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!

The Best Pancake Recipe (makes about 16 small pancakes)

Ingredients:

1/2 – 3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg

1 cup white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

The amount of milk you use will determine how thick the pancakes are.  Start with the smaller amount and add more if the batter seems too thick.  Beat the milk, butter and egg lightly in a mixing bowl.  Mix the remaining ingredients together and then add to the milk mixture.  Mix until well combined, but don’t over mix.  Lightly oil or butter a heavy griddle pan or skillet and place over moderate heat.  Use a ladle to portion out the pancakes on the pan.  Cook until the tops bubble up and the undersides are slightly browned.  Turn with a spatula and brown the other side.  Keep in a warm place until ready to serve.

One of the things I love about pancakes is their versatility.  Sometimes I put thinly sliced bananas or apples on the griddle and pour the batter over them to make fruit pancakes.  Other times I replace some of the white flour with buckwheat flour or whole-wheat flour.  One of my favorite things to do is chop walnuts and raisins and add them to a whole-wheat batter with a little cinnamon.  They are so tasty. 

Try topping your pancakes with something other than plain old maple or pancake syrup.  Spread on a little peanut butter and drizzle with honey.  Pour on a little home-made fruit syrup.  You can make your own by taking 1/4 cup of any jam, add a few tablespoons of water and warm in the microwave.  Fresh fruit is another delicious topping.  Try sliced strawberries or blueberries. 

The options with pancakes are endless.  Give a few of my ideas a try.  I think you will really enjoy them.  Then, try a few of your own!

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!

Since it is a little chilly in our house, I think I will turn on the oven to warm it up. Hmmm, what excuse to turn on the oven? “How about some rice pudding?” I ask my four children. “Sounds good!” is the general reply. Rice pudding it is. Here’s my quick and easy recipe:

Tina’s Rice Pudding

Ingredients:
2 cups white rice
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons vanilla

Bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and rice. Turn down and simmer 15 minutes until the rice is done. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In the bottom of a large baking/lasagna pan, slice the butter and lay out evenly. Pour in the rice and spread out to start cooling. While the rice is cooling off, in a large bowl whisk up the four eggs, add in the milk, sugar and vanilla. Temper the egg mixture by adding a large spoon on the rice and stirring well. Add another large spoon of rice and stir again. Now pour the egg mixture into the baking pan and mix well. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for about one hour. Check and see if all the liquid is absorbed. If not give it a few more minutes.

I love to add dried fruit (raisins, cranberries or chopped prunes) and chopped nuts of any kind to my rice pudding. Unfortunately, some of my kids don’t like when I do, so I just top mine off with whatever I want. Today I had walnuts and cranberries. It was delicious!

Since I had the oven on and the kitchen was getting nice and toasty, I thought I should make some fresh bread. I decided on a French bread with rosemary. Here’s my recipe:

French Bread with Rosemary

Ingredients:
2 packages dry yeast
2-1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups white whole-wheat flour
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
cornmeal for the pans
1 egg white, slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

In a very large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Wait about 5 minutes until is starts getting foamy. Add the remaining 1-1/2 cups warm water, salt, white whole-wheat flour, flour and rosemary. Mix well until it turns into a manageable dough. Turn out on a floured surface and knead into adding a little more flour if necessary to keep the dough from being sticky. Let rest 10 minutes. Resume kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let raise in a warm place until double in bulk. This may take up to 2 hours for this recipe due to the amount of yeast in proportion to flour.

Punch the dough down. Divide into two. Form each half into a log approximately 2 inches wide and 12 inches long. Place the formed loaves on baking sheets that have been generously covered with cornmeal. Spray each loaf with a fine mist of water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let raise in a warm place for 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the plastic wrap and brush the loaves with the egg white and water mixture. Using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal slices into the top of the loaves. Place the loaves in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, then spray with another fine mist of water and lower the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes more, then spray the loaves again. Bake for 10-15 minutes more, until the crust is dark golden brown. Remove the loaves and cool.

I have to tell you that the rice pudding and the French bread really warmed us up inside and out. Both were tasty treats on a cold and dreary day. I hope you give them a try, no matter what your weather is like.

I am making it tonight specifically for one of my son’s friends.  They have a band and it meets at our house for practice.  I make dinner for the guys and then they go off to worship practice for Sunday morning services at the church.  One of the guys asked me if I knew how to make it.  I said of course.  He said it is his favorite dinner, but because some of his family have food issues, his mom rarely makes it.  So tonight we are having Fettuccini Alfredo!

Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves finely minced or pasted

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups low-fat milk

2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

8 oz. low-fat cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a small pan, sauté the garlic in the olive oil until tender.  In a large sauce pan, melt the butter.  Add the flour and cook for a few minutes.  Using a whisk, mix in the cream cheese.  When the cream cheese is melted, whisk in the olive oil and garlic.  Then whisk in the milk making sure not to get lumps.  Allow to simmer until the sauce thickens slightly.  Just before serving add the grated parmesan cheese and stir to melt.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

I am serving this sauce over fettuccini, but you can use your favorite pasta.  Baked and sliced chicken breast along with the California mixed vegetables and garlic bread will round out this meal.  I am also serving a big bowl of grapes for dessert.  Yummy, I can’t wait!

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!

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.