Banana Bread

A few years ago we were helping a friend move and as she was cleaning out her freezer, I saw several brown and very shriveled bananas in the back. I asked her what she was saving those for and she told me that when they had bananas that were too ripe, she'd throw them in the freezer and when she had enough stock piled, would make homemade banana bread. I have always made "box-made" banana bread, so after hoarding enough bananas of my own, I decided to try to make a loaf from scratch. I got this recipe from The Food Network's website and of course had to add some of my own touches...mainly chocolate!

WARNING: The frozen bananas are totally gross once they are thawed, not in taste, but definitely in texture. And may I remind you Ahnnie had a very runny nose while I tried out this recipe...gross.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 Tablespoons room temp. butter (one stick)
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Optional ingredients:

• 8 oz. chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. (I then sprinkled the pan with sugar so that it made a little caramelized crust on the bread)

2. Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. ( I would add another 1/2 to whole teaspoon of cinn. It was not very cinnamon-y) In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears. (Gently fold in optional ingredients. Ina recommends mixing chips and nuts in plain flour first, then adding them to the batter so that they don't "sink" to the bottom)

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 mins. or until toothpick comes out clean. (It will turn very dark brown, but don't panic, just keep testing with toothpick) Cool in pan 10 mins. then remove from pan and cool completely.

REALITY: I would RECOMMEND WITH EXCEPTIONS this recipe. The exceptions being the frozen bananas; they kind of disintegrated into the dough so there were no visible banana chunks. I would also add more banana and more cinnamon to enhance the overall flavor. But the chocolate chips were a great addition and to my surprise, we have almost eaten the whole loaf!

Weeknight Meal: Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

"Wait, everyone stop eating! I forgot to take a picture!" This is what I yelled out at the dinner table as everyone was chowing down on the delicious and very easy recipe. Good thing Tim hadn't eaten all of his "spicy" portions yet, but they didn't last in that pan very long. This is another All You magazine recipe from the July issue and can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell's condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup Pace picante sauce
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 6 flour (6 inch) tortillas
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 green onion, sliced
  

1. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.

2. Stir in 1 cup picante sauce mixture from above, chicken and cheese in a large bowl. (To make life even easier I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store so all I had to do was take off the meat and saved the extra for a different recipe)

3. Divide chicken mixture among tortillas. (I let the tortillas sit at room temp. so that they wouldn't tear) Roll up the tortillas and place seam side up in 2 qt. shallow baking dish. (I used toothpicks to hold them closed until I could get the sauce on them in the next step) Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over filled tortillas. Cover baking dish with foil. (Can refrigerate at this point)

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min. or until enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with tomato and onion. (Made Tim's spicy by adding jalapenos inside and as topping)

REALITY: I would RECOMMEND this recipe to anyone who likes easy Mexican food. I am not a big fan of tomatoes and onions, and even I enjoyed this meal because you can barely see them inside. Yes, I'm one of those if I see it, I won't eat it type of people. I'll bet that this recipe would also freeze well. The portions are kind of small, so double it if you want leftovers.

Best Chocolate Cake in the Universe

Yes, the "best" in the universe, and that is not an understatement. Just look at the picture above as proof of its unyielding powers of chocolate seduction. Even my chocolate hating husband has eaten three pieces today, and all three were for breakfast. It is a very dense cake and super moist. I got the recipe from a Betty Crocker cake recipe booklet, but unfortunately Ahnnie ripped off the cover awhile ago, and it hasn't been recovered.

Ingredients:

• 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
• 1/2 cup chocolate milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 container sour cream (16 oz)
• 1 box chocolate instant pudding (4 serving size)
• 1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz)

Glaze:

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12 cups fluted tube cake pan with baking spray. (Be generous so it doesn't stick) In large bowl combine cake mix, chocolate milk, butter, eggs, sour cream, and dry pudding and mix with spoon until well blended. It will be very thick! Stir in bag of chocolate chips. Spoon into pan.

2. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. (It will also look wet, but be dry to the touch when done) Cool in pan 10 mins. Place on cooling rake or heatproof plate, turn pan over and remove pan. Cool completely.

3. In 1 quart saucepan, heat glaze ingredients over low, stirring frequently until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Drizzle over cake and store loosely at room temperature.

REALITY: I would definitely RECOMMEND this recipe to anyone who is a chocolate lover. It was very easy to make and a huge hit with the whole family. Mom and dad were here to help us eat it. But now that they are gone, who will help eat the rest?

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

Have I already mentioned that I love my crock pot? Well, for this meal, I wanted something quick and easy because my parents were driving down to help put Ahnnie's playground together and I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen after they first arrived from their very long 9 hour car ride. This is another recipe from Fix-It and Forget-It and is very basic so I added a few "extras" to spice it up.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups raw potatoes, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 lb. cooked ham, cubed
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 4Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Layer potatoes, onion, 1 tsp. salt, and ham into slow cooker. (I usually add a little bit extra ham)

2. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in four and 1 tsp. salt. Cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk. Cook until smooth and thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Pour over potato-ham mixture, stirring lightly. (Again, I add a little bit extra cheese and this step goes faster if you cook it at a medium high heat, just be careful not to burn it)

3. Cover. Cook on low 6-7 hours, or high 3-4 hours.

(Tim requested the extra toppings which made this even better. We added chopped green onions, bacon, and sour cream and served it with a cheddar biscuit)

REALITY: I would definitely RECOMMEND this recipe. It is quick and easy and very hearty. My dad even went back for seconds, which rarely happens. One quick tip though is to turn off your crock pot the last 30 mins of cook time and open the lid a little bit to help the sauce thicken up.

Weeknight Meal: Hungarian Goulash

What makes this meal a week night meal, is that it is cooked in possibly one of the best inventions ever made...the crock pot. It is so easy to toss together in the morning, and then pull out tender flavorful beef chunks 8 hours later. I got it from the book "Fix-It and Forget-It" and have made it several times.

I used homemade German spatzle as its base, but you can top anything you might have in your pantry such as egg noodles, or go even easier and pour it over instant mashed potatoes. Voila!

And no, I didn't eat the green beans...I took the picture and then scrapped them onto Tim's plate. Tee-hee!

Ingredients:

• 2lbs. beef stew meat
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 10 3/4 oz. can of tomato soup
• 1 cup sour cream

1. Mix meat, onion powder, garlic powder, and flower in slow cooker until meat is well coated. (I didn't have paprika in my pantry so I substituted with chili powder and it gave it a little bite)

2. Add remaining ingredients, except sour cream. Stir well. (I added a whole diced onion as well)

3. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours or High 4-5 hours.

4. Add sour cream 30 mins. before serving. (It gives it this tang and makes it really smooth)

5. Serve over warm noodles.

REALITY: I would highly RECOMMEND this recipe, especially in the colder months and it is so versatile that you can add a lot to it like potatoes, tomatoes, green pepper...

Taffy Apple Pizza

Alright, who doesn't like pizza?! This dessert pizza recipe came from a Pampered Chef cookbook called "All the Best" and was really easy to make. The crust can be made in advance which is what I did when I made this for a pot luck event.

Ingredients:

• 1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 medium granny smith apples
• 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press cookie dough evenly into greased 10 inch round spring form pan. Bake 15 mins or so until light golden brown all over and cookie is cooked through. Remove from oven and cool completely. Remove outside spring form. (I left it on the base for easier cutting and baked it up the night before so all I had to do in the morning was assemble)

2. Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla in small bowl and mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie. (There will be plenty of leftover spread unless you want it really thick on your crust. I used the extra to dip graham crackers or sliced apples in)

3. Peel, core and slice apples. Cut in half and arrange evenly over cream cheese mixture.(Soaking the apple slices in lemon water will keep them from turning brown; pat dry)

4. Microwave ice cream topping 10-15 seconds to thin it out and drizzle over apples. Chop peanuts and sprinkle over apples. (I cut it into slice ahead of time and it was much easier releasing from the base of the spring form pan, than trying to pry it off as a full "pizza". I also didn't have peanuts in my pantry so I crumbled Nutter Butter cookies on top instead)

REALITY: I would definitely RECOMMEND this recipe to others. It is sweet and salty and reminds me of a caramel apple. I would suggest keeping it cold so that the apples don't get soft and the cookie crust tends to get soggy as well, but hopefully it will get eaten up quickly because it is that good!

Coconut Cream Soup/Pie

For my first entry I will tell the tale of a wife, eager to please her overworked husband, by creating his favorite dessert...coconut cream pie. I found the recipe in the July edition of All You magazine which is a great source for coupons and general housekeeping ideas. It was originally a double coconut cream pie, but coconut can be expensive and I had a pie crust in the freezer so I made a substitution.

Ingredients:

• One nine inch refrigerated pie crust (baked)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups sweetened coconut
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Additional coconut for toasting, garnish

1. Bake pie shell as package directs.

2. In bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla until smooth. Warm milk in pan over medium heat until nearly simmering. (I just waited for it to start steaming) Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot milk mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to coat back of spoon, about 5 mins. (My first attempt I did not cook this mixture long enough so make sure it is good and thick) Remove from heat, stir in remaining two cups coconut and 2 Tbsp. butter; let stand 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Pour custard into crust. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly against surface of custard and chill completely, about 1 1/2 hours. (I didn't chill it long enough so be sure to give it time to chill and firm up, see pic)

3. Using electric mixer, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over custard, swirling decoratively. Chill another 30 mins. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. (I tried to take a short cut and use canned whipped topping and it fell flat and turned runny, aiding in the "soup effect". Definitely recommend making fresh whipped cream)

REALITY: I found this recipe challenging, especially because I had never made a custard from scratch before, and could not seem to get the correct consistency. Perhaps with more practice I could get it right. Although it did taste good and looked beautiful until I cut into it, I would NOT RECOMMEND this recipe.

Welcome to Recipe Reality!

Dear Readers, welcome to my new project! This blog is designed to help offer new recipes including pictures, helpful hints, and where I found them, so that the next time you are wondering what to take to that pot luck at work or what you can make for a quick weeknight meal, you can check here first and hopefully get some ideas.

I have recently gotten very excited about cooking and can safely say am addicted to the Food Network. Ahnika can easily recognize Ina and Giada, however it should be revealed that I about the pickiest eater out there and compare my taste preferences to that of my 17 month old...hot dogs and pizza. So my hope is that this project also gets me to try new things and eat those gross things otherwise known as "vegetables". Perhaps as time goes on and it evolves, readers can suggest new recipes to try and I can post the results. Join me on this journey and we'll see what we can "cook up" together!