Banana Bread

One of the few things my Mom cooked when we were kids and was always good was banana bread.
Every time I would try and make it like she did, it never tasted the same.  She would always do the bread in a loaf pan and it would come out perfectly browned and cooked all the way through.  When I tried it, the sides would be burned and the middle was raw.  So I gave up and decided to do muffins instead.  I added a few ingredients to my recipe, but I think it is still as good as mom's.

Banana Bread Muffins

1 cup Sugar
1 stick Butter (salted)
2 large Eggs
3 ripe Bananas
1 Tbsp Milk
1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
2 cups All-Purpose Flour (sifted)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder

1. Pre heat oven to 325.
2. In a small bowl, mash the bananas, milk and vanilla together and set aside
3. In another bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder
4. Cream the butter and sugar together, then add eggs one at a time until blended in.
5. Add the banana mixture in with the sugar/butter/egg mixture and stir until it is all mixed together.
6. Add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) until well blended.
7. Pour batter into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 min for mini muffins, 1 hour if you do a loaf pan.

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

When I first got out of college, I got this recipe from my sister...the one that doesn't cook. So you can imagine my surprise when it was easy to put together, fast to cook and good to eat.  Plus this is the only way I can get my husband to eat spinach, because it doesn't taste like spinach (is what he tells me).  This is an easy dinner to put together when you have no time to cook.  It is also better eaten the next day cold and will provide you with lots of leftovers (depending on the size of your family)

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

1 10 oz. box frozen chopped Spinach
1 Rotisserie Chicken
1 8oz. lite Sour Cream
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 pkg. 10 Flour Tortillas
1 small jar salsa
1 envelope Taco Seasoning
1 small jar Green Chili's (mild)

1. Pre heat oven to 400
2. Shred meat from Rotisserie chicken and set aside
3. Defrost the spinach, squeeze water out and put in mixing bowl
4. Add sour cream, chili's, taco seasoning and chicken and stir together.
5. Add 1/2 cup of cheese to mixture and stir together
6. Add about 1-2 Tbsp to each tortilla and wrap up and place in a shallow pan
7. You should get about 10 enchiladas from the mixture.
8. Top each with salsa and remainder of cheese.
9. Bake in oven covered with foil for 20 min, take foil off and cook for another 10 minutes.

Doggie Dinner

I thought it would be fun to post something a little different.  Every year on my dog's birthdays they get a special dinner.  We either do turkey burgers, turkey meatballs, chicken and rice or turkey hash.  I am not ashamed to admit it...I treat my dogs like they are my children.  That is just how I am.  I have nothing against people who do not.  But I can not imagine having a dog live outside and feeding them Ol' Roy.  Heck, I have spent more money on my dogs health care than on my own son.  And although life would be easier without them, I wouldn't trade them for  all the money in the world!  So if you love your animals as much as I do, treat them to a good dinner once in a while...they will love it :)

Turkey Hash

1 lb ground Jennie-O Turkey
1/4 tsp Thyme
1 Tbsp Parsley flakes
1tsp Garlic powder
1 Carrot
1 head Broccoli
2 cups Brown rice - cooked
2 hard boiled Eggs (peeled)

1. Brown turkey in frying pan and add parsley, thyme and garlic powder.
2. Chop and boil carrot and broccoli
3. Mix all together in a large bowl with the cooked brown rice
4. Crumble hard boiled eggs on top.
5. Serve one all has cooled off.

Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Pie

In honor of our beloved Gramps, George Strother Givens,  we are making his famous Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Pie for dessert today.   I never wrote down the recipe, so every time I would make it I would call him up and he would tell me the recipe.  I don't have him to go to anymore, but am finally going to write his recipe down now :)  He made it sugar free because his wife Ruby Mae was a diabetic, personally I prefer sugar free to regular because after years of eating it that way, the regular pudding is too sweet for my taste.  But if the thought of "Sugar Free" makes you cringe, by all means make it the good old fashioned way.  I prefer using low fat / low sugar versions of certain foods because that is just what I am used to.  But if you prefer the good old regular versions of these ingredients, by all means use it.



Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Pie
1 pre-made Graham Cracker crust pie shell
1 small box Sugar Free Jello Chocolate Pudding Mix - Instant
1 container of Cool Whip lite
1 8oz box of low fat cream cheese - at room temperature

1. Make pudding and refrigerate for 10 minutes or until pudding has set.
2. With an electric mixer, mix cream cheese with 1/2 of the cool whip
3. Spread cream cheese mixture into the pie shell
4. Top with the pudding (that has already set)
5. Top that with the remaining cool whip
6. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Red Chicken Spaghetti

For Valentines day I got the request to make my Mom's Chicken Spaghetti.  It is a wonderful one pot dish, as in you add all the ingredients into the pot and let simmer for an hour, and voila!  you have a dinner. I remember when my Mom first made this out of one of her old Ralph and Kaco's cookbooks years ago.  I complained about it having chicken and olives in the red sauce...I thought it would be gross.  To my surprise it was anything but.  Now it is one of the top 3 recipes my husband requests for me to cook.  I can also tell you it is better cold, I have been caught picking the chicken and olives out of the tupperware container inside the fridge,  door wide open, every time :)

Red Chicken Spaghetti
1 lb skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts
1 rib Celery
1 Green Bell Pepper
2 6oz. cans Tomato paste (I like Cento brand)
1 can large Black Olives pitted
1 can Mushrooms
1 can peeled Tomato's
1 1/2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Paprika
1 tbsp. Sugar
Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Parmesean
2 tbsp Olive Oil

1. Salt chicken breasts and brown in olive oil
2. Chop all vegetables and add to the browned chicken
3. Add all other ingredients (including the juice from canned Olives and Mushrooms)
4. Simmer for 1 hour
5. Serve over pasta

Oatmeal Cookies

Another great recipe from Martha Stewart.  This is hands down the best Oatmeal cookie recipe I have come across.  I had always made the recipe on the lid of the Quaker Oats can, not any more.  This recipe is simple and easy, I especially like it because it uses little butter and flour.  I was skeptical at first, but once they were baked and consumed I threw out my original recipe and replaced it with this one.  We always  divide the dough into 1/3 and add chocolate chips,  raisins and walnuts and the remaining 1/3 we leave plain.  Trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised  at how yummy these cookies are.  I may have to bake a batch tomorrow, so pictures will be added then :)

Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick Unsalted Butter
2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
1/3 cup granulated Sugar
1 large Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Sift flour in separate bowl - do this separately as 1 cup flour sifted will equal 1 1/2 cups.
3. Add sifted flour (1 cup measured), baking powdered, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl and set aside
4. In Mixer bowl beat butter and sugars until pale and fluffy
5. Mix in egg, vanilla and then flour mixture.
6. Mix in Oats (and raisins, chocolate chips, or anything else you may want to add to your cookies)
7. Drop dough on parchment lined baking sheet and bake 12-14 minutes.
8. Let cool before eating.

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Chicken and Dumplings

When I first saw this recipe on TV back in 2006 I remember the gates of heaven opening up as I watched how easy this was to put together.  I had always wanted to cook Chicken and Dumplings like my grandmother made, but I remember it being 100 ingredients and making dumplings from scratch, something I was never going to do.  Thank you to Sandra Lee for bringing this recipe into my family.  There is nothing better on a cold rainy day than a bowl of this, I urge everyone to give it a try.  It is quick, easy and delicious...I promise!

Chicken and Dumplings
1 whole Rotisserie Chicken - store bought
1 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Onion - chopped
64 oz. low sodium Chicken Broth (2 boxes)
1 Tbsp Poultry Seasoning (I use Emeril's Chicken Rub)
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
4 whole Carrots peeled and sliced
4-5 Celery stalks- sliced
1 can Chicken Gravy
1 roll Buttermilk biscuit dough

1. Remove skin from chicken and shred the meat.
2. In a dutch oven or large pot, add Canola Oil and saute onions until soft and clear.
3. Add broth, poultry seasoning, salt, carrots, and celery and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until veggies are soft.
5. Add chicken to broth mixture and simmer on low heat while you make the dumplings.
6. Open can and remove biscuits.
7. Flatten each biscuit and cut into 4 pie-pieces and set aside
8. Stir in chicken gravy
9. While stew is still simmering, begin adding the biscuits a few at a time.  
10. Once all dumplings are in the pot, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 10 minutes.