cheap eats Archives - Sunday Chefs

Banana Bread

Banana Bread is a staple in most homes and is a wonderful comfort food recipe. Our family makes this Banana Bread Recipe at least once a month in either bread or muffin form. Never throw away old bananas, just freeze them and save them for this wonderful bread recipe. I make a great one these days but my first attempt is something that I am teased about still to this day.

There are days when cooking is just not my thing and the first time I made banana bread was one of them. Even now…… twenty five years later, I still feel the sting of humiliation. I was newly married and wanted to make it for my husband. My sister had given me one of those homemade cookbooks, that you buy at church fairs and school fundraisers, and it had a recipe I thought I would try. As I was reading it, even I thought maybe 5 tbsp. of baking powder was a little much, but hey, what did I know? I am alone in my apartment experimenting and at the exact moment I add the baking powder, it begins to rise like Mt. Vesuvius into some strange, freaking, elementary school science project! As it overflows the bowl, onto the counter and then the floor, the front door opens and who walks in… my husband and is brother! I must have looked like a deer in the headlights, because they saw their prey and pounced. These are the two most hilarious, sarcastic men I know and they had a field day. This is one of the many cooking disaster stories that they tell and even I have to say, if it was anyone else but me, it would be hysterical.

After all these years, and lots of practice, I make a great banana bread and they both will agree.

Don’t be afraid to take whisks – Unknown

The bananas need to be ripe….not pretty, just over ripe. I actually freeze the bananas, so I always have some available. The skin will turn black, but they are perfect inside. Sift all dry ingredients. (Hint: if you don’t have a sifter, use a whisk and very carefully whisk the dry ingredients together). Add in all the other ingredients. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour. Check with toothpick and if it comes out clean, it is done.

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour. Check with toothpick and if it comes out clean, it is done.

This can also be made gluten free, I have used the King Arthur Gluten Free Flour in the past and it worked wonderful. You can add chocolate chips or nuts too, it would be a great addition. If you would like to see more, check out the Recipes page on my blog Sunday Chefs.

Allergens: Eggs, Gluten

Banana Bread

Sometimes the simple recipes are the best. This Banana Bread Recipe is easy enough for everyone and is sure to impress.

Prep Time1 30

Active Time15

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Yield: 2

Cost: $5

Materials

2 cups all purpose flour Can substitute whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
3 bananas very ripe (brown skins)

Instructions

The bananas need to be ripe… not pretty, just over ripe. They can even be previously frozen.
Sift all dry ingredients. (Hint: if you do not have a sifter, use a whisk and very carefully whisk the dry ingredients together)
Add in all the other ingredients. (Mix until just combined and no dry lumps)
Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour.
Check with toothpick and if it comes out clean, it is done.

Classic French Onion Soup

This Classic French Onion Soup recipe is simple, delicious and very impressive. Many times you are in a high end establishment and there are items on the menu that you only order in restaurants because they seem intimidating. These items are held in high regard and you assume it must be hard to make. If you give this Classic French Soup Recipe a try, you will be surprised at how easy it is.

Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.

-Ludwig Van Beethoven

I was always afraid to make French Onion Soup because I have had great versions in restaurants and some pretty bad ones, so I was convinced it must be hard to make. This recipe breaks it all down and makes it very easy. I was surprised by the simplicity and it has made me more willing to try recipes that I was previously intimidated by. Sometimes with the right recipe and a little love, you can make something memorable. This Classic French Onion Soup recipe is from my late father and brings back so many memories. I have seen variations of this recipe over the years but basically it is all very similar. This recipe is a little scaled down from some I have seen, but this variation is quicker and still a showstopper.

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a heavy, stock pot (I use my dutch oven) over medium-low heat and add the 4 Tbsp. butter. Add the sliced onions. This will seem like too many onions, but trust the process, they will reduce quite a bit. Cover the pot and cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. I find sometimes it takes longer so trust your gut. Onions should be clear and tender.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the sugar. Continue cooking until onions are golden brown. Make sure to keep stirring so they do not stick to the pot.

Reduce heat down to medium-low again and add the flour. If you are gluten free, you can substitute the flour for corn starch. Cook for approximately 3 minutes until it becomes a thick paste. Stir in about a cup of the broth and thin out the paste. If I do not have beef stock in the house, I substitute two 15 oz. cans of Campbell’s Beef Consomme and three cups of water. Add the rest of the stock, sage (optional) and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30-40 minutes. I remove the bay leaf now. (I sometimes forget the bay leaf and sage quite and it is still wonderful). Add salt and pepper to taste.

French bread – Preheat oven to 350°. Slice french bread into 8 1.5 inch slices. Drizzle with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Cook the bread until golden brown (usually about 10 minutes on each side).

If I am in a hurry, I will add the cheese now, directly on the bread and continue baking in the oven until the cheese is melted. Add the bread to a bowl and pour the soup over it and serve it.

If time is not an issue, I will add the toasted bread without the cheese to an oven-safe bowl and pour the soup over it. Add the cheese to the top of the soup and bread. Return to the oven until cheese melts and finish with the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese.

If you are interested in some of our other favorite recipes, please check out the Recipes page of my blog Sunday Chefs for more tried and true family recipes.

French Onion Soup Recipe

This French Onion soup recipe is simple, classic and a show stopper

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Appetizer, dinner, lunch

Cuisine: French

Ingredients Notes

Ingredients

Soup Recipe

4 tbsp. Butter
4 Large white onions – Sliced thin. 4-5 yellow onions will also work, but I prefer the white. Not Vidalia onions.
1 tsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Flour – I substitute corn starch here to make it gluten free.
6 cups Beef Stock – Sometimes I substitute 2-15 oz. cans of low sodium beef consomme and 3 cups of water for the beef stock.
1 bay leaf
2-3 Tbsp. Cognac – Optional
1/2 tsp. Ground Sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Bread Recipe

8 slices French Bread About 1 in. slices works well
Olive Oil
8 oz. Grated cheese Cheddar, Gruyere or Swiss
2 oz. Parmesan Cheese grated

Notes

Heat a heavy, stock pot (I use my dutch oven) over medium-low heat and add the 4 Tbsp. butter. Add the sliced onions (this will seem like too many onions, but trust the process, they will reduce quite a bit). Cover the pot and cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occassionally (I find sometimes it takes longer so trust your gut). Onions should be clear and tender.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the sugar. Continue cooking until onions are golden brown. Make sure to keep stirring so they do not stick to the pot.

Reduce heat down to medium-low again and add the flour. Cook for approximately 3 minutes until it becomes a thick paste. Stir in about a cup of the broth and thin out the paste. Add the rest of the stock, sage (optional) and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30-40 minutes.

I remove the bay leaf now. (I forget the bay leaf and sage quite a bit and it is still wonderful). Add salt and pepper to taste.

French bread

Preheat oven to 350°. Slice french bread into 1.5 inch slices. Drizzle with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Cook the bread until golden brown (usually about 10 minutes on each side).

If I am in a hurry, I will add the cheese now directly on the bread and continue baking in the oven until the cheese is melted. Add the bread to a bowl and pour the soup over it and serve it.

Allergy information: contains wheat. (you can substitute corn starch for the flour to make this gluten-free.

Fresh Popover Recipe: A Family Tradition

Having a fresh popover (also called Yorkshire Pudding) with your meal is an experience that takes a meal from good to great. This Fresh Popover Recipe is not something I can take credit for, my daughter Amanda is the genius baker here. She has been working on it for a year or so and finally perfected it. Popovers or Yorkshire Pudding are usually reserved for special occasions, but they have been put on a regular rotation in our house. I would recommend this recipe to anyone.

As a child my family would take us to Anthony’s Pier 4 restaurant in Boston, MA and I still remember the popovers they served. I am sure they served other food, but as a kid going out to dinner with their parents, there was nothing better than a hot popover. The popovers made that restaurant my childhood favorite. Another place to get a great popover to this day is the Beverly Depot restaurant in Beverly, MA. The whole restaurant is great, not just the popovers. As a child, I never thought a fresh popover made at home would be so easy and accessible. My daughters’ efforts and this fresh popover recipe will have our family making memories for years.

This Ultimate Fresh Popover Recipe, otherwise known as Yorkshire Pudding elevates any meal from good to great.

Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.

-James Beard

She originally made the popovers in a muffin tin, then we bought a popover pan and that was a game changer. It took a while for her to get the height. But this time she sprayed the pan with olive oil spray and chilled the batter beforehand and that seemed to make the difference. Popovers, with only five ingredients that you most likely have in your home are easy, inexpensive and a joy to behold!

I do not have Celiac disease, but I am gluten free just because I feel better when I am. There are a few things that I will cheat with and this is one of them. I cannot resist. However, I do NOT recommend cheating if you do in fact have Celiac Disease. If you are interested in some of our other favorite recipes, please check out the Recipes page of my blog Sunday Chefs for more tried and true family recipes and restaurant reviews.

Fresh Popover Recipe

Otherwise known at Yorkshire Pudding, a fresh popover elevates every meal

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Prep Time 40

Cook Time 40

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Appetizer, dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, British

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup Warm milk
1 1/3 cup Sifted flour
6 Eggs Room temperature
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Canola oil

Equipment

1 Popover Pan or muffin tin
1 Muffin Tin or popover tin

Method

Preheat oven to 375°
Combine milk, flour, eggs, salt and canola oil in bowl and mix until combined.
Chill mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Warm popover pan or muffin tin in 375° oven for 10 minutes.
Remove pan from oven, spray with olive oil spray (I am assuming any oil spray would work, but we like the olive oil spray).
Add mixture to muffin/popover tin and cook in oven for 40 minutes.
Best if served immediately… Enjoy!

Notes

Allergy information: Contains gluten and eggs.

Best Breakfast at Metro7 Diner – Diner Recommendation

The Metro7 Diner in Latham, NY is the diner you’ve dreamed of. I am always looking for a diner recommendation, so here is one for you. A great diner is the perfect place to eat when on a road trip. I had the best breakfast at Metro7 Diner in Latham, NY and I had to share. We spent a weekend in Latham, NY for a lacrosse tournament and discovered this breakfast gem. After a little research we finally decided to try the Metro7 Diner and it did not disappoint. From the moment we drove into the parking lot I was thinking I made the right choice. The meat smoker in the parking lot was a very good sign.

The bright red and classic look of the building just screams great diner. But the pastry display at the counter clinches it. Metro7 Diner is clean, warm and friendly. My daughter had a lot of lacrosse to play that day so we were looking for big breakfasts and that is what we got. The coffee was great, the food was amazing and the portions were huge. Surprisingly, with everything so expensive these days, the cost was reasonable.

My daughter got the Original Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream with a side of bacon. The portion was huge and she said “They’re the best pancakes I’ve ever had!”

My husband got a tomato and cheese omelet with rye toast and a side of fruit. Everything was wonderful. I am a huge Eggs Benedict fan and decided to try the California Benedict. The California Benedict is two perfectly is poached eggs, turkey sausage and avocado on top of an English muffin, covered in Hollandaise Sauce. The California Benedict is my new favorite.

You can tell that the Metro7 Diner is a family restaurant. The employees are friendly and have an easy camaraderie that screams family. Our waitress was Rhianna and she was fantastic. She chatted with everyone, and made sure everyone had what they needed and that your coffee was always full. What more could you want?

My only regret..that I didn’t get one of the chocolate chip muffins for later. I would give Metro7 Diner as a diner recommendation any day of the week. Make sure to check it out if you are ever near Latham, NY.

If you would like to see some of my other recommendations, check out the Restaurant Review section of my blog Sunday Chefs. Happy Dining!

Lynwood Café – Bar Pizza Restaurant Review

Lynwood Café in Randolph, Ma is arguably THE best bar pizza in New England. Bar Pizza is a thing in here and everyone has their favorites. Lynwood Café is a small, neighborhood pizzeria that I began attending as a toddler with my parents and I now bring my grown children. There is a key to longevity with Lynwood Café and it is consistency, they know what works and they stick with it.

Lynwood Café opened in 1949 as a neighborhood bar and once they decided to start making bar pizza, they never looked back. When you walk in, you are walking back in time. The old time charm of the place with its old phone booth, which now houses an ATM (they are CASH ONLY, so this is quite useful) and the shuffleboard game that every child remembers forever.

Love Fades, Pizza is Forever
-unknown

We do not live local anymore, but recently we were in the area and went for the first time in about ten years and we were not disappointed. The warm and friendly atmosphere and the fantastic pizza is just to die for. My lifetime favorite has always been the pepperoni and green pepper, but the hamburg, which I would never order anywhere else is amazing too. My late father was a big fan of the Linguica pizza, which I have never seen in any other pizza place. I have always wanted to try the Boston Baked Bean but I haven’t taken the leap yet.

One tip: skip the bottled beer. I am not usually a draft beer person, but the draft beer at Lynwood Café is the coldest beer I have ever had and it always has been. Another tip: the draft beer comes in little glasses, so order two. Beer and pizza have never been so good.

When I met my husband I told him I was taking him to have the best pizza in Massachusetts and he thought I was crazy. We joke that after he had it was when he decided I was the one he wanted to marry.

REMEMBER: CASH ONLY!

I would highly recommend checking out Lynwood Café if you ever have the chance. If you want to see more restaurant reviews, check out my blog Sunday Chefs.

Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Red Grapes

This Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes is the perfect dish for cookouts, hot summer nights, easy lunches or any day you want something quick and wonderful

What I love about this recipe is it is so easy and very different from your usual pasta salad. It is very lemony so the red grapes are needed to balance it out. There is nothing better on a hot summer night then this. It is so cool and satisfying. This summery pasta salad is the perfect one dish meal for any occasion. A pasta salad this easy is something you need in the rotation. Get a rotisserie chicken, break it apart, add it to your favorite pasta with chopped spinach and chopped grapes along with the wonderful dressing in the recipe below and you are good to go. A warm summer night just calls for this cool and satisfying Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes/

My good friend Pam has always made this summery pasta salad and I finally convinced her to share the recipe with me. So she will get full credit for her culinary prowess.

Check out my other products here on the RECIPES page of my blog Sunday Chefs.

Summertime is always the best of what might be
Charles Bowden

Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Red Grapes

Print Recipe

Course: dinner, Salad

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 12 oz box Pasta Bowties or Rotini work well
3 cups Cooked Chicken Breast rotisserie chicken works great here
3 cups red grapes sliced in half
3 cups Baby Spinach coarsely chopped
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup Fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup Red wine vinegar
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cook the pasta as directed and rinse under cool water.
When the pasta is cooled, add the chicken, grapes, and chopped spinach
For the dressing. Mix lemon juice, zest, olive oil, red wine vinegar and spices.
Mix the dressing well. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Refrigerate for about a half hour and enjoy.

Notes

Great for a hot, summer evening!

Allergy Friendly: Contains gluten but can be made with gluten free pasta.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor – Great dining in New York City’s Chinatown

The Chinatown section of New York City is a densely populated neighborhood packed with authentic Chinese and Southeast Asian dining experiences. Not sure you would have a bad experience anywhere that you go, but I am so glad Nom Wah Tea Parlor was recommended to us. We never would have found it otherwise and it was the find of a lifetime.

Life itself cannot give you joy, unless you really will it. Life just gives you time and space … it’s up to you to fill it.
Chinese Proverb

Nom Wah Tea Parlor, opened in 1920 and is the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurant in New York City. They are located at 13 Doyers Street on an adorable little side street. You almost want to call it an alley but it is prettier than that with all the beautiful lanterns hanging overhead.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor has other locations: Nom Wah Nolita is fast-casual restaurant in the the Nolita neighborhood (North of Little Italy), Nom Wah at the Market Line and Nom Wah Philadelphia which is a more modern version of the original in appearance but the food is the same quality that you expect

I have never tried Dim Sum before but it was on my bucket list and oldest daughter did not disappoint by bring us here. She knew Nom Wah Tea Parlor was the place to go and that I would love it. She made sure that we made time to go there on our most recent trip to New York City. We had beautiful weather so we walked from the lower east side and it was very enjoyable. Lots to see!

They open at 11 am and we got there a little before. There was a short line already waiting for them to open. I believe there is usually a line so be prepared for that. But it moves quickly and is so worth it. This is not a fancy restaurant, they have been open and operating since 1920 and the line is out the door so you know it is going to be great. This is not a tourist trap and you can tell immediately. Nom Wah Tea Parlor is very reasonably priced. We had five people and it was only about $100 before tip. For New York City that is a steal. But please note and prepare:

THEY ARE CASH ONLY!

My daughter and her boyfriend were given the task of ordering because they were more familiar than us and I am glad we left it to them. Some of the items we ordered I never would have tried and I would have missed out. We just said “surprise us.

The final decision was: House special roast pork buns, Chicken soup dumplings, Turnip cake with XO sauce, Pan fried noodles in superior soy sauce, pan fried pork dumplings, Chinese greens in oyster sauce (It was bok choy) and hot tea (not sure which one we got, I believe it was Oolong).

First off the Chinese greens in oyster sauce.. this was so good. I could have eaten just this and been happy. I never would have ordered it in a million years. How did I go my whole life not knowing about this? I need to figure out how to make it at home. In addition, the turnip cake with XO sauce is another item I knew nothing about and I will be getting that again. It was all so amazing and I just learned you can order some of their food and have it shipped nationwide at Good Belly. I will be trying that out also. They have gluten-free dumplings available for delivery!

I always appreciate restaurants that are allergy friendly and I like to support them on the restaurant review section of my blog, so check them out here at Sunday Chefs.

Category: cheap eats

Banana Bread