Fried Bananas

I wouldn't really call them fried bananas if it were me, but that is what it was/is called I guess....

This is a super simple recipe that has so many uses! All you need to have on hand is a banana, some sugar, a smidgen of butter, and a squirt of whipped cream (if desired).

Pre-heat the skillet and add about a tablespoon of butter. Cut up the banana to desired thickness and dredge in sugar. Place bananas in skillet until the sugar carmelizes, then  flip to the other side. Take out and enjoy hot! YUMMMMMM! Squirt some whipped cream if desired.

These bananas are great to add to buttermilk biscuits, crepes, creme brulee, pancakes, waffles, etc.

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

3 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tblsp Flour
2 Cups Pecans
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Tblsp Butter, softened
1 pre-made Keebler Ready Crust--whatever taste you prefer. I have  made it with Shortbread, Nilla Wafer, and graham cracker crust

Mix Thoroughly and add to a 9 inch crust, if you want a pastry pie crust it should be unbaked. bake for 1 hr at 325 *F


This is a super tasty and EASY recipe! It turns out wonderful every time I bake it!

Lemon Curd

I found this recipe online here, and I love it! Super simple and super tasty! Next time I make it I will definitely have to remember to post pictures.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp finely grated Fresh Lemon Zest
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Large Eggs
6 Tb Unsalted Butter, cut into bits

Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over med low heat, whisking frequently until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and the first bubbles appear on the surface. (about 6 min). Then transfer the lemon curd into a bowl and chill (covering the surface with plastic wrap) until cold, about an hour or two. It can be stored in the fridge for about a week, which makes it great to just either have on hand, or when you are planning ahead.

Viking Professional Hand Blender

In order to make life easier on any home chef/cook a hand immersion blender seems to be necessary. I want to get the most out of my money and so I am in the research phase...

I have virtually come across the viking professional hand blender and wonder if anyone has used this hand blender, and if so, is it worth the price? It seems to have everything I would want/need, but I just don't know quite yet. I guess I need to find somewhere I could test it out! :)


Click here to be redirected to the Viking Website.

Chicken Cacciatore

I made this for dinner the other day and it was amazing. I found a similar recipe off the Food Network website, but didn't have all the ingredients on hand so I altered it to the following recipe and it turned out PERFECT!

Ingredients

8 Chicken Tenders, about 2 pounds
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, thin sliced
1 bell pepper, thin sliced (any color)
1/2 pound- 1 pound of white button mushrooms (depending on how many mushrooms you like
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes in juice
1 tsp of Italian Seasoning
1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes
2-3 tsp fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

**Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with sea salt and pepper. Make sure the chicken is room temperature before you start to cook.  Heat the oil in a saute pan over med high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides and then remove the chicken and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and pepper until  the onions sweat. Add mushrooms and stir occasionally. Once the mushrooms start to brown add the garlic and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the whole can of tomatoes (juice and all), Italian Seasoning, and red pepper flakes and a little more sea salt. Add the chicken breasts back in and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through--about 10 minutes. Just before serving stir in the Italian parsley and let slightly wilt. Serve over some orzo or a bow tie pasta. We ate it just as is and it was great!

** I brined the chicken tenders for about 20 minutes before I started the cooking process while I was deciding what to make. It was a simple brine mix of kosher salt and water.

Vita-Mix Countertop Blender

 

photo courtesy 

  Someday!!! I need to do more research, but everything I have heard/read about these amazing blenders makes me want ONE! You can use it to make smoothies, soups (even hot soup), and sauces. You can even use it for chopping nuts. AWESOME!

Waffles

Do you or your kids LOVE waffles? Do you purchase store-bought frozen waffles because of the convenience of popping it into the toaster on a busy morning? If you plan ahead just oh so slightly you can make your own frozen, precooked waffles that are more economical and healthy than the store-bought counterpart. I make these waffles on Saturday mornings--sometimes doubling the recipe. I just let the extra waffles cool and seal in a gallon size freezer zip-lock bag until I want to partake of some tasty waffles and take out what we need and stick in the toaster! PERFECT!

I have had this recipe what seems like forever and I am pretty sure it is an old Betty Crocker recipe...

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Cup Flour
2 Tlb Sugar
1 Tlb Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Large Eggs
1 3/4 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup melted butter
1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

Preheat your waffle maker. In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl add all other ingredients. Then add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until moistened and slightly lumpy.  Spray your waffle maker with a little bit of nonstick cooking spray. Pour into grids according the the directions of your waffle maker. Some 4 section waffle makers require 1 to 1/4 cups of batter. I have a 2 grid Belgium waffle maker and I add about 1/3 of a cup to each grid. Depending on the heat of your waffle maker and how dark you like your waffles it could take 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!!!