Banana Bread! That is all that is left my friends!

Sunday is my favorite day to cook and I just wanted an easy dessert. You can tell by my other recipes that I love easy! So this banana bread was delicious and I mostly did it while sitting on the couch with my husband. After spending a few minutes sitting mashing bananas I just added some ingredients here there while stirring and then threw it in the oven. I will give credit for this snazzy recipe to Simply Recipes.


Ingredients

* 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed ( I used 5 bananas)
* 1/3 cup melted butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* Pinch of salt
* 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 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 on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve. I smeared it with butter and added a tall glass of milk. As always, serve and enjoy!

The only dilemna I had was with the baking. I cooked as instructed and it baked everywhere but the middle. I finally had to wrap tinfoil around the edges to stop the burning and cook a little longer. Any tips or suggestions for this would be appreciated.

How does your garden grow!?

I love this time of year when you can grab fresh produce from your own garden! Unfortunately we just moved, so my own garden is just a figment of my imagination, but my town had a Farmers Market day and I went and picked up some peas and delicious tomatoes. My favorite dish growing up was creamy peas and new potatoes my Grandmother used to make. I tried making this myself and it ended up being pretty tasty, and of course very easy.
Prepare basic white sauce:
1. In saucepan melt 2 tbs butter over low heat. Next blend 2 tbs of flour into the melted butter. Add 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook over low heat while stirring for about 4-5 minutes. This will reduce the flour taste. Slowly stir in 1 cup of milk and turn up the heat to medium-high. As it heats up it will begin to thicken.

2. I of course doubled the above recipe. Before I started the white sauce I boiled my little red potatoes till they were just soft. Just as white sauce began to thicken I added my potatoes and peas to the mixture so they could soften a little bit more before the sauce was complete. I added salt and pepper to taste, but added 1-2 tsp of Alpine Touch seasoning(see below for how to get this lovely seasoning for your spice cupboard)

3. I then fried up some chicken and poured the mixture over top. To make my meal complete I sliced up those lovely tomatoes and just served with a little salt. Delicious! Serve and Enjoy!

Alpine touch is one of my most favorite seasonings. I mostly use it in my mashed potatoes and soups. You can get it here. I have had the same container for 3 years. It will last a long time and make you the winner of the best potatoes.

Question for my Food Friends

Does anyone have some suggestions for avoiding the waterworks while chopping up onions? I often buy the already cut up onions that the store SOMETIMES has to avoid the tears, but it is more expensive and not a dependable solution. Any thoughts and tips would really be appreciated.

Poppy Seed Dressing

This is my new favorite salad! It is perfect for spring, easy, and pretty healthy!

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/4 to 1/2 Tsp paprika
1 Tbs. worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs sesame seed
1 1/2 Tbs poppy seed

Put all of the ingredients in a container that you can shake and then pour over your salad. I just used a mason jar. I then poured it over spinach and romaine with freshly sliced strawberries and sliced pecans. You can glaze your pecans for a sweeter crunch but I didn't since it has a cup of sugar in the dressing. Serve and Enjoy!
(I almost "enjoyed" the entire bowl before I remembered to take a picture! )

My new favorite ingredient!

I appologize it is not a recipe, but I still think it is appropriate since they call him the Dancing Tomato Kid. Makes you love tomatoes doesn't it?

Some Facts about Peeps!

(thanks to wikipedia)
Happy Easter!
Did you know Rodda Candy Company originally started Peeps in the 1920s? In 1958 Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company and that is where we get the Peeps we enjoy today.

Originally each Peep was hand made which took nearly a day to complete. Today there is of course a machine that pipes out these tasty treats by the millions.

There are orange Peeps for Halloween,strawberry and vanilla Peeps for Valentines Day, and even sugar cookie flavors for Christmas.

This year Just Born candy company has just released Peeps lip balm! Check your local target if interested.
Thanks to the official Peeps website:
I found this delicious recipe with Peeps!
Ingredients:
• PEEPS® Orange Marshmallow Chicks
• 10 large naval oranges
• 4-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2-1/4 tsp. orange extract
• 1 spring mint (optional)
Directions:
1. Cut a thin slice of the rind off the bottom of each orange so it sits flat.
2. Cut off the top 1/3 of each orange. With a grapefruit spoon, scoop out pulp. Invert
oranges onto paper towels to drain. Remove and discard membrane from orange pulp;
set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners’ sugar and extract; beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in orange juice. Fold in reserved orange pulp.
4. Spoon into orange shells. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Before serving, top each with a PEEPS® Orange Marshmallow Chick and a sprig of mint.
Makes 10, Serve and Enjoy!

Did you say you love coconut?

Coconut Creme Cake

Ingredients:
Please Follow the directions below, not the box of cake mix.
1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup water
8 oz Cool Whip
2 cups cream of coconut


Directions:
Mix cake mix, water, eggs and 1 cup of creme coconut in mixer. Batter will be runny. Bake 350 for 30 min.
Poke holes in cake with fork and pour 1/2 cup coconut creme over cake. Put in frig.
Mix cool whip with remaining 1/2 cup coconut creme.
Spread on cake.
Keep in frig.
Better the next day. Serve and Enjoy!

Tomatilla Dressing

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Recipe Dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayo
3 tomatilla's (in the produce section, the appear like little tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

blend very well in the blender and put it in the fridge for a bit. Serve and Enjoy!

My favorite Shredded pork!

This is similar to Cafe Rio sweet pork or Costa Vida! Make it for a crowd and they will for sure be impressed!

6 lbs Pork loin
1 can coke(not pepsi)
2 cups brown sugar
1 16 oz bottle of salsa

Cook roast in the crock-pot on high with about a cup of water. Cook for about 5 hours (less if using half a roast). Drain the water and add (mixed together) the coke, salsa and brown sugar. Pour that over the meat that you have shredded with a fork and cook for another couple of hours. If the roast is smaller, you might not need to cook as long.
This is best on your favorite tortilla with lettuce, tomatoes,black beans, rice and the tomatilla dressing (recipe to follow). Serve and Enjoy!

Crepes (Norwegian pancakes)

This is a favorite in my household. I grew up having these almost every Saturday. I know a lot of places carry special syrups to put on such as coconut creme, strawberry, and other delicious syrups, but I prefer butter with rasberry or strawberry jam. Sometimes I even put peanut butter instead of butter for a more filling crepe. Once your topping is spread on top, roll up and sprinkle with a small amount of powdered sugar. I have also taken left over crepes and filled with icecream and banans. I then freeze them and top with caramel sauce and whip cream. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 TBS cooking oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
In blender: blend eggs & sugar. Add oil, vanilla & salt. Alternate adding a little at a time: flour & milk until blended well.
On giddle or fry pan put a little butter or spray with pam. Pour batter on pan and lift and tilt around in circle to make a large thin pancake. Cook until slightly browned and turn and brown other side.