Banana Cake with browned butter frosting

{via}

Banana Cake

1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups ripe bananas, mashed (3 or 4 bananas)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

  Heat oven to 375 degrees (350 degrees, if using a dark pan) Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan. 

Beat first 4 ingredients until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla for one minute. Add dry ingredients and blend one minute. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 20-24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and then frost with browned butter frosting.

Browned Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS:  Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat past the melting point until it's boiling, and a delicate brown. Remove from heat and immediately add remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined. Pour and spread over cooled cake. Serve and enjoy! 

"Texas Trash" Dip

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

2 cans refried beans

1 C sour cream

1 pkg taco seasoning

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

2 C shredded mexican blend cheese with jalapenos

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning.

Then add beans and 2 C cheese.

Spread in casserole dish.

Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min.

{So delish!}

Creamy and by adding the cheese with jalapenos

it adds just a touch of heat.

Ranch Chicken

6-8 Chicken breasts

1 cup Corn Flakes

1 cup Shredded Parmesan

1 cube butter (melted)

1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together Corn Flakes, Parmesan and Ranch packet. Cut the chicken in half, dip the chicken in the melted butter then in the corn flake mixture and place into baking dish. Pour the remaining butter on top and bake for 45-50 minutes uncovered. Enjoy!!!

San Pete Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 Can Campbells Chicken Gumbo Soup

1 small can tomato sauce

3 T Ketchup

3 T Mustard

2 T brown sugar

Brown ground beef, add all other ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then simmer and serve.

{the thought of Manwich makes me gag.  I have never liked Sloppy Joes, but when my friend

made these camping I really liked them. Don't think Manwich, this is much better}

Honey dijon chicken

Preheat your oven to 450ºF.

Then, mix together 1/2 cup of dijon mustard,

1/4 cup of maple syrup,and 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar.

You can also add honey.

Or use honey instead of maple syrup.

Put a 1.5 pound package of chicken thighs into an baking dish.

Then, salt and pepper the thighs.

Pour your maple mustard mixture over them

turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated.

Put the chicken thighs into the oven,

and let them bake for 40 minutes.

Baste the tops of the chicken with more sauce half way through.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Plate the chicken, making sure to spoon some extra sauce over the top.

Sprinkle over some fresh rosemary.

Cookie problems

1. This cookie is done just right. It is pictured to compare with the rest.
2. This dough was not refrigerated. It is still good but a little flatter than it should be.
3. This dough contained too much flour and did not spread much at all. It is interesting to note that the dough looked identical to the correct dough, but was much stiffer and drier.
4. This dough had too little flour. It spread too much and didn’t bake evenly.
5. This dough was over-mixed. It had a poor color, baked flat and had a strange consistency.
6. This dough was formed too small. It was overcooked at eight minutes. It is fine to make smaller cookies, just bake them for less time.
7. This dough was formed too large. The outsides were done while the middle was too high and underdone.
8. This dough was baked in an oven 25 degrees too hot. The outside was overdone and the inside was slightly underdone.
9. This dough was baked in an oven 25 degrees too cool. It fell flat and became too crisp without much of an inside.
10. This dough was frozen when baked. It took longer to bake and didn't cook as evenly. To use frozen dough, set on cookie sheet at room temperature while oven is preheating, 15-20 minutes. It takes the frost off and bakes perfectly.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Chicken:

4 large chicken breasts

1 sleeve Ritz crackers

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/2 C milk

3 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 t dried parsley

Sauce:

1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

2 T sour cream

2 T butter

Cut each chicken breast into 3 pieces.

In a small food processor grind up Ritz Crackers

Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.

Dip each piece of chicken in the milk

then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Some of it will fall off when you add it to the cracker crumbs, don't worry about it.

Press the cheesy chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.

By the time you are coating

the last piece of chicken,

the dish you are using for the

crumbs will be full of cheese.

Don't let it get you down once the cheese melts in the oven

it will adhere nicely to the crumbs and the crackers.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan

Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.

Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the top.

7 Layer Dip Cups

Do I really need to put a recipe for these? :)
Just wanted to remember the idea.

Do see my guacamole recipe for the best guacamole.

Italian Cheese Biscuits

1 Tube of Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits

6 String Cheeses

1 Cup of Zesty Italian Dressing

1-2 Cups of Parmesan Cheese

Remove biscuits and split in half. Cut each string cheese in half and place in the center of the biscuit. Fold dough around cheese so that it is completely sealed. Roll in Italian dressing and then in Parmesan cheese. Place on baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve with Marinara sauce.

Chicken Chowder

Set aside:

1 large chicken cooked {use rotisserie chicken}

In a pot add:

1 quart of chicken broth + 1 chicken bullion cube

1 cup celery (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup onion

1 cup of grated Carrots

4 cups of Potatoes {can use frozen}
1 cups of sweet white corn (Optional)

Simmer until veggies are cooked.

Cook in separate pan:

Melt butter in pan slowly stir in flour then milk. Stir until mixture thickens.

1 cup of Butter

1 cup of Flour

1 quart of Milk

Pour thickened sauce into veggie mix.

Add:

1/2 teaspoon of Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Accent (optional)

dash of pepper.

Add chicken and simmer. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking and burning the white sauce.
Top with bacon, cheese green onion etc...

Skinny broccoli & cheese casseroles

1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets

6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp. light butter, melted

Slivered almonds, chopped as garnish

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add frozen broccoli, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until thawed. Drain water and mix in cream cheese until broccoli is completely coated. Divide broccoli evenly into four mini ramekins and set aside.

Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter in a bowl and sprinkle over each broccoli mixture. Garnish with chopped almonds, if desired, and bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until top is browned and dishes are bubbling. Enjoy!

Candied balsamic tomatoes and mozzarella salad

4 cups grape tomatoes

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and cut in small pieces

1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves, torn

Cooking spray

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add tomatoes to pain; cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes release juices. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Drizzle with vinegar and cook about 30 seconds or just until vinegar evaporates.

Transfer tomato mixture to a serving bowl. Add mozzarella and basil, toss and enjoy!

Asparagus Gratin

1 lb thin asparagus

1 1/2 cups water

S&P

1 T butter

1 T flour

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese

Bring water to a boil and boil asparagus for 5 minutes

Add asparagus to a skillet, cook stirring occasionally 2-4 minutes.

Transfer asparagus to baking dish.

{keep asparagus water you boiled them in}

Melt butter in now empty skillet over medium heat,

add flour and cook, stirring constantly until. Cook until thickened about 3-5 minutes

Turn heat off whisk in part of each cheese.

Use reserved asparagus water to thin out

cheese mixture as you go along.

Season with S&P.

Pour cheese mixture over top of asparagus in baking dish.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and place in

broiler for a few minutes, watch carefully.

You just want to turn the cheese brown.

{I have not made this yet, but I may use Shirley J mix to make my cheese sauce}

Carver's Salad

Ingredients:

1 small bunch baby spinach

1 head romaine lettuce

1 16 oz. bag craisins

1 cup sliced almonds, *roasted

1 golden delicious apple, sliced or cut into pieces

Honey Cider Dressing:

3 Tablespoons cider vinegar

3 Tablespoons honey

6 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1 ½ Tablespoons finely minced onion

1 ½ Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

¾ Cups Oil

Directions:

Honey Cider Dressing

In a small microwave safe dish or in a saucepan, heat cider vinegar and honey together until honey dissolves.

In small bowl whisk mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together until smooth

Add in onion, fresh parsley, honey and cider vinegar then whisk together until combined.Whisk in the oil to emulsify then chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Salad:

In a large salad bowl, toss lettuce, apples, craisins and *roasted almonds. If eating immediately, toss the salad with dressing and serve.

Notes: To toast almonds: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread pre-sliced almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and put in the oven for 10-20 minutes. Watch them closely to be sure they do not over roast.

Chicken and Veggie stirfry

1 1/2 lbs of chicken breasts cut real thin

5 cups raw veggies cut into strips

Sauce:

3 T soy sauce

1/4 cup water

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 packet dry Italian dressing pack

pour 1 T of sauce in saute pan and saute chicken, when cooked add veggies and remaining sauce.

Serve over rice

{90 second Uncle Ben's brown rice is perfect for this}

*the sauce is the key to this very tasty dish