Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Growing up, my mom always made her famous chocolate potato cake for each of our birthdays. I know, I know: it sounds very odd, but the truth is you never actually tasted the potato and it really just ensured that the batter was super moist, which I probably never appreciated as a kid but certainly do now.

These days when birthdays arise in our household, I’ve found my own tricks to achieve a really moist, super chocolatey cake and cupcakes. This recipe uses one of our son’s favorite foods: bananas.

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Vegan Chocolate Frosting

When I’m baking, I love having a few reliable back-pocket recipes that don’t take a lot of fuss (no candy thermometers, please!) and that have an equally fuss-free ingredient list. But a thick and fudgy chocolate frosting that spreads easily and is dairy-free? This has proven to be an elusive thing.

However, I was determined to find a good chocolate frosting recipe to go with my Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Cupcakes, so I got to work! And I must confess that I’m mighty pleased with the results.

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What Is the Difference Between Italian Seasoning and Herbes de Provence?

When it comes to spice blends these days, there are so many dotting the shelves in grocery stores that it can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re looking to try something new. But there are a couple of classic blends that most cooks keep in their cabinet—either store-bought or homemade—that inherently upgrade dishes from boring to flavorful.

Enter Italian seasoning and herbes de Provence, two spice blends that outwardly might appear pretty similar. Italian seasoning originated in the Mediterranean, but nowadays you’d never be able to actually find it in its namesake country. Its main use is to mirror the flavors of Italian cuisine outside of Italy. The blend is most traditionally made up of basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, but often there are versions featuring garlic powder, sage, and cilantro as well. Culinary uses range from stirring it into homemade tomato or meat sauces, soups, and marinades, seasoning meats before roasting or searing, or sprinkling it on pizza, sandwiches, and vegetables.

Herbes de Provence, on the other hand, is a spice blend from the southeast region of France, used predominantly in Provençal cuisine. It’s savory and pungent just like Italian seasoning, boasting a blend of marjoram, savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and occasionally floral notes of lavender (but only in North America). When it comes to cooking, these herbs are typically chosen as a way to infuse a savory flavor in grilled meat, fish, and vegetables. The blend is often mixed with other ingredients prior to or during the cooking process, but never added after the cooking is completed, unlike spices like salt or pepper.

Both are sold in grocery stores along with the rest of the spice blends, but it’s also super easy (and a lot cheaper) to make at home: Just blend the dried spices together with a mortar and pestle, or add to a mason jar or something comparable and shake until well-mixed.

Simple additions of just salt and pepper can get tiresome and boring; next time you’re in the kitchen, look to level up your marinade or stew with a sprinkling of Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence.

Italian Seasoning Mix Recipe

Add a Pinch

Shake dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, dried rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt together for a quick and easy homemade Italian seasoning. Get the recipe.

Roasted Potatoes with Italian Seasoning

Salu Salo

Roasted potatoes are easily upgraded when they’re roasted with a dousing of Italian seasoning. Get the recipe.

Italian Drunken Noodles with Spicy Italian Sausage

D. F. Homemade

In this spicy pasta dish, onions are cooked down with Italian seasoning to create a pungent base for a homemade tomato sauce. Get the recipe.

Baked Chicken Gnocchi with Garlic Asiago Cream

Eat Well 101

This one-pan chicken and gnocchi dinner is driven by a host of spices and sharp asiago cheese. Get the recipe.

DIY Herbes de Provence

Shutterstock

For a homemade taste of the south of France, you can quickly whip up your own herbes de Provence. Get the recipe.

Herbes de Provence Crusted Pork Loin with Chardonnay Pan Gravy

Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen

Brush a mixture of herbes de Provence, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper over a pork loin, then bake for an hour and a half. The result will be tender, spice-infused pork. Get the recipe.

Smoked Salmon and Roasted Red Pepper Frittata

Better Homes and Gardens

This frittata—perfect for brunch—features eggs whipped with cottage cheese, herbes de Provence, and pepper, which is then baked in the oven with vegetables and slices of smoked salmon. Get the recipe.

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Cassoulet

Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen

Embark on a trip to France with this cassoulet: Chicken breasts are rubbed with herbes de Provence, then cooked into a stew boasting sausage, carrots, tomatoes, beans, bacon, and Parmesan cheese. Get the recipe.

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Caves of New York: Inside Murray’s Cheese Aging Program

In April of 2015, Krista Jacobsen did what she describes as “probably the dumbest thing I ever did.” She relocated from California to New York City to accept an internship “with no guarantee of any kind of job afterward.” The job was with Murray’s Cheese, and it would be her first professional foray into the industry. After earning an undergraduate degree in animal science, Jacobsen spent years as a zookeeper before pursuing a Ph.D. and diving into the world of dairy. “My vice has always been cheese,” she says. “I thought—well, if I can’t beat the vice, then I might as well make it my job.”

After completing her three-month internship, Krista’s gamble of moving to the Big Apple paid off. She was hired onto the full-time staff and now serves as assistant caves manager at Murray’s, home to one of the few independent cheese aging facilities in the country.

In 2004, Murray’s opened its first set of cheese aging caves: a set of tiny rooms underneath the company’s flagship store in Greenwich Village. Then in 2013, the program crossed the East River to a facility in Long Island City. This larger space is made up of a temperature-controlled production area, a drying room, and the four caves. “Each cave is essentially a walk-in cooler that’s not as cold as a refrigerator would be,” explains Jacbosen. Inside, humidifiers and fans join forces to create the ideal ecosystems for four styles of cheeses: alpine, bloomy rind, washed rind, and natural rind.

Amanda Rivkin for Columbia News Service

Jacobsen’s scientific background serves her well in the caves, where experiments with different treatments are a common occurrence.  “Like any science experiment, you may have an epic failure or you could have a happy accident. We’ve had both.” Caves Manager Peter Jenkelunas says that testing out different aging techniques is the most enjoyable part of the job, explaining that while “the main styles of cheese have been handed down for centuries, everyone puts their own twist on the craft.”

Given the emphasis on experimentation, scientific training can be an asset for people applying to work in the caves. But there’s one interview question that supersedes all the rest. “It may seem like a very simple question,” ventures Jacobsen, “But it’s, ‘Well, do you actually really like cheese?’ Because if you don’t, you’re going to get sick of this. It is a lot of repetitive work.”

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The caves crew—a small but mighty team of five full-time employees and an intern—spends most of the work week on their feet. While each day varies depending on whether cheeses are arriving or rotating out, “it seems like we’re always flipping and washing,” Jacobsen remarks. The Monday–Wednesday–Friday routine involves flipping the cheeses in the bloomy rind cave and brushing the washed rind cheeses by hand. Meanwhile, Tuesdays and Thursdays are most often spent in the natural caves. On those days, you’re likely to find the team miting cheddars or washing the alpine cheeses to prevent dehydration.

While Jacobsen jokes that she lives in both a literal and figurative cave, Jenkelunas and Jacobsen do keep tabs on the outside world. “I think the most important thing to keep an eye on is advances in food safety,” asserts Jenkelunas. “As we learn more about the pathogens that can potentially contaminate cheese, we need to keep up with the trends of how to prevent, identify, and monitor contamination.” Jacobsen says that she stays up to date on technical information through recent publications in the Journal of Dairy Science. She also relies on her colleagues in the Buying and Wholesale departments to keep her posted on the state of the market, what customers are asking for, and what other producers are making.

Murray’s Mini Brie

The American cheese landscape is one that continues to grow and evolve. While Jacobsen reports that the amount of cheese in the caves has increased exponentially since her intern days, “there are still people who hear ‘American cheese’ and think you’re talking about Kraft singles and Velveeta.” But with every wheel of cheese that is hand-washed and flipped, the caves team is working to change that perception. And when the final products leave the nest, Cheese Specialists like Texas-based Adrianne Mingea are there to help “spread the word of the curd” across the country.

As compared to other cheese companies, Murray’s is uniquely positioned to take up this mantle on a national level. “Murray’s has done something other places haven’t,” explains Mingea. “That is: taking a small Greenwich Village cheese shop and copying and pasting it into over 400 Krogers nationwide. The idea of having a true speciality cheese shop, with knowledgeable and passionate mongers, in a local grocery store is unique to Murray’s.”

Looking ahead, Jacobsen says that she and her team have their sights set on further contributing to the industry by presenting at a conference one day. “Someone else would think that’s boring,” she speculates. “But we think it’s really awesome.” Until then, Jacobsen feels “eternally grateful” to be spending her days in the caves surrounded by her collaborative coworkers and, of course, hundreds of wheels of cheese.

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Eat Like a Local at Atlanta Airport

Airport food doesn’t always have to be greasy fast food, pre-packed sandwiches, and run-of-the-mill chain restaurants. Over 100 million passengers fly through the world’s busiest Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport each year, and they have several options where they can taste local flavors. While most travelers don’t have enough time to step outside the airport and enjoy Atlanta’s eclectic food scene, they can get a pretty good glimpse of it inside the seven terminals.

Check out these local restaurants inside Atlanta airport.

Paschal’s (Atrium, A, C)

Step back in time and visit one of Atlanta’s classic restaurants since 1947. This soul food establishment is known for award-winning fried chicken, and the city location was a meeting place for key civil rights leaders and strategists including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his lieutenants.

Papi’s Caribbean Café (T)

Established by a Cuban refugee, the Cuban grill has a takeout counter to grab a quick ropa vieja sandwich with black beans and yucca fries. Sip on a mojito at the bar, enjoy Latin music, and pick up a fedora at the adjacent shop.

Verasano’s Pizzeria (A)

Jeff Varasano traveled the world for 10 years perfecting the art of making pizza, eventually moving from the Bronx to Atlanta and taking the local gourmet pizza niche by storm. The restaurant is consistently ranked as a top pizzeria in the nation.  

Grindhouse Killer Burgers (D, T)

The local chain is rated one of Atlanta’s best for burgers and brisket chili. Build your own burger with a wide selection of toppings, or order a Hillbilly Style with pimento cheese and jalapeños, along with distinctive Georgia sides—Vidalia onion rings, fried green tomatoes, and sweet potato fries.

Grindhouse Burgers

Goldberg’s Bagel Company (T)

This family-run deli started serving New York style bagels in Atlanta in 1972 and has several locations around the city. Serving 32 varieties of bagels and homestyle Po’Boys, along with deli salads, stuffed cabbage, and steamed corned-beef pastrami, this is one of your classic neighborhood Jewish delis.

The Original El Taco (C, Mezzanine)

Who doesn’t like unpretentious good Mexican food while on the go? Atlanta’s neighborhood taco stand is always a big hit with travelers, offering simple and fresh Oaxaca-style tacos, big boss burritos, and spicy quesadillas for lunch and dinner.

Fresh to Order (B)

This Atlanta restaurant chain serves gourmet salads, sandwiches, and entrees at casual prices. Co-owner and South African immigrant Pierre Panos is behind the concept of healthy fast food at affordable prices, which is why F2O is one of the most popular lunch spots in the city.

The Varsity (C)

If you can’t go check out the biggest drive-in restaurant in the world in downtown Atlanta, you can still get a taste of its legendary burgers and chili dogs. Celebrating its 90th year, the family-owned chain still uses the same recipes for almost a century that even President Obama and President George H.W Bush can’t resist.

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One Flew South Restaurant & Sushi Bar (E)

One Flew South is one of the few upscale dining establishments at Atlanta Airport. The cuisine is defined as “southernational,” inspired by world travels and using fresh, local ingredients. Find everything from chicken noodle soup and Korean style burgers to good quality sushi here.

Jekyll Island Seafood Company (F)

The Jekyll Island-inspired restaurant offers a taste of Georgia’s Atlantic coast with fried crawfish, buffalo shrimp, grits, fresh oysters, and seafood gumbo served with southern hospitality. The only thing missing is an ocean breeze!

Atlanta Chophouse & Brewery (Atrium)

A classic steakhouse with hearty sandwiches and salads in a casual setting. This is where you can get a fantastic prime rib served quickly. Also, have a business meeting over craft beer in one of their private rooms.  

Atlanta Stillhouse (T)

Experience a bourbon flight (32 to choose from), cocktails, and whiskey at the Jim Beam (one of the best-selling bourbon brands in the world) co-owned restaurant. Pair it with Southern-style deviled eggs topped with crispy bacon, or a side of brisket.

TAP Airport (A)

Owned by local Concentrics Restaurants group, the gastropub showcases a taste of Atlanta with dishes such as buttermilk fried chicken, hot boiled peanuts, and shrimp and Logan Turnpike grits. Try local beers on tap, or relax with a porch swing peach punch.  

Lotta Frutta

Lotta Frutta (B)

Who says you can’t eat healthy on the road? What began as a website about fruit facts evolved into a Pan-Latin fruiteria serving Mexican-style fresh-cut fruit cups, South American-style smoothies, Cuban-inspired sandwiches, Mexican paletas (fruit popsicles), and Ecuadorian ice creams.

Piece of Cake (A)

If you are craving something sweet, head over to one of Atlanta’s legendary bakeries, Piece of Cake, for rich slices of coconut, banana, and pound cake. They also have cupcakes, brownies, cheese straw,s and cookies baked daily.

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