Low-Fat Whole Wheat Banana Bread

4 T margarine (or butter), softened
¼ C applesauce
2 eggs (2 T. Dehydrated Eggs +1/4 C. Water)
2 T skim milk or water
¾ C packed light brown sugar
1 C mashed banana (2-3 medium bananas)
1 ¾ C Whole Wheat Flour
2 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
¼ t salt (optional)
¼ C coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
(optional)

Beat margarine, applesauce, eggs, milk, and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until smooth. Add banana and blend at low speed; beat at high speed 1 to 2 minutes. Combine flour, baking
powder, baking soda, and salt; mix into batter. Mix in nuts. Pour batter into greased loaf pan, . Bake at 350º F until bread is golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (55
to 60 minutes). Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool to room temperature.

Chicken Enchilads Piedras by Dad

3 or 4 boned chicken breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
14 corn tortillas
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon flour
your favorite medium strength green salsa
2 small cans chopped green chilies (peeled are best)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup each cheddar and Monterrey jack cheeses
1 cup milk

Meat: Preheat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in large skillet. Chop chicken and put in skillet with one can of chilies (drained) and the onion. Add chili powder and salt and pepper. Stir-fry until a good simmer gets going, reduce heat and cover. Insure the chicken doesn't dry out, add small amounts of water if needed. It should simmer until the meat is almost flaky and the aroma is driving you crazy. About 45 minutes.
Sauce: Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and a dash of salt, stir until well mixed. Slowly add milk and stir over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. Add Monterrey jack cheese, 1 small can of green chilies, drained, and green salsa to taste, set aside. Don't make the sauce too soon (I always wait until the enchiladas are assembled before making the sauce so it doesn't thicken too much).
Assembly: In a small skillet on medium-low heat, warm about a quarter cup of vegetable oil. I assemble enchiladas in a glass 13x9 inch baking dish; seems to work best for me, warm tortillas one at a time in the oil until pliable, drain, then put about a fat tablespoon of meat in the tortilla and roll it up. Place in the baking dish. You may have to vary the amount of meat depending on the size of your tortillas. When the pan is full, about 14 enchiladas, cover them with the sauce. Cover sauce with the cheddar cheese. I sprinkle sliced black olives over the cheese, you can add whatever you think you will like. Bake at 350 about 30 to 45 minutes, until the cheese is melted and there is bubbling around the edges.

Trifle

1 (6 oz.) box strawberry-banana Jello
3 cups water
1 angel food cake
2 packages prepared instant vanilla pudding
2 pints strawberries
2 bananas
1 pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
maraschino cherries, stems on
sliced almonds

Make jello using one cup less water. Cut angel food cake into 1/2 inch cubes; when jello has thickened, stir in cake cubes. Pour mixture into a large glass bowl - a punch bowl or trifle bowl is good - and set firm. Mix vanilla pudding with sliced bananas and spread evenly over jello/cake mixture. Top pudding with sliced fresh strawberries. Whip cream stiff with a bit of sugar and cream of tartar and spread over strawberries. Decorate with maraschino cherries and sliced almonds.

Pudding Dessert Crepes

Fillings/Toppings:

1 (4-serving) package vanilla instant pudding
2 cups milk
1 cup whipped cream
1 pint fresh sliced strawberries
sliced almonds
additional whipped cream

Crepes:

2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup melted butter

Crepes: In blender, mix eggs, flour, milk, sugar, salt, and extract. Scrape sides with spatula. Blend while adding the melted butter. Cook crepes in crepe maker or small skillet. Wrap in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Prepare pudding as directed on package, beating only 1 minute. Add whipped cream and beat 1 minute longer. Place 2 tablespoons strawberries in center of crepe. Add 1/3 cup of pudding; fold the crepe. Top with remaining whipped cream, berries and sliced almonds.

Blueberry Apple Rustic Tart

3-4 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
2-4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
pie crust for single crust pie
butter

Place peeled and sliced apples in a big bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add blueberries, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Roll out crust and place flat on a cookie sheet or baking dish, use a fork to dock the bottom of the crust. Pour apple mixture into center of crust and dot with butter. Fold edges of crust over the sides of the mixture, leaving the center open. Brush the crust with water or milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes.

broccoli, red pepper, and cheddar chowder

1 small head broccoli (1/2 lb), or frozen if you are in a hurry.
1 large boiling potato (1/2 lb)
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
l large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)

Cut remaining broccoli into very small (1-inch) florets. Cook florets in a salted water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain. Reserve 3 cups cooking water for chowder.Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook potato, onion, bell pepper, broccoli stems, and garlic in butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add cumin, salt, pepper, and mustard and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and simmer (partially covered), stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cheese and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, then season with salt and pepper. Purée about 2 cups of chowder in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Add florets and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Dana’s Pink Meringue Cookies

1box of small sized Cherry Jello
4 egg whites
1 TBS vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar, divided
1-2 cup mini chocolate chips or candy canes (chopped fine)

Beat egg whites till stiff. GRADUALLY add Jello and 1/2 the sugar. 1 TBS at a time. Beat well between each addition. Add salt and vinegar. Add reserved sugar, 1 TBS at a time.
Fold in Chocolate chips.

Drop onto paper lined cookies sheets. SMALL cookies work best. Bake at 250 for 20 min. Turn off oven and cool for at least 20 min.

Keep in airtight container in Fridge. These become sticky in humid weather, so avoid making them when it's raining.

Peppermint Crunch Oatmeal Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 whole wheat pastry flour (or reg. flour)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup grated or flaked coconut
1 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups Andes' Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
opt. 1 tsp peppermint extract or replace vanilla with 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 almond extract.

Cream butter, sugars till fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. On low speed, add soda, salt, flour. Mix completely. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Place on baking sheet 2 '' apart, flatten slightly, then sprinkle with remaining peppermint chips.
Bake at 300 for 12-15 min. Do not overbake! The outside will be crunchy and the inside soft.

Waffles

2 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Combine eggs, milk and melted butter. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture; beat just until batter is blended. Heat waffle iron. Pour in enough batter to allow spreading to within 1 inch of edges. Bake, do not raise cover during baking. When done, loosen from iron with fork. Serve hot with butter and syrup or berries and whipped cream.

Dad's Pancakes

2 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine egg, milk, and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened. Bake on a hot griddle. Makes 16 (4 inch) pancakes. For thinner pancakes add 4 tablespoons milk to batter.

Wonderful Dinner Rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast (1 pkg.)
1 tablespoon honey
31/2-4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon malted milk powder
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Italian seasoning
garlic salt
Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, put water, yeast, honey, and malted milk powder. Let set, undisturbed until a scum forms on the water, 10-15 minutes or so. Mix in 2 cups flour with the salt, then add 1 1/2 to 2 cups more flour by half cupfuls to make a soft smooth dough, not sticky. Knead on floured surface just a bit. Roll out into a rectangle to 3/4 inch thickness. Slice with sharp knife into desired shapes (squares or strips, etc.). Melt the butter and pour into a jelly roll pan. Roll dough pieces in butter and lay out in pan. Let rise. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 for 10 to 14 minutes.

Mom used to make these quite a bit. The malted milk powder makes them super yummy. They really are wonderful.

So Good It Makes Other Pumpkin Breads Sad

3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans

Sift together first 7 ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl combine vegetable oil and sugar. Beat eggs well and add to oil/sugar mixture along with canned pumpkin. Mix well and fold in dry ingredients. Stir in nuts. Bake in greased loaf pans at 325 for 1 1/2 hours. Makes two loaves. Or bake in muffin cups at 350 for about 25 min. or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 24 muffins.

We would always make lots of batches to mysteriously leave on doorsteps at Christmastime. Clean out a bunch of 15 oz. cans and fill them about 2/3 full to bake them. When they cool, pour a little icing over the top and add a maraschino cherry. Very cute.

This is the best stuff on the planet. I'm going to make some now.

Grey's Special Ingedient Carrot Raisin Salad

7 medium carrots
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Soak the raisins in warm water. Peel and grate the carrots and put into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper until smooth. Drain the raisins and mix into the carrots. Mix in the mayonnaise dressing and serve chilled.

This is best if it has a while to chill before serving. It is also great with a splash of lime juice.

One day I was making a plain ol' carrot raisin salad with the help of my boy Grey. He was sitting on the counter looking through the spices and mentioned that my salad need a special ingredient. I cautiously enquired which ingredient he thought I should add. He handed me the bottle of chili powder, and being in an indulgent mood, I sprinkled in a tiny bit, thinking it wouldn't make any difference. It was really good. So good I don't ever make the plain ol' version anymore. Thank you Grey!

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Rice Soup

1/2 lg. onion, chopped
1-2 lbs. leftover Thanksgiving turkey, chopped
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 lg. carrots, chopped
1/2 cup corn
8 cups water
1 cup rice, uncooked
salt and pepper to taste

In a deep stock pot, saute onions in a little bit of vegetable or olive oil until they are transparent. Add turkey chunks and raise heat. Sprinkle with flour and stir until all the flour is absorbed. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring often. Add carrots and corn. Add the water and return to a boil. Pour in rice. reduce heat and let simmer until the rice is cooked.

P.S. The 4 cups chicken broth can be replaced with 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules dissolved in 4 cups water. The 1/4 cup flour can be replaced by an equal amount of leftover gravy for the thickener.

Wassail Bowl

3 lg. cooking apples
1 gal. apple cider
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate (undiluted)
1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate (undiluted)
1 cup packed brown sugar
sugar
cinnamon sticks

Preheat oven to 350. Cut apples in half crosswise and place, cut side down in a 13x9 in. baking dish. Bake 25 minutes, or until apples are tender. In a large pot over low heat, simmer 2 cups apple cider, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg for 10 minutes. Add remaining apple cider, lemonade and orange juice concentrates, and brown sugar. Heat until hot, but not boiling, stirring occationally. Pour hot mixture into heated large punch bowl. Float apples, skin side up in punch; sprinkle their tops with a little sugar. Serve hot with a cinnamon stick in each cup. Makes 18 cups. Drain and refriderate apples after to serve as dessert; top with cream.

Got to try it Granola

Cherry-Almond Granola

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweeteend
3 tablespoons flax seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup almonds, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons whole almonds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 cups dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to incorporate.

Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the depth of goldenness you’re looking for), stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and and cool completely, in its pan, on a wire wrack. Once the granola is cool, mix in the dried cherries.

Zuppa toscana

Mama Charlie's "Better than Olive Garden" Zuppa Tuscona

1/2 lb Hot Italian Sausage
1/2 lb Mild Italian Sausage
3 lg Russet Baking Potatoes, sliced in half, then in 1/4''slices
1 lg Onion, chopped
1 bottle Real Bacon Bits
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3 c. Kale (spinach works too!)
2 cans chicken broth
1 qt water
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Cook Sausage in 325 deg oven for 1/2 hour. Drain and cut into small pieces. Put onion, garlic, potatoes, water, broth in large pot and cook on low until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, kale and pepper to taste. Simmer 20 min. Add cream and heat through.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Garlic Lime Chicken
Serves 6

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons lime juice

In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both
sides of chicken breasts.

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high
heat. Satue chicken until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes
on either side or until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken
and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the
browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has
reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and
serve.

Per Serving: 343 Calories; 11g Fat (31.1% calories from fat); 55g
Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 147mg Cholesterol;
612mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit;
1 1/2 Fat.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with steamed broccoli and baked butternut
squash.

originally found on flylady.com

Dana’s Pink Meringue Cookies

Dana’s Pink Meringue Cookies

½ box Jell-O (small size) cherry flavored
3 egg whites
1 t vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
¾ c sugar- Reserve 4 TBS
1 c mini chocolate chips

Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add Jell-O and sugar (all but the 4 TBS) 1 TBS at a time, beating well in between
Add salt and vinegar.
Add reserved 4 TBS of sugar.
Fold in chocolate chips
Drop onto brown paper lined cookie sheets. SMALL ones work best.
Bake at 250 deg for 25-30 min
Turn off oven and cool in oven with door closed for 20 min
Keep in airtight container in Fridge

Oh so yummy Chicken Satay Noodles

Cold Chicken Satay Noodles

This dinner can be served and room temp or cold -- making it a great option for warm spring and summer nights.

ingredients

Salt
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/4-1/3 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter, softened (eyeball it)
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup warm water (eyeball it)
1/4 cup tamari (aged soy sauce)
1 clove garlic, grated with microplane or box grater
Juice of 2 limes, zest of 1
1 teaspoon hot sauce (eyeball it)
3 tablespoons vegetable, peanut or sunflower oil (eyeball it)
2 cups store-bought rotisserie chicken meat, skin removed and thinly sliced
A handful of shredded carrots
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 cup spinach greens, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, available in small pouches in the baking aisle
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, whichever you prefer

preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt water liberally, then drop pasta in and cook to al dente. Run cooked pasta under cold water to cool. Drain well and reserve.

While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, whisk together softened peanut butter, honey and warm water in a large bowl.

Once they're combined, whisk in the tamari, garlic, lime juice and zest, and hot sauce.

While whisking continuously, pour the oil in a steady stream to complete the dressing. Add noodles, veggies and peanuts to the bowl and toss until everything is mixed well. Place noodles in shallow bowls and top with chicken and cilantro or parsley.

Yields 4 servings

Potato Salad

If you are going to make a big batch use 5 lbs of red potatoes and about 10 eggs and one big Klaussen pickle (everything else is crap) about a cup to a cup and a half of chopped onions, use the big flat one they turn out to be the sweetest

One of those small black cans of small black olives.

You got to chop the potatoes to 1’’ cubes and boil till tender

Hard boil eggs and chop with egg slicker

Drain olives an dthrow them in there

Chop lpickle into ¼ inch chunck

Cool it all off

Add enough mayo that it coats everything but doesn’t get sloppy

And salt and pepper.

The spaghetti mistake.

At church there was an announcement about a ward cookbook. Woo hoo! It made me remember that Christmas is coming and my project is rapidly becoming less of a "laid back" project and more of an urgent "I better get this moving" type of project.

I'm going to make a family cookbook as a gift to Matt's side of the family. They all learned to cook from their dad and are always calling to ask, "how do you make......?" So this is it.

Here is the story of the Spaghetti Mistake as told by Matt's Dad.

Dana has an idea for a family cookbook entitled "The Spaghetti Mistake". It is a great idea and while they were here we came up with several recipes to put in it. But the recipes have special signifigance...it has to do with the title...so here's how it happened:

We were living at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Matt was about 12 or 13 years old, he probably remembers the exactness of it better than me, and one night in the kitchen decided he could handle making spaghetti. He wanted to learn how to do it so he could make it for the whole family. At the time, we had five kids and the two oldest boys were nearly teens so it took a lot of spaghetti to feed everyone, especially since it was one of the few things that all the kids liked.

So we proceeded to teach the boy to make spaghetti. He did good, too. And was super proud of himself. In a couple of days he wanted to know if it was time to make it again. He wanted to solo. We said, "Sure, get to it !" He did it with little supervision and did it very well. The younger kids praised him, the parents gave positive reinforcement and Matt was cock o' the walk. In a week or so, I laid out the makings and called for the spaghetti-meister to report to the kitchen. He eagerly plowed into the making of dinner, just like a pro. I don't remember at what point the joy of it turned to dread. But having declared himself the Spaghetti King, we, the parents, would schedule spaghetti knowing that it meant a night off from the kitchen for us. Spaghetti King soon wearied of the chore, it wasn't fun if he HAD to do it. But from then on, almost every time we had spaghetti, it was Matt's night in the kitchen.

On a night when I was too lazy to roll up individual enchiladas, I just layered the tortillas in the pan with the meat and cheese and sauce, kind of like a Mexican lasagne. Number Two son was in the kitchen watching and talking to me and mentioned that he thought he could handle making an enchilada casserole and so I started breaking him in, and he got the hang of it quick. About half way through the process, Matt came into the kitchen and sized up what was going on and cried out for Mike..."Don't do it, Mike, I made the spaghetti mistake and now I have to do it all the time...don't make the enchilada casserole mistake !" Or words to that effect. But it was too late. Mike was hooked, he was into it and enjoying it and forever after, was the Enchilada Casserole Meister in our house.

Kids are funny people. Even after making fun of Matt for making the "Spaghetti Mistake", each one of them made a "mistake" of their own. And they became quite good cooks, I might add...mistakes not withstanding. We got to a point where the kids would make complete meals several nights in a row...Mama Charlie and I didn't have to cook at all, if we didn't want to. The difficulty came when the three boys all passed the six foot mark and ate like a plague of locusts every day. We would buy things at the store with the intent of having them for a dinner and find that when it was time to prepare that dinner, the stuff had already been consumed as an "after school snack".

Any way, Dana...there is the origin of the "Spaghetti Mistake"...as I remember it. Matt will surely remember it differently. But you can run it any way you want, it is your project. And for the first recipe, the simplest spaghetti in the world (short of dumping it out of a can):

2 lbs of hamburger, browned, drained and rinsed

two cans of tomato paste

Italian seasoning (or garlic salt, oregono, basil, salt, pepper, and sage) to taste

two bullion cubes

medium onion, chopped (optional: half a green bell pepper, or sliced black olives, or both)

mix all the above together, add water to cover the meat mix (about four of the tomato paste cans) and simmer, covered, for a while. Stir ocassionally and add water if it evaporates off. Time varies with taste, it needs to be about an hour to get all the flavors and spices thoroughly infused. Too long and things get too mushy, even the meat. Too short and you don't get the best flavor out of it. Pour it over cooked spaghetti and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (or cheddar...my preference...Okie style).