Banana Bread

Hi! Kurt keeps bananas in his lunch pail for work, so you can imagine how ripe they get if he gets too many and doesn't eat them fast enough....this afternoon he asked if I was ever going to use them. (I just stick them in the freezer.) I had the time, so why not? I went in search of my trusty, rusty recipe...I couldn't find it! So, out came a cookbook and after choosing one of the 8 recipes, I finally got started using all those brown bananas! My old recipe was very basic and that's why I loved it. HOWEVER, it is now gone for good because this new one is great! (but still very basic!) The bread is still warm and is wonderful! (I usually like it better the next day.)

Banana Bread
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. mashed bananas (2 large)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. nuts, opt.

Cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in eggs. Mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Add nuts if desired. Pour into greased and floured pans. Bake in loaf pan for 45 mins at 350. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Great Green Beans

We had these for supper last week and Lauren ate 3 helpings! They are so simple yet flavorful! (plus I always have canned beans on hand, so they are handy!)

Great Green Beans
2 cans of green beans, drained a little
1 beef bouillion cube
1 T. Worcestershire
1 t. soy sauce
1/8 t. garlic salt
1 T. butter (I don’t add this….actually I forgot it was in the recipe!)

Mix all in saucepan and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Graham Cracker Crust Recipes

Hi! This is for LeeAnn, who has a wayward graham cracker crust and needs to fill it!

First, the easy, fast one....

Turtle Pie
1 graham cracker crust
3 T. butter
3 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. chocolate chips (recipe calls for milk, but I use semi-sweet)
3/4 c. pecans

Mix butter and eggs well. Stir in the remainder and pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Bake at 350 for 30-35 mins. When serving, drizzle with carmel and chocolate sauce.




Second, the not so quick one...but VERY worth it!

Fresh Strawberry Pie
1 graham cracker crust
1-1 1/2 qts. of strawberries (I usually use about a lb.), hulled and sliced

Filling:
1 pkg. cream cheese (light is great!)
1 T. milk
2 T. sugar

Glaze:
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
dash of salt
1 3/4 c. water
1 pkg. strawberry jell-o (I've used SF without a problem)

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, milk, and sugar-mix until smooth. Spread over the bottom of the crust; arrange strawberries on top.
In a saucepan, combine 1st 4 glaze ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook/stir for about 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in jell-o until dissolved. Chill. Pour over berries. Refrigerate. Best served the day of or next day.

More tie-dyed cake

So, I'm really, really into making these...Lauren's b-day cake was really cute, even if the pink frosting was a little TOO vibrant! (It tasted great!)

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin bars are a perfect fall comfort food! This recipe comes from Kurt's grandma and was one of the first I requested from her!

Pumpkin Bars
1 c. oil (I use 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 c. oil)
2 c. sugar
2 c. pumpkin (1 can)
4 eggs
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. soda
2 t. cinnamon

Mix the first 4 very well. Add the dry ingredients. Bake in a greased cookie sheet for 20-25 mins. at 350 degrees. Frost when cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting
3 oz. cream cheese
1 t. vanilla
6 T. butter/margarine
1 T. milk
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar

YUMMY!

Fruit Salad

Hi...this is embarrassingly easy, but as requested... ;)

Every time my friends and I got together to eat in college, we made this. In fact, we ate it so much, I did not even make it for my girls until this summer when LeeAnn's husband requested it. As expected, they loved it!

Fruit Salad
1-2 apples, chopped
1 can of mandarin oranges
1-2 bananas
1-2 kiwi
Miracle Whip (again, the light is fine.)

Chop fruit into bite-sized pieces and mix in Miracle Whip. (Start with a tablespoon or two and mix until desired consistency.)

Tie-dye Cake

My dessert of choice over the past week was "Tie-dyed" cake...it looks so amazing!

The first one was just for fun and then I made a camouflage one for some friends of ours whose sons have enlisted in the Army.

They are super easy to make and every piece is different.

Tie-Dye Cake

Mix a white cake mix according to the directions. Divide the batter into 3-4 bowls and tint each bowl with food coloring. (I use Wilton's.) Carefully drop spoonfuls, alternating colors, into prepared cake pan. (I like using a bundt pan.) DO NOT swirl. Bake as directed.

Grilled Hashbrowns

Thanks to LeeAnn's insistence that her picture is moved.....

This is a super easy recipe for when you are grilling steak...which is our supper plan for tonight.

Grilled Hashbrowns

3 1/2 C. frozen, cubed hashbrowns
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 T. beef bouillon
dash of Lawry's
dash of pepper
1 T. butter/margarine

Place potatoes on a piece of foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. (roughly 20" by 12")
Sprinkle with onion, bouillon, Lawry's, and pepper; drizzle with butter. Fold foil around potatoes and seal tightly. (I usually use another piece of foil, just in case!) Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10-15 mins, flipping once.

I have also made these in the oven...just roast like other potatoes.

Sugar Cookies

I will get better at keeping up....I promise!!!!!

I finally got one of my life's dreams...a stand mixer! My MIL has been listening and she and Steve gave me one for Christmas...I've only used it for cookies and a box dessert mix, but it is WONDERFUL! It will definitely come in handy when we make our SUGAR COOKIES next year....

Steph's Sugar Cookies

1/2 C. butter

1/4 C. shortening

1 C. sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 1/2 C. flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

Mix butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs. Blend in the rest. Refrigerate overnight. Roll and cut out. Bake at 400 for 6-8 mins.

My friend LeeAnn and I have gotten together to bake Christmas cookies every year for the past 5 years...we've tried a different sugar cookie recipe EVERY year. We FINALLY hit a winner this year!!! We were SO EXCITED!

The pictures show how anal I am, compared to LeeAnn and Lu. They frosted and sprinkled 3x the amount that I did in the same time. Her husband complains mine do not have enough sprinkles..according to Bud, you can't have too many! (which is also Lu's philosophy!)

Thanks for the recipe Steph!

Sugar Cookie Frosting

1/2 C. butter

1/4 C. shortening

1 t. vanilla

dash of salt

4 C. powdered sugar

2-4 T. milk

Mix...add milk to the desired consistency.

This was a great frosting we found in a cookbook...stands up, is yummy, and dries very well!