The cocktail lounge

  

Patio view of the beach

  

"Villa Serena" from the back

  

Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

OK...wish I could say this was a recipe that I created, but it's from Good Housekeeping.

Ingredients:

1 loaf (16 ounces) firm white bread
3 firm but ripe bananas
4 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half or light cream
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 (or more!) cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cut bread into 1-inch pieces. Slice bananas into 1/2-inch-thick chunks. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, half-and-half, and sugar with a wire whisk until well blended. Gently stir in bread, bananas, and chocolate chips to combine. Cover and refrigerate bread mixture at least 1 hour, occasionally pressing down bread to absorb cream mixture. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch round springform or cake pan (or casserole--whatever it is should be fairly deep). Spoon mixture into pan and bake, covered, for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 45-50 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center of pudding comes out clean (I don't think we waited the whole 45 minutes). Cool slightly on wire rack and then serve warm.

It seems to me it would be a very, very good idea to add some rum or other kind of alcohol, but I didn't do it because I was afraid adding more liquid--especially alcohol--might mess up the recipe. If you try it and like it, let me know!

John's red pepper soup

Ingredients (more or less):

5 red peppers (more or less), chopped
1 bunch of green onions (more or less), chopped
1 Tbs. (more or less) vegetable oil or butter
1 can (15 oz) of chicken broth
1 cup buttermilk (more or less)
1 tsp. white pepper (approximately)
salt to taste

John says there can be lots of flexibility with this recipe, but in general, this is what he does:

Saute the peppers and onions in 1 Tbs oil until just barely soft (about 2 minutes). Add the chicken broth and heat until warm, but not boiling. Blend the mixture in a food processor and then strain until all the little bits are removed. Add buttermilk to taste, and then add the pepper. Chill until ready to serve. Top with chives or whatever appeals to you!

If you try it and have any questions, let me know and I'll pass them along to him.