Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate chips make everything better!  I always seem to have extra ripe bananas screaming, "banana bread" in my house lately.  I opted for an easy go to recipe and added some chocolate chips, PERFECTION! 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 -3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup of sugar ( I did 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup honey)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add bananas, egg, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar into a mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Slowly mix in flour, soda and salt.
4. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
5. Pour into lightly buttered bread pan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes.
7. Cool and serve.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Blackberry Cobbler

Tis the season for blackberries!  I love everything blackberry.  My blackberry pie filling is so versatile and whenever I am in a pinch and feel like pie but don't want to fuss with crust, I make cobbler.  So easy and the streusel topping is amazing!

Ingredients for Filling:

4 cups blackberries, thawed

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup flower

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for Streusel:

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl add all filling ingredients and mix together.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all the topping ingredients together with a fork to form a crumbled mixture.
4. Pour filling into a 9x9 baking dish or individual short mason jars pictured above.
5. Sprinkle streusel evenly over blackberry filling.Bake for 20-30 minutes, until streusel topping is golden brown.
6. Cool and serve.

Salsa Verde Pork Chili

This was the perfect dish for the first day of Fall!!!  It's a one pot dinner and so simple and delicious!  LOVE LOVE LOVE  This recipe makes ALOT of food.  I froze half of it for a later time and still had enough for three adults and lunch leftovers!

Ingredient's:

• 2-3 pound pork shoulder roast
• 1 16 oz jar salsa Verde
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans white beans
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 1 can diced tomatillos
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Cumin, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Green onions and Sour Cream for garnish

Directions:

1. Place shoulder roast in an lightly oiled crock pot and sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper.
2. Top roast with onions, garlic, beans, chilies and tomatillos.
3. Pour salsa over the top.
4. Fill the jar half way with water and add to crock. 
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
7. Remove roast and shred.
8. Add shredded pork back to pot and stir.
9. Serve with green onions and sour cream

Cookers Note: I used raw beans and fresh yellow tomatoes from the garden.  I rinsed then boiled one cup of white beans for 5 minutes before adding to crock.  I placed the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for 1 minute then placed in a bowl of ice water.  After tomatoes were cooled I peeled and diced.

Spicy Rigatoni with Italian Sausage

This is the one and only photo I have of this amazing dish.  I couldn't hold off for an extra minutes and had to dig right in.  Now that means I will have to make it again soon, SCORE!!!!  I have never seen my father in law eat so much food.  If you follow my blog you know he literally lives like 50 yards away and eats with us a lot.  This was extremely delicious, filling and inexpensive.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 box Rigatoni
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, Pureed
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• dash of hot sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots (I originally planned on just peas, but I am clumsy and grabbed the wrong bag.  The carrots were delicious in it.)

 

Directions:

1. Boil Rigatoni according to package instructions, adding in peas and carrots for last minute.
2. Drain pasta and return to pan with a little butter or olive oil.
3. In a separate pan brown sausage with onions until cooked through.
4. Add cooked sausage and onions into a blender or food processor with red pepper flakes and cayenne.
5. pulse a couple times to break up the sausage and incorporate the seasonings.
6. Return sausage to pan and add in tomato puree. (will look a little like dog food, see below)
   
7. In a separate sauce pan melt butter and sprinkle with flour.
8. Stir flour and butter to create a roux.
9. Slowly stir in heavy cream.
10. Stir in garlic and let thicken.
11. Pour cream sauce into meat sauce and stir together.
12. Pour the sausage cream sauce into the pot with the noodles and stir together.
13. Let pasta sit with sauce for about five minutes before serving.

 

 

 

Moring Smoothie

 

I was making this smoothie religiously while drinking loads of water everyday and I swear by it.  I had so much energy, my skin looked great and I thinned out a lot.  I googled "Detox Smoothies" and after reading many others, I came up with my own. This is definitely an acquired taste but I actually enjoy it now.  To make this recipe really easy I chop and freeze the cucumber, celery and parsley in freezer bags.  You can also peel bananas and freeze them whole, I have heard you can freeze avocados but I have never done it.  This recipe fills two of these mason jars, So I always have one for lunch too!!

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
• couple sprigs of flat leaf parsley
• 1 lemon wedge, juice only
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup water, more if needed or desired
• ice, desired amount.  I prefer mine more creamy and not cold in the AM
• (If I am wanting a little more sweetness I add pineapple or 1/2 an apple. You can really add any fruit you want.)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend until everything is creamy and no more ice chunks.
3. Enjoy

 

Caprese Quesadilla

 

So the other day I posted the delicious Peach Caprese Salad and decided to whip this up with the leftovers.  I really wanted to make a Caprese Panini but when the bread was frozen I became an instant genius and went for the tortillas.  This is an amazing lunch and would be beautiful and a brunch or luncheon.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tortillas, burrito sized
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, diced or shredded
• Fresh chopped basil, desired amount
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar, optional

 

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan bring balsamic vinegar and sugar to a boil.
2. When balsamic begins to reduce to about half the amount remove from heat and let cool.
3. Place tortillas on a flat surface and layer one half of each tortilla with cheese, tomatoes, basil and drizzle with a little balsamic reduction.
4. Fold the tortilla and place onto skillet over medium heat for a couple minutes making sure it doesn't burn.
5. Flip to other side and let sit until cheese is completely melted and tortilla is golden.
6. Repeat with other quesadilla and enjoy!
7.  

 

Leftover Steak Chili

Have you ever made way to much steak and wondered what to do with it?  Sounds kind of outrageous but I always have left over prime rib during the holidays.  This is your answer!  SO SO filling and delicious, not to mention its a crockpot dinner!  I will admit my husband was not the biggest fan because it felt like more of a stew to him.   I really wish he loved a good crockpot stew!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups leftover steak, cubed (Click for Tri-Tip Recipe)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can kidney bean, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tablespoon A-1
• 1 teaspoons spicy Montreal seasoning (optional)
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne

 

Directions:

1. Cube up leftover steak and place into greased crock pot.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, onions and garlic on top of steak.
3. In a small saucepan add bouillon, water, A-1, Montreal seasoning, chili powder and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil.
4. Pour sauce into crockpot and stir until well combined.
5. Place lid on crock and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
6. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!