Jan's Kitchen

Jan’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

2016-12-23T09:31:00.001-08:00

Jan’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
3 cups Quaker Oats
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat butter and sugars together until creamy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
4. Add combined flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well
5. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, walnuts; mix well
6. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown
8. Cool 1 Minute on Cookie Sheet; remove to wire rack.

Makes about 3.5 - 4 dozen cookies, enjoy!

The best bar cookies, they've been called "crack on a plate"!

2016-12-02T05:48:00.000-08:00

These are wonderful bar cookies. When I take them to work, for the break room, they disappear before lunch. One of the booksellers calls them "Crack on a Plate."! I took it as a compliment.

JP's Peanut Candy Bar

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups Reese’s Peanut Butter chips
2 cups salted peanuts
1 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together the cake mix, 1/3-cup butter and the egg. Press into the bottom of one 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, pour chocolate chips evenly over top of cake. Return to oven for 2 minutes. Remove from oven and spread to cover, allow to cool.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, cook corn syrup, 1/4-C. butter, vanilla and peanut butter chips until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the cereal and peanuts. Spoon mixture evenly over top of cake and spread to cover. Cool before serving. Cut into small pieces, it's very rich.

Easy Three Bean Salad

2016-07-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

This recipe is very easy to double, for a crowd.

Easy Three Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, chopped fine (about 3/4 cup), soaked in ice water to take the edge off the onion
3 celery stalks, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 cup loosely packed, fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon fresh finely chopped rosemary
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar (more or less to taste)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Assembly

· 1 In a large bowl, mix the 3 different types of beans, the celery, onion (drained of soaking water), parsley, and rosemary.

· 2 In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.

· 3 Chill beans in the refrigerator for several hours, to allow the beans to soak up the flavor of the dressing.

2015-12-13T11:11:00.000-08:00

Tortellini Tomato Spinach Soup

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion (about 1/2 small onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 to 6 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed through your fingers or coarsely chopped
• 1 (9-ounce) package fresh tortellini or 4 servings dried tortellini
• Coarse grained salt and cracked black pepper
• 10 ounces fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted and chopped
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, very loosely packed

Directions
1. In a 3-quart soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic, stirring often until onions are translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add broth and tomatoes, turn heat up to high, and bring to a boil.
3. Add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions. When tortellini is almost done, add spinach and taste, adjusting seasonings with salt and pepper.
4. Serve immediately. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Black Bean Enchiladas

2013-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

We had these for dinner last night, and they were delicious. I make Chicken Enchiladas frequently, but sometimes it's good to go meatless.

Black Bean Enchiladas

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen white corn
1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided - I like a Cheddar Jack mix
1 10 oz. can Enchilada Sauce, mild, I like La Victoria.
10 white tortillas, 6 to 8 inch.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, black beans, corn, and 1/2 cup of the cheese.
Warm 2 tortillas at a time, in the microwave, for 20 seconds.
Scoop a scant 1/2 cup of the veggie mix into one of the tortillas, roll it up, and place in the pan, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, warming and filling, until the all the mix is used. It should make 9 or 10 enchiladas. Pour the entire contents of the can of Enchilada Sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle it with the remainder of the cheese.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
Leftovers will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Impossibly Easy Chicken 'n Veggie Pie

2013-05-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

The original recipe was Impossibly Easy Chicken and Broccoli Pie. I used mixed vegetables, carrots, peas, green beans; because broccoli has too much potassium for Bob to handle. I think this would be great with Swiss cheese, too.

Impossibly Easy Chicken 'n Veggie Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained (from 12-oz bag) Or use the same amount of mixed veggies
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 cup cut-up cooked chicken breast
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
½ cup Bisquick Heart Smart® mix
1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 eggs or 1/3 cup fat-free egg product
2-4 dashes of Tabasco sauce

Step one

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Layer the veggies, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the chicken and onion in pie plate.

Step Two

In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, salt, pepper, eggs and Tabasco with wire whisk or fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.

Step Three

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 3 to 4 minutes longer or just until cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes to let it “set”.

Italian Chicken

2013-02-24T12:43:00.001-08:00

I pinned this recently and decided to make it last night. It sounded so easy, that I didn't even reference the pin, when I went to cook.

Ingredients:

Enough chicken pieces for your family.
Sour Cream
Shaved Parmesan Cheese
Italian Style Bread Crumbs.

I had a huge 1 pound chicken breast. I set the oven to 350°, cut the chicken breast into cutlets, and sprayed my baking pan with cooking spray.

Next, place the chicken pieces into the sprayed pan, top each piece with about a Tablespoon of sour cream, then about 1/2 T. of shaved Parmesan Cheese. Now, sprinkle everything with Italian-style bread crumbs. That's it for the prep!

Bake for 40 minutes and serve with pasta of your choice and a green vegetable.

Citrus Chicken

2013-01-21T09:54:00.002-08:00

This is a really easy entree'. You marinate the chicken at least two hours, up to overnight, then bake it! I used 3 boneless skinless chicken breast, for less fat, and halved the marinade ingredients. I served the chicken with rice pilaf and a green vegetable.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
2 T. crushed garlic
2 T. sugar
2 t. black pepper
2 t. dried oregano leaves
Chicken parts to equal 3 or 4 pounds

Method:

Put the marinade ingredients in a large zip lock bag, shake to mix.
Add the chicken pieces, close the bag and refrigerated at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Place chicken pieces in a baking dish.
Cook uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, checking for doneness.

Enjoy!

Tuscan Chicken Soup

2012-10-10T16:56:00.001-07:00

This is easy, and so good.

Tuscan Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 medium yellow onion (medium dice)
5 medium carrots (peeled, washed, and medium dice)
4 stalks celery (washed and medium diced)
1 zucchini (washed and medium diced)
3 cloves fresh garlic (chopped finely)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt-to taste
Fresh ground black pepper -to taste
1 cup very small pasta, I used Ditalini.

Method:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute onions, celery, and carrots over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes.
Add zucchini and garlic; saute until tender about 4-6 minutes.
Add chicken stock, tomatoes, basil, oregano, chicken.
Simmer soup for 20 minutes.
Add the pasta and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with with grated parmigiano reggiano and rustic bread!

Make 8 servings. Be prepared to add more broth, when you serve leftovers, the pasta really soaks up the liquid.

adapted from Peanut Blossom.

Chicken Taco Chili

2012-09-03T11:17:00.002-07:00

If you're on Pinterest, it was hard to miss this recipe a couple of weeks ago. It sounded delish, and I wanted to try it. I hesitated because of all the sodium. We're pretty low sodium, here at the Prytz house. I modified the recipe and it's delicious. This is my recipe.

Chicken Taco Chili

1 large yellow onion, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can vegetable broth
Frozen white corn, enough to fill an empty bean can
16 oz can tomato sauce
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 packet chicken taco seasoning (much lower in sodium.)
1 t, chili powder
2 boneless skinless chicken breast.

Put all the ingredients in the crockpot. Don't layer, just dump them in and stir it up, a bit. Cook on High for 6 hours, or on low for 10 hours. Before serving remove the chicken breast and shred the meat, using two forks. Makes 8-10 servings.

We ate from this recipe for several nights. I served it in shallow bowls, over rice. It was filling and healthy.

Tortilla Pie

2012-05-21T12:55:00.001-07:00

Since Bob was so ill, back in November, he now has to eat as near vegetarian as possible. He definitely can't have any red meat, beef, pork or lamb; and he should limit his intake of fish, chicken and turkey. All of these meats are very hard on our kidneys.

Because of Bob's health requirements, I've been cooking strictly vegetarian at home. He gets his fix of poultry, he doesn't eat fish, when we eat out.. I created this easy dish, to have something new to serve. We had it last night and it was very good, served it with a green salad and you have a great, easy meal.

Tortilla Pie

2 cans of Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed.
1 T. of minced garlic
1 cup of salsa
4 Flour Tortillas
1 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican Cheese. Or half Jack and half Cheddar, shredded.

This is my garlic secret, found in the produce section of the grocery.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a pie plate with vegetable spray, and set aside.
Place the pinto beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add the minced garlic and salsa, and continue mashing. The salsa makes it easier. This is the salsa I like to use.

Place one flour tortilla in the pie plate, cover with 1/4 of the mashed pinto mixture, then 1/4 of the cheese.
Repeat until you have four layers, ending with cheese on the top.
Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serves 4.

ROASTED ONION SOUP

2011-12-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

This is a great onion soup, especially for the winter, when I don't mind having the oven on. It's easy and the flavor is outstanding. Hope you'll give it a try.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin olive oil)
3 Spanish onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 garlic head, large, cloves separated, peeled and cut in half
3 large shallots, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Set oven rack at the lowest level; preheat to 450 degrees.
Combine onions, shallots, garlic and oil in a large shallow roasting pan. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes; stirring every 5 minutes, or until the onions are golden.
Remove from oven and pour in one-fourth of the chicken stock. Stir liquid in the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen and dissolve any caramelized bits.
Transfer the onion mixture to a soup pot and add brandy, thyme and the remaining chicken stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Top with Parmesan cheese when serving.

4 Servings

Wonderful Banana Cake

2011-12-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

I had 3 really ripe bananas, and thought I'd try this unusual recipe. I found it by doing a google search, for yellow cake mix and bananas. Really who need cookbooks any more! The recipe is simple and the result is amazing. It's hard to resist second helpings.

Wonderful Banana Cake

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 very ripe bananas, mashed -
{I used 3, because I had them, and increased the baking soda to 1 1/2 t.}
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Prepare yellow cake mix according to package directions.
Mash the bananas with the baking soda and stir into the cake mix batter. Pour batter into one greased and floured 9x13 inch baking pan.
Do not preheat oven. Place uncooked cake in oven and turn oven on to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 1 hour. Let cake cool thoroughly and then refrigerate.

Vegetarian Tortilla Casserole

2011-11-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

This is delicious, you can easily leave off the cheese, if you want it to be vegan. I tend to cook without measuring, so this is my best guess.

Ingredients:

Spray vegetable cooking oil
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 T minced garlic in oil. (jar found in the produce section of your supermarket.)
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
3 T. canola oil
1 medium red onion
1 cup chopped zucchini
3/4 cup shredded carrot
1 cup frozen white corn, thawed
pepper and sea salt to taste
3 whole wheat tortilla wraps (12" size)
1 cup prepared mild chunky salsa
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 12 inch pie plate with cooking spray, set aside.
Mix beans, garlic, oregano, and cayenne in a small bowl, set aside
Heat canola oil in medium skillet, medium heat. Saute´ onion for 5 minutes, add zucchini, carrot and corn and saute´ for 3 minutes. Season with the pepper and salt. Pour into colander to drain any excess oil.
Place one tortilla wrap in the pie plate. Top with 1/3 of bean mixture, 1/3 vegetable mixture, and 1/3 of the salsa. Make two more layers for a total of 3 layers. Top with the cheese
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.

Serves four.

Pasta e Fagioli

2011-11-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

My husband, Bob, has become "close" to vegetarian for health reasons. He can still have small amounts of chicken, turkey and fish, but other meats are verboten. This recipe is completely vegetarian, delicious and very fast and easy to make.

Pasta e Fagioli

3 T. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small potato, diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
2 tomatoes, diced
5 cups vegetable broth
1/4 t. fresh thyme, chopped
1 can small white beans, drained & rinsed
1 can red beans, drained & rinsed
8 oz mini ziti pasta, (roughly 2 cups)
salt & pepper to taste
shaved Parmesan cheese for topping

Heat olive oil in large sauce pan (I use a Dutch oven). Add onion, garlic, potato, celery and carrot. Cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook an additional 3 minutes.
Add broth, beans, pasta, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the pasta and potatoes are cooked.

Ladle into bowls and serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Serves 6 - 8.

Favorite Sandwich.

2011-09-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite lunchtime repasts is a Tuna Sandwich. Since I haven't been doing any "new" or creative cooking I thought I'd share how I make a Tuna Sandwich.

12 oz. can Chunk White Albacore in water, drained.
3 sweet gherkin pickles, diced.
2 stalks of celery, diced.
1/4 cup of sliced almonds.
Best Foods Olive Oil Mayonnaise.

Put the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl and moisten well with the Mayo. Serve on bread or toast; our favorites are Sheepherders or Whole Wheat. Add a slice of cheddar, if your diet or taste buds allow.

Mrs. Hockmeyer’s Banana Bread

2011-06-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

This morning I had 4 very ripe bananas staring at me. What to do , what to do? They were too ripe to slice, so I decided to make Banana Nut Bread. I went to my recipe file and discovered I was missing ingredients for my two favorite Banana Nut Bread recipes. So, I did what any modern cook would do, I went on the internet to find a recipe that used the ingredients I had. I found this recipe here, and simply added walnuts.

Mrs. Hockmeyer’s Banana (Nut) Bread

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

METHOD
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 and walnuts 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.
Yield: Makes one loaf.

Spring Onion Soup

2011-03-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

Bob is feeling under the weather and I thought this soup would help. It a modification of a traditional French Onion Soup. I don't eat beef, so I used vegetable broth. For this soup be both prefer leaving the Gruyère cheese in the 'frig, and just use oven toasted bread.

Spring Onion Soup

· 2 cup(s) green onions, chopped

· 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter

· 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil

· 1 (about 1 cup) medium onion, chopped

· 3 can(s) (14 1/2-ounce) vegetable broth

· 1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice

· 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt

· 1/4 teaspoon(s) pepper

· 5 slice(s) French bread, 1/4-inch-thick

(5 slices of Gruyère cheese, in case you want to use it.)

· 1 clove(s) garlic, peeled and halved/ or use mince garlic in oil.

Directions

1. Blanch the Green Onions: Fill a large bowl with water and ice and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add green onions, and blanch for 1 minute. Transfer onions to the prepared ice bath to cool. Drain and set aside.

2. Make the soup: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden -- about 8 minutes.

3. Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and remaining butter.

4. Rub bread slices with the garlic, or use about 1 t. of minced garlic per slice, place on a baking sheet, and toast in oven for 4-6 minutes. (If using the cheese, place on toast after 2 minutes, bake 4 minutes, more.) Watch carefully so the toast doesn't burn. Add the green onions to the warm soup, divide equally among bowls, and top with toast. Serve immediately.

I don't know it if the soup helped Bob feel better, but it sure was good.

Banana Streusel Muffins

2010-12-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

Randi of I Have To Say, talked about this recipe that's originally from Taste of Home. She commented that you shouldn't double the recipe, because it makes 18 wonderful muffins. I concur; and if you are skimpy with your batter, you could get 24 muffins from this. I've changed the original recipe up a bit, not the ingredients, but the process.

Banana Streusel Muffins

STEP ONE:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin cups, or use paper liners. (I just sprayed a squirt of Pam in each cup, and wiped it with a paper towel.

STEP TWO:

In a small bowl mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter. This is the hardest part of the entire process.

STREUSEL:

1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

STEP TTREE:

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas, sliced thinly

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, sour cream, butter and bananas, well; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Fill muffin cups, sprinkle streusel mix over muffins. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pans and enjoy.

Pulled pork the slow cooker way.

2010-11-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

This is an easy and delicious casual meal.

4 - 4 1/2 lb pork butt, with the bone in
1 (14.5) can chicken broth
1 T. white vinegar
1 cup BBQ sauce

Cook the first three ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove pork to plate and shred or thinly slice.
Place pork in bowl.
Strain liquid from slow cooker; add 1/2 cup to pork, with BBQ sauce.

Serve on sesame buns, accompanied by coleslaw for a great casual dinner.

Simple Banana Nut Bread

2010-11-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

I revamped my Banana Nut Bread recipe a bit, making it healthier. Hope you love it.

Simple Banana Nut Bread

2 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 c. thinly sliced ripe bananas
1/3 c. Canola oil
3 tbsp. orange juice
2 eggs
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour bread pan. In large bowl, blend all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Pour into pan. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until done. Cool on rack for 5 minutes, remove from pan to finish cooling.

Hello

2010-11-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting here, lately, for a couple of reasons. Number one is I haven't been doing much cooking, and that's lead to lack of creativity. How have I gotten away with "not much cooking"? Bob's had some health issues and he literally refused to eat at home. No, it wasn't mental health. We begin eating dinner at a restaurant, daily. It became a welcome habit, that I'm determined to break. We'll still eat out after I teach Tai Chi, because on those nights we usually dash off to play cards or dominoes, or host at our house. And perhaps one additional night. But I going to work hard on breaking the cycle.

Hopefully, I'll have more to post, here, soon.

Banana - Wheat Quick Bread

2010-04-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is a super yummy way to use your ripe bananas. The crust is crisp and the inside is soft and flavorful.

BANANA - WHEAT QUICK BREAD

2 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 thinly sliced ripe bananas
1/3 c. butter, softened
3 tbsp. orange juice
2 eggs
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together, set aside. In large bowl, blend the "wet ingredients together. Slowly stir in the dry mix. When blended, beat mixture 3 minutes at medium speed with a hand mixer. Pour into greased pan. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Cool and enjoy!

Pear Salad

2009-12-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

My friend Marilyn suggested this would be a great entrée salad with the addition of chicken. I concur. I think grilled and sliced chicken breast would be great. I'm not sure where I bought my pear vinegar; I think I got it at one of the local wineries, but don't hold me to it! I found it on line here: http://www.grapevinetrading.com/vinegars.html.

Pear Salad

1 Bartlett pear, thinly sliced
2 bags of Triple Heart Lettuce
1/2 cup crumbled Blue Cheese
1 cup dried Cranberries
1 cup glazed Walnuts
Pear Vinaigrette Dressing, recipe below

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Serves 10 – 12.

Pear Vinaigrette Dressing

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup Pear Vinegar
¼ teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Put all ingredients in small container, cover and shake to mix.

Pineapple-Coconut Loaf

2009-07-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe is delicious and easy to double. I brought it to our family get together.

Pineapple-Coconut Loaf

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus for pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained well

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes; set aside. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch (8-cup) loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Use an electric mixer on high speed to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low, and alternately add flour mixture in three parts and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not over mix).

Use a rubber spatula to fold pineapple and 1 cup coconut into batter. Spoon into prepared pan, and smooth top; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes (cover pan with foil
halfway through). Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Keeps at room temp, wrapped in plastic, up to 2 days.