Banana Boat

Are you ever just helpless with the overwhelming urge to bake something? Anything? I am. All the time. I try to keep my dessert making down to one or two desserts a week - usually Monday and Saturday. Saturday because I'm typically home all day and Monday because... well, who doesn't need a little happy pick-me-up on Monday? Bob Ross made his happy trees and I make my happy cookies.

Probably the main reason I'm overcome with the urge to bake so often is because I'm overcome with the urge for something sweet. We don't buy store bought sweets. Ever. Not because I'm all high and mighty and oppose feeding my family sugar. (hahahaha) Nope. Around here, when it comes to sweets, we have a "worth it" and a "not worth it" chart. Store bought chocolate chip cookies? Not worth it. Homemade chocolate chip cookies? Sooo worth it.  So if it's not worth the extra calories and fat, why even eat it?

But, I often do crave something sweet and something that seems like it took a lot of time and effort to make. And I don't want to make a huge cake or any other dessert that will sit around the house all week tempting us. And I have yet to find one of those coffee mug cakes that doesn't taste like poorly made playdough. So, in comes a little dessert idea that I found on Pinterest. This is so easy and perfect I just about kicked myself for not coming up with this on my own.

Worth it!!

Just take a banana (whole or half), split it down the middle and open it up a bit. Add a handful of chocolate chips and mini marshmallows and pop it into the microwave for about 20 seconds or until the chocolate has softened and the marshmallows plumped.

You won't believe how good this is. The banana gets all warm and soft and the chocolate chips and marshmallows get all gooey and delicious. And, if you're doing Weight Watchers, it's only 2 points! (Just be sure to keep the marshmallow count under seven and the mini chocolate chips under one tablespoon).

In the original Pinterest recipe, they added graham crackers broken up. But I don't really like graham crackers. (Not worth it). And they cooked these wrapped in aluminum foil on the grill. That seemed like too much trouble. Maybe if you were grilling out anyway. But for a random Tuesday night, I'll use the microwave. 

Enjoy!

Fruit Empanadas

Last year we hosted a foreign exchange student from Spain for 10 months.  Nadir lived with us and was a part of our family for an entire school year - from August to June. It was an amazing experience. It made a permanent and positive change in our lives. It honestly benefited us as much as it did her. Don't get me wrong, we had our ups and downs just like any family but in the end it was worth it.

She enjoyed American food for the most part. She tried so many new foods - practically every thing we ate was new to her. Her absolute favorite was Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. It's so sad that she can't get it in Spain. I send her a few bottles every so often. She also loved sweet tea, biscuits and my chicken casserole. She did not, however, like my famous sweet potato casserole. She absolutely hated sweet potatoes. I still can't understand how a human could taste my sweet potato casserole and not love it.

Nadir was from a small fishing village in the Northern part of Spain - right above Portugal. Her father is a fisherman by trade and she literally ate fresh fish every day. How awesome would that be? She also ate a lot of empanadas - pies filled with various meats or fruits. I found a great recipe from Paula Deen of all people for a delicious chicken empanada. I'll have to share that one soon. But she really loved the sweet empanadas I made. I make several versions, but the blueberry is my absolute favorite.

They're much prettier dusted with powdered sugar. I forgot to dust these!

Blueberry Empanadas

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, allow to thaw at room temp for 30 minutes)

• 1 1/2 Tbs. flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 2 Tbs. powered sugar

• 2 prepared pie crusts (I use Pilsbury pie crusts in the refrigerated section of the grocery store)

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Put the berries in a medium sized bowl and add the flour and sugar. Mix until all the berries are coated.

-Roll the pie shells out on a lightly floured surface and cut circles out with a large round cookie cutter. How many circles you get depends on the size of your cookie cutter. You can roll the scraps out and use those as well. 

-Working with one circle at a time, place about a tablespoon or more of the fruit in the center of the circle.

-Have a small bowl of water nearby and moisten your finger tip and run it along the entire edge of the circle.

-Here comes the tricky part... Using your thumbs to hold the fruit in the middle, use your fingers to roll the dough over itself to form a crescent shape. Press down the edges with your fingers then go over the edges with a fork. If your dough splits, simply moisten and flatten a reserved piece of dough and place over the hole.

-Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned on top, (Do yourself a favor and protect your cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. The fruit will ooze out while baking and practically destroy your cookie sheet)

-Let cool for 10 minutes. Mix together the orange juice and powered sugar glaze. Spoon over the cooled empanadas. Dust with powered sugar. Enjoy!

Moisten the edges with water.
This is way too much fruit! I had remove about half.

Press the edges with a fork

To make Apple Empanadas simply peel and dice 2 - 3 large apples. Saute in a tablespoon of butter for about 3 - 5 minutes, stirring the entire time. The apples should be slightly soft, but not mushy. Remove the apples and add 1.5 Tbs. flour, 1/4 cup sugar and a several good dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Use the above directions to prepare and bake. (You'll need to brush the tops of these with a beaten egg to help prevent the tops from splitting during baking). 

Apple Empanadas!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

At Thanksgiving, my sister and I were talking about recipes for making vanilla extract. It was something that I had been meaning to do, but just never seemed to get around to it. She surprised me with a lovely and fragrant bottle of vanilla at Christmas!

Here's the gift of vanilla extract from my sister. I've only had it for three months - you can see how much I've used!

I love to bake and I love good vanilla, but it can be very pricy. I've paid up to $20 for a 4 ounce bottle. I'll never buy vanilla extract again! I don't know if the fact that it's homemade makes it better, but this is good stuff. My sister inspired me with her gift. I immediately went out and bought vanilla beans and vodka to make my own. 

Vanilla Extract

• 1 (750 ml) bottle of vodka

• 1/2 cup rum or bourbon 

• 20 - 25 vanilla beans

Open the vodka and remove about 1 cup. (You can either discard it or pour yourself a drink because you won't be using this cup in the recipe). With a sharp paring knife, cut the beans in half and slit each one down the center. Open the bean and scrape the sharp edge of the knife along the bean to remove the seeds. (The seeds look similar to very fine coffee grinds). With the knife, push the seeds into the bottle of vodka. You don't have to remove the seeds from every bean - the seeds simply enhance the flavor of the finished product. Add all of the beans to the bottle. Using a funnel, add 1/2 cup of bourbon or rum. Replace the cap and give it a good shake. Store in a cool, dark place for 4 - 6 months. It's good to give it a shake once or twice a week during this period. The finished extract will be dark, slightly syrupy and fragrant with the wonderful smell of vanilla. You can either strain the vanilla extract when it's done curing to remove the vanilla seeds or leave it. If strained, put the vanilla beans back into the bottle. They not only look pretty, but they will enhance the flavor over time. 

See the vanilla seeds on the edge of the knife.

I made individual bottles today that I plan to give as Christmas gifts this year. 

The vanilla on the left has been sitting for three months. The vanilla on the right was made today.

You can reuse your vanilla beans several more times. 

Buttermilk Biscuits

So, I bought a half gallon of buttermilk recently to make my Buttermilk Pie, which was delicious, by the way. I hate to be wasteful, so I'm forced to find ways to use up this buttermilk sitting in my fridge. I have big plans for it... I'm thinking Chicken and Waffles, Italian Creme Cake (which is not an Italian invention, but a Southern one), and today - buttermilk biscuits!

I wish I could say that I had my own recipe for buttermilk biscuits, or that this recipe was handed down to me by generations of Southern cooks in my family. But it's not. Unfortunately for me, out of all the extraordinary cooks and bakers in my family, none of them were good biscuit makers. My Grandma Carter was notorious for burning her biscuits, but Grandpa said he loved burnt biscuits so it all worked out. My mom usually made "drop biscuits" rather than take the time to roll them out and cut them. Or (sorry mom) she made refrigerated canned biscuits. Once you see how easy it is to make your own, you'll never make biscuits any other way.

This recipe is no secret - it's on the back of the 5 pound bag of White Lily self-rising flour. You can pretty much find it anywhere. I'm just here to walk you through the steps and to give encouragement! I'm a biscuit cheerleader.

Buttermilk Biscuits

• 2 cups White Lily self-rising flour

• 1/4 cup Crisco shortening

• 2/3 + cups buttermilk or regular whole milk (do yourself a favor and use buttermilk)

Heat oven to 500 degrees F. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. Measure flour into a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a fork until it crumbs. Add the milk and blend together with a fork until the dough leaves the side of the bowl. It will look a little like play-dough.
Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead gently 2 to 3 times. (DON'T kneed more or your biscuits will turn out hard). Cut out with a floured biscuit cutter. (Use a small, tea biscuit cutter for bite size pieces of love). Place on your prepared baking sheet and bake at 500 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes. Check them at 8 minutes. They should be a lovely golden brown. 

If you really love the people you're making these biscuits for, brush the tops with a little melted butter right when they come out of the oven. 

The dough has pulled away from the side of the bowl

Little bites of love.

Served with blueberry jam and lemon curd.

Buttermilk Pie

Ahhh, buttermilk. What used to be a staple in every good, Southern kitchen is now a rarity for the most part and bought only for special recipes. That's the case in my kitchen, anyway.  I'm sure this has everything to do with the healthier lifestyles most people are trying to lead. Afterall, buttermilk, and especially the recipes using buttermilk aren't exactly healthy. Buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, cakes and pies...

I have fond memories of the buttermilk that was always in my Grandma's kitchen. And later, after my Grandma passed away, my mom usually kept some in the fridge for the nights my Grandpa Carter would have supper with us. He would eat with us most every night and looked forward to his dessert the most - a bowl of cornbread covered in buttermilk. I didn't share his affection for this "dessert". I couldn't get over  the sour taste and curd like texture of it. But, when used for soaking chicken for frying, or in preparing biscuits or pies, there is no substitute for it!

When I have a recipe that calls for buttermilk and I actually go to the grocery store and purchase a half gallon of the stuff, I make sure to use it all. Which means that for the following week or two, I'm making those buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, cakes and pies. Like my old high school Spanish teacher, Mrs. Cobb said, "almost everything is ok in moderation"....

The following is my favorite recipe for Buttermilk Pie. In my notes, I have written that it's from "the church cookbook". I wish I'd taken better notes because I have no idea which church cookbook this if from, especially considering I'm an avid collector of Southern church cookbooks. But, most recipes for this pie are very similar. The important thing to remember when preparing it, is to gently stir the ingredients together. Don't be tempted to use your KitchenAid mixer, or even your hand mixer. Use a wooden spoon for best results.

Buttermilk Pie
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 stick of butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 unbaked deep-dish pie crust
Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar and flour in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and eggs and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla and pour into the unbaked pie crust. Bake for 45  minutes. The top should be golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for at least an hour - the pie will set, or firm up after cooling.

 It's ready to come out!

Fresh from the oven. It smells heavenly. 

When you take this out of the oven, you'll probably notice a pool of butter in the middle. Don't scoop this out!! It will eventually make it's way through the pie and you'll be happy you left it! When the pie has cooled, it will deflate a little (or a lot). It may even sink some in the middle. Don't worry if it sinks, it will still taste just as delicious! 

Green Smoothie

I'm not a big breakfast eater. I usually can't stomach much of anything until around 10 am. But, I'm also a runner and the only time I have to run is early in the morning. I've found that I need some healthy fuel to keep me going on those long distance runs.

I've been making breakfast smoothies for years but recently started adding healthy greens to give them a boost. I also came across Naturade Total Soy Meal Replacement powder. It's chock full of vitamins and protein and a good addition to my morning smoothie. The Naturade Total Soy, which I found at Sam's, has a little scoop and the recommended serving is two scoops per 8 ounces of liquid. I only use one scoop because it's very sweet and tends to thicken in the blender. Nobody wants to eat their smoothie with a spoon! Yuck.

I don't have a set recipe that I use every time. Typically, I just experiment and add whatever I have on hand.

Here's what I made today...

Green Smoothie No. 1

• 1 frozen banana, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 - 1 cup almond milk
• 1 scoop Total Soy

Blend and enjoy! 

If I have fresh or frozen blueberries, I'll add about a cup to the above recipe. You can also substitute kale for the spinach. This great smoothie gives me energy on my run AND keeps me satisfied until lunch.

You can also substitute almond milk for soy or cow's milk. And add a little ice if you don't have bananas frozen. Before I found Total Soy, I simply used a little sweetener in it's place. Smoothies are so easy and versatile!

Green Smoothie No. 2

• 2 slices of cantaloupe, cup up
• 1 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
• handful of kale
• 2 scoops Total Soy
• 1-1.5 cups almond milk

Add the fruit to the blender. Then add Total Soy and enough almond milk to cover it all. Add the kale or spinach last. You may need to pause the blender midway through and push the greens down with a wooden spoon. Just be sure to STOP the blender beforehand! ENJOY!

This makes 2 servings

All of the goodies in their solid state!

The kale will work it's way into the smoothie once you start blending.

It's delicious, I promise!

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken (Tastefully Simple)

My friend, Beth, is a Tastefully Simple consultant. If you haven't tried Tastefully Simple products, you're missing out! I'm officially in love with the taste and ease of the Beer Bread. Don't tell Beth, but I've found a recipe that is so similar to the TS Beer Bread, it's spooky. I won't publish it, because my dear friend is known as "The Beer Bread Lady" and I don't want to put her out of business! However, I still buy the product because it's so darn easy to make. Just open the package, add a bottle of beer and some melted butter and voila! You have the the most delicious beer bread imaginable. Making croutons from the left over bread is even better!

I wanted to try to create a delicious and easy recipe using Tastefully Simple products and I think I have succeeded! I love the idea of freezer meals, especially slow cooker meals, so I created this Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken. I prepared it for the freezer on Saturday and we had it for supper tonight. It was so easy and very tasty. My whole family gave it two thumbs up - even my picky eater, Genevieve.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
2-3 large chicken breasts, cut up into bite size pieces
5 oz. Tastefully Simple Toasted Sesame Teriyaki Sauce (1/2 bottle)
1 Tbs. Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
1 Tbs. Tastefully Simple Onion Onion
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground ginger (or use 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger)
Water
Cut the chicken breast up into bite size pieces and place in a gallon size freezer bag. Add the teriyaki sauce, Garlic Garlic, Onion Onion, brown sugar and ginger. Seal the bag and squish around to coat the chicken. You can either prepare it now or freeze it for later. When you're ready to prepare it, place  contents of the bag into the crock pot and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the crock pot. Cook on low for about 8 hours. (I always go straight from the freezer to the crock pot. You may have to use scissors to cut the bag away from the food). Serve with rice and steamed sugar snap peas. Delicious and EASY!

If, by chance, you don't have access to Tastefully Simple products, here is an alternate version of the recipe:

2 large chicken breasts, cut up into bite size pieces
5 oz Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1/3 cup pineapple juice
2 minced cloves of garlic
6 Tbs. fresh diced onion
1 Tbs. sesame seeds
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground ginger
Water

The instructions would be the same as above. I have not tried this version, but based on the ingredient labels of the Tastefully Simples products, the above version would be very similar to my Tastefully Simple creation.

I forgot to take a picture of this on the plate, but got a shot of the leftovers for tomorrows lunch!

Grandma Clara's Chicken Casserole

It's amazing how something as simple as food can conjure up so many memories of the past.

 Recently, I made my husband's grandmother's Chicken Casserole recipe. This chicken casserole is a huge hit with my family and friends. It's a simple little recipe, but it's a comfort food classic. It's basically just chicken and dressing ("stuffing" to my Northern friends) held together with cream of soups and butter. What's not comforting about that?

As we sat around the dinner table, I was immediately transported to Grandma Clara's porch, overlooking the North Fork of the French Broad River at her little mountain cabin in Balsam Grove, North Carolina. I could hear the babbling stream and smell the cool mountain air with every bite I took. I remember asking her for this recipe and after dinner, she went inside and copied it for me on an index card. I still have that handwritten card and cherish it just as I cherished her. I've made a few minor changes to the recipe over the years, but I don't think she would have disapproved - she happily embraced change and progress!

Coming from the South, when I think of comfort food, I immediately think of chicken; fried or in a casserole. And mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits and buttermilk pie! It's funny, recently I asked one of my Northern born friends what she thought of as comfort food and she said lasagna.... and macaroni and cheese with sliced up hotdogs. I can honestly say that the mac and cheese hotdog dish doesn't sound very "comforting" or even appetizing to me, but because she has fond memories of her family of 10 eating this on a weekly basis, I can see why she sees this as a comfort food.

Grandma Clara's Chicken Casserole

1 whole chicken, cooked, deboned and cut up
8 oz. Stove Top Stuffing Mix (for chicken)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2  stick butter, cut up
salt and pepper to taste
broth from cooking chicken

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Cook the chicken pieces in a big pot of water until done. Let the chicken cool enough to handle and then debone and cut into small, bite size pieces. Save your broth. Preheat oven to 350. In a 13x9 casserole dish, layer half of the stuffing then half of the chicken. In a separate bowl, mix together the can of cream of mushroom soup and one soup can of the reserved broth. Mix well with a wire whisk or egg beater. Pour this mixture over the stuffing/chicken. Layer the rest of the stuffing then the rest of the chicken. Mix together the cream of chicken soup with 1 can of the reserved broth. Mix well and pour over the stuffing/chicken. Add a little salt and pepper to the top if you'd like. (The cream of soups have a lot of salt, so I usually just add some fresh ground pepper) Put the butter pats on top and bake, uncovered at 350 for one hour. Let the casserole rest for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.  This will easily serve 8 - 10. 

It's ready to go into the oven.

Ready to eat!

I usually serve this with yeast rolls, corn and sweet tea! And, unless I'm feeding a lot of people, I'll use this recipe to prepare two 8x8 casseroles and freeze one for later. It freezes well. You will need to let it thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking. The only difference that I make to the recipe when I prepare two is to use 12 ounces of the stuffing mix instead of 8. I'll buy two 6 oz boxes and use one box for each casserole. I also increase the butter to one whole stick - half a stick for each casserole. The baking time remains the same. This is enough for dinner for my family of 4 and leftovers the next day.

I hope you enjoy Grandma Clara's Chicken Casserole!