Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was looking at the very ripe bananas that I had on my counter and I had planned on making banana bread with them tonight but then I had an idea...I thought to myself, "I bet I could make banana bread into a cookie...humm." The verdict? I may never make banana bread again! EVER! These cookies are so delicious! And I love that they are a cookie instead of a loaf of bread...no slicing required! Cookies are much more 'user friendly!'

Here's the recipe...I may need to make a few more corrections to fine tune this but this is a very good start. YUM!

Cream together:

1 C margarine, softened

1 C sugar

Add & mix well:

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 egg

In a separate bowl whisk together:

3 to 3 1/4 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Add half of this to the banana mixture and mix well. Then add the rest and mix well again.

Stir in:

1 C Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Use a medium scoop and scoop onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges just start to brown. ENJOY!

Stars: Anna 5, Ryan 3, Me 4 1/2 - I think they are almost perfect

Noodle Explosion!

Special thanks to Ryan for the name.

Yep, another casserole. Have I mentioned I love casseroles? This is basically the same recipe as Tater Tot Casserole other then I use noodles in place of the tater tots.
1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
dried onion
salt & pepper
3 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
milk - 1 1/2 cans (use soup cans)
1 can corn, drained or bag of frozen white petite corn
1/2 bag or 1/2 pound of fancy cut noodles (any kind will do I just happen to like these ones)
1 to 1 1/2 C shredded cheese (depends on how cheesy you like the top)

Boil noodles in salted water while you brown the ground beef with dried onion (as much as you like, I use about a palm full or so). Salt & pepper beef while cooking. Drain excess fat from meat. Add corn, soup & milk, mix well. Drain noodles & stir into mixture. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish, top with cheese and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Stars: Ryan 5, Anna 4 1/2

Scones (& Bread Dough too)

MMM...there is nothing like a warm scone with a little butter and some homemade jam...YUM!

1 Tbs. Yeast

1 C Warm Water (about 110 degrees)
1/2 C Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
2 tsp. Salt
1 C Milk, scalded but cooled to warm (I microwave it for 1 min & then cool it in the fridge)
1/2 C Melted Butter
6 C Flour + more as needed

In mixing bowl with dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit until lightly foamy (about 5 minutes), then stir in sugar. Add egg, salt, milk, & butter. Slowly add flour, adding more as needed to make an elastic dough. Roll out onto floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes.

Cover & let raise until doubled in bulk.

Heat oil in large pan. Punch down dough. Break of a hand full of dough and form into scone. Fry in oil. Top with butter, honey, or my all time favorite homemade strawberry jam...MMM! ENJOY!

*** This recipe is also good for making bread - 2 large loaves. If I make scones I usually still have enough for 1 loaf of bread. For bread once you punch down the dough form into loaves and put in greased bread pan. Let raise (maybe a 1/2 hour). Bake at 350 for 25+ minutes until nice and brown on top or the middle will be doughy.

Stars:

Scones-Ryan 4, Anna 5

Bread-Ryan 5, Anna 5

Brownies...Kalyn's Recipe

MMM! I LOVE THESE BROWNIES!!! My good friend Kalyn brought these over one night and it was love at first bite! They are a little more cake like and less like a typical chewy brownie. The rest of my family prefer box brownies & that's ok... I think I could eat this entire thing all by myself. Yes, they are that good! Since I don't want to be miserable I only make these when we have someone over or I take some to a neighbor.

*** This time they turned out a little flat. So, for this recipe I moved the baking soda in with the other dry ingredients. The original recipe had it going in with the eggs, milk & vanilla. Hopefully that makes it better next time. I may also add a touch more flour...maybe it is the humidity here that made them so flat. We'll see. ***

1 C. Margarine

4 Tbs. Cocoa

1 C. Water

2 C. Flour

2 C. Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 C. Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine margarine, cocoa & water in sauce pan & bring to a boil. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, salt & baking soda. Pour hot mixture into dry ingredients & mix well. Add eggs, milk & vanilla and mix well. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray & bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

While baking, prepare icing...

1/2 C. Margarine

4 Tbs. Cocoa

6 Tbs. Milk

dash of salt

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 box (1 lb.) Powdered Sugar

Combine margarine, cocoa, milk, vanilla & salt in a sauce pan & bring to a boil. Pour hot mixture over powedered sugar & beat until smooth. Pour over brownies when they have been out of the oven for 15 minutes or less, but no longer.

Tater Tot Casserole

MMM...tonight we are having a family favorite...Tater Tot Casserole. I love this because it is good and EASY! (And CHEESY...I over did it just a bit this time...cheese is never something I've really measured...2 cups was a little too much :)

1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
dried onion
salt & pepper
3 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
milk - 1 1/2 cans (use soup cans)
1 bag - 2 pounds of frozen tater tots
1 to 1 1/2 C shredded cheese (depends on how cheesy you like the top)

Brown ground beef with dried onion (as much as you like, I use about a palm full or so). Salt & pepper beef while cooking. Drain excess fat from meat. Add soup & milk, mix well. Stir in tater tots. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for about 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

This is also a good casserole to add corn (I like to add one bag of frozen white petite corn) or what ever sounds good.

Stars - Chad 4, Ryan 5, Anna 5

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I love enchiladas. When I had Ryan my visiting teacher brought us over some sort of enchilada plate - kind of like a quesadilla/enchilada combo & I asked her for the recipe. You know how sometimes you can tell when someone says they'll give it to you but you know they're just saying that. Why? I'd rather know up front that I'm not going to get it. I've been told 'no' more than once and that is better then thinking you'll get it and you never do. Hum, I do wish I had that recipe! It was delicious. Anyway, I don't think I have ever really made enchiladas until I came across this recipe. Of course the following is my version but I think they turned out pretty good. I like the cream & enchilada sauce mixed together. Yum!4 chicken breasts

a bit of olive oil

1 - 4 ounce can of diced green chillies

1/4 C diced onion (I used dried onion from the cannery - great way to use up that food storage)

1 - 8 ounce pkg of cream cheese

2 1/2 C shredded monterey jack cheese - about 1/2 lb.

8 tortillas

1 C heavy cream

1 can enchilada sauce

1 small can sliced olives

Boil chicken breasts in water until cooked, then shred. Sometimes I add chicken stock to the water for more flavor. Also, frozen breasts work good for this - just make sure they are fully cooked and you can 'clean' the chicken when you shred it if its needed.

Saute green chillies & onion in the olive oil. Add cream cheese and heat until melted. Add about 1 1/2 C of the shredded cheese - reserve 1 C to top enchiladas. Heat until melted and add chicken. Stir well.

Divide into 1/2, then 1/2 again until you have 8 equal parts. Stuff the tortillas and roll them and place in a 9X13 baking pan.

Mix together cream & enchilada sauce and pour over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese & olives. Bake 350 for 15-20 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings; sour cream, salsa, rice, tomatoes, etc.

Stars - Chad 3 1/2, Ryan 4 1/2, Anna 5

3 Steps to cooking a Fryer Chicken

I just learned how to do this a few months ago & how I wish I'd known this long ago! A fryer chicken is just a whole chicken that is cut up. Look for it in the meat section of the grocery store.

First, rinse the chicken and place in a large pot of water.

Second, bring to a boil.

Third, reduce heat and continue cooking about 1 hour.

That's it. Easy, right? When it is done pull the meat off the bones, discard bones & skin, and you have delicious chicken for chicken salad, a casserole, enchiladas, whatever & it really is pretty easy you just need to plan a little ahead because it takes a full hour to cook it.

Chicken & Spaghetti Casserole

I love a good casserole. Don't mind the picture...the paper plate is ugly and it looked way better in real life. I'm just starting to take pictures of food and it isn't as easy as you'd think. Anyway, this was delicious! Even Chad liked it & that says a lot because he is not a pasta lover like the rest of us. Also he only had it as leftovers since we usually eat pasta dishes on days he is working.
1 cut up fryer chicken, cooked and pick out the meat to make around 2 cups (cut into bite sized pieces)
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup
Milk - almost fill the empty soup cans
3 C grated sharp cheddar cheese separated into 2 cups & 1 cup
1/4 - 1/2 C finely diced onion (I used a pinch of dry onion from the cannery)
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti in some of the chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain and combine with all other ingredients except 1 cup of cheese.

Place in casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil.

We had this last Sunday for dinner so I made it in the morning then covered it and put it in the fridge until after church then baked it. I think that a bag of frozen white petite corn or a can of beans would be a good addition to this casserole...I might try the corn next time but Ryan isn't a fan of beans so they will have to remain a side dish.

Stars - Chad 3, Ryan 5, Anna 4

MMM...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have perfected this recipe, if I do say so myself. This makes the yummiest, most delicious, scrumptious pumpkin cookies ever! I think that it tastes like the pumpkin chocolate chip bread that you can buy from Great Harvest Bread - only better for two reasons: 1. It is a cookie - no cutting required! 2. When you crave these, they are easy to make right at home. Excellent option when you live thousands of miles from the closest Great Harvest. Anyway, trust me you have to try these!

Here it is... Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together:
1 C soft margarine
1 C granulated sugar

Add mixing between each ingredient:
1 small can pumpkin - 15 ounces
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl whisk together:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Add half of this to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Then add the rest and mix well again.

Stir in 1 heaping cup of chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet).

Using a medium scoop - scoop onto cookie sheets. These beautiful cookies hold their shape well so you can put these fairly close. Bake for 12 minutes. I usually bake the 1st batch for 13 minutes and the 2nd for 12.

Makes 38 cookies. Enjoy! These are delicious straight out of the oven with a tall glass of milk. YUM!

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I loves these cookies! I have been trying to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie for almost as long as I've had kids to taste them and I think this recipe is close...very close!!!
2/3 C. Shortening
2/3 C. Margarine, Softened (room temperature or about 10 seconds in the microwave)
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. packed Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
3 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 bag or 2 very full cups of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (Sometimes I use 1/2 semi sweet & 1/2 milk chocolate)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream together shortening, butter, & sugars. Add vanilla & eggs - one at a time - mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, soda & salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 7-8 (sometimes 9) minutes, just until the edges start to turn golden brown. I don't like cookies that are too done...I like them soft. Be sure to rotate the sheets half way through.

Makes 46 cookies using a medium scoop.

Stars - Chad 4 1/2, Ryan 5, Anna 5MMM...I just tried this cookie & it was delicious! I love that they aren't too thin...I really love a nice plump cookie!

***Note - I actually think I like these better using margarine in place of the shortening. Hummm...still thinking...

MMM...Good Eats!

This will be my blog that I keep the recipes that I like. I am always looking for a good recipe. I like to surf the net for new recipes to try and I have a weakness for cookbooks...especially if they have pictures. Honestly, I enjoy reading recipes. I have never been a great cook but I would like to be one someday. The problem I have is that I always change the recipe to meet my families likes or dislikes so I need a good place to keep these recipes and then one day when I decide to make a recipe book I'll know where all my good recipes are. Well, here it is...MMM...Good Eats! A collection of my favorite recipes.

p.s. At the bottom of the recipe I'll put the number of stars the kids give it between 1-5.