Cookbook Discoveries: Banana Bread

A few months ago my Aunt Sharon from Iowa sent me a giant box of cookbooks.  I collect cookbooks so I was so excited to dig through them.  With the internet, I don't use my cookbooks as much as I should so I decided to go through and use them.  We had some browning bananas so I decided to make some Banana Bread.  My husband was thrilled.

The cookbook is from my Aunt and the bowl is from my husband's Grandma so it all felt very homey.

Banana Bread

2 eggs

3 bananas (mashed)

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1-3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Optional:

1 cup chopped walnuts

1cup chocolate chips

Beat eggs and bananas until light and fluffy.  Add sugar and oil and beat well.  Add dry ingredients and mix only until moist.  Fold in optional ingredients if using.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

 

I used 2 foil pans, sprayed with cooking spray.

 

Golden brown and delicious.

It's What's For Dinner: Creamy Coconut Shrimp

Do you have those amazing Chinese buffets near your house?  We have had many family dinners at the one by my sisters.  My husband loves the Peanut Butter Chicken and the Creamy Coconut Shrimp.  I have been trying to come up with the shrimp recipe for a while now an I think I finally nailed it.

Creamy Coconut Shrimp

2 lbs of peeled and deveined shrimp

1/2 cup corn starch

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup flour

1 tbsp seasoning salt

1 cup cream of coconut

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Vegetable oil for frying

Dredge the shrimp in the corn starch, shake off the excess, then dredge in the beaten egg.  Next, dredge in the flour with the seasoning salt mixed in.  Fry shrimp until fully cooked and drain on paper towels.  In a large skillet, melt the cream of coconut over medium high heat.  After it's melted down, add in the mayonnaise and cook until it starts to thicken.  Turn off the heat and add the shrimp back in and coat with the sauce.

Clam Chowder

My Crock Pot and I have a love/hate relationship.  I love the convenience of it but not all recipes are stellar when they come out.  A few weeks ago, I made probably the best Pot Roast I have ever had in it.  I will share that recipe soon.  Yesterday I made Clam Chowder in it.  I put it in around noon, we went to a movie and when we got back, it was done.  However, something was off.  It just didn't taste as good as when I made it on the stove top.  When I asked my husband to try it and see what was missing, he declared it tasted like Beef Stew.  WHAT?!?  We still ate it and it tasted good, I just think I was missing something and I can't put my finger on it.

Clam Chowder
1 small bag of shredded carrots
1 lb of bacon
1 cup chopped onion
6 potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
4 cans of chopped clams
2 cans evaporated milk or 3-5 cups heavy whipping cream
Johnny's Seasoning Salt, to taste

Chop bacon and brown in dutch oven or stock pot.  Once almost done, soften onions with the bacon.  Dump out most of the bacon fat and then toss in the potatoes and carrots, just to heat them up a bit.  Open the 4 cans of clams and throw them in the pot.  Warm all the ingredients then add the milk or heavy cream.  Simmer for about an hour, until the vegetables are soft, serve and enjoy.

Crock Pot Variation:  Cook bacon and onions as directed above, but just toss everything else in and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Jumble-aya

This is by no means a traditional Jambalaya recipe.  That's why I'm calling it Jumble-aya.  I typically make this with two or three meats.  What I love most about this meal is that it takes no planning, can be thrown together quickly and it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day (or two).

Jumble-aya
As always, there are no exact measurements.
Smoked Sausage
Chicken Tenders
Ground Beef
Marinara Sauce
Chicken Broth
Creole Seasoning
Minute Rice
Slice the chicken tenders and smoked sausage into bite size pieces.  Brown the ground beef with creole seasoning.  Add the chicken and smoked sausage.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink.  Add the chicken broth and marinara sauce.  Bring just to a boil and add in the minute rice.  Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the rice is tender. 

DIY Wall Decor: States of Love

I made this cute wall decor for our bedroom a few months ago but finally got around to hanging it up tonight. 

 

First step was printing the state shapes from the internet.  I just Google Image searched for them.  If you can't tell, our states are Oregon for my husband and Washington for me.  Next, I traced them onto the canvas.  These canvases are a 10" square but you can use any size you have or want.

 

The final step was just painting them any color I wanted to.  See how easy that was.  Why haven't you done this yet?  It would make a really nice wedding gift, Christmas gift or just for your own home. 

Holiday Season

Christmas is my favorite holiday.   I love everything to do with it.  The lights, buying presents, the weather, the family and the food.  I check out the Christmas Countdown a lot.  As of today, there are just 76 days.  Yikes!  I already feel like my weekends are filling up leading to the big day.

My second favorite holiday has to be Halloween.  What other excuse do adults get to dress up in silly costumes and run amok. "Amok, amok, amok, amok" ala Sarah from Hocus Pocus.

You can check out my Halloween posts HERE , HERE and HERE from last year.  We always do a huge party but this year may be a bit smaller and less fantastical.  My sister is set to have her second son on Friday October 11th so we are all kinda focused on that at the moment.  I do have some pretty cool ideas pinned on Pinterest but don't know if I will get around to them.  Check out my board HERE.  We have plenty of decorations in storage.  In the shop we have 4 totes of Halloween decorations.  (We have an entire outbuilding dedicated to Christmas decor.)

My husband and I spent about an hour at JoAnn Fabrics yesterday getting the fabric and do-dads for our costumes.  I am going to keep that under wraps for now.  I love to see the look on people's faces when they see what we've come up with.  It is getting harder and harder for me to top what we have done in the past.  Be careful when you set the bar too high.  You have to keep topping that.  :)

Honey Soy Glazed Chicken

This recipe is so easy and delicious.  I make it at least 3 times a month.  I've used it on Chicken, Pork and Beef.  The photos that accompany this recipe shows a double batch, half Chicken thighs and half boneless Pork Shoulder Ribs.  I don't have a photo of the finished product but I do have them pre-oven.

Honey Soy Glazed Chicken
2-1/2 lbs Chicken thighs
4 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Ketchup
3/4 cup Honey
2 tbsp minced garlic
Salt and Pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl thoroughly.  Lay meat in a 9x13 baking dish and pour the glaze over.  Bake at 350 for 60-90 minutes.