Banana Bars

I had a couple of very over ripe bananas. Mike mentioned that we should think about throwing them out because no one would eat them in the state they were in. I told him that I was thinking about making banana bread with them. But the recipe that I have for banana bread takes three bananas, so I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to go that route. That is when I remembered that I had a recipe for banana bars, so I found it in my recipe box and sure enough it called for two bananas. When looking at the other ingredients that were listed on the recipe I saw that they were in my refrigerator or my pantry so I was set to go.

Mike was thrilled with the thought of banana bars. My mom makes these once in awhile and he loves them. I have to admit that I haven't made them probably in many years. I sometimes feel guilty because my favorite bars all contain chocolate. Mike likes chocolate, but I can't say that he loves it like I do. So I was happy that I was making something that he would really enjoy.

These bars turned out to be super simple to make. They have a cup of sour cream (minus two teaspoons that you save for the frosting) so they are nice and moist. As these banana bars baked they filled the house with the sweet aroma, almost the smell of banana bread. The frosting is a little different as I mentioned before it has two teaspoons of sour cream it, but it turned out creamy and went well with the bars. I think I made Mike's day by making something new and not something chocolate. Our kids didn't complain about having banana bars either.

So if you have some over ripe bananas give them a try. I think you will enjoy them.

Banana Bars (Not sure where this recipe came from)


1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
8 ounces sour cream (save 2 teaspoons for frosting)
2 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream butter and sugar together until well mixed. Blend in eggs and mix in the sour cream, the mashed banana, and vanilla until well blended. Sift dry ingredients together and add to banana mixture mix until well blended.  Spread into a well greased jelly roll pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes.
Cool completely and frost with frosting listed below.
Frosting:
2 cups powder sugar
1/2 cup soft butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon sour cream

Add all ingredients into a medium bowl beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread on bars.

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Easy Pita Chicken

On Saturday nights we like to have a simple meal. I don't like the hassle of planning a large meal, since it is usually just Mike and me eating together. Plus Saturdays are usually quite a busy day for us doing this and that... So I am always looking for something delicious, but easy and fast to make.

It is nice to make something easy in the crock pot, but sometimes you need to take a break from the crock pot. So I have been looking for some simple recipes to fill the bill for Saturday night's dinner. When I found this recipe for Pita Chicken I knew that it would be a winner. It sounded like it would be a quick, simple, and tasty for our meal, plus nutritional.

The chicken was really tasty;  it had a little bit of spiciness to it, but not too over bearing. It was quick to saute and was on the table in no time. The nice thing was that you can add what you want to your pita sandwich. I served it with sour cream, avocado, onions, salsa, and tomatoes. But you can add anything that sounds tasty to you. I loved the flavor that the sour cream added to this pita sandwich.

Our son Adam actually was home for dinner the Saturday night that I served this and he enjoyed this as much as Mike and I did. The options for serving this sandwich would be endless. I am sure no matter what you add to this chicken pita it will be lovely.

Pita Chicken (As found on allrecipes.com)


2 Skinless boneless chicken breast cut into strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used ground red pepper)
1/4 cup salsa
(sour cream, avocado, salsa, onion, tomatoes... and what other garnishes that sound good to you)
Pitas (I used whole wheat)
Directions:
Cut chicken into strips. In a skillet saute chicken in hot oil until almost done. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black and cayenne pepper over the chicken. Add salsa and continue sauteing chicken until done. Fill pitas with chicken and garnish with tomatoes, lettuce, avocados and sour cream and whatever garnishes you like to eat.

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Chocolate Eclair Cake

We celebrated our son Adam's birthday last weekend. Doesn't it seem like we are always celebrating somebody's  birthday. It seems like I have made that comment a lot on this blog. I guess it happens when you have a large family.

My family is big in celebrating all occasions - birthday's, anniversaries, holidays... We get it from my mom. For example my younger brother Mark's birthday is the day after mine. When we were kids my mom would make me a birthday cake and celebrate my birthday then the next day she would bake another cake and we would celebrate Mark's birthday. Never once did we celebrate our birthdays on the same day. As a kid I never thought anything of it, but as an adult I think how wonderful she was to do that for us. It made us both feel special on our day.

With that being said we have carried on the tradition of celebrating birthdays with our kids. I like to make a special meal for them for their birthday and the dessert of their choice.  With Adam I knew what dessert he would be requesting even before I asked him the question. It is the same year after year. He loves this chocolate eclair cake and it is perfectly fine with me. It is super easy to make and the results are quite tasty. You can make it the day before; actually it is better if you make it the day before, so that is one more nice thing about it.

If you are looking for a simple delicious dessert give it a try. You may have someone asking you to make it for their birthday year after year. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Eclair Cake (Not sure where this recipe came from).
Filling:
3 cups milk
2 small package of instant vanilla pudding
8 ounce container of Cool Whip
Beat milk and pudding till thick; add the Cool Whip and beat until blended. Once the pudding mixture is mixed take a 9x13 inch baking pan and line the bottom of the pan with graham crackers. Spread with 1/2 of the pudding mixture and top of this place another layer of graham crackers. Add the rest of the pudding and top this with a third layer of graham crackers. Set this aside for a bit while you make the frosting.

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
2 packages of baking chocolate (I use cocoa instead 5 to 6 tablespoon).
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Put all ingredients and mix until all is blend and smooth. Frost your chocolate eclair cake place in refrigerator and chill for 24 hours.

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Nominated for another award -Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling

I have been nominated for an award by C. J. of  Food Stories, she is also the creator of this new award.

Food Stories Award for Excellence in Story Telling

Here is how it works:

1. The nominee should visit the award site http://foodstoriesblog.com/food-stories-award/ and leave a comment indicating that they have been nominated and by whom. (This step is so important because it's the only way our judges will know who is being considered for the monthly presentation).

2. The Nominee should thank the person that nominated them by posting & including a link to their blog. 

Thank you  C.J. !!

3. Share one random thing about yourself in your blog post.

I love blogging. I have met so many incredible people from around the world. I think that this is one of the coolest things about blogging.

4. Select at least five other bloggers that you enjoy reading their stories and nominate them for the award.

My list of bloggers:

1. Momto8blog

2. Organized-Living-Solutions

3. It all taste Greek to me

4. Honey What's Cooking?

5. Grandma's Kitchen Table 

5. Notify your nominees by leaving a comment on their blog, including a link to the award site (http://foodstoriesblog.com/food-stories-award/).

Food stories will put together a team of judges to review all nominees and  to select a Food Stories Award Winner for each month. More information to come on what fabulous opportunities await for those lucky winners!

Balsamic Roasted Red Potatoes

I grew up on meat and potatoes, but have never been a really big meat eater. When I met Mike he was not a big meat either, but loved potatoes. So yes we eat a lot of potatoes in our house. Mike's favorite potato is baked; at least that is what I think. Now me on the other hand I love potatoes that are on the crispier side. I love to cut potatoes into bite sized pieces, toss them with olive oil and bake them or fry them until they are nice and crisp.

Even though Mike and I have our favorite ways to eat potatoes I am always in search of a new experience when it comes to potatoes. It is amazing to me all the different ways that these potatoes can be made. I found a recipe that was totally different than anything I had ever made before; something I probably would never have thought of making before my blogging days. But once again I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try a new experience. I am glad that I did,
 the potatoes turned out very tasty and Mike and I enjoyed them a lot.

This recipe is really simple to make and full of flavor. So if you are looking for a new way to make potatoes I hope that you will try this recipe.  Enjoy!

Balsamic Roasted Red Potatoes (Adapted from bakingbeauties.com)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
1tablespoon finely chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, onion and garlic, toss to combine. Add the thyme, rosemary and nutmeg; toss well. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until potatoes are hot.
2. Transfer to a 15 inch x 10 inch baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are golden and almost tender. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper; toss well. Bake 5-8 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.


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Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

I think rhubarb is somewhat like zucchini. That is when the rhubarb is ready to pick and use it seems like there is so much that you cannot possibly use it all, the same way with zucchini. Even though each year we tell our neighbors to take rhubarb when it is ready to pick we still have rhubarb coming out of our ears.

With all this rhubarb I have been searching the web for some rhubarb recipes to make for my family. A couple of the kids are not too fond of rhubarb, so I decided to look for something that would combine another fruit with the rhubarb, such as strawberries. I had never made anything with strawberries and rhubarb together; I had just looked at recipes for it.

When I stumbled onto a recipe for strawberry rhubarb coffee cake, I knew that this would be one to try. We love coffee cake in our house and I thought the strawberry would help make the rhubarb not quite as sour. So I made it for a Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago. Everyone enjoyed it. Later on when my son Adam was eating a piece I mentioned that I was going to freeze some of the rhubarb so that I could make this later in the year. He was surprised that the coffee cake had rhubarb in it, because he is one of my kids that doesn't usually eat rhubarb.

This coffee cake is nice and moist and full of flavor. The tartness of the rhubarb and the sweetness of the strawberries combination will make this coffee cake one that you will want to make over and over again. And who knows even if you don't like rhubarb you may be like my Adam and discover that rhubarb isn't so bad after all.

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake (Adapted from Taste of Home 2012)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1cup cold butter
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cold butter

Directions
In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in rhubarb and strawberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice. Cool.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. In another bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla; stir in crumb mixture just until moistened. Spoon two-thirds of the batter into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Spoon cooled filling over batter. Top filling with the remaining batter.

For topping, combine sugar and flour in a small bowl; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly, sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degree F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Note: Frozen berries can be used instead of the fresh berries. If using frozen use one package (10 ounces) frozen sweetened sliced berries. If using the frozen sweetened  berries reduce the sugar to 2/3 cup for the sauce.

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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. I know that mine was fun and relaxing. My kids came to see me and we shared dinner together, which is always a lot of fun! I love listening to the talk that goes on  around the table with my kids as we eat our meal together. My kids are all grown now and it is always amazing how things change as your kids get older. We enjoyed are kids so much when they were little, but now that they are grown it is a different enjoyment. They are adults now and it is an adult conversation that goes on. It is a little hard to explain, but those of you that have adult children will know what I mean. There is always a lot of love and laughter around the table, which makes my heart full of joy.

I wanted to serve a meal that would not be time consuming and that would keep me in the kitchen for a long period of time. I wanted something simple that everyone would enjoy. Since everyone loves chicken I thought it would be great to make something in that line. I knew the crock pot had to be involved so that I wouldn't have to keep an eye on the main dish. It had to be something that I could throw in the crock pot and forget about it, well maybe check on it once in a while.

I found the perfect recipe at My Kitchen Apron. There were basically four ingredients that you threw into the crock pot. I turned on the crock pot and walked away. So if you like buffalo chicken with ranch dressing this one is for you, simple, spicy, easy, and a crowd pleaser. Read the recipe to find out how easy this recipe really is.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken (Adapted from My Kitchen Apron)
3 pound bag of skinless boneless chicken breast
23 fluid ounce bottle Frank's Wings Buffalo Sauce
1 packet of Ranch Dip Mix
2 tablespoon butter
Directions:
Take thawed chicken and trim any fat. Place chicken, wing sauce, and ranch dip mix into crock pot. Cook on low about 6 to 7 hour. Using two forks, shred chicken and return to crock pot and add the butter. Cook on low for an addition hour. Serve on buns and enjoy.  Also you can add your favorite cheese to this sandwich.

(Note: The original recipe did not have the size of bottle of Frank's Wings Buffalo Sauce listed. I used the 23 ounce bottle, which made a lot of sauce, if you prefer less sauce use a smaller bottle or just part of the larger bottle.)

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I had Mike snap a picture of our kids Lisa, Jon, Krista, Adam, Jon's girl friend Brianna, and me (our son-in-law Doug had to leave before the picture was taken) since it was Mother's Day. I would like to share it with you. 

Rhubarb Cake

It is rhubarb time at my house. Here is a recipe that my mom made for my siblings and me when I was a kid. Every spring we would wait for the rhubarb to get big enough so we could pick some of it and have my mom  make this amazing dessert. Now that I am grown, it is that way in my house, but not so much with the kids waiting for this dessert it is Mike who is waiting for the rhubarb to get big enough to make this dessert. I am not saying that the kids don't like this recipe, it is just that my Mike loves this recipe.

I am not sure exactly where this recipe came from, but I know that it has been made by mom for at least 50 years now. When a recipe has made it through that many years it has to be a good one. Right? I know that I will be passing this recipe on to my kids so the next generation can look forward to the rhubarb getting to be the right size to pick and make this dessert.

If you like rhubarb I think that you will like this recipe. The tartness of the rhubarb combined with the sweetness of the meringue can't be beat. Believe me when I say this recipe is a real winner!

Rhubarb Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
Crust:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
1/2 cup shortening plus 1/8 cup more
1/2 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts work well)
Mix all ingredients together and pat into a grease 9x13 cake pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes
Filling:
3 to 4 cups of cut rhubarb
2 egg yolks well beaten (save the whites for the meringue).
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups sugar (depending on how the sweetness you prefer)
5 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
While the crust is in the oven prepare the filling. In a large bowl add all ingredients and mix well. Pour on top of the baked crust. Return to the oven and bake about 30 to 45 minutes.
Topping:
4 egg whites (the ones that have been set aside)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium bowl place egg whites and beat with an electric mixer. As you beat the egg whites gradually add the sugar beating until the egg whites are stiff. As you finish beating the egg white add the vanilla and beat until all is mix in. Place meringue on top of the hot filling and return to the oven and back until the meringue is golden brown about 10 or 15 minutes.

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Pizza Grilled Cheese

It is time for the May Crazy Cooking Challenge. I can't believe that it is May already. I guess time flies when you are having fun, as the saying goes. This month the challenge was to find a grilled cheese recipe, make it, and post about it. I love grilled cheese, but thought what can you really do to make a grill cheese sandwich different. Boy was I wrong; there were a ton of recipes to choose from.

Once I knew what the cooking challenge was I headed over to Pinterest and found several interesting grilled cheese recipes. The one that caught my eye was the pizza grilled cheese from Forkful Of Comfort. Kristen  has a wonderful blog full of tasty looking recipes. Like Kristen said in her blog; who doesn't like grilled cheese or pizza? It is the perfect sandwich for those who do love grilled cheese and pizza. And it sure is a heck of a lot easier than making homemade pizza.

This sandwich turns out to be gooey and delicious. The pepperoni and the Italian seasoning give a great twist to the everyday grilled cheese sandwich. The pizza sauce is the final touch to this wonderful sandwich that gives the real taste of pizza. You won't want to miss making this pizza grilled cheese it is super easy to make and it is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

So thank you to Tina from Moms Crazy Cooking for sponsoring the Crazy Cooking Challenge again this month. Also want to say thank you to Kristen at Forkful Of Comfort. Please check out her blog, you will enjoy all the wonderful recipe you will find at her site.

Pizza Grilled Cheese (Adapted from Kristen@ Forkful Of Comfort)

4 slices of French or Italian bread (makes 2 sandwiches)

Butter or margarine

Mozzarella Cheese

Pepperoni slices

Italian seasoning or basil

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Pizza or spaghetti sauce for dipping

Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Butter each piece of bread on one side. When skillet is hot place a slice of bread butter side down on the skillet. Cover the slice of bread with slices of mozzarella cheese and shake Italian seasoning or basil on top of cheese (I added a enough so the cheese was lightly covered with seasoning). Top this with a few shakes of Parmesan cheese if you so desire. Top with a desired amount of pepperonis (I used enough to cover the cheese). Add another layer of mozzarella cheese like before and cover with the second slice of bread. Repeat with second sandwich. When the bottom slice of bread is golden brown carefully flip over. Once both sides are brown and cheese is melted and gooey remove from pan, cut, and serve immediately. Serve with pizza or spaghetti sauce. Enjoy!!

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Roasted Vegetables

Of late I have looked at so many blogs that have posted recipes for roasted vegetables. They all look so delicious. Can you believe it I have never made roasted vegetables and have never eaten them before? I know that I have said this before and it will probably not be the last time I say this, the thing I love about blogging is it has made me step out of my comfort zone. I truly believe I have become a better cook since I have started my blog. I love visiting other blogs and see all the wonderful recipes, it is so inspirational.

Okay so back to the roasted vegetables. We had friends come over for dinner a while ago and I thought that would be the perfect opportunity to try some roasted vegetables. I contemplated which vegetables to roast, I didn't want to settle for just one and I thought a combination would be more interesting. I decided upon cauliflower, broccoli, red peppers, green peppers, onion, yellow squash, zucchini, and of course garlic.

I found that this was a great combination. We all loved them and it was so easy to make. I know that is a start of a new love affair. Since then I have made roasted vegetables again and I am sure I will be making them many many more times.

Roasted Vegetables
4 cups cauliflower (about 1/2 of a large head)
3 cups broccoli (about 1 bunch)
1 cup red pepper (1 large pepper)
1/2 cup green pepper (1/2 large pepper)
1cup zucchini
1 cup yellow squash
3 cloves garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Wash and pat dry all vegetables. Once vegetables are dried cut them into bite size pieces except for the garlic. Take the garlic and make sure that you mince finely.  Cover a large baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with olive or canola oil. Place vegetables on baking and toss with olive oil and seasonings until vegetables are well coated. Place in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. You will want to take vegetables out of oven 2 to 3 times while they are roasting and stir them; to make sure that they are roasting evenly. Serve immediately.

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