Cool Cucumber Water

Got this idea from my recent cruise vacation. I stopped into the spa to check out the sauna. Outside the sauna, there were complimentary water jugs filled with lemon water and cucumber water. I thought to myself, what a creative way to use cucumber. Just drink it! It is astoundingly refreshing. Great for when you come back into the house from the hot heat outside.

 The process is so simple and all you need is:
1. Water
2. A Pitcher (preferably with a lid) 
3. 1 Cucumber


The Procedure
1. Peel the cucumber lengthwise leaving some of the skin on. I alternate the peels so that the cucumber has a stripe pattern.
2. Cut the cucumber into slices and place into the pitcher
3. Fill the pitcher with water and place into the fridge so that the cucumber flavors fuse directly into the water. I prefer to leave the pitcher overnight, but if you are in a hurry- a few hours should do just fine. 

Enjoy! As you can see its as easy as 1, 2, 3.  The cucumbers look beautiful floating in the water. Very refreshing and light.

Beth's Best Banana Bread

Wow, say that five times fast! Beth's best banana bread...Beth's best banana bread...Beth's...anyway...

Banana bread is one of those ultimate comfort foods. You can have it for breakfast, for a snack or even for dessert. This bread is extremely fluffy and moist. If there is one thing I can't stand, its dry banana bread. You might as well stuff some sawdust in your mouth with other recipes. My recipe won't lead you to that unfortunate  fate.

The Recipe:
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick of unsalted butter

Streusel Topping:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

The Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2.  In a large mixing bowl, smash bananas until relatively smooth.
3.  Beat 2 eggs together in a small bowl and pour them into the large bowl with the bananas.
4.  Add sugar, flour, salt, baking soda, and vanilla.
5.  Melt the 1 stick of butter and pour into the bowl.
6.  Mix together thoroughly until you have a smooth batter. 
7. Pour batter into a loaf pan (9x5inch)
8. For the topping: Soften butter (NOT MELT) in microwave for a few seconds (long way: set butter on counter for a couple hours before making recipe)
9. Mix together the softened butter, salt, and flour for the streusel topping with a fork. you should get small lumps and crumbs.
10. Sprinkle this mixture over the entire top of the batter in the loaf pan. 
11. Bake for 1 hour.
12. Let cool slightly and enjoy!

The best part about making this bread is how perfectly IMPERFECT it looks when it comes out of the oven. It puffs, browns, and even may make a few beautiful cracks, just like you would see in a bakery. This bread is a real head- turner for your guests and tastes best when it is warm. 

Chili Lime Butter

This delicious and exotic butter came from a recipe that Tyler Florence created, but as always, I tweaked it.

Chili lime butter is an excellent addition to any Latin, Mexican, or Spanish dish. It is so simple. All you need is some ingredients that you probably already have lying around your kitchen, and of course- a lime.

The Recipe: 

• 1 stick of butter
• 3 or more teaspoons chili powder
• 1 lime zested
• 1/2 of a lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch garlic powder

*Optional: Some minced cilantro

The Procedure:

1. Let your butter soften so that you are able to mash it. You can either let this sit on your counter for several hours, or you can take the short cut like me and microwave it for a few seconds until it is soft.

2. In a small bowl, place your butter in and mash it until it is creamed

3. Add the rest of the ingredients.

4. Mix thoroughly and enjoy.

 So easy!

If you are making corn on the cob, rub the butter all over the corn immediately before serving, or mix in with vegetables or rice. You can even top it on meat or fish, and it would make a fantastic ingredient for southwestern cornbread.

You can store this butter for weeks for infinite delicious recipes.

*This photo is courtesy of the foodchannel.com*