Banana Nut Bread for the Bread Machine

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
⅔ cup mashed bananas
⅓ cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped

1. Into baking pan measure flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
2. Add oil, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
3. Insert pan securely into unit; close lid.
4. Select"Cake" setting; press"Start.
5. When beep sounds after about 5 minutes, add mashed banana and nuts.
6. Press"Start" again.
7. The"Complete" light will flash when cake is done.

Coconut Tart

from Just Cross Stitch Magazine

1 c coconut
1 c sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened *
2 c milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325˚. In a large bowl, beat all ingredients together until thick and creamy. Pour into a greased 9" pie plate and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until risen and golden.** Serve warm or cold. Makes 6-8 servings.

* I used salted butter and it was fine.
** I had to cook mine 40 minutes before it would set up.

Maple Glazed Baked Apples

from Russie on Frugal Friends in the Kitchen

4 Rome Beauty or Braeburn apples
½ cup raisins
½ cup light brown sugar
⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup apple juice
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Core apples, leaving bottoms intact.* Peel top half of apples. Arrange apples in
8X8 inch baking pan. Combine raisins, brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon. Spoon
mixture into apples, mounding over top of apples and letting excess fall into
pan. Pour apple juice into bottom of pan. Combine maple syrup and butter and spoon over top of apples. Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 55 min. or until apples are tender. Serves 4

*I cored them all the way through, and they came out fine. Also, I used a Corningware casserole dish with lid instead of a pan with foil.

Wurstsalat

1 ring bologna, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced
2-3 small tomatoes, halved and sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Serve with rye bread. Makes 4 servings.

Corned Beef Hash

Corned Beef hash is one of my favorite breakfast foods, and until my trip to Boise, I thought I preferred it from a can. Most of the homemade corned beef hash I've tried in restaurants was made with onions. I don't care for it that way. But at Goldy's, in Boise, I had some homemade hash that was wonderful. And naturally, I thought, "I can do that!" So I did. I made a corned beef brisket in the crockpot for St Patrick's Day, and kept some of the leftovers just for this. It was great! What I do with it once it's cooked is make two "wells," and put two eggs in each "well." Then I put the lid on the pan until the eggs are cooked.

Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Maple Sauce

adapted from Cooking Light

2 teaspoons chili powder
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ lbs. pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons bottled ground fresh ginger
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub pork with spice mixture. Heat a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook 6 minutes; brown on all sides. Place skillet in oven; for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

While pork bakes, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add ginger, and cook 4 minutes. Stir in broth and syrup, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring broth mixture to a boil; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Cut pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices; serve with sauce.

Chicken Parmesan

from Giada De Laurentis

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 chicken cutlets (about 3 ounces each)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup marinara sauce
¼ cup shredded mozzrella cheese
8 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 500˚. In a small bowl, stir the oil and herbs to blend. Brush both sides of the cutlets with the herb oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy ovenproof skillet over a high flame. Add the cutlets and cook just until brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove from heat. Spoon the marinara sauce over and around the cutlets. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of mozzarella over each cutlet, then sprinkle 2 teaspoons of Parmesan over each. Dot the tops with the butter pieces and bake until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serves 4

Sangria Fruit Salad

1 banana, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick
1 large apple, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (you need to use the sweetened - it sweetens the sangria)
3/4 cup sangria

Note: you can also add other fruits - grapes, mandarin oranges, kiwi, for example.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill. Makes 4 servings.

Teriyaki Pork & Vegetables with Whole Wheat Spaghetti

from Joe of Culinary in the Country

8 ounces dry whole wheat spaghetti
4 green onions
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
12 ounces boneless center-cut loin pork chops, cut into 1/4" strips
1 ¾ cups broccoli florets
2 cups sliced mushrooms
⅓ cup teriyaki sauce
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta - keep warm.

Thinly slice the top green part of the onions and set aside. Finely chop the white portions and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Stir in the finely chopped white portion of the green onions, bell pepper, pork, broccoli and mushrooms - sauté until the pork is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid, teriyaki sauce and chili garlic sauce. Add pasta and teriyaki sauce mixture to skillet - toss well to coat. Stir in sliced green onion tops to serve. Makes 4 servings.
Note: I didn't mix the pasta and veggie-pork mixture together. I put the pasta on the plates and topped it with the veggie-pork mixture.

Lemon Parmigianno Chicken

from Cate of Sweetnicks

Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup dry vermouth (or any sort of wine)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 small chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)
3 tablespoons freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk together the lemon juice, vermouth, mustard, butter, sage and garlic. Place the chicken thighs in a baking dish. Pour the lemon mixture over all. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, salt and pepper. Bake until done, about 45 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices.

Ed Tep's Thai Barbecue Chicken

from Ed of Is It Edible?

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sherry
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teapspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
8 chicken thighs, skin-on
In a large ziploc bag, combine all the ingredients except the chicken thighs. Seal and shake until well mixed.
Add in the chicken thighs. Seal bag, and shake until chicken is well-coated. Allow chicken to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large foil-lined baking pan, place the chicken skin-side down in a single layer. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn chicken thighs over. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Flip chicken thighs over again so they are skin-side up. Broil the chicken (out 5 inches from the broiler) for 8-10 minutes or until done.

Maple-Soy Pork Chops

adapted from Cooking Light

Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on pork chops (I used boneless). In a small bowl, mix equal parts of soy sauce and maple syrup - about 2 tablespoons each if you're serving 2 people-and 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. In a skillet, brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to low. Add soy sauce-maple syrup mixture and simmer until mixture thickens into a glaze, turning chops to coat.

Turkey Burgers with Curry-Lime Mayo

from Cooking Light
3/4 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
(the recipe calls for your choice of jams - I don't think one of the red or purple ones would have been good, but I'm sure apricot would be just as good as the orange.)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon lime juice
hamburger buns
lettuce


Combine turkey and bread crumbs; moisten with marmalade. Form three patties; grill in skillet or grill pan until well done. Combine mayonnaise, curry powder, and lime juice; spread on toasted hamburger buns. Serve burgers with lettuce. Makes 3.

German Pancakes

1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
your choice of jams (I like raspberry; Don likes boysenberry)

Preheat oven to 425˚. In an ovenproof 10" skillet or pie plate, melt the butter. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer on high until fluffy. Gradually add flour and continue to beat on medium. Slowly add milk and salt. Pour into skillet or pie plate, and put in oven. Cook 13-16 minutes until puffed and golden. (It should look like the one above). Serve immediately, topped with powdered sugar, almonds, and jam. (Below)

Anticuchos (Peruvian Beef Skewers)

From Cooking Light


Beef:
1 ½ lbs. boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons ground aji amarillo or hot paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
Fiery rub:
1 teaspoon ground aji amarillo or hot paprika
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
To prepare the beef, combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Cover and chill 3 hours.
To prepare fiery rub, combine 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, turmeric, and parsley.

Prepare grill.

Remove beef from bowl, discarding marinade. Thread beef onto each of 6 (10-inch) skewers. Press fiery rub onto beef. Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.

Martha Green's Hawaiian Chicken

1. Grill a boneless, skinless chicken breast (or sauté it in a skillet).
2. Grill a slice of pineapple.
3. Toast an English muffin.
4. Mix up a couple spoons of mayonnaise with a little dried dill and chives.
5. Spread the toasted English muffin halves with the mayonnaise. Top with chicken breast, then pineapple, then a slice of cheddar cheese.

Sweet Cabbage Salad

adapted from Cooking Light


6 cups shredded cabbage (about 1/2 head)
1 cup shredded carrot (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup sugar
½ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon celery seeds
½ teaspoon salt
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Combine sugar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour vinegar mixture over cabbage mixture, tossing gently to combine. Cover; chill 1 hour. Makes about 8 servings, and the leftovers keep well an extra day.

Freezer Stash Meatballs

Freezer Stash Meatballs
from Kim Tilley

3 lbs. lean ground beef
1 ½ cups soft bread crumbs
3 eggs
6 tablespoons minced onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, mix beef, crumbs, eggs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Shape into 11/2-inch meatballs. (A miniature ice cream scoop makes fast work of shaping.)

Arrange in two 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pans. Bake in preheated oven until meat is browned, with no trace of pink and juices run clear, 10 to 13 minutes.

Drain, let cool to room temperature, divide into fourths and freeze each portion in vapor-moisture proof containers. (I use my FoodSaver). Each portion serves 2.