My buddy Dawn from Vanilla Sugar is stopping by today…to share a mouthwatering summer dessert with you!  Try not to drool on your keyboard…

Would you be mad at me for posting this short and sweet like the recipe?

I made these for the family over the weekend after a nice grilled dinner.  I got the idea while flipping through Steamy Kitchen’s cookbook…was surprised to find them in there!  What surprised me even more is that I didn’t think of them myself!  These guys were so awesome…and such a great way to end a meal…practically guilt free.

Start of by laying your banana on its side, using a pairing knife gently slice through skin and banana making sure to not cut through to the other side.  Once you’ve made your slice, tuck in your fixings.  You can stuff them with whatever suits you…chocolate candy bars, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, caramels, coconut, chopped nuts.   The sound of it all is heavenly isn’t it?  Place them on hot grill over indirect heat and cook until soft and skins are black.  You have to check on them and touch them a bit.

We used what we had on hand…chocolate chips, coconut and toasted and chopped hazelnuts.  My kids were not as excited as Larry and I were…apparently the “melted” version of chocolate chips were not the same as the solid form.  And for my daughter who for some odd reason does not like chocolate, I took a chance and tried butterscotch chips on hers.  Nah.  So, Larry and I enjoyed ours and theirs….and we were absolutely okay with that.

(Gina and her best friend Amber, Thanksgiving 2008)

Working on my Thanksgiving menu and shopping list today…thought I’d share with you some of the recipes I am trying out or improvising…in case you are still looking for ideas!

Sage Roasted Turkey

Nonna’s Stuffing

(Sammy with his great grandmother, “little” Nonna, Thanksgiving 2008)

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Topping
(will create my own version based on this Southern Living recipe I have made before)

7  medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 7 pounds)
1  teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut up
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups chopped, toasted pecans

Bring sweet potatoes, salt, and water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Boil 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.

Mash potatoes, or press though a ricer; stir in butter, and maple syrup. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Top evenly with pecans and brown sugar, and bake 8 more minutes or until golden.

Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Hazelnuts

Roasted Carrots

Apple-Orange Cranberry Sauce

Pioneer Woman’s Pear Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

Good Ole Libby Pumpkin Pie

Last year at this time we took a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  It was the first time both of my kids saw snow and the first time in a long time any of us felt that cold!  It was a beautiful place to visit.  Since I have no food pictures to share this time around, here are a few photo memories from just a year ago… and in case I don’t get the chance to post again this week I want to wish everyone and their families a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!!

Are you all as big of fans of sweet and salty as I am?  I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth…but something about combining flavors that have just a little touch of sweet, spicy and salty that I just can’t resist.  It’s all about balance right?

My kiddies had their school Fall Festival last week and I was panicking at 7am that morning when I realized I didn’t make any treats for the party like I had planned.  I’ll admit, I’ve been in this situation many times before…so the panic didn’t phase me all that much.  I had to figure something out quick…or I would be stopping at the grocery store to pick up some cookies on the way to the festival.  Thank goodness for my overflowing overstocked pantry…I was able to pull this together.

Last year, after reading this post, I was convinced I had to buy a hot air popcorn maker.  I am so glad I did.  You have no idea how many afternoons that popper has made an appearance on my kitchen counter…my kids love watching the popcorn pop and of course eating big bowls of it while watching afternoon cartoons.  You can say it’s almost becoming a tradition. 

In addition to providing an afternoon snack  (as well as entertainment) for my kids…hot air popcorn is basically like a blank palate.  You can turn it into so many sweet or savory creations…depending on  your mood.  In this case, it turned itself into a last minute party snack.

Check out these other popcorn ideas found around the web:

White Chocolate Popcorn

Cinnamon Sugar Caramel Popcorn

Marshmallow Popcorn Cake

Popcorn with Parmesan and Pecorino

Popcorn with Rosemary Infused Oil

Sea Salted Caramel Corn
Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes
(printable recipe)

4-5 quarts popped popcorn, unsalted, unbuttered
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 TB maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup butterscotch chips
1-2 cups salted peanuts
a few good pinches of sea salt

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place popcorn in large cookie sheet (or sheets), set aside.

Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, maple syrup and salt in a thick-bottomed, 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 250°F (I used my regular digital cooking thermometer) or small amount of mixture dropped in ice water forms a hard ball (about 12 to 14 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. The caramel will foam up a little and turn a lighter color when you add the baking soda

Carefully pour caramel mixture over popcorn. Top with cinnamon, butterscotch chips and peanuts and carefully stir with wooden spoon until all popcorn is evenly coated. Sprinkle sea salt generously over popcorn. Place in oven for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and gently stir, place back in oven for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately spread on wax paper. Let cool completely. Break into bite sized pieces. Store in air tight container.

Some housekeeping…

I’m still working on updating my Recipe Index.  I’ve also started going back through my recipes and adding a Printable Recipe link so that it’s easier for you print recipes without pictures and the extra stuff.  Hope this helps!

And also…

If you enjoy reading my blog please visit OrlandoSentinel.com and vote for Aggie’s Kitchen! I appreciate all of your support!   You can find me in the Foodies Category as well as the Best Overall Blogs category…here are the details :

Contest begins Monday, November 2 and ends Friday, November 20 at 5pm

You may vote once per category per day.  You may also vote once per day in the Best Overall Blog category.  You must log in to your OrlandoSentinel.com account in order to vote. (You don’t have to be a FL resident to set this up…it’s by email.)

Winners in each category and for “best overall” will be notified by e-mail before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The winner in each category will receive an ad campaign of 20,000 impressions on OrlandoSentinel.com and a rockin’ certificate. If a blog wins in more than one category (it can win in up to three), the runner-up will receive the ad campaign. If there are not enough nominations within a category like categories may be merged or a prize may not be issued for that category.

My good friend Betsy hosted a little get together for just the ladies last Saturday night for a Premier Designs jewelry party.  She was smart about getting us all over to buy some jewelry…she made it even more fun by serving delicious wine, cheese and desserts…how could one resist? 

Not only did I go home with a gorgeous new ring and bracelet…I got to drink some good wine and sample some of Betsy’s delicious desserts!  She made a flourless Chocolate-Espresso Torte with raspberry sauce that was to die for.  I don’t normally go gaga for chocolate desserts, but I could not separate myself from this one.  The raspberry sauce was the perfect complement to the rich chocolate.  I can not wait to make this one at home.  I can definitely see it making an appearance around the holidays!

Find the recipe for Chocolate-Espresso Torte here…

And of course I have to mention the adorable mini cheesecakes and classic chocolate covered strawberries.  I popped a couple of those in my mouth as well.

Find the recipe for Mini Cheesecakes here…

Thank you Betsy for a great party…and for some great recipes to share!  Since I’m baking challenged and don’t bake often I get excited when I have the opportunity to photograph and “steal” recipes from others!  Enjoy!

And for those that are interested … the wines on deck were:

Clayhouse Adobe Red 2006

Francis Coppola Petite Sirah

2007 Moon Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay

Schmitt Sohne Piesporter Michelsberg 2008