Category: Tried and True Thursdays – classic recipes

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.

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 jalapeño 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.

Texas-Style Chili

When it’s time to think about putting on a pot of homemade chili, this is the first one to enter my mind! This is Paula Deen’s recipe and it is the only one that I have truly enjoyed, that has beans in it. I’m normally a strict, Texas chili, and all chili for that matter, needs zero beans. Zip. Nada. NONE. No beans. BUT…..I love this concoction with them! Even though the name of this recipe kind of bothers me, since I firmly believe that Texas chili has no beans, who am I to change the name of one of Paula’s recipes?? Nope. Not me. Paula is the Queen! Regardless of the bean dilemma, this recipe is absolutely delicious!! It’s cold outside. Let’s make some!

3 pounds ground chuck
1 pound hot bulk sausage
3 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
1 T. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes, chopped with kitchen shears inside the can, with their juice
3 (16 oz.) cans Bush’s hot chili beans, drained

Combine the ground chuck, sausage, onions, and garlic in a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned; stir the meat to break it up as it cooks. Drain off the pan drippings. Stir in chili powder, flour, sugar, oregano, and salt, and mix well. (Here I add a little liquid of some sort. The recipe doesn’t call for it, but it makes me nervous to cook it like that for very long, for fear of some major scalding. Not that it would, it’s just something I’m not willing to try. Ha. So, a little red wine, juice from the canned beans, water, or beef broth are some suggestions, if you feel it needs some liquid too.)

Cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and beans, and simmer for 20 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings and serve with crackers, chopped green onions, and cheese.

*I like to add salt to the meat while it is cooking even if the recipe doesn’t call for it. I feel like it gives meat the best flavor, at the best time, rather than salting afterwards.
Also, the left over chili is great for topping baked potatoes, french fries, tater tots, fritos, and even corn casseroles.

Makes about 5 Quarts

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Coconut Cream Pie

Cool, creamy, light and delicious, I love this easy pie! It would be excellent to make and take to a friend, perfect served after a heavy meal, or just because it’s National Pie Day. Ok. That was two days ago, but still! Why can’t National Pie Day be everyday? I might just declare it so!

1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup sugar, divided
3 cups milk
3 T. cornstarch
4 egg yolks, separated and divided
1/2 T. vanilla extract
1/8 t. salt
1 1/4 T. butter
9-inch pie crust, baked
Garnish: flaked coconut

In a large heavy saucepan, bring coconut, 1/2 cup sugar, milk, cornstarch, 3 egg yolks, vanilla, salt and butter to a boil. Stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Pour into cooled pie crust. Blend together 4 egg whites and remaining sugar. Cover pie with meringue. Sprinkle with coconut. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until top is golden. Cool before serving.
Makes 6 servings or 1 if it’s National Pie Day.

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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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Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Let’s go to India. Being the eclectic cook that I am, lost in a few West Texas cotton fields, I dream of traveling the world and trying every flavor. Since, I am lost in the fields, this is the closest thing I could get to the Indian restaurant, Graj Majal in Austin, Texas, today. Ok, so that is as far as I am probably going to get “out of the country” period. Ha! I am new to this cuisine, but I am a forever friend with it. Just like my forever friend chips and salsa, and nothing, I mean nothing, beats chips and salsa to me, except for masala sauce and naan….wuh?? Yes, foreign words to me, but a love that is like no other. So sorry, chips and salsa. You’ve been one upped. And a big shout out to Jodi, for the amazing Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan pictured here! This recipe is for the Instant Pot. As with all of my recipes, I recommend reading all the way through, before starting.

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 to 2 hours to marinate
Manual: 10 minutes high pressure
Release: Quick
Total Time: 40 minutes, plus time to marinate

For the marinade:
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Garam Masala, an Indian spice blend
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. liquid smoke, optional
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into large pieces

For the sauce:
1 onion, chopped
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 carrot, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Garam Masala
1 tsp. ground cumin

For finishing:
1/2 cup half and half, heavy whipping cream, or full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp. Garam Masala, optional depending on personal taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For serving: Basmati rice, naan bread

Make the marinade:

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, salt, garam masala, cumin, and liquid smoke, if using. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Marinate the chicken for 1 to 2 hours.

Make the sauce:
In the inner cooking pot of the Instant Pot, (and I “Pammed” mine first, which may be a no no for the instant pot, but I’m not one to take chances with sticking, no matter the “rules”!) mix the onion, tomatoes, carrot, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, salt, garam masala, and cumin. Place the chicken with the yogurt on top of the sauce ingredients.

Lock the lid into place. Select Manual and adjust the pressure to High. Cook for 10 minutes.

When the cooking is complete, use the quick method to release the pressure.

Unlock and remove the lid. Remove the chicken and set it aside. (If you like, you can brown it under the broiler or in an air fryer at this point.) I do not do either of those options.

Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce well.

To finish the dish:

Add the half and half and the garam masala to the sauce, stir well, and test for salt. Heads up here, though! I added waaay more half and half (ok, if I must be honest, heavy cream!). And DO NOT add the final bit of garam masala until you have tested for salt and are ok with the strength of the spices! And some butter melted in the sauce, never hurt anybody either! Hint, hint.

If you like, remove half the sauce and freeze it for later.

Put the chicken back into the remaining sauce. Garnish with the cilantro and serve. And don’t forget the naan!

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English Toffee

When I think of Christmas candy, my Aunt Shirley’s English Toffee is the first thing to pop into my mind! It has the best texture and the Hershey’s chocolate and pecans really bring it all together….and speaking of that, it is super quick and easy to throw together! The perfect thing during this beautifully busy time of celebration!

2 sticks of margarine
3 T. water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, I use pecans
6 regular sized Hershey chocolate bars

Melt margarine; add sugar and water. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until the color of brown. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour onto buttered cookie sheet and spread thin. Break Hershey bars over the top. As it melts, spread all over. Cool well and break into pieces.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

This recipe is a super simple, crave-worthy shrimp pasta! Comforting pasta and the bright fresh flavors of lemon and shrimp are a classic. This is a simple meal to entertain with or enjoy it on a much needed “eat at home, but it needs to be easy” kind of night. That checks off two awesome boxes in my book! Ina Garten wrote this recipe and it is from her Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook.

Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds linguine
6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
5 T. good olive oil such as Olio Santo
3 T. minced garlic (9 cloves)
2 pounds large shrimp (about 32), peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/4 tsp. hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some vegetable oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 T. of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Since this involves delicate shrimp that cooks in a hurry, I recommend having your ingredients prepped and ready to go before starting.

In a large (12 – inch) skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. It will turn bitter tasting if it burns! Eeep! Next, add the shrimp, 1 T. kosher salt, the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve with crusty garlic bread and good salted butter. Delish!

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Jam Thumbprint Cookies

A favorite cookie of mine that I love baking at Christmastime….I’m rhyming and not meaning to be…this comes by way of the great Ina Garten from her book Barefoot Contessa Family Style. These are sure to bring a smile….haha, yes, see there! Just wait until you eat one.

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg beaten with 1 T. water for egg wash
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. (If you have a scale, they should each weight 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 tsp. of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

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