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.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

 No funny story or nice anecdote with this recipe, just plain old ooey gooey deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp hot water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together butter and both sugars, beat until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
3. Dissolve baking soda in hot water, then add to batter along with salt.
4. Stir in flour until well mixed. Add in chocolate chips and walnuts, stir until evenly distributed.
5. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. 

Saucy Grilled Salmon

I do not like fish. I will not spin you some tale about how a fish hater tried a new recipe and then miraculously loved fish. No. I don't like fish. That said, my husband does. He really likes fish. Some may say, Hmm... how does a marriage between a fish eater and a non-fish eater work? The answer: occasionally I plug my nose and cook fish. And today was that day. But it turned out really well! It's the first time I've ever tried to make salmon, and it turns out it's not that hard. It was weird, though, staring at a filet of salmon that had scales on one side. Apparently, it's supposed to be that way. That's how I've seen in on Chopped, at least. This is a really easy marinade for salmon filets made out of what you already have on hand. And if you're weirded out by the scales like I am, they slide right off after they hit the heat of the grill, and then you're left with a long slab of scales, so prepare yourself.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb salmon filet
• salt to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• lemon pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 4 tbsp soy sauce (reduced sodium)
• 4 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Sprinkle salmon filet, scale side down, with salt, garlic powder, and lemon pepper to taste. I was pretty heavy handed with the lemon pepper.
2.  Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, water and vegetable oil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Slide salmon into a Ziploc bag and pour in marinade. Seal and shake lightly to coat salmon. Refrigerate the salmon, flesh side down, for up to 2 hours.
4. Grill, basting the salmon with reserved marinade from Ziploc bag. The scales will come off and just discard them. Be sure to baste both sides of the filet. Grill for 10 minutes on each side.

I still don't like it, but Josh said it's the best salmon he's ever had. Try it out for yourself and see if he tells me the truth about my cooking.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I came upon the basis for this recipe when I was trying to find something new to do with ground beef. After trying a few different ingredient variations, adding pineapple and changing proportions here and there, I now have a non-taco, non-spaghetti, non-meatloaf ground beef recipe. The sauce is tasty and thick but not heavy, and the addition of pineapple is a simple touch that adds so much. Serve over rice with steamed vegetables for an easy, throw-it-together-with-stuff-from-the-pantry dinner that is sure to please.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c dry plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 onion, diced

Sauce:

• 1 c packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• Juice from pineapple can, plus water to equal 1 1/2 c total
• 1/4 c white vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 c ketchup

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Line a large cookie sheet with foil.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mix thoroughly and shape into golf-ball sized meatballs, it should equal about 24 balls.
3. Place meatballs (1 inch apart or so). Bake for 20 minutes, remove from sheet and let sit on paper towel.
4. Meanwhile, in large saute pan, combine brown sugar, flour, water/juice, vinegar, soy sauce and ketchup. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to simmer, add pineapple chunks and meatballs. Toss, stirring often, until evenly coated and all is heated through.

Great Grape Salad

The addition of Grape Nuts cereal sounds weird, but the caramelized affect they get when mixed with the brown sugar really is divine. This is a great salad to make in the summer when you want to dress up fruit a little. It's a good alternative to the old fruit tray with dip standby dish at barbeques. If you are too afraid to use the Grape Nuts, you can use chopped pecans or walnuts. But you should really try it as written. The Grape Nuts add an unexpected element to the salad that you can't get with nuts.

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs seedless grapes (green or red -- or a mixture)
• 8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 c Grape Nuts

Directions:

1. Wash and pat dry grapes, set aside.
2.  Mix together cream cheese, white sugar, sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl.
3. Add grapes and mix until they're evenly coated.
4. Sprinkle with brown sugar and Grape Nuts right before serving (it will get soggy so don't get ahead of yourself and add the Grape Nuts too early)
5. Toss the salad all together and enjoy!