Great for Little Kitchen Helpers...

I got this super easy recipe from Meredith's recipe blog and I loved that I didn't even have to get out my mixer! And, I loved how involved Quinn got to be in the process. I think that the time and effort it took to make it, and then watching it cook, made the finished product even yummier! :)

Banana Bread

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Here are pictures of the fun we had making this treat this morning...

Homemade?

This is my own chicken salad recipe...but, I totally cheat. It's not completely homemade. I use canned chicken and think it is SO yummy! Also, I am not a fan of mayo, so I use other things! It's one of Matt's favorites. Here's what to do...

Easy Chicken Salad

1 can of white chicken breast
Dill pickle relish
Sweet pickle relish
Chopped celery
Finely chopped pecans
Sliced grapes
aprox. 1/4 cup Ranch dressing
aprox. 1 T. Spicy mustard
Salt
Pepper

Drain chicken and shred. Place in bowl and add celery, relishes, grapes and pecans. Add dressing and mustard. (don't add too much, you don't want it to be runny!) Season with salt and pepper. Stir well. Serve on a sandwich, on crackers or with pretzel chips.

You Can't Go Wrong...

...with homemade mashed potatoes! Seriously, who could pass them up. Here's the way that I have always made them...and I think they're delish! ...


Gold Mashed Potatoes

1 bag of Yucatan Gold potatoes (usually 8-10 medium potatoes)
sour cream
Shredded cheese
milk
salt
pepper

Scrub potatoes with potato brush. Cut into small pieces. Boil until done. Drain and put in large mixing bowl. Mash slightly with potato masher. Add sour cream, milk, cheese, salt and pepper(as much as you would like to reach your desired consistency). Mash with potato masher until they are to your liking! ...I like mine a little lumpy! :)

A Surprise Inside

Check out this fun and SUPER easy dessert! You won't believe what's inside!...
Candy Bar Crescent Puffs
1 8-ounce quick crescent roll tube
8 fun sized Milky Way or Snickers candy bars
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Glaze (optional)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons cocoa
3 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate dough into 8 triangle pieces. Place one candy piece on shortest side of each traingle. Roll up; start at shortest side of each triangle and roll to opposite point. Pinch edges of dough to seal. Spread butter on top. Place rolls on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Cool slightly. In small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients until smooth, drizzle over warm rolls. If desired, omit glaze, sprinkle rolls lighty with powdered sugar.

Worth the Stains!

I recently found this recipe in one of the millions of city magazines that I get in the mail! Seriously, how does our community afford so many publications? ...Anyway, I made these for Remy's birthday party and they were a hit. After one of our friends took his first bite, he even said that he was going to pack up and move in! So, they MUST be good! And, it was totally worth the red stained fingers! :)

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Batter:

1 German chocolate cake mix

5 eggs

½ cup oil
1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into 24 lined cupcake tins and bake for 19-23 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:

2 -8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

1 stick of butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine butter and cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl and beat until smooth. Slowly add sugar until all is incorporated. Frost cupcakes and garnish with a dusting of cocoa if desired.

(I added LOTS more vanilla than called for...I always do!...And, I put the frosting in a freezer baggie and cut the tip so that I could swirl on the frosting! Made me feel professional!...Ha!)

Coleslaw with a Kick

I love coleslaw. I can remember my friends making fun of me because I would get the coleslaw at Chick-fil-a. I still love it. When I saw this recipe, I was so excited to try it...and it did not disappoint! YUMMMY! And, not anything like the Chick-fil-a kind! :)

Crunchy Asian Broccoli Coleslaw
3/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
2 pkg. (3 oz. each) ramen noodle soup mix
2 pkg. (12 oz. each) broccoli slaw
1/2 cup Dry Roasted Sunflower Kernels
1/2 cup Sliced Almonds

Mix dressing with Seasoning Packet from one of the soup mix packages. Discard remaining seasoning packet or reserve for another use. Break apart Noodles; place in large bowl. Add slaw, sunflower kernels and almonds; mix lightly. Add dressing mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Better than Sonic!

I made this yummy treat for the 4th and it was a hit for the whole fam! So much better than Sonic!...
Homemade Cherry Lemonade

1 cup hot water

4 cups ice cold water

3/4 cup sugar

3 large lemons, squeezed (roughly 1/2 cup juice)

maraschino cherries

1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice

36 oz. lemon lime soda

***

Place 1 cherry in each section of 2 plastic ice trays. Fill trays with lemon lime soda and freeze. Pour sugar and hot water into a 2 quart pitcher, stir to dissolve sugar. Add remaining water, cherry juice, lemon juice and lemon lime soda. Stir and chill. Pour cold lemonade over cherry ice cubes and serve.

Almost From Scratch

I made this cake for Matt's 32nd birthday. It was easy but had the "from scratch" taste! I love the way the icing looks so thick and clumpy! And, it tasted good! We ate it for breakfast the next few days!

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Basic cake mix (choose buttermilk, strawberry, chocolate, whatever!)

Dark Chocolate Frosting:
18 oz. chocolate chips (I used one package of milk chocolate and the rest semi-sweet)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla (I always put more than it calls for)
A pinch of salt
flour (if necessary)

Grease two 8 inch round cake pans. Make the batter as directed in the cake mix and bake according to directions, or until toothpick comes out clean from the center. When cakes are completely cool, make frosting.

Place chips in a medium metal bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Pour over chips and add butter, vanilla and salt. Whisk until chips are melted and frosting is smooth and spreadable. Cool until barely warm before frosting the cake. Add flour (about a Tablespoon at a time) if the frosting still needs to be thickened.

Place one cake layer on a pate or cake stand. Spread with about 3/4 cups frosting. Top with second layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and the sides.

You're on your way home from work?...

...Then, I'll start dinner!!!
And Matt only works about 10 minutes from our house! This was quick and easy and YUM! Enjoy!

Spinach Pasta Toss

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
1 cup water
1 pkg. (9 oz.) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 cup Shredded Three Cheese Blend
4 strips of bacon

Bring tomatoes, pasta and water to boil in large saucepan; stir. Cover; simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or just until pasta is tender. Add 1/2 of spinach; simmer, covered, 2 min. or until wilted. Stir. Add 4 stripped of cooked, crumbled bacon. Repeat with remaining spinach. Serve topped with cheese.