Banana Bread

Banana bread is another favorite quick bread in our house!  I had some bananas on the counter yesterday that needed to be used up, so of course this is what I made.  No chocolate chips though.  :)  Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate chips in a lot of things.  Just not in my breads!

Banana Bread - Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed banana (about 3 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I like canola)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1.  Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a loaf pan. 
2.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Make a well in the center of the ingredients.
3,  In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork until relatively smooth.  Add the egg, sugar and oil.  Mix well.
4.  Add all the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. 
5.  Fold in walnuts.
6.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and continue cooling on rack.  Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

I cannot wait to have a piece of this with my coffee this morning!!  My kids had some with their breakfast before school and loved it! 

I have been making this recipe for years.  I have tried several others and always gone back to this one!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

Browned Butter-Pecan Shortbread

I have had this recipe flagged for 4 years and I am finally trying it today!  Every year I like to add a new cookie that I have never made before to my plates that I give away as gifts.  Once in awhile, one of them becomes a yearly staple.  :)


Browned Butter-Pecan Shortbread - adapted from Southern Living (click here for original recipe)

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups butter
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cups powdered sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour

1.  Place butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown.  Stir constantly!!  It will get foamy, then bubbly, then start to turn golden as foam dissapates.  Remove from heat immediately when this happens, and pour butter into a small bowl. Put the bowl in the refrigerator for an hour or until it starts to solidify. 
2.  Place chopped pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until lightly toasted.
3.  Once butter is chilled enough to use, place in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until cream.  Add the brown sugar and powdered sugar gradually, and beat until smooth.  Add the flour a little at a time beating at low speed.  Mix in pecans.
4.  Split the dough into 4 equal pieces.  Form each piece into an 8 inch log and wrap in wax paper.  Chill the logs for at least 4 hours or until firm.
5.  Slice the logs into 1/4" thick rounds and place on lightly greased cookie sheet or sheet lined with parchment paper.
6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire racks.


These were very simple to make.  The most difficult part is slicing them before baking.  I recommend a small knife.  First I used a medium size knife, and was having problems with the dough crumbling because it is kind of dry.  Next, I went to a huge knife, and that was worse.  So I went to a tiny, sharp, thin bladed knife...it was perfect!  I only took out one log of dough at a time.  As I sliced it, I would rotate the log about an eighth of a turn to help the dough keep its rounded shape.  These spread just a tiny bit, so you can put several of them on a sheet at one time.

They are VERY tasty.  Melt in your mouth, buttery, and the toasted pecans are fab.  Will I add them to my list this year?  Not sure...have a couple others to try first.  Would I make them again?  Absolutely.  The fam loves them! 

I may try dipping them halfway in chocolate....I'll let you know if I try that!

:)

Pumpkin Bread

I am addicted to Pumpkin Bread.  Seriously.  I could eat it all the time.  I have made a few loaves of it this fall, and then a new neighbor brough us over a loaf earlier this week.  When that was gone, I knew I needed to make more.  My family requested I put chocolate chips in it this time.  I did, but I honestly didn't like it nearly as much.  It kind of lost the pumpkin taste that I love so much.  It wasn't bad, but  it wasn't the same pumpkin bread that I had gotten addicted to. 

So you will have to decide if you want to add chocolate chips to yours.  :)  I vote no.

Pumpkin Bread - adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus spice blend
-OR-
1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ginger or cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

1.  Grease the bottom and part way up the sides of a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and spices.  Mix well.
3.  Add pumpkin, milk, eggs and shortening.  Beat with an electric speed on low until blended.  Then beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
4.  Add the other cup of flour and beat until blended.
5.  Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
6.  Spread batter in prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely on the rack.  Wrap in foil and store overnight before slicing.  It's MUCH tastier the next day!!!


Hope you all love this as much as we do...and let me know if you try it with the chocolate chips or without!

Greek-Style Turkey Burgers

I first made this recipe early this past year when Frank and I were following the 17 Day Diet eating plan.  Both Frank and I realized we loved eating less carbs, and we felt better while we were doing it.  So, several of the recipes have become ones I make often.

This recipe is a modification of a few recipes I came across.  I like to make the turkey burger patties in advance and freeze them so I can pull them out easily when I want to make this recipe.

Greek Style Turkey Burgers

Burgers:
small diced onion or dried onion
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
20 package ground turkey
Baby Spinach leave
3 tomato slices

Sauce:
1/2 cup plain, non-fat greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced

In a mixing bowl, mix the burger ingredients (except for the spinach and tomato) together and shape into 4 patties.  Grill on outdoor grill or countertop grill until burgers are cooked to 165 -170 degrees.

In a blender or food processor, place the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. 

Serve each burger by placing a tomato slice on the plate, top with a burger patty, then a handful of baby spinach, another tomato slice, then spoon sauce over top. 

These are great if you are looking for a no/low carb meal.  Yes, you have to eat it with a fork and knife, but they are still pretty delicious!

Cheeseburger/French Fry Casserole

This is a recipe I have made for my kids for years.  It is not low-fat.  It is not low-sodium.  It is full of processed food items.  So, if you are looking for something healthy.  This isn't it.

However, it is easy, and pretty tasty.  My kids enjoy it, and it makes enough to get some leftovers from. 

I believe I got this recipe from a magazine years ago, and it's just kind of become a comfort food staple at our house.

Cheeseburger French Fry Casserole

2 lbs. browned ground beef
1 can Golden Mushroom soup (*see note)
1 can Cheddar Cheese soup
1 bag your favorite frozen french fries

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  Mix browned beef and soups.
3.  Spread in a 9x13 dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
4.  Top with french fries to cover.
5.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until fries are lightly browned.

Serve topped with salt, pepper, ketchup, mustard and pickles. 

*Note:  Ok, this is TOP SECRET...but a few years back, one of my kids found a mushroom in the casserole.  Well, they swore it was a mushroom, and I told them it wasn't.  After that, I started running the Golden Mushroom soup through my mini-food processor to pulverize any evidence of the actual mushrooms!  :) 

I usually make this ahead by browning the beef and mixing it with the soups and placing it in the pan and then putting it in the fridge until I am ready to bake.  At that point, I top it with the fries and put it in the oven.

Tonight I served it with a Caesar salad!  Big hit and everyone was happy!  :)