Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbl orange juice
2 eggs, well beaten
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a small bowl, stir soda into orange juice (will foam slightly). In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. To butter and sugar mixture, add all remaining ingredients including soda and oj mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add nuts if desired. Pour into a 9 x 3 x 5 bread pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Note: I have used this recipe at least 100 times and have never had a bread pan. I just pour the batter into a 9 x 13 cake pan. It doesn’t take quite as long to cook and is easy to cut into little squares for serving.

Also, my sister makes this with frozen orange juice concentrate instead of sugar. I'll try it and let you know how it goes...

Chicken Celebration

Mix together:

1 can cream of chicken soup
¾ c milk
Plenty of Salt and Pepper to taste
½ tsp dried onion flakes (optional-if not adding raw onion)
1 small potato, diced and rinsed well (remove the starch)
1 ½ cup vegetables (frozen mixed vegetables, frozen peas, fresh sliced carrots, onion…)
1 large chicken breast, cooked and cubed or shredded

In separate small bowl mix until combined (will be lumpy):

1 ¼ c Jiffy baking mix
1 c milk

In 8x8 casserole dish, pour about 1/2 cup of the baking mix mixture into the very center of the casserole dish. DO NOT SPREAD. Pour the chicken soup mixture directly onto the baking mix circle (the batter will spread beneath it—trust me). Using a thick drizzle, pour remaining jiffy/milk over the top. There may be small areas without batter. It’s okay-you do not need to spread. Most of them will close, and if not, there will just be a couple of little holes that look cool.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Crust should be a deep golden brown. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving. (My husband claims it tastes the best the next day…).

Microwave Fudge

1 lb powdered sugar
¾ c cocoa
½ c margarine (1 stick)
¼ c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix* together sugar and cocoa in a large bowl (the largest one that will fit but still have plenty of room to mix). Make a small well in the center of the mixture and add milk and margarine, but DO NOT STIR. Put in microwave on High for 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until margarine has melted and milk is bubbling. Remove and add vanilla; mix well*. Add nuts if desired. Pour into greased 8x8 pan. Place in freezer for ½ hour or refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut into bit-sized pieces.

*The trick to this recipe is to not get powered sugar clumps in your fudge. To avoid this, I initially blend the sugar and cocoa using a wire whisk or beater. This helps break up chunks. Once it is out of the microwave, have everything ready, use a hand held mixer and work fast. That way you have plenty of time to blend the mixture thoroughly, getting rid of any clumps, before it hardens.

Carob-Banana Brownies

The nice thing about carob is that it is related to the cocoa bean, but doesn't have the natural caffeine content that cocoa does. It has a different flavor, so don't expect it to be exactly the same. It is very good, though!

Carob-Banana Brownies

2/3 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 banana, mashed

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup water

1/2 cup carob powder

1 cup soft wheat flour

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix ingredients in order that they are listed. Pour into an oiled 9x13" pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Frost with Creamy Carob Frosting.

Creamy Carob Frosting

1 banana, mashed

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup butter or butter substitute

1/3 cup carob powder

3/4 cup powdered milk or other milk substitute

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Spread on cooled cake.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 1/4 c. Flour (I do 1 3/4 c. unbleached flour and 1/2 c. whole wheat)
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. Salt
3-4 tsp. Brown sugar or sucanat
1/2 c. Oil
3/4 c. Sour milk (put 1 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar in a measuring cup and fill to 3/4 c. line with milk)

Mix well. Make into a ball, roll in flour, then roll out to 3/4 to 1 inch thick with a rolling pin. Cut circles with cookie cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

These are very fast and kids love to help!

Oatmeal Pancakes

These pancakes turn out thin and chewy and, oh, so good!

Mix: 1 1/2 c. oats
2 c. milk

Mix separately:
1 c. flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar or sucanat
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Add the oats mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.

In the now empty oats bowl, beat well:
3 eggs
1/4 c. oil
1 banana (optional)

Mix everything together until smooth.

Cook on medium heat.

Green Mountain Pizza

Green Mountain Pizza...the best ever! I got this from Jaime, who got it from Kelly Babcock

1/4 c Alfredo cause (any kind BUT Ragu)
2 chicken breast halves (8 oz) cooked and shredded (Cut chicken into cubes and then cook in 1-2 tbsp of bacon greese. )
16 oz. Pizza crust (see below)
1/2 lb bacon, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
10 large fresh spinach leaves
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese
4-6 green onions, sliced diagonally
1 c. grated Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread Alfredo souce evenly over pizza crust. Arrange spinach leaves over sauce. Add green onions, shredded chicken and bacon. Sprinkle Cheeses over top. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 4.

Pizza Dough from Bobbi Johnson

4 c. flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. instant yeast
1 1/2 c. hot water

Combine yeast and water. Set aside. COmbine flour, sugar, and salt. Add yeast mixture. Knead for 10 minutes and let rise until double. Spread out on pizza pan. Add sauce and toppings. Preheat oven at 350 degrees, bake for 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Frying Pan Mini Pizzas

These are delicious and end up being a little crispy!

DOUGH:
Dissolve in 2 cups of very warm water: 1 Tbsp yeast and 1 Tbsp Fructose/Sugar.
Let the yeast begin to activate before adding the rest for a really soft dough.

Add in: Salt, Pepper, Basil, Oregano, and Garlic Powder (to taste, about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of each)

Then add: 2 Tbsp. Olive oil and about 4 cups of flour.
Mix well to make a smooth dough.

SAUCE:
Sautee in 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil:
1 tsp. Paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion (1/2 large onion), diced small
1 tomato, diced small
1 red pepper, diced small
1 cup chopped olives (I love using a hardboiled egg slicer)
Salt, Pepper, Basil, Oregano to taste
1 c. Pepperoni chopped into quarters

Have 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ready.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

Divide dough into 8-10 balls.
Turn burner on to Medium heat (if it's too hot, the middle won't be cooked).

When the pan is hot, flatten the balls with your hand, or with a rolling pin, one at a time, and place them in the non-greased frying pan. (as many as will fit at a time -- 3 or 4)

Let the dough cook for about 3-5 minutes - until you can see that it is getting dryer on the top and the bottom is nice and lightly golden.

Flip the dough over and spread on some of the sautee, then sprinkle cheese on top. (You can also take them out and put them on a cookie sheet or plate -- STICKY-SIDE DOWN! -- and have the next batch cooking, so that you save some time and they're finished closer to the same time and so that whatever falls off as you're dumping stuff on doesn't burn on the pan, then replace them onto the pan.)

Let them cook until when you peek at the bottom of the pizzas they are golden. About another 3-5 minutes.