Category: Thankful Tuesdays – recipes worth giving thanks for!

Best Ever Banana Bread

One bowl, one whisk, and the best banana bread ever, the name of this recipe says it all! Another super quick breakfast or snack idea, and perfect for a friend in need or to take to a new neighbor, this is the one banana bread recipe that I come back to, over and over. It is found in Barbara Fairchild’s brilliant cookbook, The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook.

2 ripe medium bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts, delicious with or without the nuts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 1 T. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 by 5 by 3 inch metal loaf pan (mine is ceramic and it seems to work fine, plus I just spray it with Baker’s Joy for greasing the pan.)

After mashing the bananas in a large bowl, whisk banana and eggs to blend in the same bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to mix well.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake bread until top is golden brown and splits slightly and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. (Be sure and check it earlier though, ovens vary and you don’t want to overcook it.)

Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ONE AT A TIME – Barbara says this recipe doesn’t double well. To make two loaves, you’ll need to make two separate batches of batter.

Chunky Vegetable Beef Soup

Sometimes, nothing satisfies like a big pot of healthy soup simmering away on the stove! This recipe is delicious and comes together quickly, plus it makes enough for a small army. You can feed the army right away, and then eat on it for a few days, or freeze it up to 3 months. This is a Southern Living recipe from their Make Ahead Meals Special Collector’s Edition magazine. This is a big batch, so grab your biggest pots!

2 lbs. ground chuck
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 (14 oz.) cans reduced-sodium beef broth, I just use regular beef broth
3 (29 oz.) cans mixed vegetables with potatoes, drained and rinsed
3 (14 1/2 oz.) cans diced new potatoes, drained and rinsed (from the pic, you can tell I missed the diced part. lol)
1 (15 oz.) can peas
2 (26 oz.) jars tomato, herbs, and spices pasta sauce
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes wit sweet onion

Brown ground chuck and onion, in batches, in a large Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring 5-8 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well, and return to Dutch oven. Stir in salt, black pepper, and beef broth; bring to a boil.

Stir in mixed vegetables and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer at least 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Garnish with a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and chopped fresh basil.

Serves 8.

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

This is definitely one of my family’s favorite meals! It is easy, comforting, and just makes the house smell like home while it’s cooking. Another good reminder to me, that sometimes the best things, are the simplest things.

3 carrots, cut into thirds
6 small red new potatoes, quartered if large
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 6 wedges
3 T. unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
1 lemon, quartered
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Put the carrots, potatoes, and onion in a 9 by 13 glass baking dish. Toss the vegetables with 1 T. of the butter. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Spread the vegetables to the edges of the baking dish, making room for the chicken.

Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard. Rinse the bird under cold running water and pat dry. Put the chicken breast-side up, in the center of the baking dish. Brush the chicken with the remaining 2 T. butter. Season the cavity and skin generously with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Put the lemon quarters and rosemary sprigs inside the cavity. Put the garlic cloves user the chicken to prevent them from burning.

Roast for 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven. Using tongs, tilt the chicken, pouring the juices from the cavity onto the vegetables, and shake to coat. Baste the chicken with the pan juices. If the bird is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Continue roasting until the chicken is a deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the tip of a knife is inserted into the thigh joint, or until and instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh, away from the bone, registers 170 to 175 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Using the back of a spoon, mash the garlic and squeeze some lemon into the pan juices. Toss the juices with the vegetables. Carve the chicken and serve the vegetables alongside. Drizzle any remaining juices over the chicken.

NOTE: My favorite way to serve the roast chicken, as recommended by the authors, is to carve all the meat from the bones after the meat has rested and chop into bite-sized pieces. Then return the meat to the garlicky, lemony pan juices, re-season it with more salt and pepper, and toss with the vegetables. This way, every last bit of the chicken is well seasoned and moist throughout.

Serves 2

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Crispy Fried Tacos

One of my favorite recipes, this will be perfect for Cinco de Mayo! I love these authentic tacos and the salsa is so very yummy! This a Taste of Home recipe from Catherine Gibbs of Maryland. The girl knows her Mexican Food!

Salsa:

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (4 oz.) sliced jalapeƱo peppers, undrained
1 small onion quartered
1 tsp. garlic salt

Tacos:

1 pound ground beef
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups shredded lettuce

In a blender or food processor, combine the salsa ingredients; cover and pulse until salsa reaches desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl; cover and refrigerate.

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle with salt.

In another skillet, heat oil. Fry tortillas just until softened; drain on paper towels. Fill tortillas with beef; sprinkle with cheese. Fold in half. In an ungreased skillet, fry tortillas on both sides until crisp. Serve with lettuce and salsa.
Yield: 12 tacos.

Coconut-Pecan Cereal Bars

These cereal bars are some of my favorite treats! They are good for breakfast, after school snacks, or dessert. In fact, I always love to make these for dessert when we grill hamburgers! Toasting the coconut and pecans really brings out their best flavors. I found this recipe in the July/August 2007 edition of Everyday Food.

1 (7 oz.) package sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
nonstick cooking spray
1 (10 oz.) package marshmallows
4 T. unsalted butter
4 cups cornflakes

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread coconut on one side of a large rimmed baking sheet, and pecans on the other side, keeping them separate. Toast until fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Meanwhile, coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; line with a strip of wax paper (leaving an overhang on two sides). Spray paper.

In a large nonstick pot over medium-low, heat marshmallows and butter until melted, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in cornflakes, coconut, and pecans. Transfer to prepared pan; press firmly with a metal spatula (coated with spray to prevent sticking). Cool until firm, about 2 hours. Remove from pan; peel off paper. Using a serrated knife, cut into squares.

Yield: 16 bars

Easy Chocolate-Cherry Cake

This is another Paula Deen recipe that I love. It satisfies my need for chocolate in the most delicious way, plus, it’s extra speedy! It’s a dump cake in black forest fashion, so that means lots of cherries and chocolate and absolutely no mixing required! Woo hoo!

2 (21 oz.) cans cherry pie filling
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar
1 (18.25) box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 cup finely chopped pecans, I skip the nuts
1 1/2 cups butter (12 T.), cut into teaspoon-pats
fresh whipped cream or ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 baking pan.

Spread cherry pie filling over bottom of prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips and sugar. Spread dry cake mix over sugar, covering pie filling. Sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans, if using. Place butter pats over cake mix, covering cake mix as evenly as possible. Bake 1 hour; let cool 30 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Betsy’s Dr. Pepper Cake

My good friend, Betsy, shared this recipe with me. It is soooo delicious! It’s a doctored up German chocolate cake mix with the yummiest, buttery, chocolate cream cheese icing, slathered all over the most moist cake. Creed was over at her house one day and had a piece of it. The first thing he said to me when he got home was, “Mom, you have to get the recipe and I want this for my birthday cake!”. Sure enough, each year rolls around, and Betsy’s Dr. Pepper Cake is part of the celebration! Happy 13th Birthday, Creed, and thank you Betsy for this awesome recipe!

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 (3 1/2 oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (12 oz.) can Dr. Pepper
1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 stick butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Cake: Combine the first 3 ingredients, beating with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and Dr. Pepper and mix well. Pour batter into a greased 9 by 13 baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Frost when cool.

Frosting: Beat first 5 ingredients until light and fluffy. Mix in pecans, if using, and frost cake.

Olive Cheese Bread

Some of you…. you know who you are, I know who you are, need to hide your eyes for this one. Ha! I will not comment on how this bread might just make you into an olive lover. I will refuse to say that it is really unreal that you all will miss out on this wonderful olivey, pleasure in this adventure called life. I will not expand upon the fact that olives are just nature’s wonderful way of naturally adding salt to your gooey, cheesey bread. Are you all hiding your eyes and ears now??….. One of my favorite ways to fix up a loaf of french bread is with this yummy recipe from Ree Drummond!! There, it’s over. It’s all ok now…. Now gather these ingredients.

1 loaf French bread
8 ounces pimento stuffed green olives, chopped
8 ounces pitted, black olives, chopped
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 pound Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto a loaf of French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to turn brown.

Ree says the mixture can be refrigerated up to two days and used as a dip with crackers as well!

I say, make it to go alongside Italian food, a steak dinner, cut into squares as an appetizer, or cut into thick strips as lunch or supper!

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

This is Pioneer Woman’s recipe that I found on Food Network’s website, but I have added an extra step that you should know about, called the lounging by the pool method, that is helpful for whatever pasta sauce you might be making! Shhhh….it’s super important that you keep this a secret! The tip comes from an owner of an Italian restaurant in Dallas, that I had the pleasure of visiting with about food, at a hotel I was staying at, and he told me this while I was sunburning by the pool…..early in the day, chop your onion and garlic and cover it in olive oil. Let the mixture sit all day. In the evening, make your pasta sauce with the onion and garlic mixture, and it will have a wonderful flavor like you’ve simmered your sauce all day! And it is so true! I love this little trick and I really like to use it when I’m making this recipe. And this is truly one of my family’s favorite ways to eat spaghetti! Thanks PW! Thanks owner of the Dallas Italian restaurant! Thank you Aloe Vera, that I lived to share this recipe tip!

2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce or marinara sauce (I like to use the marinara.)
Dash of sugar (or more to taste)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds fettuccine (Spaghetti is my preference.)
1 C. heavy cream
Grated Parmesan or Romano, as needed
Chopped fresh basil, for serving (Green onions or flat leaf parsley work too.)

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook for a minute or so. Pour in the tomato sauce or marinara, add sugar, salt and pepper to taste and stir. Cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (*Lounging by the pool method – chop your onion and garlic early in the day and cover with the 2 T. olive oil. I actually use a little extra oil and sprinkle it with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and let it marinate all day, preferably while lounging by a pool, LOL, then start from the beginning according to the directions with this recipe.)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. (I feel when making pasta, it is always a good rule of thumb to save some pasta water. The salty, starchy water will always be a flavorful way to keep your pasta from being too dry if you don’t have enough sauce or if your sauce needs a little extra “sauce” if you know what I mean.)

Remove the sauce from he heat and stir in the cream. Add cheese to taste (a couple of good handfuls), then check the seasoning. Stir in the pasta and thin with a little pasta water if needed. Add the chopped basil and serve immediately.

This is great with a green salad, homemade ranch dressing, and PW’s cheesy olive bread. Yum!!

Cucumber Sandwiches

I cannot express how delicious these little sandwiches are! They are the perfect comfort food after heartbreak, the perfect food to celebrate with, such as baby showers or wedding showers, and they are just the perfect light and tasty bite on any day of the week, and for any reason whatsoever! This is a recipe from Southern Living’s Comfort Food Cookbook.

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 T. mayonnaise
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1 (16 oz.) loaf sandwich bread
Garnish: cucumber slices

Drain cucumber well, pressing between layers of paper towels.

Stir together cucumber and next 4 ingredients. Spread mixture over half of bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices.

Trim crusts from sandwiches, and cut in half diagonally. Garnish, if desired. Store sandwiches in an airtight container in refrigerator.
Yield: 16 sandwiches

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