around to trying this recipe because I know you'll have fun changing it up each time you make it.

2 Turkey thighs, (1 lbs., ea.) skins removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon light butter
2 large onions, sliced in half moons
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard or yellow mustard +  2 extra to cover turkey sides
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons flour
1 bottle beer
Salt & pepper

Zippy Ketchup and Mustard Chicken

If you're like me and you read the ingredient list when you look up a recipe before you read the recipe then you will notice two interesting ingredients in this weeks recipe: ketchup and mustard! No this is not a burger recipe, nor are they used as the staple condiments that they are. These two popular condiments are used as main condiments, as well as, add the complete flavor of this recipe. I was shocked as well at the use of these two ingredients. A good friend of mine, Miriam, is the inspiration behind this dish. I was visiting with her one afternoon and I happen to bring up the fact that I had defrosted some chicken but had no idea what to do with it. She turned to me and said "Well use ketchup and mustard to cook your chicken in." I can only imagine how my face must have looked because I was taken aback at this suggestion. I kept asking her "Are you sure you mean ketchup and mustard? Like the kind used on burgers???"She laughed and said yes. Boy was she right about this making a great dish. So I present to you, a recipe inspired by my good friend Miriam, with my own twist. I thank her for saving me that night, for it is turned out to be a delicious dish. As they always say, "Don't knock it until you try it!"

Serves 4-6

4-6 bone-in chicken pieces (breast, thigh, drumstick)
2 tablespoons canola oil
salt and pepper
1 large onion, chopped in chunks
5 carrots, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Easy Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein

A Wednesdays with Eryka Recipe

Who doesn't enjoy Chinese takeout? It is a dinner saving meal when I don't cook and keeps me from resorting to the usual fast food burger. Chinese takeout gives the illusion of a homemade meal, and it doesn't feel as fattening or filling as a cheeseburger. However, as much as I enjoy picking up the phone or should I say logging onto the Chinese takeout website and making my selections to hungrily await the arrival of my food, I have a recipe that is just as good... better than the food you order AND you can make it in the same amount of time you wait for that happy knock on your door! Lo Mein is one of my favorite, classic Chinese-American  dishes because basically I like pasta and this is in fact a "pasta" dish! The last time I ordered Lo Mein from my local takeout place it was good but it was too salty and lacking that nice crunch from the veggies. This recipe is not overly salty, has great crunch and tastes very fresh. You will notice that I used fresh egg noodles. Luckily, my mom was able to find fresh, organic egg noodles at our grocery store in the refrigerated section. You can certainly use dried egg noodle and cook it like pasta or you can replace the egg noodle with your choice of pasta; however I highly recommend using the egg noodle if possible. The best part of this dish is the use of a coleslaw mix ...  because it saves so much time on having to chop cabbage! You can add or take out as many veggies as you'd like and you can make it all vegetarian by removing the chicken. The possibilities and ease make this a wonderful weeknight meal!

Serves 4-6

6 oz egg noodle or pasta of your choice
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 chicken breasts sliced in 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce (optional or add more or less depending on taste)
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 cups (or more) coleslaw mix
1/4 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup baby corn sliced