PBBC=Peanut Butter Chip+Banana+Chocolate Chip Bread

Looking for the perfect banana bread recipe?  This bread is moist and delicious with loads of banana flavor!  The thick, sweet batter has just a hint of cinnamon that complements the finished bread perfectly.  You can add chopped pecans, walnuts or peanuts if you like.  Sometimes I add chocolate chips.  Sometimes I add peanut butter chips.  Tonight I felt like adding chocolate AND peanut butter chips.  It's a faultless base recipe that allows lots of room for creativity.  Best of all?  You can enjoy it plain with a glass of milk.  Try spreading on a little peanut butter if you're feeling extra DEVILISH!

Banana Bread!  Get ready to go monkeys!

Cream together the butter and sugar.

Add eggs to the creamed mixture, and mix well.

Add pureed bananas.

Alternately mix in dry ingredients AND

milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Add in peanut butter chips

or chocolate chips, or nuts or both or all!

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.

Bake until golden about 1 hour.

Slice and serve.  Yum!

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
3 bananas, pureed
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons milk
1 cup chocolate chip, peanut butter chips, chopped nuts or combination of (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.  Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well.  Mix in bananas.  In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Add part of the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, mixing well.  Add part of the milk to the banana mixture, mixing well.  Alternate adding flour mixture and milk until all gone, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  When batter is well combined add in chocolate chips or nuts if desired.  Place in greased loaf pan and bake about 1 hour, or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Prep Time:  Approximately 10 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 1 hour

50% OFF Fudge

We've all been guilty of buying half-priced candy the day after Halloween.  Sometimes I even have good intentions.  You know of doing something productive with it instead of hoarding the entire bag of pumpkin shaped Reese's Cups with my Diet Coke.  I've read where people buy it, freeze it, bake with it.  It usually doesn't last that long around here. I picked up a couple of bags of Hershey's Kisses on sale.  After all, it is the day after Valentine's Day.  I knew I could use them with my Millionaires recipe if nothing else.  But then I thought about making fudge.  Just a quick fudge.  You know?  The kind you have for breakfast with a Diet Coke.  I decided to name it 50% Off Fudge, in honor of the half-priced red and pink foil wrapped candy it's made from.

Only 3 ingredients...That's my kinda fudge making!

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over low heat.

When melted remove from heat,
but keep in double boiler over warm water until needed.

Bring cream to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes. 
Cool to 130 degrees F.

Combine cream and chocolate in a mixer. 
Beat for 3 minutes on high speed.

Add flavoring and beat an additional
2 minutes or until mixture is smooth and shiny.

Place in a waxed paper lined 9-inch
dish and refrigerate until firm.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

50% OFF Fudge

1 pound milk chocolate, I used 2 (8.5 ounce) packages Hershey's Kisses
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla (or other flavoring such as peppermint extract, orange extract, walnut extract, etc...)

Place chocolate over low heat in a double boiler.  Stir occasionally until melted.  When chocolate is melted, remove from heat.  Leave chocolate in double boiler over warm water until ready cream is ready.  In a sauce pan, bring cream to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool to 130 degrees F.  Combine chocolate and cream in a bowl and mix at high speed for 3 minutes.  Add flavoring and mix again for 2 minutes.  Mix until mixture is shiny and smooth.  Pour into a waxed paper lined 9-inch square dish and refrigerate until firm.  Cut into squares.

Prep Time:  Approximately 20 minutes     Cook Time:  0

Slow Cooker Italian Beef over Roasted Garlic Bread

I'm a sucker for my slow cooker.  I use it at least a couple of times a week.  I used it almost every day when I worked.  Back then I would try to adapt recipes to cook in my slow cooker.  Now that I'm home, I find myself adapting slow cooker recipes to my stove top.  But occasionally I find myself with something to do outside the house and that's when I pull out the trusty slow cooker and fire it up.  Nothing beats walking into the house, smelling something delicious and knowing your dinner is almost ready to eat.  Oh yeah, and there's only one pot to clean up.  This hearty recipe is easy and extra flavorful when served over bread that is spread with roasted garlic.  Throw in a salad and you've got a wonderful, complete meal.

Easy AND Delicious!

The Line-Up:  Only 6 ingredients total.

In slow cooker, combine stew meat
with bouillon.  Add garlic powder.

Add Italian Dressing.

Add enough water to cover meat.

When ready to serve, toast bread and
spread with roasted garlic.

Serve beef and gravy spooned
over toasted bread.

Beer Battered Onion Rings

Forget Lord of the Rings.  I want to be Lord of the Onion Rings.  And not just any fast food drive-in onion rings.  Big, crispy onion rings with a flaky crust.  So as much as I hate using the deep-fryer and making my house smell disgusting for days, these were totally worth it.  Ideal alongside a burger and perfection alongside a juicy steak.  All that was missing was the red plastic basket to serve them in.  I'll have to work on that for next time.  Meanwhile, you should be frying these up.  NOW.

Lord of the Rings!

The Beer Battered Onion Ring Party!

Combine 1 cup of flour with beer.

Season well with salt and pepper.
(I also added a little Hatch chile powder)

Dip onion rings into batter
until evenly coated.

Dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

Fry until golden brown.

About 3-4 minutes.

Drain on paper towels.
Season with additional salt if desired.

Enjoy!
(In this case, alongside a ribeye steak and
jalapeno creamed spinach.  Yum!)

Oaxacan Mexican Soup

For Day of the Dead, I made some yummy little decorated sugar skull cakes.  Unfortunately SOME PEOPLE at my house think you have to actually have a meal, and not just eat sugar skull cakes for dinner.  I wanted to stick with the theme of course, so I decided on a Oaxacan Soup which is really just a very flavorful potato-cheese soup with roasted chiles.  It's not difficult to make, it just has a few time consuming steps.  To make things easier, I would do most of the prep work in advance.  Once everything is done, the soup goes together quickly.  The depth of flavor is well worth the effort. 

Cheesy and roasted chile goodness!

The Line-Up
Includes lots of fresh vegetables.

Dice potatoes.  Place in cold water.
Set aside until later.

To peel tomatoes, dunk first in boiling water.

Then immediately place in ice water.

Puree tomatoes in blender, then pour
through sieve to remove seeds.

Roast peppers as directed below.
Rinse, peel, and slice.

Begin cooking drained potatoes in
olive oil, about ten minutes.

After onions and garlic have been added and softened,
add water, tomatoes, and seasonings.

Stir in chicken bouillion.

Add baking soda.

In a separate pot, heat milk.
Stir in cheese until melted.

Add milk mixture to soup pot.

Place a small amount of shredded cheese
in each bowl.  Ladle hot soup over.

Enjoy.  OLE!