Individual Banoffee Pie’s

March 31, 2015March 31, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 7 Comments

Have you ever heard of a Banoffee Pie?

It turns out a ton of people have not. I made these the other day and I had to explain what they were to everyone. All you need to know is that they are delicious…(and simple to make!).

When Mikey and I were engaged and then first married we lived in Madison, WI and both worked in restaurants. Mikey was the manager at an Irish Pub and therefore I spent almost all my time there when I wasn’t working.

We both gained about 20 pounds our first year of marriage. Between the chocolate fondue (I worked at the Melting Pot. Cheese and chocolate for days) and the pub fries and beer at the pub…we put on a few lbs.

One of my favorite things to get at the pub was their Banoffee Pie. It is an English dessert that includes bananas, whipped cream, graham crust and Dulce de Leche…Here is the history behind it if you’re interested.

I absolutely love the combination of everything together. The salty crust, with the sweet Dulce de Leche and the combo of the banana with the fluffy whipped cream…heaven. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Since it has bananas it counts as a healthy breakfast, right!?

I also love serving dessert in a jar. No matter what is in it, I swear it will taste better if served in a mason jar! Trust me when I say this pie is amazing. You don’t have to make them in individual jars if you don’t want to. You can always just make one giant pie. Layer the crust, bake for about 10 minutes at 350, add the Dulce de Leche, followed by the bananas, whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate!

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Refried Black Beans

March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 4 Comments

I don’t typically love refried beans. They are usually the one (and only) thing left on my plate after a Mexican feast. However, that has all changed. I couldn’t stop eating these refried black beans. It could be the fact that they are loaded with onion, garlic and a ton of spices. Or the fact that they were topped with queso fresco and fresh cilantro…

Whatever it was, I’ll never buy a can of refried beans again. This was such a quick and easy recipe and the results were amazing.

I ended up adding more cumin to mine (I’m a cumin addict) and the flavor and texture turned out great!

I was never a bean person until after college. I was the kid who ate around the beans in my chili. I recall asking my Mom to omit the beans from her chili at one time…she didn’t do it. Probably because then it wouldn’t be chili it would just be ground beef soup. Less appetizing I guess.

It’s amazing how things have changed! I now love beans and all legumes and always have a couple cans of garbanzo beans, Cannellini and black beans in my pantry.

These beans are a fun addition to any fiesta you throw. We served them with tacos, rice and all the fixin’s. The leftover beans were actually better and I would recommend that, if you can, make these a day in advance and then reheat them in the oven until they are warmed through. Then top them with cheese and cilantro. The flavors meld together over time and they get even better!

We received 5 inches of snow yesterday and I refuse to think about it. Instead, I’m going to think about warm weather while I make some spicy Mexican food, pour a margarita and wait for spring to arrive for good!

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Lately

March 20, 2015March 20, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 2 Comments

It is so gloomy out today. I can’t seem to get myself going. A cup of coffee deep and I’m still feeling lazy and blah. I typically live for gloomy, rainy or stormy days. Living in London was the greatest thing for me because it was always a little foggy and It made me feel mysterious. I’m not the type of person who lives for those sunny days. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sun and without sunshine I get super sad; however, waking up to gloom is my favorite. Call me crazy but dark, stormy, foggy…it’s what I live for.

My brother is the exact same way. Maybe it stems back to when we were kids and the constant adventures we took in the woods and field behind our house. Rain or shine (rain was more fun) we were sent out to play. We built forts, played in the amazing tree house that our Dad built, made mountain bike trails, climbed trees and fought constantly. My brother, Brad, always made up scary stories about the Indians who used to live in our field and how their ghosts were now haunting the grounds they lived on (I’m still afraid to go outside at night when I’m home thanks to him).

Our Dad is also a weather fanatic and would take us up into our field to watch storms roll in (much to my mother’s chagrin). There was one particular time we went up to watch a storm roll in and it came much faster than my Dad had anticipated. I remember him screaming RUNNNN and we had to sprint back to the house to take shelter. I remember thinking that my feet were floating over the ground because I was running so hard and so fast. We had just made it inside when the storm hit and I remember my Dad threw himself over us as we crashed to the ground. I turned to look out the window and all the trees were bent towards the house and then were completely engulfed into a grey cloud. The storm was so loud and I remember hearing trees snapping and then it was silent. the storm was gone just as fast as it had arrived but it left a trail of damage behind. We lost our beloved tree fort that day and somewhere around 30 trees from our property. I shed many a tear in the weeks after that, knowing our tree house was gone (the kids who couldn’t climb the rope ladder were celebrating, however). I think that out of my terror that day an obsession began. I have a fear/love for storms. If I’m home alone, I die. If I’m with other people, I’m in heaven. So thanks, Dad! For my weird obsession with storms and gloom!

Enough about storms and gloom! Lets look at some beautiful things that have me swooning this week!

BUCKET BAGS ARE BACK! My Mom rocked the bucket bag back in the day and I kind of hope she still has a couple so I can “borrow” them…The only issue I have with the bucket bag is that it turns into a giant black hole. My purse is always a mess. Like, full blown disaster area. Mikey refuses to enter my purse. Although I super want this bucket bag…I know within a week it would swallow up at least 2 chapsticks and pair of sunglasses. Worth it.

What’s better than coffee? Coffee that is drowning in ice cream, that’s what. This cold-brew affogato has got me trippin’. Whoever came up with the negative-space nail idea was a genius. It’s like a tattoo for your fingernail. I am definitely going to attempt (won’t look great) this look this weekend! It’s so edgy and fun! Try out the tutorial in the link and let me know how yours turns out! You Burrata be kidding me! (Ha).

There is not a cheese (maybe Gouda) that I am loving more than Burrata right now. We had a Burrata pizza a couple weeks ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. Plus, this spring pizza has asparagus, mushrooms and balsamic. I want to face-plant into this pizza right now. Last but not least. We had some clients from Texas in town this week and they introduced us to a vodka that their friend makes. It’s a grapefruit infused vodka and it may change the way you make cocktails.

We are counting down the days to summer when we can make any and every drink with this amazing vodka. The flavor is absolutely insane. It has a slight sweetness and the flavor is straight up refreshing. We mixed it with soda water and it was perfect. Add it to a glass of champagne, mix it with some ginger beer…I can’t even begin to list the things you should make with this. Trust me. Buy it. You can thank me by sending me a bottle of Deep Eddy Ruby Red 🙂

Pork Carnitas (Slow Cooker)

March 19, 2015March 19, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 9 Comments

I was awoken by a crazy person this morning.

Mikey shot out of bed and started dancing and singing about how today is the greatest day out of the whole year. He even went as far as to say that it is better than St. Patrick’s day…March Madness is to Mikey as grand, life-altering events are to most people. Or exciting celebrations like Birthdays, or Christmas, vacations, etc. Those days when you’re so excited you can’t sleep, or you wake up and you’re instantly excited because of the day/days ahead.

I have been hearing only about college basketball for about a week now and all Mikey can talk about is how he is so excited to watch TV for 1,000 hours over the weekend.

That’s where these AMAZING Pork Carnitas come in to play. They are a perfect food for a weekend where you are going to sit in front of the TV and be a complete couch potato. They are also great for all those random guests that will be popping in and out on a weekend like this.

These carnitas are super simple to make and the best part is that the crock pot does all the work for you. All you have to do is pickle some cabbage, chop some cilantro and onion and sprinkle on a layer of cheese. The flavor from the spices give these a deep flavor that is sure to please everyone! You can make more or less depending on the crowd, just buy a smaller piece of pork (or bigger). We made this for a crowd and it disappeared fast! You just can’t stop eating these little carnitas tacos!

Squeeze on a little lime juice and hot sauce and boom, best taco ever.

I hope you have an excuse to make these as soon as possible (this weekend seems like a great time). They will make your house smell like heaven for hours and hours and your stomach will be growling in anticipation. The wait is worth it!

I know that our plan is to make some delicious food this weekend and watch a ton of basketball. Thankfully I am 3/4 as excited as Mikey, which means I’m actually pretty excited to watch my team DOMINATE. My brackets are ready and so am I.

GO BADGERS!!!!!!! And go make some carnitas too.

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Lately

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 2 Comments

It’s FINALLY Friday.

Sorry for the super delay in posting. This week has been crazy and today was even crazier. Mikey and I were both down for the count with some sickness that lead to a cold. But, We had a super amazing time in Denver (minus the sickness Mikey brought with) and we are currently having beer withdrawals.

It’s late and I’m ready to turn on a movie and pour myself a large glass of vino. Therefore, I’m keeping it simple. I am looking forward to the weekend and this AMAZING weather that has graced us with its presence. Check out some things I’m loving this week and have a great weekend!!!

These pretty Ginger and Current Scones look like a perfect recipe to tackle this weekend!

I almost can’t get over how delicious and smooth and perfect this coffee looks. That milk. That espresso. I can’t wait to go to bed so I can wake up and shuffle my feet over to La Colombe and get my mitts on some java! I absolutely love these delicately stacked necklaces. Kei Jewelry has some stunning jewelry and it’s very affordable. Go ahead, treat yo self. Is it a cowboy boot? Is it a sandal? Whatever it is I’m intrigued. Spring fashion is here and apparently these boots are included. I’m obsessed with them. My feet would be so happy if they could nest inside these shoes!!!!!!I cleaned our house today with the windows open! It was glorious. No one was happier than Norman, though. He was basking in the sun and meowing at the birds. He was also shedding like a mad man and I was inspired to find the perfect spring cleaning checklist. Popsugar hooked me up and I am actually looking forward to checking these items off this list. Also, it will probably take me longer than 30 days. More like until the end of the summer. Just in time to start it all over again!