Banana Bars

Lately, I have been wanting to make banana bread with over ripe bananas, but the kids have been eating them all up before I am stuck with any over ripe ones.  Finally, today I noticed that we had a few that qualified to me as over ripe--no more green on them.  So I found this recipe and the kids loved it!  I may make these from now on rather than banana bread.  (mostly because I just really love frosting)  Also, they were eaten up before I got a picture so they really are a winner at my house!

Frosted Banana Bars

from allrecipes.com

½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (I used three ripe bananas)

Frosting (use store-bought cream cheese frosting or make your own from the version below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 x 15 inch jellyroll pan or one 9X13 pan and an additional 8X8 pan. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; stir into the batter. Finally, mix in the mashed banana. Spread evenly into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bars to cool completely before frosting.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Set aside. In another medium bowl, beat whipped cream until stiff peaks form (it helps to use a chilled bowl and chilled beaters). Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Frost to your heart’s delight!

Lemon Bars

3/4 c. margarine, softened

1 1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. powdered sugar

Dash of salt

Mix together and spread on 9 x913 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

4 eggs, beaten well

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. flour

6 Tbsp. lemon juice

Pour onto crust that is still hot. Put back in oven and bake 25 minutes. While still hot, rub butter lightly over the top, then sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. Cut in squares and serve.

I have adjusted the recipe for the crust to make it a little thinner. Before, it was 1 c. margarine, 2 c. flour, and 1/2 c. powdered sugar. It always seemed too thick to me.

This recipe came from Afton Godfrey

Spinach Salad

Christine this is for you...I don't have a picture to post with it.  Jay and I make this a lot since the last reunion.  It is so yummy!

Spinach Salad
1 (6 oz) pkg fresh baby spinach
1 c chopped cumcumber
1 c fresh broccoli florets
1/2 c golden rasins
1/2 c real bacon bits
1/4 c slivered almonds
1/4 c sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 c chopped red onion

Dressing:
1/3 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sugar
2 T red wine vinegar

Directions:
In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, cucumber, broccoli, raisins, bacon, almonds, mushrooms, and onion.
In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until smooth.  Just before eating, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Christine's Requested Salad Recipe

Christine, I am about 99% sure that htis is the salad recipe from Iron Chef cook off last year.  Janae will have to check it out and let me know if I am right.  It was at http://www.allrecipes.com/ .

Ingredients:

1 (6 ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup real bacon bits
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped red onion

DRESSING:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions

In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, cucumber, broccoli, raisins, bacon, almonds, mushrooms and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat.

Classic Italian Lasagna

I found this recipe at http://www.melskitchencafe.blogspot.com/ which is one of my favorite food websites.  It was not a winner recipe with my kids, but Scott and I really liked it.  This is the meal that inspired me to start charging my kids for the food they don't eat.  Lasagne takes way too long to make for my kids to refuse to eat it!  Anyway, it is one I would make again, but only for Scott and I.  (I guess I could make it for the kids when I need some cash)

Classic Italian Lasagna

*Makes one 9X13-inch pan of lasagna (and requires the use of several pots and skillets…but don’t worry, you can wash those up in a snap while the lasagna is baking)

Red Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced (see garlic tutorial here)
1/2 large onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano and basil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

White Sauce:
3 cups milk (not skim, I used 1%)
5 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

9 lasagna noodles, boiled for half the time on the box (or use 12 of the no-boil noodles, of which I far prefer the Barilla brand)
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or with a napkin dipped lightly in olive oil and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey over medium-high heat, breaking the meat apart into pieces with a wooden spoon. When turkey is cooked through, drain the grease and set aside.

In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon butter. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. When oil/butter is hot, add the garlic, stirring constantly. When the garlic is lightly browned, but NOT burned, add the onion and mushrooms. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft and browned and the fluid has mostly cooked out. Remove from heat and either using a handheld immersion blender or transferring the vegetables to a blender, blend the vegetables to a paste-like mixture. Return the pot to the heat (pour the pureed vegetables back in, if using a stand-alone blender) and add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Then add the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir. Cover and let the sauce sauce simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Right before using the red sauce in the lasagna, stir in the reserved ground turkey.

While the red sauce simmers, if using lasagna noodles that need to be boiled, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and boil the noodles for half the time suggested on the box. Once the noodles are cooked, drain, but do not rinse. Add a dab of olive oil to keep them from sticking together. If you are using no-boil noodles, you can skip this step.

Also while the red sauce is cooking, melt the four tablespoons butter and when melted, add the flour, stirring constantly to combine and letting the mixture cook, while stirring, for a minute or two. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the white sauce, ensuring it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan, while cooking it over medium heat. Continue slowly stirring or whisking while the white sauce cooks and thickens quite a bit, about 5-7 minutes. Add a pinch of mozzarella for good luck, if you wish!

To begin layering the lasagna, keep in mind that you’ll have three layers of noodles as well as three layers of the sauces and cheese – so plan on splitting all the sauce and cheese piles into thirds so you don’t run out at the end! On the bottom of your lightly greased baking pan, layer three pre-boiled noodles or four no-boil noodles, slightly overlapping the no-boil noodles. Layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spreading all to the edges and top with another layer of noodles. Again, layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and top with the final layer of noodles. Layer the sauces and cheeses again.

Cover the lasagna with a greased layer of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Backwards Blog

Okay, I know the purpose of this blog is to SHARE recipes. However, today I'm going to do this backwards and REQUEST a recipe and I'm really hoping that one of you has it.

Last summer at our Iron Chef practice run in Island Park someone (I think Lacee) made an awesome green salad. I don't even remember what was in it, I just remember how good it was. And I want the recipe.

So, does anyone have it or know where I can get it?

Much appreciated,

Christine

Pizza Roll-Ups

2 loaves Rhode's bread
Pizza sauce or 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
Toppings of your choice
Mozzarella cheese, grated

Set the frozen bread out 7-8 hours before you want to make the pizza rolls. Cover with plastic wrap so it won't dry out.
When ready, roll each loaf out to an approximate 10"x12" rectangle. Spread pizza sauce lightly over the middle of the bread, keeping the outer 1" of each edge clean. Place meat and other toppings of your choice over the sauce. Last, sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.
Starting from long edge, pull the dough up over the meat and cheese. Work carefully, keeping the meat and cheese inside as you pull. When the dough is covering a little more than half the meat and cheese, pull the other long edge over the meat and cheese. Seal the edges and the ends of the dough. Place both rolls seam down and lengthwise, about an inch apart, on a cookie sheet.
Allow to rise while heating your oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and spread olive oil or butter over the crest to soften it. Cool for 5-10 minutes, slice and serve.

Mom's note:

• This was a family favorite when our kids were growing up.
• You can use bottled pizza sauce for a milder flavor or the tomato paste makes a more robust flavor.

Cilantro Lime Rice

In my quest to remake all my favorites from Cafe Rio, I have discovered this recipe.  Justin, Scott, and I are huge fans.  The other kids...not so much.  They don't really count though because they do not yet adore Cafe Rio as I do.  So give it a try.  It is a little limey, but I like it that way.  You can reduce the lime juice of you want.  This is so good served with Janae's enchiladas or Pineapple and Green Chile Pork Tacos.

Cilantro Lime Rice

4 tbls butter
2 1/2 cups rice
4 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use Minute Rice so I only use half this amount of broth)
1 1/2 tsp salt
juice of 4 small limes or 4 tbls lime juice (You can use less if you don't love lime)
4 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin

Mix all in rice cooker or pot until done. ( I don't have a rice cooker so I just cook it in a sauce pan)

Crock Pot Chicken Bowtie Pasta

I have had this recipe in my binder for a long time, so I have no clue where I got it from.

Combine the following in a crockpot:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I always cook with thighs instead of breasts)

1 jar four cheese alfredo sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

3/4 pkg real bacon pieces (I couldn't find a pkg, so I bought a jar of real bacon pieces in the salad dressing section instead)

1 pkg fresh sliced mushroom (looking at the picture, I think I forgot those!)

1/2 pkg dry Italian Dressing mix

1 cup cubed swiss cheese

1/4 stick of butter, melted

Salt and pepper

Cook on low 6-7 hours, shredding the chicken breasts about 1 hour before finished cooking.

Serve over bow tie pasta (as you can see we didn't have bow tie, so we used shell instead)

This was really good and made the house smell so yummy all day.  It was really good leftovers the next day too.  I just stored the chicken mixture seperate from the pasta in the refridgerator.

Crock Pot Pesto Chicken

Recipe adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

The recipe originally had you make your own pesto, but I have fallen in love with this pesto (pictured below) so I thought I would just buy it instead.  It is in the refrigerated section, (at WinCo it is on the top shelf near the salsa by the tortellini).  At my house any time the kids hear us say pesto, they say "pesto is the besto".  This is so yummy on hoagie sandwiches too.  It really is the besto!

4 chicken thighs

sliced mozzarella cheese (I just layered one or two slices on each thigh)

Pesto

In the bottom of a large slow cooker, arrange your chicken pieces. Mine were still frozen. Layer on slices of mozzarella cheese. Pour pesto evenly on top.  Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. If your chicken is frozen it will take a bit longer.

This was so good.  It had a lot of flavor to it.  We just served it with dutch oven style potatoes (cooked in a frying pan this time of year). 

Sinful Bread

I got this one from The Sisters Cafe . It's another food blog written by sisters and they always have awesome recipes. I modified the recipe a bit, it says to put the mixture on French bread but all I had was garlic bread. I left out the minced onion cause it seemed like all the garlic on the bread AND minced onion would just be too much. It turned out good, but I still would like to try it as the original recipe reads. I made this a few weeks ago while Janae was visiting and she must have liked it cause she called me later to get the recipe. This is one I think we'll definately be having again sometime soon.

Sinful Bread

2 loaves french bread
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated fresh
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced onion

Combine ingredients. Split french bread horizontally, spread mixture and sprinkle with paprika (if desired). Broil to crisp up. Enough for 2 loaves of french bread.

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Source:  http://www.bettycrocker.com/

I made these today for a Sunday afternoon treat.  They are very good, but very rich.  My kids really liked them, and it is something we would make again.  Give 'em a try!

Brownie Base
1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix (or whatever brownie mix you have)
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box

Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk (I just estimated this, I may have used more.)

Topping
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, we don't like dark chocolate)
1/4 cup butter


1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.)

2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

3. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.

4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. For brownies, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Tuscan Macaroni and Cheese Bake

I found this great recipe on My Kitchen Cafe a while back and have made it a few times already. Mike loves it, and that's saying a lot. He's a pretty picky eater. I modified it slightly from the original recipe and it turned out great!


Tuscan Macaroni and Cheese Bake
(modified slightly from My Kitchen Cafe)


16 ounces ground pork, cooked and drained
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 cup sliced olives
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 Tblsp butter
1 1/2 Tblsp flour
1 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tomato, sliced thinly

Cook macaroni according to package directions but undercook theby 1-2 minutes since it will continue baking in the oven. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, cooked pasta, cream cheese, olives and 1 cup mozarella cheese. In small bowl, mix flour and spices.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter, then whisk in flour and spices. Allow to cook without browning for about 30 seconds while whisking. Slowly add the milk and stir until slightly thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan. When slightly thickened, pour over pasta mixture and mix well.

Pour into 9 x 13 greased casserole dish. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove cover and add tomato 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for 10 minutes more. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.