Roasted Banana Bars with Butter Pecan Frosting

You should bake these just because of how they make your house smell.... it's DIVINE!

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 400 and mix together:

2 cups of ripe bananas (about 3-4 bananas)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 TBSP butter

Bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Bake another 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Step 2:

Reduce oven temp to 375.

Mix together in bowl #1:

2 1/4 cups of flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

Mix together in bowl #2:

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Mix together in bowl #3 (yes it's a lot of dirty dishes, but SOOO worth it!!):

the banana mixture (slightly cooled)

1/4 cup buttermilk

Mix together contents of Bowl #1 and Bowl #2.

Once they are well-blended, add Bowl #3. It is important to add the banana mixture last.

Bake in a greased 13x9 pan for 20 minutes at 375.

Cool completely before frosting.

While the bars are cooling, you can make the frosting:

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a small saucepan and cook until lightly browned (do not microwave...you want the effect of cooking it on the stove!)

Cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl- mix the melted butter, 3 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat until well-blended. Spread over the cooled bars and then top with chopped pecans.

SHARE!!

And you will be a hit! I promise!

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Living in DK, I have to import Brownie mix, JIF, and chocolate chips, but this recipe is SO yummy, I am willing to use my precious imports to make it! :-) Trust me!

Ingredients:
1 boxed brownie mix, prepared according to box directions
1 cup creamy peanut butter--I use JIF!
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease a 13x9 pan.
Mix Brownies according to package directions.
Prepare peanut butter swirl: Beat peanut butter, sugar, butter, flour, and egg until well blended.
Spread two-thirds of the prepared chocolate brownie batter into the bottom of the pan. Top with dollops of peanut butter mixture until it is all gone! Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the swirl mixture. Top with remaining 1/3 of brownie batter. With tip of knife, cut and twist through mixtures to create swirled effect.

Bake brownies 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean. Serve warm! YUM! (Don't leave out the chips...they add a special surprise when you bite into them!)

Crawfish Monica

First of all, I have no clue why this is named Monica! I only have one friend named Monica and from what I know about those who have that name, they are AWESOME so maybe that means this is an AWESOME DISH??!! Which by the way..... it is!

There are many versions of this recipe that you can find out there on the web, but here is how I made it last week and today the Viking is asking for it again!

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh fettuccine (SO much better than the hard stuff in the bag!)

1 bunch of green onions

2 pounds of crawfish tails (1 is actually plenty, but 2 give you lots of LEFTOVERS!)

1 stick of butter

1 pint of half & half

3 cloves of garlic, minced (I actually grate mine on the cheese grater's finest setting and it works great!)

Slap Ya Mama (or your favorite Cajun seasoning)

(someday, SYM is gonna owe me royalties ... I am sure of it!)

grated FRESH parmesan

Directions-

Chop green onions (tops and all) and saute with the garlic in the butter. Add several shakes of Slap Ya Mama. Do not overcook! 3-5 min is sufficient!

Add the crawfish and saute 3-5 min more until they are pink.

Add the half & half and simmer for 10 min so the sauce can thicken.

Taste the sauce after 5 min and see if it has enough KICK for you.

If not, a couple more shakes will do it!

While doing all of the above, cook the fresh pasta so they are ready at the same time.

Add the fettuccine to the sauce and let it all simmer on LOW for about 5 more minutes.

This gives you time to grate the fresh parmesan.

After serving up a bowl for everyone, sprinkle each serving with a small handful of parmesan.

SIMPLE and DELICIOUS!

Crockpot Lasagna

I promise that after you make this once, you will NEVER make Lasagna in the oven again!

Put this on before you go to work and when you get home, the only work to do is to warm up some yummy garlic bread! And Dinner is Served!

Brown 2lbs ground beef with 1 chopped yellow onion and 1 chopped red bell pepper. Pour in one jar of Spaghetti sauce and 1 can of Ro-tel tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. (I also add a few shakes of dried red pepper flakes...just for some kick!) Basically, make your own meat sauce that you would normally make for Spaghetti.

Mix the following ingredients in a bowl: 16oz carton of cottage cheese, 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (FRESH!!), 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, 1 egg and 1 TBSP oregano.

Grease your crockpot and then spread one layer of the meat/sauce mixture on the bottom of the crockpot. Break your raw lasagna noodles so they fit as best as possible to make your next layer. Cover the noodles with the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers, reserving enough of the meat/sauce for one more layer (which you will place on top of the last layer of the cheese mixture.

Turn the crockpot on low and cook for 6 hours (or 4 hours on high depending on when you want it to be ready). No stirring, no need to open the lid while it cooks. Just make sure your noodles are still a bit firm....don't overcook.

Come home from work and be ready to encounter a delicious smell!

Cranberry Glazed Pot Roast

I made this tonight for the first time and the verdict is YUM!! I have always made my pot roast Cajun style, but this new recipe is a KEEPER!

I actually made mine with a pork tenderloin because a pot roast is too big for us....but either way, the result will be just as delicious!

Step one: Take out your crockpot.

Step two: Mix 2 TBSP flour with your favorite seasonings (you can use salt & pepper, but of course, I use Slap ya mama!)

Step three: Rub your pork roast/tenderloin with the flour mixture (and discard the leftover mix)

Step four: Set the pork roast/tenderloin in the crock pot and turn it on medium.

Step five: Chop 1 small yellow onion and throw in the crock pot with the pork.

Step six: Pour the following items into the crock pot over the pork & onion:

1 cup red wine, 2 TBSP Worchestershire Sauce, 2 TBSP soy sauce, 2 TBSP Maple syrup

Step seven: Add 1/2 cup of dried cranberries to the crock pot.

Step eight: Cook on medium for about 8 hours..... so put this on before you go to work and come home to a yummy meal!

I served this with mashed potatoes....

Note: when you serve it, be sure and put a few of the cranberries on each plate because a bite of the meat with a bite of cranberries is like nothing you have ever tasted!!!

Green Beans with New Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 lbs of fresh green beans
1/4 pound of bacon or salt pork
2 cups chicken broth
1-2 tsp of seasoning (S&P or Slap Yo Mamma)
10-12 small red potatoes
1 onion (cut into slivers)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, sliced
Ground black pepper

Remove the ends from the beans. Snap the beans in 2 pieces, place in colander, wash, drain & set aside.

In a large pot, lightly brown the bacon or salt pork over medium heat, turning often (approx. 10 minutes) Toss the green beans into the pot, stirring to coat well with the bacon/pork fat. Add the broth and seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat, covered tightly for approximately 30 minutes or until the beans are half done.

While the beans are cooking, peel a center strip from each new potato with a potato peeler. At the end of the 30 minutes, add the potatoes and onions to the beans; add 1/4 cup more broth, if needed. Cook, covered tightly, until the potatoes are tender (approx. 25-30 minutes). Check the pot periodically to make sure a small amount of liquid remains. When the potatoes are tender, tilt the lid slightly, off to the side of pot and continue to cook approximately 15 minutes more. During last 15 minutes of cooking, add the butter and season with ground black pepper.



Recipe from Paula Deen's cookbook - it is a delicious way to get your family to eat their veggies.

Joe's Ranch Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 pkg. yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups buttermilk

4 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add oil & measure dry ingredients. Add small amount of dry ingredients to yeast mixture, alternately with small amounts of the buttermilk until completely mixed. Shape your biscuits and place on a pan - allow to rise in a warm place for 3-4 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm with butter.

The mixture can remain in the refrigerator up to 1 week and only take out the amount you plan to serve - allow to rise and bake.