Tag Archives: cooking

Eggless Banana Muffins

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Preheat oven to 350 and place rack on lower middle rack. Line and grease or grease and flour 2 muffins pans (24 muffins total)

Stir/Sift together: (then set aside)

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tb baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt

In a large bowl mix, with mixer on medium speed, until well combined

  • 10 Tb unsalted butter softened to room temp
  • 1 Cup packed light brown sugar

Pour ½ banana mix::

  • 5-6 medium ripe bananas mashed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups sour cream

into beaten butter/sugar mixture. Mix with hand mixer until combined. Stir in ½ of flour mixture, and then stir in remaining banana mix, followed by remaining flour mix.

Optional – Stir in 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Spoon batter into your 24 greased pre-lined muffin tins, bake for 25-30 minutes, cool for 15 minutes, then ENJOY!!

 

Want to make them even more delish?? Top with some cream cheese frosting…or better yet cinnamon cream cheese frosting….and while you’re at it, whip up a double batch because that stuff makes the BEST stuffed French toast filling ever!

Need a cream cheese frosting recipe??

Coming right up :)

Cream Cheese Frosting:: (Single batch)

  • 8 oz (1 package) cream cheese – softened to room temp
  • 4 TB unsalted butter – softened to room temp

Mix with mixer on medium speed until well combined

Add

  • 3 cups sifted powdered sugar (Yes you need to sift it!!)

Mix with mixer until combined and fluffy (about 2 minutes)

Stir in either:

  • 1-2 tsp vanilla extract

                                Or

  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Whip up a double batch of this frosting and store in the fridge to use for another baking project...it's great on cupcakes, muffins, sticky buns, or as a French toast filling
Whip up a double batch of this frosting and store
it in the fridge to use for another baking project…
it’s great on cupcakes, muffins, sticky buns,
or as a French toast filling

What do you mean you want more??? How about my Banana Bread Recipe?? It’s beyond YUM!! :)

Banana Bread

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What to do with those extra ripe, black, spotty, one step from being molded bananas on your kitchen counter? Make banana bread of course! This recipe is beyond fool proof, super easy, moist, yummy, delish, all that good stuff!! Go ahead give it a try, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Banana Bread

What you’ll need:

1 ¾ cups flour

2 ¼ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

2-4 ripe bananas – mashed (1 -1 ¼ cups)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

*Optional ½ cup nuts and/ or ½ chocolate chips (or dried fruits)

 

Directions:

 

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl mix shortening and sugar until creamy, the beat in the eggs and bananas.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar in 2 parts so it’s easier to stir.

Mix until combined, then stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and nuts or chocolates, if using.

Pour in a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes.

I had lots of bananas this time, so I made a double batch!

Easy Breakfast Sandwiches

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Sausage, Eggs, Bacon, Cheese on an English Muffin

I LOVE Egg McMuffins!! You know the kind you get at McD’s…However, every time I drive thru to pick up food I spend at least $20 for all us to eat. I believe the total yesterday was $23.50?!? Crazy, right? I make killer McMuffins. I guess we can’t call them McMuffins, can we…Well whatever you call them, they are 10x better than any fast food breakfast sandwich, and since you make it you know what’s actually in it..plus I make enough for all 5 of us for under $10…so here is..

1 package of English Muffins (I’ve made these on toast too and they are just as yummy!)

6 eggs – poached (Fried work well too, just not as healthy)

6 slices of cheese

6 sausage patties

1 Lb Bacon

Toast your muffins under the broiler until toasty. Top 1/2 the muffin with some sliced bacon, 1 poached egg, 1 sausage patty, and a slice of cheese. Return to broiler until the cheese starts to melt onto the sausage and egg. Top with other half of muffin, and maybe some grape jelly and enjoy!

Sounds so easy….right….well it is!! You can swap out the meats for Canadian bacon or leftover ham from dinner, if your breakfast is a breakfast on the go or a lunch box breakfast just make sure your eggs are hard poached and wrap the cooked sandwich in foil to keep it warm. Some days I sub poached eggs for fried…it’s all about whatever’s easy that morning…Easy & Yum-O!!

Costs:

1 package of english muffins – $2 (If you use toast it’s even cheaper )
1/2 doz eggs – Under $1
6 slices of cheese – Under $1
6 Sausage Patties $2
1 lb Bacon – $3
Total : about $8.00

There will be lots of bacon left over so you could put in on the side with some sliced fruit and a glass of juice, or I’m always trying to spread things a little further…and 1/2 of leftover bacon makes awesome turkey clubs for the hubs lunch and grilled cheese with bacon for the kids.

A few of you might be saying ‘We’ve seen this before!!’ Well you’re right…remember I told you guys I was moving all my posts to this blog…slowly…either way these are so easy and so good you won’t ever want them from…what’s that place?….I’m sorry these are so good I’ve already forgotten who I borrowed this idea from ;p

Easy Taco Soup

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Remember the Turkey Taco Soup I told you guys about a few posts backs in 10 Ideas For Your Turkey Leftovers? It’s one of my favorite soups because it’s so versatile. I made it tonight using leftover chicken from last nights dinner….. Never let not having all the ingredients deter you from trying a new recipe. Take this recipe for example, it calls for canned corn, but if you only have fresh use it and add a little extra water. Watching calories? You could easily sub the cheddar cheese soup for chicken broth or tomato juice. Want the cheesy flavor but don’t have canned soup? Make a version of your own, just melt Velveta with some milk. No Rotel? Use a can of diced tomatoes and a jalapeño. Don’t like spicy? Just use the diced tomatoes and skip the pepper. Have fresh tomatoes? Dice them up instead. There are so many easy substitutions you can make when cooking, wether it’s to cut calories, accommodate food allergies, or because you don’t have exactly what the recipe calls for on hand. Playing with a recipe to make it your own is one of the best parts of cooking. So here’s a closer look at my Chicken Taco Soup (notice my can of beans isn’t the size called for, I just added an extra pinch of taco seasonings and no one can tell a difference).

Chicken Taco Soup

1 – 15 oz can black beans
1 – 15 oz can pinto beans
1 – 15 oz can corn
1 – 10 oz can cheddar cheese soup
1 – 10 oz can Rotel (or diced tomatoes if you don’t like spicy)
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 cups cooked chicken (Rotesserie, home cooked, or canned all work well)

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Mix all ingredients (juices included) in a medium pan over medium low heat and let simmer for about 20 min.

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Cost: About $8 – And you should get 2-3 meals out a pot of this friending on how you serve it…check out my ideas below

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*Idea* Serve over rice
*Idea* Top with sprinkle cheese and sour cream.
*Idea* Strain and use as an omelet filling
*Idea* Strain and serve with sprinkle cheese an tortillas, taco style
*Idea* Enjoy as a pipping hot bowl of soup
*Idea* When you get to the bottom of the pot and it doesn’t look like there’s enough to feed everyone, strain what’s left and sprinkle on top of chips and cheese, bake at 350 for 10 minutes and you have nachos

10 Quick Ideas For Your Turkey Leftovers

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Are your turkey’d out?? I know I am…but here are a few ideas to switch things up so your leftovers don’t taste so leftover anymore….Hope you enjoy :)

-Turkey Sandwiches –This one’s a given I know, but it’s a classic Thanksgiving Leftover Meal.  Layer stuffing, turkey, and cranberry sauce, and serve on a leftover roll or sliced bread.

-Turkey Noodle Soup – There are so many ways to make soup…This is the quickest recipe I have, but if you have a recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup you love just replace the chicken with turkey.

-Chop your carrots and celery and thrown into a pot of chicken or turkey broth

-Add salt, pepper, and seasonings (I use poultry seasoning, garlic and onion powder, and dill)

-Boil until almost tender (about 20 minutes)

-Throw your egg noodles in and boil for another 8-10 minutes

-Stir in leftover turkey and simmer until ready to eat

-Turkey Taco Soup

- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can corn
- 1 can cheddar cheese soup
- 1/2 can water
- 1 can Rotel (or diced tomatoes if you don’t like spicy)
- 1/2 pkg taco seasoning
- 2 cups of leftover chopped turkey

Mix all ingredients (juices included) in a medium pan over medium low heat and let simmer for about 20 min. *Idea* Serve over rice or with sprinkle cheese and sour cream.

-Turkey Taco Omelets

This one is one of my favorites….You take the leftover Turkey Taco Soup you’ve already made and strain a few spoonful’s of it…use it as an omelet filling and top with a slice of cheese

-Almost Sheppard’s Pie

Mix the leftover gravy with your leftover veggies and stir in a little bit of leftover turkey meat (It should be kind of runny). Top with a layer of leftover mashed potatoes and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, and serve with biscuits or leftover rolls.

-Turkey Pot Pie

Line a pan with a pie crust (optional)

Mix equal parts of sour cream and cream of chicken soup. (When making a whole pie pan I use 8 oz of each, to just make for the hubby and I, I bake in a smaller pan and only use 4 oz of each)

Stir in a can or 2 of mixed veggies (or a bag of **Cooked** frozen veggies), salt, pepper, seasonings, and leftover turkey

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

The last 15 minutes of bake time, throw a pan of biscuits in the oven to cook

When the timer goes off place the biscuits on top of your pie and serve

(I’ve tried baking the biscuits on top of the pot pie but I always end up with soggy biscuit bottoms + this way the kids get biscuits too since they don’t like pot pies)

-Turkey ‘Fake’ Nachos

I make my nachos with red nacho cheese Dorito’s  (hence the ‘Fake Nachos’) but tortilla chips work great too. Heat your oven to 350, layer chips on a baking sheet and top with a little sprinkle cheese. Top that with chopped up turkey and whatever nacho toppings you enjoy (or more drained Turkey Taco Soup), sprinkle with another layer of cheese and bake until the cheese is melty, about 10 minutes.

-Grilled Cheese and Ramens

Make Turkey Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and serve with Ramen noodles or a bowl of Turkey Noodle Soup

-Turkey Salad

Take your favorite chicken salad recipe and replace the chicken with turkey…Here’s my recipe…

-2-3 cooked potatoes – cut into 1-2 inch cubes (they need to still be HOT)

-½ can of drained peas

-2 cups chopped, leftover turkey

-Chopped dill pickles

-3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

-Mayo (If you use miracle whip leave out the lime juice)

-Dijon Mustard – just a squirt

-Salt, pepper, and the juice from ½ a lime

-Optional – Chopped black olives and/or chopped jalapenos

Mix it all together, chill for a couple of hours, and enjoy

- Turkey Club Quesadillas 

Heat pan over medium heat, and butter two flour tortillas. Place one tortilla (buttered side down) in your skillet and sprinkle with a thin layer of cheese, leftover turkey, and crumbled bacon. Top with a little more sprinkle cheese and the remaining tortilla. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown, and serve with ranch dressing for dipping.

* Another option – use the leftover drained Turkey Taco Soup and cheese as your quesadilla fillers, then serve with sour cream and salsa instead of ranch

Hope you guys enjoy my recipes…let me know what your favorite is :)

 

Money Saving Meals – Pound Cake Made Easy

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Money Saving Meals

Some of you may know this already, but I have another blog. It’s a food/recipe blog, but due to my laziness and a lack of online traffic the site rarely gets updated. However…I think the idea behind the blog was genius. Cooking for a family of 5 for under $10.00. So, I’m adding a new posting topic to my blog called Money Saving Meals where I’ll share recipes (some from the other blog, some new posts) with you guys. Hope you enjoy!!

Pound Cake Made Easy – Chocolate, Lemon, or Classic

1 Yellow, Chocolate, or Lemon Cake mix

1 pkg instant vanilla, chocolate, or lemon instant pudding mix (whichever goes with the cake mix flavor you choose)

1 cup milk

1 stick butter softened

4 eggs at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your bundt pan. Dump all your ingredients in a bowl, mix on low-speed for 2 minutes, scrape bowl, mix at medium-speed for 2 minutes. (You have to mix for this long, on these speeds, or the cakes seem to fall…atleast for me) Pour your batter into the greased pan and bake for 50 -55 minutes.

If the top of your cake looks too brown spray a sheet of aluminum foil with non-stick spray and lay loosely over the top for the last 15 -20 minutes of baking.

Variation ~ Uses a chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding, and once you grease your pan coat it with cocoa powder instead of flour….and of course top with a chocolate glaze…because you can never have too much chocolate!!

Another Quick Tip – If you don’t have milk use 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of yogurt, or 1 cup of your favorite coffee creamer (I use vanilla)

Cake mix- $1.50

Pudding- $1.00

4 eggs- Under $1.00

Stick of butter – Under $1.00

Cup of Milk – Under $1.00

Total Cost for Pound Cake – About $6.00

~~I’m convinced pound cake is not only a dessert but a breakfast food too…Hey, it’s gotta be better for you than doughnuts :0)