Chef John's Banana Bread

 3 ripe bananas (mashed & set aside), 2 cups flour, 1 t. salt, 1 t. baking soda, 1 t. baking powder, 1/2 cup butter (softened), 1 cup sugar, 3 large eggs, 1/4 t. vanilla, 1 T. milk, 1 cup walnuts (chopped), 1/3 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips (amount can vary depending on how much you like)

In a medium bowl mash bananas and set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix butter and sugar until smooth, beat in eggs and milk.  Add vanilla and mashed bananas and beat to blend.  Empty into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir to blend.  Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.  

Grease a 9 x 4 loaf pan and sprinkle some flour in it to lightly coat.  Empty combined mixture into loaf pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes.(Depending on oven temperature)  Remove from oven and set on stove top or counter to cool 15 minutes and remove from pan.  

Tip:  To keep moist and fresh wrap in waxed paper and then wrap with foil sealing in freshness right after removing from pan.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Homemade Butter Pie Crust

 Single pie crust:

1 1/2 cups flour, 1 T. sugar, 1/2 cup butter (softened), 1/4 cup cold water, 1 T white vinegar, 1/2 t. salt.

Double recipe for 2 pie crusts or for a thin crust use one recipe and cut it 2/3 bottom crust and 1/3 top.  

I found rolling it into a ball and wrapping it up in plastic wrap and refrigerating it for an hour or until ready to roll out is best.  

I use parchment paper with flour when rolling out to exact size needed.

Family Favorite Deep Dish Apple Pie

Prepare your favorite double crust pastry. Place one pastry in bottom of deep dish pie plate with about 3/4" overhang on edge of pie plate. In a large mixing bowl place 6 - 7 large peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples with 2 t.fresh lemon juice. (Cortland apples are my favorite). In a small mixing bowl combine 1 cup sugar, 1 T. cinnamon, 1/2 t. salt, and 1 heaping T. cornstarch. Once combined, empty into the large mixing bowl of sliced apples and stir to evenly coat. Add 1 t. melted butter, and 1 T. honey and continue stirring. Once thoroughly combined emptying into prepared pastry in deep dish pie plate. Pack apples in bottom taking care to finish with apples mounded high in the center. Place top pastry on evenly and pinch edges together to seal. Brush 1 T. melted butter over top of pastry. Polk top with a fork several time for venting. Place pie dish on cookie sheet and place in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. After baking let rest on counter top for at least 2 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Note: I love using granulated maple sugar so if you have access to this you can substitute it for the sugar. I have tried using Splenda in place of the sugar and it just is not the same. If you do use Splenda then you will have to use 2 T. cornstarch to avoid a runny pie.

CHICKEN POT PIE STROMBOLI

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 yellow onion diced

1 celery stalk diced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 clove garlic minced

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 Tbsp heavy cream or milk

1 cup peas and carrot mix still frozen

1 cup rotisserie chicken cooled and shredded

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (or jack or mozzarella), shredded

salt and pepper to taste

1 sheet puff pastry defrosted

1 egg well beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onion, celery salt and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes until the veggies begin to soften. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.

Sprinkle flour over the veggies and stir to dissolve the flour. Allow the mixture to cook for about 30 seconds before adding the chicken broth. Stir to dissolve the flour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a bubble. Cook the filling on medium heat for about 3 minutes stirring constantly until nicely thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cream or milk. Add the frozen vegetables and stir to incorporate. Once the veggies have been mixed in, fold in the chicken and taste for seasoning. At this point, the filling mixture should be at least room temperature if not slightly cool. If the mixture is still even slightly warm, place it in the refrigerator to cool while you roll out the pastry. It is imperative that the filling be cool before filling the pastry!

On a lightly-floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a rectangle about 14" wide by 10" deep. With the wide end toward you, spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1" border along the sides and a 2" border on top and bottom. Sprinkle the filling with shredded cheese, brush the edges with egg wash and roll the dough into a cylinder. Transfer the roll to the prepared baking dish with the seam on the bottom. Press the sides of the roll together and tuck them under the cylinder. Brush the exterior with the remaining egg wash and bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden brown all the way around. Allow the stromboli to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

 

Best Ever Southern Pie

 Ingredients:

½ cup of buttermilk.
1 ¾ cups of sugar.
2 large eggs.
3 tbsps of flour.
A pinch of salt.
1 stick of butter.
1 tsp of vanilla.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until blended then pour the mixture in an unbaked 9 inch pie shell.

Sprinkle the top with some nutmeg then bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven to 400 degrees. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

Let set and cool completely before serving.

Thanks to my friend Pam C. for sharing this recipe.

Tall and Creamy New York Cheesecake

 

Ingredients

• 32 oz cream cheese (4 packages) room temperature
• 5 large eggs room temperature
• 2 cups sour cream room temperature
• 8 tbsp butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 vanilla beans can substitute 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Tightly wrap 2 layers of aluminum foil around the outside of a 10 inch springform pan covering bottom and sides.
• Generously coat inside of pan with butter.
• Preheat oven to 300º F.
• Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
• Add eggs one at a time until blended.
• Add sour cream and mix until smooth.
• Add sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and lemon juice, beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Pour into springform pan and place in a roasting pan large enough to prevent sides from touching.
• Place into oven and carefully pour boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of springform pan. (be careful not to splash any water onto cake)
• Bake for 2 hours, or until cake is lightly browned on top. My oven is a convection oven, so bake time in regular oven may be longer.
• Remove from water bath (bain-marie), remove foil and cool completely at room temperature before unlatching and removing rim.
• Cover and refrigerate until well chilled (best to leave chill overnight). Cake must be well chilled to set properly.
• Serve plain or with berries and whipped cream or even caramel sauce.

Notes

* because this cheesecake is crustless, I don't remove it from the lower part of the cake pan.* be sure to use 10 inch springform pan. Cake will raise while baking and will spill over in smaller cake pan.

Apple Ginger Green Smothie

 

 I use my Vitamix  You need a powerful machine to blend a perfectly smooth beverage.

Ingredients:

1 cup cold unsweetened coconut milk

1/4 avocado

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 medium Apple (I used a Fuji)

4” Persian cucumber (Trader Joe’s)

1/4 “ piece fresh ginger

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of pink Himalayan salt

2 handfuls of spinach (recipe called for 1)

5 ice cubes or a cup of crushed ice

 

Carbonara with Pan Seared Scalops

 

Ingredients for the Scallops:

• 12-16 large scallops 3-4 per person

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp butter

• Salt and Pepper

Ingredients for the Carbonara:

• 8 slices thick cut bacon diced (use bacon with less fat, or cut away excess fat)

• 1 shallot finely sliced

• 1 clove garlic leave whole

• 4 green onions

• 2 egg yolks

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 1 cup parmigiano reggiano grated

• fresh ground pepper

• 14 oz (400g) pasta of your choice (Linguine recommended)

Pasta Carbonara:

• Start cooking pasta in large stainless steel pot.

• In small bowl mix together cream, egg yolks and ¾ of cheese.

• In large skillet cook bacon until crisp, add shallots and ½ green onions.

• Smash down garlic clove a bit, add to bacon. (remove prior to adding pasta)

• When pasta is finished cooking, drain well, and then add it to the skillet of bacon.

• Toss well, and then transfer to large bowl.

• Add cream mixture to pasta and combined well. Make sure pasta is still hot in order to cook the eggs and melt the cheese.

• Arrange pasta on plate, top with seared scallops, add some fresh ground pepper, grated parmesan, and green onions.

Perfect Pan Seared Scallops:

• Blot scallops with paper towel to remove any water. Salt and pepper.

• Heat large non-stick frying pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil.

• Make sure frying pan is hot before adding scallops but not smoking.

• Add scallops leaving plenty of space between. Overcrowding the pan will drop the pan temperature and cause scallops to steam rather than sear.

• Sear for about 2-4 minutes or when bottom is a nice golden brown. Don't move them around in the pan or you will prevent them from forming that nice brown crust. After a couple of minutes have a peek to see if golden brown.

• Turn to sear other side. (about 1-3 more minutes)

• Add 2 tablespoons of butter to pan now.

• Spoon the melted butter over the scallops as the other side finishes cooking.

• Transfer to paper towel covered plate.

• Keep warm in oven, if making in batches.

NOTES:

This recipe tastes best served VERY fresh, so don't let it sit or Scallops and Pasta dry out quickly. Have ALL your ingredients and pots ready to go to make easy work of this.

Best Ever Strawberry Cake

 

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix

3 tbsp plain flour

1 (3 Oz) box strawberry jello

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup oil, I used canola oil

2 cup fresh or frozen pureed strawberries (one cup for cake & one cup for icing)

4 eggs

Instructions

Combine cake mix, flour, Jello and water. Add oil and eggs, one at a time, beating well between. Add strawberries. Beat 2 minutes. Pour batter into well greased and floured 9×13 pan. Bake at 350* for about 45 minutes.

CREAM CHEESE ICING: adapted from Paula Deen online recipe

1 stick butter softened

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup frozen or fresh pureed strawberries

3 cups powdered sugar

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix with mixer until creamy. Pour over cake after it cools from the oven. Add a strawberry to top for garnishment or pureed strawberries to top. Eat and Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Fathead Pizza Dough

 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella (hand shred from a block of cheese, instead of pre-shredded)
2 oz softened cream cheese

Put mozzarella and cream cheese together and put in microwave for 1 min 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds with a fork.

Add to hot mixed cheese:
3/4 cup almond flour
Salt
Italian spices

Mix all together with fork until dough forms.

Take a dab of olive oil and moisten your hands with it. Knead dough.

Spread on silpat (silicone mat). Form to the edges of mat.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and add sauces, mozzarella cheese and desired toppings.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to cutting board and cut into 8 pieces.

 This recipe is from Tiffany Jackson and she said:

• You really need the block mozzarella to shred because the pre-shredded has anti-clumping ingredients which will make it hard to form a dough. This is a low carb recipe

Homemade Cran-Raspberry Sauce

 

Ingredients

• 1 package (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 package (3 ounces) raspberry gelatin
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries                                                           
  

  Directions

  • In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, cranberry juice, water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cranberries pop. Stir in gelatin until dissolved.
  • Remove from the heat. Add ice cubes; stir until melted. Gently fold in raspberries. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

  Nutrition Facts

  1/2 cup: 113 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 26mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate (24g sugars, 4g fiber), 2g protein.
   
  This recipe came from Taste of Home and I've loved Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry Sauce but it got discontinued.  It was a thick jell and this recipe could probably be emulsified into a jell with a blender or food processor before cooling. 
   

Darlene's homemade Chicken Pot Pie

 Double crust pie (make one of your favorite or buy 2 premade pastries) for a round deep pie dish

Buy a store cooked Rotisserie chicken.  Remove all skin, fat, and bones. Cut up all chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside in a air-tight container with a lid.  Save drippings from bag Rotisserie chicken came in and put into the container with the cut up chicken.

Slice and chop up a large sweet onion and a couple celery stalks and celery heart with leaves plus 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.  Place them in a large skillet with a couple tablespoons of real butter and a table spoon of olive oil and saute tender.  Stir in a tablespoon of dried Parsley while cooking mixture.  Stir every couple minutes until tender.

In a large microwave glass casserole dish with a lid place a bag of mixed vegetable and a couple diced up potatoes with some water to cook til tender (about 15 minutes) stirring half ways.  Once cooked drain water out and put cooked vegetables in with sauteed onion/celery stir to combine.  Add a cup of Half & Half, a 1/2 cup of Locatelli brand grated cheese and  2 cups of Italian blended sharp cheeses.  Can add some Monterey Jack cheese too (about 1/4 cup).. Your choice of your favorite cheeses.  Stir to incorporate, add cut up chicken and continue stirring.  Should get bubbly and thicken some.  If mixture looks dry add some more Half and Half to be sure it is not dry.  

Place one pie pastry in bottom of pie dish with edges  slightly hanging over edge.  Empty mixture from skillet into pie pastry evenly.  Place 2nd  pastry on top and seal edges together.  Take a knife and put several slits in top crust to vent while baking.   Place dish in preheated 350 degree oven and bake 45 - 55 minutes... until top crust is lightly browned.  Once done baking let set for about 15 minutes on top of stove or counter to rest before cutting to serve.