Mary's Blue Ribbon Banana Bread

 

Ingredients:

2 c all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c butter, room temperature

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c ripe banana pulp, mashed

1/4 c sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Sift dry ingredients together.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar well.

Add eggs and beat well until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla.

Mix banana pulp with sour cream.

Add pulp alternately with dry ingredients to butter, sugar, and eggs mixture on slow speed.

Scrape sides as needed.

DO NOT OVER BEAT. Beat only until combined.  Stir with a wooden spoon to make sure it is all combined.

Grease and flour a loaf pan, 9X5X3. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Mei brings me bananas that Richard won't eat. They are always discolored  but I cut them up and put in the freezer.

I'm trying to clean out the freezer and pulled out the frozen bananas. Never made this recipe before thus it was a good time to give it a try.

Cake Mix Gooey Butter Lemon Cookies

 Ingredients

Cookies

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

1 egg

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 box Lemon Cake Mix

Glaze

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, softened butter and lemon peel with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until well blended; scrape side of bowl. Beat in egg and 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth. On low speed, beat in cake mix until blended. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.

In small bowl, beat Glaze ingredients with spoon until smooth and spreadable. If too stiff to spread, add additional lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Dip top of each cookie into glaze, letting excess drip off. Place cookie right side up on cooling rack placed over cookie sheet or waxed paper. Let stand about 30 minutes or until set. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

 I made a pumpkin pie to bring to Maribel's for Thanksgiving. 

Have made this recipe for years!

I had to have  little cutie Adrien  show it off

Rolls For Maribel

My girl LOVES bread. She invited us for Thanksgiving and I'm making pies but thought I would try this recipe. 

I sent Carol my bread master the recipe and asked if she thought I would be able to make it. She said sure so- with that encouragement  - Ta Da!

Ingredients:

1 (1/4-oz.) packet active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (110°F)

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup whole milk

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing

Large-flake sea salt (optional)

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the flour, as well as the salt, whole milk and melted butter and beat for 2 minutes.

Add an additional 1 cup of flour and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until the dough begins to form a ball. (If the dough is still very sticky, add an additional ¼ cup flour as needed.)

Lightly flour your work surface. Scrape the dough onto your work surface, and using the heel of your hand, knead it for 2 minutes then place the dough in a greased bowl and cover the bowl with a towel. Set the bowl in a dark, warm place for 30 minutes until it has doubled in size. 

Grease an 8-inch round pan with cooking spray or butter.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces then roll each piece into a ball and arrange the balls in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with a towel then return it to a dark, warm place for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Uncover the rolls then bake them for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown and cooked through.

Remove the rolls from the oven, brush them with additional melted butter and immediately sprinkle them with the sea salt (optional). Serve them warm. 

I have a tip I saw on All recipes U-Tube video. When need to let the dough rise, put the mixed dough in your instant pot on the yogurt setting for the time needed for the dough to rise. Do not add anything other than the dough. Close the lid and let the magic happen.

Make sure your yeast isn’t expired. After mixing the yeast with warm water and sugar, wait for it to foam (around 5-10 minutes). If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may be inactive and it’s best to start over with fresh yeast.

If the dough feels very firm and unpliable when you knead it, that’s a sign that it’s starting to become over-kneaded. Immediately stop and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Allowing the dough to rest will give you a better shot at a more tender result.

Make-Ahead Instructions: If you want to prepare the rolls in advance, follow the directions up until you place the (unbaked) rolls in the baking pan then tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap. The dough can remain in the refrigerator for up to 12-24 hours or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you’ve refrigerated the rolls, remove them from the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temp, which usually takes about 30 minutes. Baked as directed. If you’ve frozen the rolls, remove the rolls from the freezer and place them in the fridge overnight then bring them to room temp to rise before baking them as directed. 

You can store leftover rolls in a sealed plastic bag for 1-2 days at room temp. However, keep an eye on the moisture and open the bags every now and then if they look like they’re getting too soft.

Turkey and Corn Bread Stuffing Casserole

 Ingredients

2-3 cups cut cooked up turkey

1 8x8 pan of cornbread - cooled 

2 cups turkey stock

1 10 ounce can chicken and herb soup

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onions

1 cup sliced carrots ( used canned)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp. poultry seasonings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine stock and the cream of chicken soup and poultry seasoning. Whisk until smooth

Sauter celery and onions in butter.

Add celery, onions and turkey into a large bowl. Stir till combine

Crumble cornbread into the celery, onion, turkey mixture. Gently pour stock in and combine

Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes

Persimmon Rum & Raisin Texas Muffins

 I have no idea what a persimmon was until I met Mei. Persimmons are a delicious and nutritious fruit with several health benefits. Here are some of the key benefits: 

Nutrient-Rich: Persimmons are a good source of vitamins A, C, and E, as well as minerals like potassium, magnesium, and manganese. They also contain fiber, which is essential for digestive health. 

Antioxidant Power: Persimmons are packed with antioxidants, including carotenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds. These antioxidants help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease

She has a tree and gave me a bag of fruit. I dehydrated 12 trays. The small pieces that were to small for the dehydrator I saved. The container of saved persimmons I then made a puree, which I used in this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled

2 extra large or large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup spiced dark rum

1 cup persimmon puree 

1 cup pecans 

1 cup mixed raisins ( light and dark)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pan with large cupcake liners

Mix flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the flour mixture in a separate small bowl. Toss in the dried fruit in the reserved mixture, making sure to coat each piece well.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and then stir in the butter, eggs, liquor, persimmon puree, pecans and floured dried fruit. Mix the batter just until combined .

Pour the batter into the muffin liners and then place the pan in the oven. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan before serving.

Old School Sugar Cookies

 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

3 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 baking powder 

Directions:

I drop the wet ingredients in our mixer and beat for maybe 1 minute, add dry ingredients and mix only until mixed together.

I chill it for about 30 minutes (it’s a million times easier to roll out when it’s cold!).

Roll into 1 inch balls. Roll balls into sugar or sprinkles of your choice and bake on a parchment lined baking pan at 350 for about 10 minutes. I bake for 12 minutes ( check bottoms are done) and let them cool on the pan.

(This is from a super old magazine clip - forget which one)

 I wanted to use up these sprinkles. 😊