Banana Nut Bread

My husband (bless his little heart) informed me that he wasn't eating bananas in the morning anymore right after my trip to Costco last week.  (I bought a huge bag of bananas!)  Since they've all ripened at once I decided to use them in banana bread.  The thing is...He'll eat all the banana bread.  Go figure?  This is when I roll my eyes at him.  Gotta love my husband!

I decided to post the recipe since it really is a family favorite around.  The bread just disappears! 

Banana Nut Bread

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well.  Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the bananas.  Blending well after each addition.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into a well-greased loaf pan.  Bake in oven 40 to 45 minutes or till done.  Remove from pan and cool on rack.  Slice bread and serve with butter or eat it plain.  Yummmmmmm!!!  Enjoy!

Avocado Fries

Oh dear.  I never should have done this.  This may be one of my biggest mistakes all year.  Can’t take it back now.

So we’re totally enjoying our grilled avocados, but my husband innocently asks “What else can you do with avocados?”  And so my daughter twitters this recipe, and I'm laying all the blame on them.  Of course, I had to go and make them, and now we are doomed.
Sigh….  Avocado fries are good.  They’re very, very good.  So don’t even go there unless you’re willing to deal with that.  Crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside… I dusted them with a little parmesan cheese, which was so unnecessary.  But wow.  We’re not so much down with frying stuff around here, but now I must have avocado fries.  Must. Have. Them.
At a buck fifty a pop (at least around here), avocados can easily run up quite a tab on the grocery bill.  Oh, who cares.  We’ll do without napkins and wax paper or something.   Avocado fries are here to stay.

So, consider yourself warned.  I tried to tell you….  

Avocado Fries

Printable Recipe
Recipe Adapted from Sunset Magazine
Canola oil for frying
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges
Grated parmesan for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 200°. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 in. oil until it registers 375° on a deep-fry thermometer.
2. Meanwhile, mix flour with 1/2 tsp. salt in a shallow plate. Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates.
3. Sprinkle the avocado slices with the remaining ½ tsp salt.  Dip each slice in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, then panko to coat. Set on 2 plates in a single layer.
3. Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados. Sprinkle with salt and a little grated parmesan.

Luscious Lemon Delight

Prep time: 19 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Servings: 8

Grandma often doubled this recipe, because we all wanted a second helping.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, divided
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 2 (3.4-ounce) packages lemon instant pudding mix
• 2 2/3 cups milk

Directions

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 375F.
• 2
  Combine flour, 1/2 cup pecans and butter in a medium bowl and mix well. Press onto the bottom of an 11 x 8-inch baking dish. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let stand to cool.
• 3
  Place cream cheese in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set at medium speed until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
• 4
  Add 1 cup whipped topping to cream cheese mixture and fold in gently. Spread over cooled crust.
• 5
  Combine pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl. Beat until thickened. Spread on top of cream cheese layer. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Chill, covered, for 1 hour. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Miss Shelly's Pineapple Sheet Cake

Miss Shelly's Pineapple Sheet Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
20 ounce can crushed pineapple
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup nuts- I left out due to allergies

Mix all together until smooth. Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Icing
8 ounces cream cheese
4 T. butter
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup nuts- optional

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add Vanilla. Slowly add sugar and blend after each addition. Fold in nuts if desired. Ice cake while still a bit warm. Serves many as this cake is rich and sweet, so cut the pieces small as you can always have seconds.

Whole Wheat Baguettes

Making Bread for some is just not going to happen and then there are the ones that love to make it.  I fall somewhere in between.  I love making it but you better be sure you have the time to be at home!  It's always the smell that keeps me coming back to baking it! Nothing like the smell of bread cooking in the oven!  And the taste of fresh bread and butter... Ok, I gotta go make some bread now!!!  :)

Whole Wheat Baguettes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages of active dry yeast

1 Tbs sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 cups warm water

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 slightly beaten egg white

1 Tbs water

• In a large mixer bowl stir together 2 cups of the AP flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt.  Add warm water.
• Beat with an electric mixer at low speed for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly.  Beat 3 minutes at high speed.  Using a spoon, stir in the whole wheat flour and as much of the remaining AP flour as you can.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough of the remaining AP flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8-10 min total).  Shape into a ball.  Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface.
• Cover; let rise in a warm place till double (1 to 1 1/2 hours)
• Punch the dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide dough in thirds.  Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
• Roll each third into a 12x10 inch rectangle.  Roll up tightly from long side; seal well.  Taper ends.  Place, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet.  Brush with mixture of egg white and water.
• Cover; let rise till nearly double (30 to 45 minutes).  With a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal cuts about 1//4 inch deep across tops of loaves.
• Bake in a 450 over for 15 to 20 minutes or till done.  Serve same day or freeze.  Make 3 loaves, 24 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:

86 Cal., 3 g pro. 18 g carbo, 0 g fat 2 g fiber

Devil Dogs

These little morsels of heaven are incredible!  You will love making these as much as I do, I promise!  So will your family and friends when you share with them!!!

Devil Dogs

Ingredients:

1 whole Chocolate Sheet Cake (See "Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever on my February 2012 recipes)

1 whole recipe for "That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had" (also on the Feb 2012 recipes in this blog)

Maraschino Cherries for decoration

Directions:

Bake cake according to recipe directions, thoroughly greasing and flouring the pan.  Allow cake to cool completely, then turn out onto a flat surface.

Make frosting recipe, substituting half and half for milk for extra thickness/richness or just use the milk if you don't feel like being daring for the day!!!

Cut cooled cake into rectangles.  Place frosting into a frosting bag.  Squeeze frosting onto one rectangle of cake.  Pres second rectangle on top.  Squeeze a dollop of frosting on the top piece of cake.  Place a cherry on top.

Chill until ready to serve!!!

That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had

You'll love this great recipe and use it on so many desserts!  

That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had

Prep Time 15 Minutes

Cook Time 10 Minutes

Ingredients:

5 Tbs Flour

1 cup Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Cup Butter

1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

Directions:

Bake your favorite Chocolate cake ( like "The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever" recipe I have in the February 2012 of this blog) and let it cool.

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat,stirring constantly, until it thickens.  You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (If I'm in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.)  It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step.  Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  You don't want any sugar graininess left.  Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it.  If it looks separated, you haven't beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.  Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness.  If there is any left after your taste test spread it on a cooled chocolate cake.  This frosting on a chocolate cake is to die for.  Sure, the recipe sounds strange - it has flour in it - but it's sublime.  Try it, you'll see.  You'll love it so much you won't go back.

Enjoy!!