Banana Nut Bread

Banana Bread is a favorite in our house, I often make them into muffins and call them cupcakes. I also alter this recipe by replacing the bananas with any pureed fruit or vegetable ( zucchini, carrots, apples, etc)

Ingredients:

2 cups of all whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of applesauce

1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of honey

2 eggs

4 overripe, smashed bananas

walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together applesause and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 mins, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Enjoy

Biscuit Dough Pizza

Here's my latest post from Tummies Full of Love!

My family decided to try a new recipe after my brother enjoyed "Biscuit Dough Pizzas" at a friend's house. It's pretty easy, and I think the crust makes all the difference. These pizzas are delicious! Next time you think about ringing up Papa John, try this instead! (Also provides for some fun family time if everyone gets involved!)

What You'll Need: (Per pizza)
1 can of biscuits (I prefer the large "Texas style," but whatever you choose, stay away from the super flaky layered ones if you want an easier pizza.)
Pizza sauce (1/2 to 1 jar)
1 bag of mozzarella cheese
1 lb. Tennessee Pride mild sausage
Pepperoni
Veggies

Instructions:
1. Spray pan or stone.
2. Arrange the biscuits and press them into a round shape, completely covering the pan. I pinched around the edge to provide a lip to hold the sauce in.

3. Bake at 350 for five minutes. Meanwhile, prepare toppings. (Brown & drain sausage, slice veggies, etc.)
4. Remove pizza, and add toppings.
5. Return to oven and bake until the crust is done and cheese has slightly browned.

Variation: Biscuit dough crust is just calling for a breakfast pizza! Subtract tomato sauce, add egg on top of cheese!

Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups

Ingredients:

3/4 pound lean ground beef (I used a little less than 1/2 pound)

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper ( I used 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 can Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits ( I used Crescent Rolls)

1/2 cut shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic and bell pepper over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and brown sugar.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits; place each biscuit in ungreased regular-size muffin cups (2 3/4x1 1/4 inches). Firmly press dough in bottom and up side of each cup, forming 1/4-inch rim. If desired, brush tops and sides of biscuits with an egg wash before baking. (To make the egg wash, beat 1 egg yolk and 1/4 teaspoon water until well blended.)

Spoon about 1/3 cup beef mixture into dough-lined cups. Sprinkle each biscuit with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese.

Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted.

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Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip

What you will need:

1lb chicken (tenders or breasts or even canned chunk chicken)

1 block low fat cream cheese

2/3 cup fat free ranch dressing

3/4 to 1 cup buffalo wing sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and a little more to top it off

What you will need to do:

1) Boil chicken until just done

2) Shred chicken, cut off any fat or skin

3) Heat cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch, and buffalo sauce until heated through.  Then add chicken until all is coated

4) Transfer to a small crock pot (top with shredded cheddar, if you want) and keep on warm or low.  It is ready immediately, since everything is cooked, but it's great take to bible study or a get together in the crock pot!  Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork BBQ

Hey y'all, sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I have a couple of recipes to share now!  I don't have the best pictures for this one, but it is really easy!

What you will need:

A shoulder butt roast (or rump roast)  This 7+ pounder fed 10 with some left over, so just get the size you need.  It freezes well, so you could do that if it makes a lot.

Some spices (Italian seasoning, light season salt, pepper, cumin, etc...)

A few shakes of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, if you have it

1/4 cup water

3/4 bottle of BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays - Hickory) But you don't need this until after the meat is cooked.

What you will need to do:

1) Take the meat out of the plastic (gag!  I hate messing with raw meat lol!)

2) Place in large crock pot.  I ended up having to cut off a chunk and squish it in a small opening to get it all to fit.  The lid needs to close completely.  Add your seasonings, Worcestershire sauce/soy sauce, and water here.

3) Cook on high with lid on for 6 hours or on low for 8 hours.  I cooked mine on high for 3 hours and had to leave, so I turned it on low for the next 5 hours and it came out fine.

4) It will cook down A LOT.  When it's completely cooked (6-8 hours), remove from the pot into a large baking dish.  It's best if this can sit in a dish (not crock pot) to cool for about an hour.  The bone should be really easy to pull out with tongs.  This is the nasty part, but fork around and pick out as much fat as you can.  It will probably come off in big chunks.  Keep the meat in pretty big pieces, so that when you mix in the BBQ sauce, it doesn't get too mushy.  Sorry I don't' have a picture of this.

5) Once the fat is removed and you have several large chunks of meat, pour on BBQ sauce and fork around to mix it in.  The meat should be so tender that it kind of just shreds itself as you mix in the sauce.  I used 3/4 small bottle of Sweet Baby Rays and left the remainder out for people to add extra if they wanted.  You can fix this the night before and heat it in the microwave or in the oven (with foil-so it doesn't dry out).

I don't have a great photo of the finished meat, but you can see it in this photo, in the white dish.  Serve with buns and some southern sides!  We made this for our Derby party in Phoenix and it was a hit! :)

Strawberry Orange Trifle

I don't have a picture because I don't have one of those fancy trifle dishes (yet).  But it was very easy and yummy!

Ingredients:
4 (heaping) cups of sliced strawberries (I used sugar free frozen, pre-sliced)
1-2 cans (15 oz.) of mandarin oranges, drained
2 Tablespoons orange juice (or juice from the can of the oranges)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 package of shortbread cookies, crushed (I used Keebler "Sandies")

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 (11 oz) jar lemon curd
OR
1 package cool whip
1 package lemon pudding prepared using package directions


1. Mix strawberries, oranges, OJ and sugar.  Let stand at room temp for 10 minutes.

2. If you use the cream and lemon curd, beat together at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Gradually increase mixer speed, beating until medium peaks form.  If you use cool whip and pudding, prepare the pudding before you do anything else.  Then mix in mixer with cool whip til blended.

3.  Start layering ingredients.  Put 1/3 of fruit  on the bottom.  1/3 of creamy mixture next, and 1/2 of the crushed cookies.  Repeat.  Top layer will be creamy mixture.  If you want, garnish with strawberries on top. 

Notes: The amount of oranges depends on how many you want.  One can would be good, but use two if you want in orange in about every other bite.  You can also use fresh oranges, but canned mandarin are easier. 

Ok, let me tell you about this lemon curd.  It is so hard to find!!  And it was $3 for a small jar.  So if you are adventurous I would try the second option I listed and mix a container of cool whip with some milk and lemon pudding.  I think it would be the same consistency and taste, and cheaper.  I will try that next time. 

And I do plan on making this again, it was a light and delicious!  It does better for larger crowds (6-10+ people) where it is all eaten because the cookies get mushy if it is kept overnight.

Apple Berry Salsa and Cinnamon Chips (Pampered Chef)

Apple Berry Salsa

2 medium Granny Smith Apples

1 pint strawberries, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 kiwi peeled and diced

1 small orange

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple jelly or apricot jam

Peel, core, slice and chop apples. Dice strawberries and kiwi and place in small mixing bowl. Zest orange to measure 1 teaspoon. Juice orange to measure 2 tablespoons. Add orange zest, juice, brown sugar and jelly to fruit mixture, mix gently. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cinnamon Chips- *Or just buy the Stacey's brand cinnamon pita chips from Wal-Mart/Sam's

8 (7 in) flour tortillas

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*I use more cinnamon and sugar!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray tortillas with water. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle onto tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Arrange half of the tortilla wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and crisp. Remove from the baking sheet to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining tortilla wedges.