Recipe Dump!

I can't believe he is almost TWO!

He's such a puffin.

Love that wrinked up cheeky smile.

 

I don't even want to tell you how many loaves of banana bread I have made in the past month. If you come over when I am nesting you will find a semi-organized home (unusual) along with an endless supply of homemade banana bread. We top it with cream cheese in my nest and it's really quite fabulous. You should try it ;) My boys love it- especially the Minky. I've included my tried and true recipe below. Never fails me. Along with a few other hits that we've tried recently. Enjoy!

 

 

 Banana Bread

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 1/2 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

recipe>simplyrecipes

 

  

Greek Pita Pizzas

6 oz. lean ground beef/turkey/chicken/lamb or Italian sausage
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 (6-inch) whole wheat or white pita bread rounds
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup crumbled  feta cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
12 pitted kalamata olives, halved (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned; drain off fat. Stir in tomato sauce, rosemary, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened.

Carefully split pita bread rounds in half horizontally. Place pita halves, rough sides up, in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until lightly toasted.

Top toasted pita rounds with meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Top with tomatoes, feta, parsley and olives, if desired. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

recipe>ComfortofCooking

 

 

 

 

Root Vegetable Beef Stew

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 pounds beef stew meat

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 can or bottle beer

4 cups beef broth, more as needed

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 carrots, roughly sliced

2 parsnips roughly sliced

1 small turnip, roughly sliced

2 tablespoons all purpose-flour, optional

Minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Heat the oil and butter in a pan and brown the beef. Remove the beef from the pan, throw in the garlic and onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in the beer, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, sugar, paprika, salt and some pepper. Then return the beef to the pan, cover and simmer on a low heat until the meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If the liquid level gets too low, add more broth as needed.

Add the carrots, parsnips and turnips and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced, about 30 minutes.

If the stew is still too liquidy, remove a cup of cooking liquid from the pan and stir in the flour. Add the flour mixture back into the pan and stir. Simmer for 10 minutes until the stew is thick. The meat should be very tender; if it's tough, let it continue to cook.

To finish, add the parsley and stir through the stew.

recipe>pioneer woman

 

 

 

Simple, Perfect Enchiladas

FOR THE SAUCE:

1 Tablespoon Canola Oil

1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour

1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce

2 cups Chicken Broth

½ teaspoons Salt

½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro

FOR THE MEAT:

1-½ pound Ground Beef

1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies

½ teaspoons Salt

FOR THE TORTILLAS:

10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas

½ cups Canola Oil

TO ASSEMBLE:

3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

½ cups Chopped Black Olives

1 cup Chopped Green Onions

½ cups Chopped Cilantro

Preparation

Step #1 – The Sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Step #2 – The Meat
Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Step #3 – Tortillas
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Step #4 – Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

recipe>TastyKitchen

 

 

 

Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

1 lb. (2-3) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large rib celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water or chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Hot cooked pasta, egg noodles or rice, for serving
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

To your slow cooker, add whole chicken breasts, bell peppers, onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms and garlic. Drain juice from diced tomatoes into a medium bowl; add tomatoes to the slow cooker.

To the bowl of tomato juice, add tomato paste, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar and Italian seasoning, whisking until well combined. Pour into slow cooker and stir mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or high for 4 hours, until chicken and vegetables are tender. Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Add back to slow cooker.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together until no lumps remain. Pour into slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook another 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve cacciatore over hot cooked pasta, egg noodles or rice. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

recipe>ComfortOfCooking