Banana Bread

This is another of my mom's recipes. It's another family favorite!

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 c flour (I use whole wheat)
2. 1 1/2 t baking powder
3. 1/4 t baking soda
4. 1/4 t cinnamon
5. 3 medium bananas smashed (the mushier and more brown the peal is, the better)
6. 3/4 c sugar
7. 1 egg
8. 1/4 c oil (I use coconut)

In one bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. (Save sugar for next bowl.)

In another bowl, mash bananas and then add wet ingredients-egg and oil- and then add sugar to this bowl. 

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and then mix well. Pour into a greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.

Then try not to eat the whole loaf in one sitting. (Or toast a slice with some butter. Oh my.)

Don't remind me that bathing suit season is just around the corner. Okay?

Cornbread muffins

These aren't really cornbread, exactly. They have corn meal, but they have actual corn kernels, and a sweet taste too. They are perfect with soups and stews. I could eat a batch of these just by themselves. A favorite. 

Cornbread Muffins

Italian Crockpot Chicken

This is one of those super quick and easy recipes that will give you a heart attack if eaten often, but I love it so I'm adding it here. I also  hate searching for the recipe. It's my favorite for when I take a family a meal, because it's a crowd pleaser, and it can feed a larger family.

Italian Crock Pot Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
(whole or cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 stick BUTTER (tastes better than marg.)
1 env. dry Italian dressing mix
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, room temperature

Melt butter, pour over chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle with dry Italian dressing mix.
Cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Blend soup and cream cheese, pour over
chicken for last 1/2 hour.*

Serve over angel hair or your choice of pasta.

*when I add the soup and cheese, I take the
chicken out, blend the soup/cheese into the
pot contents until creamy, and return chicken
for the last 1/2 hr.

Chicken Parmesan

I had a meeting last night, so I thought I'd do my quick and easy fake Chicken Parmesan.

I just brown a couple of chicken breasts in a skillet with some olive oil and seasonings. When they are done, I reduce heat and top with jarred spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese and cover until all warm and melty. Make a quick side of pasta and some veggie, and there is an easy dinner.

Well. THIS email came yesterday, and I thought, "Oh, I'll make some changes and it will be even better!"

Um...

I did think that making my own bread crumbs would be so easy and a great idea. I toasted two slices of bread, threw them in the food processor with my homemade Italian spice and make me up some bread crumbs.

Then when I followed their instructions to brown the chicken in the skillet, the chicken burned on the outside. 

Uh oh.

I eyed the clock and realized that I didn't have time to scratch this dinner and start over, so I forged on. (I wouldn't have wasted the chicken. I would have scrapped off the burned part and made something else.)

I got the chicken into the oven, and since I didn't have sliced mozzarella, I topped the chicken with shredded mozzarella.

When I opened the oven, the cheese had burned too. 

I hastily served the dish, hoping the kids wouldn't notice. 

Oh, they did. 

So this recipe didn't turn out as expected. I did like the breadcrumb portion of the new recipe, and I may do that again. Or perhaps I like my old way just as well.

So maybe I'll call this a recipe fail, and you know, not a cook fail. :)

Chicken Gumbo

This is a family favorite, and I've made it for years. (Okay, fine, I have to pick out the okra for the boys. Oh well.) 

It's really just a super simple chicken soup. I'm not sure I'd really call it "gumbo" since usually those have lots more ingredients and are a little more fancy. This is just simple and easy. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice (I use instant brown rice in a pinch)
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup sliced okra
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast

Again I use a whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker. Then you have your cooked chicken and your broth already. Just add water to the bottom of the slow cooker before you add your chicken.

I also make more soup with the entire chicken to eat for lunch or to freeze for later.

Directions:

• in a large pot, cook onion and celery in 1 tablespoon of broth until tender
• add remaining broth, tomatoes and rice
• bring to a boil
• reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes
• add green pepper, okra, bay leaf, salt and pepper
• cook about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender
• add chicken and serve through
• serve immediately

That's it! I normally throw it back into the slow cooker to keep it warm and simmery until it's time to eat. I love the way the house smells-all warm and cozy!