Frozen Bananas

INGREDIENTS

5 large bananas
10 wooden sticks
24 ounces sweet chocolate
Assorted toppings:sprinkles, nuts, coconut or what you want.

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel the bananas and cut them in half so you have 10 banana pieces. Skewer the cut end of each banana with a wooden stick, inserting it in until it’s stable. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper, and place the bananas on the baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and melt it in 30-second increments. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Place your toppings in shallow bowls and have them nearby the chocolate hardens quickly, so you’ll want them to be easily accessible. When your chocolate is melted and your toppings are ready, remove the bananas from the freezer. Hold one banana over the bowl of chocolate. Use a large spoon (a small ladle works well for this purpose) and spoon a generous amount of chocolate over the banana, rotating it and spooning on more chocolate until it’s covered. It’s important to work quickly, since the chocolate will start to set soon after it touches the cold banana. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Quickly move the banana over one of the bowls of toppings, and sprinkle the toppings over the banana, letting the extra drop back into the bowl. Place the banana back on the baking tray, and repeat until all of the bananas are coated with chocolate. The frozen bananas can now be served. If you won’t be eating them right away, store them in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag in the freezer. If you are serving them straight from the freezer, allow them to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.

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Seared Scallops

Ingredients

• 1 pound sea scallops, patted dry
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Freshly ground sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon for squeezing, optional

Instructions

1. Remove tiny side muscle from the scallops if they have them, then rinse with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Add the butter and oil to a large saute pan over high heat.
3. Generously salt and pepper the scallops. Once the butter/oil combo begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching. Sear scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side - not touching them at all while they're searing. The scallops should have a nice golden crust on each side and be translucent in the center. Serve right away!

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Garlic Sauce Chicken

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 chicken thighs (about 2-pounds)
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 whole bulb of garlic, peeled, cloves separated
• 1 cup white wine (use a wine that you like)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
2. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cooking over medium heat, brown the chicken on both sides; about 4 minutes per side.
4. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
5. Add garlic cloves to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until golden; about 3 minutes. DO NOT BURN the garlic.
6. Carefully add wine to the skillet.
7. Stir in parsley and add rosemary.
8. Transfer chicken back to skillet.
9. Cover and continue to cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, turning the chicken over half way through cooking. Add ¼-cup more wine if it looks too dry when you go to turn over the chicken.
10. Remove from heat.
11. Transfer chicken to serving dish and spoon the garlic sauce over the chicken.
12. Serve.

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