Fruit and Cream

 This is very simple. It's hardly even a recipe. But it's delicious, so enjoy! Try different combinations of fruit, or add a flavored extract into the cream for a new twist.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/3 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 lb strawberries
• 2 peaches
• 1 banana
• 1/4 c brown sugar

Directions:

1. Whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
2. Cut up fruit into desired chunks, arrange on tray
3. Scoop/pour whipped cream into dish
4. Sprinkle cream and fruit with brown sugar

Best Banana Bread

This is really the best banana bread. The recipe makes three large loaves of bread, but I make two big loaves and get the disposable foil mini-loaf pans and make 4 small loaves to freeze. You can freeze the bread for up to two months. I cover the mini loaves in foil, then put them in freezer-safe Ziploc bags. Leave a loaf out on the counter overnight and by breakfast time, you'll have moist, delicious banana bread that tastes just as great as the day you made it. Slice it up, spread some butter or Nutella on it, and you're good to go! You can also add nuts or chocolate chips to the recipe if you feel so inclined. If you do add nuts or chips, add them at the end, after mixing in the buttermilk.

Here's a helpful tip. Instead of buying buttermilk, you can make it really easily. 1 cup buttermilk = 1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice, and milk to equal 1 cup. I measure the vinegar, pour into my 1 cup measuring cup, then add milk the rest of the way. Then pour right in to batter.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 cups mashed bananas (7 to 8 bananas)
• 4 eggs (well-beaten)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Blend in bananas (first: either mash them really well or puree in blender)
3. Add eggs and vanilla
4. Sift flour, baking soda and salt together
5. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture
6. Mix in buttermilk, then stir everything thoroughly
7. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9x5x3 bread pans
8. Bake at 325 for 1 hr 15 minutes.

Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies

These shortbread cookies are filled with any flavor of jam - I chose homemade raspberry jam. They are easy to make, not too sweet, and the jam adds a great flavor and a new texture. Because it is a shortbread cookie, the dough gets really stiff and kind of difficult to mix at the end. Be sure to mix thoroughly, and knead the dough with your hands to smooth it out before forming it into balls.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp butter flavor
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup jam

 Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl
2. Beat in egg, oil, vanilla and butter flavor
3. In small mixing bowl, blend together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt
4.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture while slowly blending
5. Knead with hands until dough is smooth
6. Roll into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Press indentations into cookies -- I use the bottom of a tablespoon to get the right size mark.
7. Fill indentations with jam.
8. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until dough feels semi-firm when poked

Chocolate Fudge Cake

I got this recipe as a wedding present. Weird, I know. But the woman who gave it to me is a legendary cook, and I was really excited to get the recipe. It (along with her banana bread recipe) was among my favorite wedding presents, and I'll never get rid of it or get tired of using it. Unlike some other presents we received. This is the fudgiest, most delicious chocolate cake I've ever tasted. And the frosting tastes like hot cocoa.

Here's a warning: all of the chocolate in the cake and frosting is cocoa powder that you temper with butter over the stove. IT WILL SCORCH. And it will scorch quickly. So be careful when you're heating it up. The recipe says to let it boil, but watch it the entire time it's on the stove, and as soon as you hear hints of bubbles at the bottom of the pan, take it off the stove. And the entire time it's on the stove, stir it. The whole time!! If you turn your back for a second, you can ruin it and have to start over. Believe me, I've done it! But when you get it right, it's amazing.

Ingredients

 Cake:

• 2 sticks butter (or 1 stick butter, 1 stick margarine) -- total 1 cup
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting:

• 1 stick butter 
• 6 tbsp evaporated milk
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, allow butter to melt, then add water and cocoa powder
4. Stir continuously until cocoa is well blended and mixture begins to boil
5. Pour mixture over flour mixture and blend well
6. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla, mix well.
7. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan, and pour in batter
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. For frosting: melt butter in saucepan at medium-low, just as before.
10. Add evaporated milk and cocoa powder and mix well. Stir continuously until bubbling starts
11. Pour chocolate mixture over powdered sugar, mix well.
12. Add vanilla and stir until well mixed. Spread evenly over cake once it is cooled.