Hey, Harper! What's Winning?

The absolute joy of summer is upon us a the long weekend closes. And I have been cooking, eatting and drinking for ya'll (in the interest of science, of course) through out the spring. Today I have for you three wins and one loss.

Many of you may have seen this sexy beast on my social media. I am declaring it a winner! Banana Pudding Cake.

Credit: Olive & Mango

I had to substitute the Nilla wafers because they were not available, with Biscoff cookies and it was just great! If you love the classic Southern banana pudding, then this cake will make you very happy! And it is made with a cake mix, so it is easy-peasy, too! (Now that I look at the photo I realize why I had so many crumbs left over....I guess the outside edge was supposed to be covered! Oops!)

I have never been a fan of Scalloped Potatoes (Potato Scallop for THOSE friends). I think it might be because it was the one thing that came from a box in my childhood visits to my grandparents? But a LOT of my East Coast friends are wild for them, so for Easter Dinner I made a version, and I am a convert!!!! It was the start of the meal! The recipe was from Serious Eats, and will be a "family" favourite from now on. Just look at these glorious bastards!

They were creamy, crunchy, cheesy perfection!

Rounding out our accidentally brown food postings is a crab dip from Mumbai. Seen on Somebody Feed Phil, this very simple, very rich crab dip surprised everyone when it became the star of a recent meal. The most delightful thing about it is that the sweetness of the crab was showcased. It is very infrequent that an expensive and delicate flavour, like crab, does not become lost in a prepared dish. This was absolutely an unexpected and much-loved "dip". I can't believe it isn't viral!

And finally a miss...on so many fronts, some not the fault of the recipe.

A Whipped Honey Espresso Martini. There are a few recipes out there. This one had a LOT of espresso powder in it. AND coffee liquor. It was bitter, used a lot of expensive honey, and (full disclosure), I batched the drink and so felt they should not be wasted... so I ended up not drunk, but higher on caffeine than I had ever imagined possible. Oops! Gross. Maybe don't try. Stick to the classics...they are usually the classics for a reason.

Enjoy the last of this long weekend sunshine! H