Do your bananas ever look like this?  Surprisingly, it happens in our house quite often.  I have a hard time understanding it, though.  My daughter likes them almost totally green.  The little ones like them just barely yellow and I like them just before they turn brown.  How is it that some of them get to the point of being over-ripe?

I definitely don’t have the answer to how they get to that point, but I do have several ideas of what to do with them when they do.  I buy lots of bananas, because each of the six of us eats one almost every day.  So sometimes, one or two slip through and are past the fresh eating stage.  Try some of these ideas.

Make Banana Bread.  Make Banana Pancakes, all you have to do is mash the bananas and add to your regular pancake mix or recipe.  Or you could make Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Cookies!  My daughter found this recipe and these cookies are delicious!

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup room temperature butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup mashed bananas

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated if possible)

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in the egg.  In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and mix with the soda.  Let sit for two minutes.  The soda will be activated and this will produce light cookies.  Add the banana mixture to the butter/sugar mixture.  Stir in the spices and salt.  Add in the flour and mix until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 11 – 13 minutes or until nicely golden brown.  Makes about 30 cookies.

What if you only have one over-ripe banana?  My mom taught me this trick.  Peel the banana and drop into a large freezer bag and freeze.  The next time you have one or two over ripe bananas, peel and add them to the bag.  Soon you will have enough for a recipe and nothing will go to waste!

Today, research has shown that chocolate has some health benefits.  Over 300 naturally occurring chemicals are found in chocolate. In a study conducted by Andrew Waterhouse, chocolate was found to have potent antioxidants called phenols. Cocoa phenols were found to prevent the bad cholesterol from causing plaque buildup in the arteries.  The darker the chocolate, the more phenols it contains. The conclusion is the purer and darker chocolates may provide the most health benefits.

As with all things, moderation is the key.  So today, let’s enjoy some delicious, sweet, satisfying chocolate!  Here’s my favorite chocolate cake recipe with my easy chocolate butter cream recipe, also.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter (melted)

1-1/2 cups milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons vanilla

1-3/4 cups flour

1 cup cocoa (Hershey’s)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans.  In a mixing bowl combine the sugar, eggs, milk and butter.  Add in the vanilla, salt and baking powder.  Stir in the flour and cocoa.  Don’t over mix the batter.  Pour into the prepared pans.  Bake the cakes for about 30 – 35 minutes.

I think the most common reason people end up with dry, crumbly cakes is over baking.  I don’t rely completely on the timer.  When I smell chocolate, I open the oven and lightly touch the center of the cake.  If it springs back, I take out the cake.  If it doesn’t I give it a few more minutes and test again.  I also remove my cakes from the pans while warm.  I find if I let them cool completely they stick to the pans.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup cocoa (Hershey’s)

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 milk

In a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, combine all ingredients until light and creamy. 

Use the frosting for the filling between the two layers and then generously ice the rest of the cake.  If the frosting seems a little soft you can either add more powdered sugar until the desired thickness or place the cake in the refrigerator for a few minutes or until serving.

So I hope you enjoy your chocolate cake!

There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE

There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. – Linda Grayson, The Pickwick Papers

Too much of a good thing is simply wonderful! – Deborah Fox-Rothschild

Popcorn is a whole grain food which makes it a complex carbohydrate that is not only low in calories, but a good source of fiber. It only has about 31-55 calories in a one cup unbuttered serving, and when lightly buttered, one cup still only has around 133 calories. Popcorn has no artificial additives or preservatives, and is sugar-free. Popcorn contains energy-producing carbohydrates. Popcorn is ideal for between meal snacking because it satisfies and doesn’t spoil the appetite.

The USDA recommends eating six-ounce equivalents of grains per day with at least three of those coming from whole grains. In general, 3 cups of popcorn can be considered as a 1 ounce equivalent from the grains group. So, eat up your popcorn!

Popcorn is also a very economical snack. I really don’t enjoy the microwave varieties, so I don’t buy them. But, a bag of regular popcorn is under two dollars. Add a few cents for the oil to cook it in and a little more for the butter and you have a great snack for under one dollar!

I love the versatility of popcorn also. You can add cheese and or spices to jazz it up. You can make caramel corn or popcorn balls. My grandpa used to add popcorn left over from the night before to his pancakes! Believe it or not, they were delicious. Popcorn pancakes are one of my fondest memories of my grandpa!

Here’s my Aunt Connie’s recipe for popcorn balls. They are so delicious!

Ingredients:
15 cups of popped corn or 3 bags of microwave popcorn
20 large marshmallows
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a heavy saucepan, melt the marshmallows, butter, and sugars. When completely melted and combined pour over the popped corn. Mix all ingredients together well. Butter hands and form into balls. These are the best popcorn balls ever!

Here’s an “adult” version of caramel corn. It is Kahlua Cocoa Balls!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup chopped pecans
5 cups popped corn

No cooking required. Mix the Kahlua, corn syrup, powdered sugar and cocoa together. Stir until completely blended. Pour over the chopped pecans and popcorn. Mix well. Butter hands and form into balls. Ohhh, so good!

I got a lot of help from my freezer on this one! I had a great stir-fry vegetable mix with everything I love in it. I also had a ring of frozen shrimp left from New Year’s Eve. Just a few more ingredients plus 20 minutes and dinner was done! This was a big batch for the six of us. You can always halve the ingredients for a smaller portion.

Stir-Fry Shrimp and Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice

4 cups water

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons grated ginger (I keep it in the freezer)

2 garlic cloves minced

1/4 cup sesame seeds

large pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups orange juice

1 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 – 1 pound bags frozen stir-fry vegetable mix

1 – 20 oz. ring of cooked shrimp (thawed, trim off tails)

Boil the 4 cups water. Add in the white rice. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until done. In a saucepan, sauté the ginger, garlic, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until the sesame seeds start to brown. Stir the cornstarch into the orange juice and 1 cup water to dissolve. Add the orange juice mixture, vinegar, salt and honey to the sauce pan and bring up to a soft boil. Allow to simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. In a large skillet, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the vegetables and stir-fry them until they are done to the tenderness you desire. Stir in the sauce and the shrimp. Keep cooking until the shrimp are warmed through. Serve over the rice.

I have started my holiday baking. Mmmm, mmmm, do I love cookies? Yes, I do. We’ve been baking off and on for several days in between Christmas concert performances and Christmas parties with our family and friends. Here are a few more great Christmas cookies recipes with pictures.

CRANBERRY ALMOND BISCOTTI yield 24 cookies

In a microwave safe bowl add all ingredients except walnuts. Working at 30 second intervals, heat the mix then stir. Repeat heating and stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in walnuts and spread in a 9 x 9 inch pan. Cool completely and cut into 1 inch squares. You can also try mixing different types of chips (peanut butter, milk chocolate, mint) and different nuts (almonds, cashews or peanuts) to create various types of fudge.

If you are giving cookies and candies as gifts, a fun and easy to way to present them is to get a new gift box. Line the box with either foil or parchment papers and then add your cookies. Tie off with a big bow and your gift is ready to go.

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine egg, sugar, peanut butter baking soda. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet. Press with a fork to make criss-crosses and flatten slightly. Bake at 350°F until golden and firm to the touch. Cool completely before storing.

My oldest daughter found this cookie recipe a few years ago. We all love it! You can also make this cookie recipe with almond butter or cashew butter. Yummy!

Ingredients:

1 pound butter

2 cups sugar

6 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

4 teaspoons baking powder

8 – 9 cups flour

3 tablespoons orange extract

3 teaspoons vanilla (clear Mexican vanilla if available)

3 egg yolks for brushing tops

Mix butter, eggs, sugar, milk, orange extract and vanilla together thoroughly. Add baking powder and 8 cups of flour. Combine well. Add more flour if needed to make the dough not sticky so you can form the cookies in your hand. Working with small amounts of dough, roll into a long coil. Cut into 4 inch pieces and scroll into an “S”. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with egg yolks. Bake at 350° for about 15 – 20 minutes.

I grew up eating these cookies. Our neighbor Androula made them all the time. They are the perfect cookie for dunking in coffee or tea. They are so simple and so delicious. Give them a try!

Holiday baking is one of my most treasured family traditions. I love to smell the sweetness as the cookies and breads bake. It is so much fun to teach my children how to make and decorate their own special cookies. Now my grandchildren are in the kitchen baking cookies, too. It is such a great way to spend time with my family. If you haven’t done holiday baking in the past, I hope that you try it this year. Merry Christmas!

I don’t know how I forgot to start my favorite and most important list. The holidays just wouldn’t be the same for me without our favorite Christmas cookies. Some make an appearance every year. Others are special editions. Some cookies I only make at Christmas.

My most favorite cookie of all times is the Italian Chocolate/Pepper cookie! Yum, yum, yum. This is my Grandma Mary’s recipe and as far as I know, she only makes it at Christmas. I only make it at Christmas because I love this cookie so much, if I made it year long, I would eat nothing else. They are also my Dad and oldest son’s favorite cookie, so we make lots of them. I know the recipe sounds “different”, but try it once and you will be hooked!

Cookie Ingredients:

Mix butter, sugar, milk and eggs together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix completely. (If you want, taste the dough. I like mine really spicy. Sometimes I need to add more pepper or other spices.) Take a piece of dough enough to form into a 1 inch ball. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F until set to the touch, but not browned. Cool on parchment or wax paper.

To make the glaze, start with adding 3 tablespoons of the milk to the powdered sugar. You want the glaze to be the consistency of pancake batter. Add more milk if needed. When cookies are cool you can either dip them into the glaze or paint on the glaze with a pastry brush. Top with a pinch of candy sprinkles. This step is a must because that is how Grandma always did it! The glaze will harden and then you can store them.

Another cookie that shows up every year is my Mom’s favorite – Mexican Nut Kisses. These cookies have many names including wedding cakes and butter kisses. But, no matter what you call them – they are tasty!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling cookies)

3 teaspoons vanilla (clear Mexican vanilla if available)

2-1/4 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup walnut pieces

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix completely. Take a piece of walnut (approximately 1/4 of nut) and a piece of dough (about a 1 inch ball) and form the dough into a ball around the walnut. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F until set to the touch, but not browned. Cool on parchment or wax paper. Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar until covered.

I will be sharing more of our favorite Christmas cookies and desserts in the next few weeks. As soon as I get some pictures of the cookies, I will post them so you can see how pretty they are. I really hope that you find something you like.

We have many Christmas holiday traditions in our family. There is the Christmas cookie tradition, the Christmas tree traditions, and naturally the Christmas Eve traditions. Of course, my favorite tradition is the Christmas cookie tradition. Every year we make dozens and dozens of different cookies to share with our family and friends. It is really a lot of fun and many of our friends do the same thing. So, each year I look forward to Janet’s Pistachio Thumb-Print Cookies and she waits expectantly for my Italian pepper cookies. I spend the last few days before Christmas in the kitchen with my children (so all the cookies are as fresh as possible) and we roll, cut, form, bake and decorate together while singing Christmas carols, telling stories and laughing. Lots and lots of laughing. We have one special day dedicated to decorating the World’s Best Sugar Cookies. The kids and grandkids come over, along with invited guests and we “paint” our cookies adding lots of sprinkles and candies. I hope you try at least one of my special Christmas cookie recipes! Peace, love and joy to you and your family!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

3 teaspoons vanilla (clear Mexican vanilla if available)

Mix butter, egg, sugar and vanilla together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill the dough for one hour. Roll out on floured board. Cut with cookie cutters of choice. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375°F for about 8 minutes. If desired decorate with colored icing paints and candies.

ICING PAINT FOR SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

milk

food coloring

To make icing paint mix the powdered sugar with enough milk to make the sugar the consistency of thick pancake batter. The amount of milk will vary with the humidity in the air. Separate the paint into smaller containers and add food coloring to created desired colors. The gel colors make it much easier to get deeper colors. Use new paint brushes (synthetic, wash before using) from the craft store to paint the cookies. Add candies and sprinkles if you wish. The icing paint will set up in about 30 minutes.

JANET’S PISTACHIO THUMB-PRINT COOKIES yield 3 to 4 dozen cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

3-1/2 oz. package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/2 cup miniature or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 to 1-1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios

Filling Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 to 3 tablespoons milk

Glaze Ingredients:

1/2 cup miniature or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 teaspoons shortening

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, pudding mix and egg until well blended. Stir in flour and chocolate chips. Mix well. If necessary, refrigerate dough 30 to 45 minutes for easier handling.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in nuts. Place on prepared cookie sheets. With thumb, make imprint in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350°F for 10-14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine all filling ingredients until smooth. Spoon about a teaspoonful of filling into the center of each cookie. In small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips with shortening, stirring constantly. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon glaze over each filled cookie. Allow filling and glaze to set up before storing cookies.