BANANA RAMA!!

Finally a recipe that tastes like a banana CUPCAKE and not a banana muffin! It's perfectly light and fluffy--truly amazing for homemade! To top it off, Cinnamon Cream Cheese frosting...PURE HEAVEN!

Banana Cupcakes
Adapted from lfamily5

3 cups Cake Flour (not self-rising)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter-softened
1/2 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
4 VERY ripe bananas- mashed well
6 Tb buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Line cupcake pans with paper liners
In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt-set aside.

In a large bowl on medium speed, cream butter and oil until smooth. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time mixing well after each. Add bananas and half of the dry ingredients until combined. Add buttermilk and vanilla, then add remaining dry ingreds. until just combined--making sure not to over mix! Cake will turn out dry!

Bake for 20 minutes--or until you lightly touch top of cupcake and center springs back. Careful not to over bake. Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cubes butter--softened
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese
about 6 cups powdered sugar--give or take
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon--or to your liking
2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

Cream butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until you get the right consistency. Mix in cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. You can add a little milk if the frosting gets too thick.

Spinach Dippin!

After making 4 different recipes over the holiday season, I was plain spinached out! They were all good, but I was looking for Da Bomb! So Michelle stepped in and listened to my hopes and dreams for the ultimate dip. She went to work and added her own special something and came up with this lip-smackin, couldn't-get-any-better spinach dip!

p.s. recent dinner guests were overheard saying "pass that back, that's really good" and the ultimate complement, "I want this recipe NOW!"

Da Bomb of all Spinach Dips

1 (14oz.) can artichoke hearts-drained and chopped
1 box chopped spinach-thawed and well drained (I squeeze it to death to get all the liquid out)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves-minced
1 can chopped green chile's
1/4 block (2 oz.) of cream cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup powdered (grated) Parmesan cheese
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese-grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients (except Monterrey jack cheese) together until well combined. Spread into lightly greased 8 inch baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese evenly over the top and return to oven for another 10 minutes.

The perfect side kick for this is Tortilla chips--but I forgot to buy them, so I used bread. Just don't be like me and forget the chips!

Food For Thoughtfulness!

I've been whining about this bitterly cold winter...

A sweet friend listened and brought SPRING to my soul...and belly! Thank you berry much Karen! You just plain ROCK!

p.s. I'm off to the store for more of these babies! Wish me luck in the sleet!

p.s.s. tomorrow's recipe - Da bomb of all Spinach Dips! I tested 4 and this one is seriously Da bomb!

Classic Chocolate Chip cOOkies!

These are IT! I'm always testing different chocolate chip cookie recipes--It's been an obsession for years. Whenever someone says theirs is the best, I feel inclined to be the judge of such a bold statement! I'm usually a little let down. I also have major issues with any recipe the says Mrs. Fields. Really no one has ever come close...until now. Cooks Illustrated has done it, they've calmed my inner cookie beast! They tested hundreds of recipes, and figured out what makes a perfectly crispy, yet chewy cookie. I'm in love!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Slightly adapted from Cooks Illustrated

2 cups plus 1 Tb flour (Spoon flour into cup then scrape off excess-this really makes a difference)
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cubes (3/4 cup)melted butter (be sure not to over heat- just until creamy)

1 cup packed dark brown sugar (I use 1/2 dark and 1/2 cup light)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 Tb pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt-set aside.

In a mixer, cream melted butter and sugars together until well blended. Beat in vanilla, egg, and yolk until light and creamy looking. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes (this helps the egg absorb into ingredients). Pulse a few more times then add flour mixture until well blended. Add chips try not to over mix. I let the dough sit another 5 to 10 minutes. This results in a better looking/texture cookie. Trust me!

Scoop 1 rounded tablespoon of dough onto parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Be careful not to over bake! Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

p.s. These aren't as good the next day, only a few have made it that far to tell the tale. I scoop and freeze if I don't bake all the dough the same day.

Sloppy Tom's. . .Sorry Joe!

Why does Joe get all the attention? And who named them Sloppy Joe's anyway?! What about Sloppy Dave's or Sloppy Garrett's? Now that makes more sense!

Seriously, these were really good and really fast to make! It's a perfect meal for post holiday anti-kitchen syndrome! For the sake of trying to cook on the lighter side, I use lean ground turkey instead of ground meat. I was surprised that I couldn't tell the difference. So so good!

SLOPPY JOE'S/TOMS
Adapted from The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner

1 Tb butter
1 pd lean ground turkey or beef
1 cup ketsup
1/2 cup to 1 cup water (depends on how runny you like it)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tb red wine vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (I used 1/4 tsp)
2 Tb dehydrated onions (optional)

-6 lightly buttered hamburger buns

In a skillet cook meat until done. Drain. Return meat to pan and add all the rest of the ingredients. Cook over med heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add more water if too thick.

Toast buns on electric skillet until nice and brown. Serve up this Manwich to all the hungry men in your house and watch them smile!

SNOW BALLS and PEANUT BUTTER BALLS!

The Nor'easter hit us hard, but we loved every minute of it!

This was our first WHITE Christmas -Bryn's dream come true! The hot hot hot chocolate station kept our toes nice and warm. The best part for me was having all the extra hands I needed to roll the peanut butter balls. We added another ball this year...Oreo truffles. They were a hit!

Hope you had a ball this Christmas too!



Peanut Butter Balls

2 cubes butter-soft

1 1/2 package finely crushed graham crackers

1 pd. powdered sugar (1 box or 3 3/4 cups unsifted)

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter-I use Jif

2 bags milk chocolate chips - Guittard or Hershey are the best

1/8 of a parafin wax bar (optional)

Put graham crackers in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin crush into fine crumbs. Pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Form into 1 inch balls-place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, and put in the freezer to firm for about 20 to 30 minutes.

In a double broiler melt chocolate chips with 1/8 of a parafin wax bar. You don't have to use the wax. Dip ball and let set in the freezer. Store in Ziploc in the freezer.

Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreos

1 package cream cheese

Mix in a food processor or a mixer with the whipping hook, until mixture is completely creamed and no white remains. Form into balls and set in freezer. Follow dipping instructions for pb balls.

Home for the Holidays!

As promised, (Michelle, Zana and Deb) here are a few snippets of our Christmas in Virginia. The best part is that I only spent a few dollars this year to deck the halls! I'd like to thank Tai Pan and Roberts from years past, for helping me find cute Christmas decor that I could afford...Are you listening Virginia, I said cheap, but nooo, you don't understand that word do you? Why oh why did we have to pick the most expensive county in the country to live? If anything, it has helped me to tighten the belt around here and get busy in the kitchen trying to cut cost as much as possible. Although, lately I have become quite obsessed with making English Toffee. Is there anything better in the Christmas candy department then English Toffee? I don't think so! This is the best recipe I've ever tasted! I won't confess how many batches I've made this year that haven't made it out of the house to give to neighbors! The kids claw each other for the last piece! It's CRRAZZY over here!! The recipe takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Be sure to make it when no one is around to distract you. You must give it your full 100% attention - If you do, it will bring joy to last the whole season through but, if you don't, it will bring angry, bitter tears knowing that you just wasted 3 cubes of butter! Good luck! Call me if you want me to make it with you! I promise not to eat it all.

*Recipe update-I recently bombed a batch of this and had to do some deep toffee soul searching! Come to find out I needed to change a few things. First, cook the toffee at a lower temperature-right below medium. Second, cook up to 290 degrees F. but no more then 300 F. And lastly, don't make the chocolate layer too thick or it won't stick. Hopefully, you won't waste as much butter as I have. But I still think it was worth it!

Best English Toffee

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cubes REAL butter (I use salted butter-if you use unsalted add 1/2 tsp more of salt)
1/4 tsp salt
1 bag milk chocolate chips (Guittard is to die for)
or half milk and semi sweet-

Lightly butter a 9x13 pan.

In a heavy, good quality sauce pan, melt butter, sugar and salt over medium. With a wooden spoon or flat wire whisk, carefully stir ingredients until well incorporated. Place candy thermometer in on the side of the pan. Watch for any stray sugar granules on the side of pan. Wipe with a pastry brush to remove. Once the sugar is dissolved, this shouldn't be a problem.

From this point on, your not going to stop slowly stirring. After the mixture starts to boil, it will look creamy yellow. It's okay if the sugar and butter separate just keep stirring in a up and down motion, making sure your getting the sides. The mixture will start to look golden/tan keep stirring. It starts to heat fast, you want the color to turn to the color of a brown paper bag. Keep stirring so you don't scorch it. When the thermo. reaches between 290 to 300 F. Quickly remove and pour into prepared pan. Let toffee cool for 5 minutes, I usually wipe the top lightly with a paper towel to remove any oil from the surface so the chocolate will stick better. Let the toffee completely harden-you can speed it up in the freezer. In the mircowave, melt chocolate in 20 second intervals stirring after each time-then spread over toffee. You can sprinkle finely crushed walnuts or almonds over chocolate.

Let set for a few hours-or you can speed up the process in the fridge. When set, break into pieces and inhale.