Banana Squares

These bar cookies are so easy to make.  They are delicious and easy to take along to a potluck or on a picnic. Instead of baking banana bread, try a batch of bar cookies instead. 

Ingredients

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. soda
dash of salt
2 1/2 c. flour
4 Tbs. buttermilk
4 large ripe bananas

Filling

1 c. brown sugar
1 can flaked coconut or 1 cup of bagged coconut
1 stick butter, softened
4 tsp. evaporated milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 325°.  Grease three 11 x 7 1/4-ingh pans. If you don't have this size pan, use two 9 x 9-inch pans and one 8 x 8-inch pan. You can also use three 9-inch pans, but the bars will be thinner and may not take as long to bake. 

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour in vanilla and mix in.

In another bowl, mix soda, and a dash of salt and flour.

Alternately, mix in about a half cup of flour and 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Repeat until the flour and buttermilk are mixed into the creamed mixture. 

Add bananas. Mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared pans.  

Bake for 30 minutes. Make the filling while the cookie dough is baking.

Mix the brown sugar, flaked coconut, butter and evaporated milk together.

In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flaked coconut, butter and evaporated milk. Spread over hot baked mixture.  Bake for 7 minutes longer and cut into squares. 

 Herbed Pork Chops with Gravy

This is an easy comfort food recipe for pork chops.  The chops are tender, juicy and flavorful.  Serve with creamy gravy poured over the top.  Add mashed potatoes for the perfect side dish.

 Ingredients

4 pork chops, thick cut
1 tsp. dry steak seasoning or salt and pepper
2 Tbs. oil
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. basil
1 tsp. beef bouillon granules or 1 bouillon cube
1 tsp. black pepper
2 c. milk or more

Directions

Season pork chops with steak seasoning or salt and pepper on both sides. Let sit for about 20 minutes to bring them to room temperature. 

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil. Fry the pork chops until browned. Turn the pork chops over and fry the other side until done or until the meat registers 145° with a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the pork chops.  Remove the chops to a plate and keep warm.

Add butter to the skillet and melt. Over medium high heat, whisk in flour, basil, beef bouillon and black pepper. Stirring constantly, cook for at least two minutes to remove the flour taste.  

Pour milk into the butter mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and is bubbly.  This can take 4 to 6 minutes. Salt and pepper the gravy to taste.  If the gravy is too thick, add more milk. Pour sauce over the pork chops and serve. 

You can also put this in the oven and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

 Easy Vegetable Rice Dish

This is an easy recipe to put together and serve. If you want to save even more time in the kitchen, just use frozen vegetables of your choice.

Ingredients

1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 Tbs. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 to 2 carrots, chopped
1 to 2 celery stalks, chopped
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.  chicken broth
1 c 1/2 c. Minute rice
1 c. frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil. Cook the onion, carrots and celery until tender.

Pour in the chicken broth or stock. Bring to a boil.

Stir in the Minute rice. Add the peas. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for five minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Do not lift the cover or lid. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Easy Sweet, Sour, Spicy Chicken

Sweet, Sour, Spicy Chicken is a fast and easy recipe. Perfect if you don't have much time to cook. Serve it over a bed of left over rice for a great meal. You can double the sauce if you want more to serve with the chicken and rice.

Sweet and sour sauce Ingredients

3/4 c. sugar or brown sugar
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. ketchup
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 jalapeño hot pepper with seeds, minced
3 to 5 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. cornstarch

Chicken

5 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs. cornstarch
3 Tbs. vegetable oil or more

Directions

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, onion, jalapeño, and garlic.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, being careful of the vinegar fumes because they can be strong.

In a small bowl or cup, mix the water and cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.  Be sure to use cold water with the cornstarch, otherwise you will get lumps.  

Pour the cornstarch mixture into the bubbling mixture, whisking constantly as you pour.  Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Prepare the chicken.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl or a sealable plastic bag. Add cornstarch. Shake or toss the chicken to coat evenly with cornstarch. 

In a heavy cast iron skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add chicken. Stir and turn the chicken to fry all sides evenly until the chicken is done. This can take about 6 to 8 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the sauce, stirring so all the chicken gets a nice coating of the sauce. Simmer for one to two minutes.  

Serve chicken over some cooked rice.

 Taco Seasoning Mix

Buying the individual packets of taco seasoning is convenient, but it is also costly. For just a fraction of the cost of one packet, you can make your own and have it already on hand, whenever you want. 

We usually add equal amounts of cumin and chili powder because we like the taste of the cumin. But most recipes use less cumin in their mix. The nice thing about making your own spice mix is that you control the spices you like best. You can leave out ingredients you don't like and put on another spice you do like when making tacos.

Ingredients

6 Tbs chili powder
5 Tbs. cumin
4 Tbs paprika or smoked paprika
2 Tbs. garlic powder
2 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs.salt
1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. oregano
1 Tbs. cornstarch (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more if you want a spicier taco mix.)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more if you want a spicier taco mix.)

Directions

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, mix the chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, onion powder, oregano, cornstarch, red pepper flakes coriander, and cayenne pepper.  Put the lid on the jar and shake the contents until they are thoroughly mixed together.  

A package of Taco seasoning has 2 tablespoons of the seasoning.  Use 1 to 3 tablespoons of your seasoning mix to one pound of hamburger or ground beef, along with 2/3 cup water.  Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes. Then taste. You can always add more taco seasoning mixture if desired, but it is very hard to remove it once you have it blended in.

Round Herb Bread

This bread dough can be make into loaves, or as an artisan style bread, or used for a pizza crust.  It is delicious and fragrant, making it the perfect addition to any meal or to eat on its own.

Ingredients

1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbs. yeast  or 2 packages of yeast
3 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. olive oil or vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic minced
1  2/3 c. Evaporated milk
1/4  c. dried parsley
1 Tbs. basil
1 Tbs. oregano
1 Tbs. salt
1/2 c. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese or a mixture of both
6 c. bread flour or all-purpose flour

Directions

Grease a cookie sheet or two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. 

Mix water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Place the bowl in a warm location for 6 to 10 minutes, so the yeast can bloom or show it is alive and active. It will look frothy.

Stir in 2 c. flour, oil, onion, garlic, evaporated milk, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and grated cheese. Beat until smooth with a wooden spoon or with a mixer that has a dough hook. Beat for about 2 minutes. 

Begin stirring in the rest of the flour. If mixing by hand, continue to add flour until it gets too hard to stir, then turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Continue to knead in the rest of the flour until you have a dough that is smooth and slightly sticky.  Kneading time takes about 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the dough in an oiled or greased bowl, turning once so all sides are coated with oil. I use the same bowl that I mixed the dough in to save on dishes.  Cover with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm location until doubled in size.  This takes about an hour. 

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape the dough into two round loaves. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. This takes about 30 to 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350° and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until done.  If the tops start to brown too much, cover the bread loosely with foil. 

Remove from the pans or cookie sheets and place on wire racks. Rub a stick of butter over the top of the hot loaves. This will keep the loaves soft with a great buttery taste. Try to let the loaves cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Grilled Stuffed Hamburgers

 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, finely diced
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 tbs. pickle relish
4 oz. cheddar cheese, sliced
4 hamburger buns
sliced tomato
ketchup
mustard
sliced onion
lettuce
hamburger pickles
mayonnaise
cheese

Directions

Preheat the barbecue grill.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, salt, and pepper. Mix the meat lightly with your hands.

Divide the hamburger mixture into 8 portions. Shape each hamburger into a thin pattie.  Place 1 tablespoon of  pickle relish on four of the patties. Top each with a one ounce slice of  cheese.

Take the other four patties and place on top of the cheese. Press the edges to seal well, otherwise the cheese will leak out.  Season with more salt and pepper if desired.

Grill the hamburgers until one side for several minutes, then carefully turn the hamburger patties over and grill the other side until they are done  It can take about 5 minutes for a well done hamburger pattie. 

Open the hamburger buns and place the open side down on the grill for maybe a minute if you want the buns toasted. 

Serve on toasted buns and top with a slice of tomato, ketchup, mustard, sliced onion,  lettuce, hamburger pickles, mayonnaise or cheese if desired.