Friday, December 17, 2010

Nana's Banana Bread

5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom only of 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2.) Beat butter in large bowl with an electric mixer set at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add egg, egg whites and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add mashed banana, and beat on high speed 30 seconds.
3.) Combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in medium bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with cream, ending with flour mixture. Add walnuts to batter; mix well.
4.) Pour batter evenly into prepared loaf pan. Bake until browned and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5.) Cool bread in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Slice and serve with butter and jam.

My family and I enjoyed this recipe. It is different from the banana bread that we usually make. We usually just use granulated sugar not brown sugar. But I think I like it better with brown sugar added. If you wanted to you could add chocolate chips in the batter and bake. You could also add more chopped walnuts to the batter if you wanted to. I like to serve the bread when it's hot so the butter melts into the bread. I hope you enjoy this recipe too.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie

1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup sour cream
1 quart chocolate chip ice cream, softened

1.) Coat bottom and sides of an 8-inch pie plate lightly with butter.
2.) Combine chocolate syrup and chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until hot, about 45 seconds. Stir until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture.
3.) Combine remaining chocolate mixture and cereal in a medium bowl and mix to coat cereal. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
4.) Combine reserved chocolate mixture and the sour cream in a small bowl and mix well. Spread half the ice cream in the prepared pie plate. Drizzle with half the sour cream mixture. Top with remaining ice cream and drizzle with remaining sour cream mixture. Freeze pie, covered, until firm, about 1 hour.

My family and I enjoyed this recipe. It is chocolaty but it’s not to chocolaty. I did make a few changes though. For the drizzling I only put the chocolate on part of the pie to make that part not so chocolaty. I didn’t quite use 1/2 cup chocolate syrup to make it a little bit not so chocolaty. Other than being a little chocolaty it was a good recipe so I hope you like this recipe to.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Peanut Creme Bars

1/3 cup margarine
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

1. Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Press onto bottom of 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. Combine marshmallow creme and peanut butter, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Carefully spread over crust. Melt chocolate and shortening in small saucepan over low heat. Spread over marshmallow creme mixture. Sprinkle with peanuts. Chill, makes about 20 bars.

My family and I enjoyed this recipe. I didn't think this recipe needed to be changed because I thought it was good to begin with. But if you wanted to you could add more peanuts on the top of the bars. You can also use a 9x13-inch pan and just double the recipe if you wanted more bars at a time. I hope you enjoy this recipe too.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Stawberry-Lemon Swirl Pie

2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Several drops red food coloring (optional)
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups light cream or milk
1 4-serving-size package instant lemon pudding mix
1 9-inch graham cracker crust
Sliced strawberries
Fresh mint sprigs (optional)

In a large bowl mash the 2 cups strawberries. In a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water and mashed strawberries. Cook and stir till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir in the lemon juice, butter or margarine, and the food coloring. Cover surface with clear plastic wrap. Cool, and then chill.

In a small mixer bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer till fluffy. Beat in cream till well blended. Add pudding mix; beat on low speed for 1 minute. Spoon half of the pudding mixture into the prepared crust. Top with half the strawberry mixture. Repeat layers. Using a spatula, gently swirl top two layers to marble. Cover; chill to store. Garnish with strawberry slices and mint. Makes about 8 servings.  

My family and I enjoyed this recipe. I didn't really make any changes because I thought it was a good recipe to begin with. I did use the red food coloring and some mint for the top of the pie. If you wanted to you could buy a pie shell, instead of making your own with the graham cracker crust. I hope you enjoy this recipe too.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Dilled Macaroni and Cheese

1 16-ounce package rotelle, larger shells, ziti, or elbow macaroni
1 1/2 pounds sharp cheddar cheese
1 bunch radishes
2 medium-sized green peppers
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1. Prepare macaroni; drain. Meanwhile, with a sharp knife, cut cheese into 1/2-inch cubes; cut radishes into slices; cut green peppers into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

2. In large bowl with spoon and whisk, mix well mayonnaise, milk, dill, salt, and cracked pepper. Gently stir in macaroni, cheese, radishes, and green peppers until well coated. Makes 8 main-dish servings.

My family and I enjoyed this recipe. I made some changes to this recipe though. I used dried dill instead of fresh chopped dill. Instead of useing cheese cut into cubes I used shreaded cheese. The salt, black pepper, radishes, and green pepper I added to taste. This is also a cold salad so you need to cool the noodles. I hope you like this recipe too.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Spaghetti "Aio E Oio" With Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

1 pound spaghetti
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup extra virgin plive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
finely chopped red chili pepper, to taste
1/4 to 1/2 pound very fresh plum tomatoes
small handful fresh sweet basil leaves

1. Cook pasta in salted water. Core and skin tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half and seed and juice them, cut in small dice.

2. Put olive oil, salt, tomatoes, hot pepper (if using it), and garlic into a large bowl. Drain pasta and add to bowl. Add basil, torn in smaller pieces if leaves are big. Toss pasta well, adding more salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve immediatly.

My family and I enjoyed this recipe. I did make some changes to the recipe though. I used garlic powder to taste instead of chopped garlic. I desided not to use any chili pepper in this recipe. I also used dried basil leaves instead of fresh basil leaves. It tasted good but I wanted to add cheese to it to which also tasted good. I hope you enjoy this recipe too.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Nutty Banana Dessert

1 envelope Unflavored Gelatine
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1 medium banana, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (1/2 pt.) whipping or heavy cream, whipped
8 tablespoons Nut topping
1 medium banana

In medium saucepan, mix unflavored gelatine with 4 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon; blend in egg yolks beaten with milk. Let stand 1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatine is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla. Pour into large bowl and chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from spoon.

In medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add remaining sugar and beat until stiff. Fold egg whites, then whipped cream and 6 tablespoons nut topping into gelatine mixture. Turn into 4-cup bowl or mold; chill until firm. Garnish with remaining banana, sliced, remaining nut topping and , if desired, additional whipped cream. It makes about 8 servings.

My family and I enjoyed this recipe. I didn't change very many things at all and it tasted great. I desided to use the heavy whipped cream instead of the regular whipped cream. I also used the additional whipped cream on the pieces that my family wanted more on. Other then at the dessert was really good. I hope you enjoy it too.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Praline Pumpkin Mousse Pie

1 envelope Knox Unflavored Gelatine
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup Praline Ligueur
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 can (16oz.) pumpkin (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1/8 teaspoons cream of tartar
3/4 cup whipping or heavy cream, whipped
9 inch graham cracker crust
Peacan Nut topping

In medium saucepan, mix gelatine with sugar; blend in egg yolks beaten with liqueur and butter. Let stand 1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatine is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Blend in pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Pour into bowl and chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from spoon. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add cream of tartar and beat until stiff. Fold egg whites, then whipped cream into mixture. Turn 3/4 mixture into crust; chill until almost set. Spoon on remaining mixture; chill until firm. Garnish with Pecan Nut Topping and additional whipped cream. Makes about 8 servings. Pecan Nut Topping: Grease cookie sheet. In small skillet, combine 1/2 cup sugar, dash cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes light caramel color. Stir in 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. Quickly spread on cookie sheet; cool. Chop into small pieces.

My family and I enjoyed this recipe. I wouldn't change anything because I thought it was really good. There were plenty of leftovers to enjoy later. I hope you enjoy this recipe too.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Ginger-Carrot Bread

1 3/4 cups unsifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
2 eggs
1 cup carrots, coarsely shredded
3/4 cup nuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Grease two 5 1/2" x 3" x 2" loaf pans. In small bowl, stir together flour, baking power, and ginger. In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat together margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in corn syrup. Add eggs; beat until well mixed. Add carrots. With spoon, stir in flour mixture, nuts, and raisins. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake in 350F oven 55 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

My family really liked this recipe. I did change a few things in the recipe though. I don't like raisins so I didn't put them in my recipe. I wanted to have more of a carrot taste then a nut taste so I didn't quite use 3/4 cup of nuts. The bread does slice better on the second day then the first. But other then that I liked this recipe. I hope you enjoy it too.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar                                                  
1 cup milk                                                      
1/2 cup margarine                                              
2 cups or 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 ounce jar peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, milk, and margarine. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook on medium heat 12 to 15 minutes stirring constantly. (Mixture scorches.) remove from heat; add peanut butter, marshmallow creme and vanilla; blend well. Pour into a 9-inch buttered pan. Cool.

My family enjoyed this peanut butter fudge recipe. I really liked this recipe because I don't really like chocolate, but I love peanut butter. Their was plenty of leftovers that my family enjoyed the next few days. Useing peanut butter made the fudge not as sweet as chocolate fudge, which was nice. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Strawberry Delight

2 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers                              
1/2 cup sugar                                                                 
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted                                
2 small boxes frozen strawberries                                    
2 packages (3 ounces each) strawberry flavored gelatin  
2 cups boiling water
1 package (12 ounces) cream cheese, room temp.
1 container (9 ounces) whipped topping
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix cracker crumbs, sugar and melted margarine together. Press into 9 x 13 inch pan to form crust. Mix gelatin, hot water and strawberries. Set aside to congeal slighty. Combine cream cheese, whipped topping, walnuts and powdered sugar. Pour into crumb crust. After strawberry mixture has thickened, pour over cream cheese layer to make top layer. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Then refrigerate any leftovers.

My family enjoyed the Strawberry Delight. But it was a little sweet for me. We had plenty of leftovers and enjoyed them the next day. You can use already made piecrust instead of making your own. If you decide to do this, you would need to get two piecrusts to make up for the 9 x 13 inch pan. Which would mean you wouldn’t need the first three ingredients. Hope you enjoy it.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Meatza Pie

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup                 1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten                                                1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs                                  1/8 teaspoon leaf oregano
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef                                         1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion                                    greeen or black olives, sliced

In large mixing bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the soup, the egg, bread crumbs, ground beef, onion, salt, garlic and oregano. Pat mixture into pizza pan to form meat shell with rim about 1 inch high around edge. Speard remainder of soup over meat. Top with cheese. Garnish with olives slices, if desired. Place on cookie sheet. Bake in 450 F. oven 15 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve. Makes 8 servings.

For the most part this is a good recipe. I did change a few things though. Instead of using the dry bread crumbs I used Italian bread crumbs. I didn’t use the garlic and leaf oregano because I used the Italian bread crumbs which already has seasoning. I used co-jack cheese instead of Mozzarella cheese. My family though it was a good recipe and really liked the pizza. The three of us all had two piece of pizza and still had left overs. If you reheat or eat the pizza cold the next day it still tasted good.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Recipes

Welcome cookers,
           Im going to be telling you recipes that are my families. My mom and me went though my grandma's belongings to condense them and found a lot of old recipes. I want to share these old family recipes with other people so they can enjoy them as much as I do.