Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I got this recipe off Allrecipes.com. They were really good! The boys loved them.


Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until
moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined
muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a
toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire
racks.

Chinese Chicken Salad

3 pounds chicken thighs, skinned
Ground black pepper
1 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c hoisin sauce
3 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS grated ginger
2 tsp Asian chili sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 c rice vinegar
8 c shredded romaine lettuce
1 c shredded carrots
1/2 c cashews
2 TBS snipped cilantro

1. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Place chicken, celery, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker. In a small bowl combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, chili sauce, and sesame oil; pour over mixture in slow cooker. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5-6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/2-3 hours.
3. Remove chicken from cooker, reserving 1/2 c of the cooking liquid. When chicken is cool enough to handle, use two forks to pull chicken apart into shreds.
4. For dressing, in a screw top jar combine the reserved 1/2 c cooking liquid and the rice vinegar. Cover and shake well to combine; set aside.
5. Arrange romaine, chicken, carrots, cashews, and cilantro onto dinner plates. Just before serving, shake dressing and drizzle over salad. Toss to coat.

White Sandwhich Bread

My friend Valerie gave me this recipe and seriously..... it is just as good as Grandma Sycamore's. We had it with grilled cheese sandwiches today... mmmm.... now if only I had some of that costco ham it would have been the most delicious sandwich ever. I baked mine for 20 minutes like she suggested... but my oven must not be as hot because it wasn't quite done on the inside. I would try 25 minutes the first time. Better a little over cooked than doughy!

Amy Stephens' Amish Bread
2 c. hot tap water
2/3 c. sugar (stir into the water until dissolved)
1 1/2 T yeast (stir into the water and sugar)
Let this mixture sit until bubbly (about 5 mins.)

1 1/2 t salt
1/4 c. oil (I use olive or vegetable, I haven't noticed a difference)
Put these two ingredients into your mixer (I use a Bosch) then add the bubbly yeast mixture.
Finally add:
6 c. flour (I think it helps to fluff the flour first, so it's light and not heavy)
Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Move the dough to a bowl (spray the bowl) and place in a warm spot (covered with a towel) for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough in half, and knead each half into a loaf. Place in loaf pan, cover and let raise in a warm spot for 45 minutes more.
Heat oven to 350, cook 2 loaves at 350 for about 20-25 minutes depending on how "crusty" you like your bread. I don't like it crusty, so I normally do like 20 mins. at the most. (Each oven varies though, of course.)
(I have 3 loaf pans, so I always make this recipe 1 1/2 times. It can be doubled, but that means 12 cups of flour and not many mixers can handle much more than that! My mixer handles 9 alright though.)

My mixer almost pooped out with the 6 cups..... it seriously smelled like it was going to start smoking. I don't have a bosch though. :)

Taco Pizza

This was super easy and fast to make.

1 lb ground beef

1 envelope taco seasoning

2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

2-3 c shredded cheddar cheese or mexican blend

1/2 c chopped tomatoes

1/4 sliced black olives

3 green onions chopped

Heat oven to 375. Brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning to beef according to package directions. Unroll crescent rolls into rectangles. Place in ungreased 11 1/2 by 16 1/2 inch cookie sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes.

Microwave beans for 1 minute. Spread over warm crust. Top with cooked beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, tomatoes, olives and green onions. Return to oven for 3-6 minutes until cheese is melted.

Lasagna in a Stew Pot

A long time ago my mom bought one of those recipe booklets from Quilted Bear.  This recipe comes from one titled "Soup from a Can" by Jackie Gannaway.  If you don't feel like making lasagna, whip up this lasagna stew instead.  You get all the flavors of lasagna without all the layers! :)

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 (28 oz.) jar Spaghetti sauce

1 (28 oz.) jar of water (fill the sauce jar with water)

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning

1 (8 oz.) pkg. grated mozzarella cheese, divided

1 (15 oz.) carton cottage or ricotta cheese (I use cottage cheese)

1 (8 oz.) package extra wide egg noodles, uncooked

Cook ground beef and chopped onion in large sprayed nonstick soup pan 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Drain off fat.  Add spaghetti sauce, water, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.  Mix well.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.  Add half the mozzarella and all the cottage or ricotta cheese.  Stir until well blended.  Add uncooked noodles.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes (until noodles are done to your liking), stirring often.  Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top of servings.  Makes 7, 1 ½ cup servings.

Lion House Chili

I think just about everything from the Lion House recipe collections is worth trying out.  This is no exception.  I also call this recipe "Lori's Award Winning Chili" because my friend has won our ward chili cook-off for three years in a row with this recipe.  My sister won her ward's chili cook-off in New Orleans with it too!  I think it is a keeper for sure.

1 lb. diced lean beef (use ground beef if you want to make it easier - it is still great)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don't want it very spicy)

1 ½ Tbs. chili powder (again, use less if you are concerned with spice level)

1 tsp. powdered garlic, or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. crushed black pepper

1 ½ tsp. Kosher salt

½ tsp. cayenne pepper (you can use less here too if you want)

1 Tbs. canola oil

2 cans (8 oz. each) diced tomatoes

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies

4 cups canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups tomato soup

1 cup tomato juice

1 cup brown sugar

Sour cream

Cheese, grated

Onion, finely chopped

Preheat large heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Brown beef, bell peppers, onion, and spices together in canola oil. When beef is browned, add remaining ingredients and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occassionally. Garnish with dollop of sour cream, grated cheese, and finely chopped onion. Serves 8 -10.

Cheese and Garlic Buttermilk Biscuits

This recipe came from TheSistersCafe website.  Maybe not a super healthy option but SO YUMMY!  My kids gobble these up really fast - goodness, so do I! :)  I make them in my food processor to make it even easier since I really don't like cutting in the butter by hand.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cold
2 cups flour
1 Tb sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
about 3/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tb butter, melted
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut butter into flour mixture using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese then stir in enough buttermilk so dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead very lightly until dough forms a soft ball, about 10 times. Do not overwork the dough! The less you handle the dough, the more fluffy your biscuits. Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Mix together melted butter, garlic salt and parsley flakes. Brush the tops of the warm biscuits with the garlic butter and serve hot.