Awesome Banana Bread

Here is my recipe for the best banana bread I have ever had! 

Really, it's so moist and flavorful, you'll be glad you made it!

Banana Bread

3 medium ripe bananas

1/3 Cup shortening

2/3 Cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 Cup orange juice

1 tsp. freshly grated orange rind

1 3/4 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the shortening and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until smooth. Add the orange juice, rind and bananas and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this dry mix to the wet mix. Stir well. Pour into greased bread pan. Cook 350* for 1 hour.

~~If you want to make small loaves, this recipe will make 3... only cook for 40 min.

~~If you want to make medium loaves, this recipe will make 2... only cook for 50 min.

For more great recipes and ideas, follow me Ü

Enjoy,

Ren

Pantry Oatmeal Patties

I know this isn't Wednesday, and I would normally post a recipe I've made on that day, but I ran out of time and still wanted to get this posted this week.

This is what I made for supper last night, and I changed up the recipe a bit to fit our tastes more. 

First off, I'll say that this recipe is really meant to be a meal that you can pull from your pantry, and can be easily made without the addition of nuts, or shredded cheese.  Many of the "meatless meals" I make, include nuts and often some shredded cheese.

Here is a picture of the "meat":

It's very moist and the recipe made a big pan.

Here is the original recipe, and I'll put off to the side what I changed.

Pantry Oatmeal Patties

1 chopped onion

3 eggs, beaten

1 C. cottage cheese

1 C. quick oatmeal

1 C. dry bread crumbs (I used 1 C. ground walnuts)

1/2 tsp. sage

1/2 tsp. salt (I didn't use)

1 can evaporated milk (I used 1% milk)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

This is the soup I like to use:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, only using 1/2 can of milk.

See how nice and creamy it looks?

  Form into patties.  Fry them in a skillet or griddle.

I set them on a paper towel to soak up extra oil.

Next, lay them all in a greased 9 x 13" cake pan (I like to spray with olive oil).  By layering them, you can fit them all in and they're easier to grab to take out, too.

See how some of these are darker than others?  They're not burnt, just very browned.  I like these ones best, as the oats get toasted a bit and add more yummy flavor!

     Take can of soup and mix with other 1/2 can of milk.  Pour over patties.

 Bake 350* for 20 min.

When you take it out of the oven, this is what it will look like.  The liquid has thickened up and the patties have absorbed some of the soup and flavoring also.

The idea of using the whole can of evaporated milk, is a great one I think.  Because, usually a recipe will call for a portion of a can and then what do you do with the rest of it?  Usually I throw it out, since I rarely use it in any of my recipes.

If you do use the evaporated milk, I will tell you that you will love it, if you like a sweetness to your food.  I prefer to have it not be sweet, so I skipped it and used regular milk.

Also, I when using the bread crumbs, this has a more 'bready' taste to it, and I know what you're thinking, "Of course it does!"  lol, but usually when using bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs) I don't taste the heaviness of it, like I do in this original recipe.  Not that it is bad, in no way at all, it's just a personal preference of mine that I chose to use nuts this time.

I really encourage you to try this, either way the recipe is written.  If you try it, let me know how you liked it, Enjoy!

~Ren

Wendy's Copy Cat Chili and Canning

PRESTO

This year, I decided to treat myself to a new canner. I got a Presto 23 qt. canner and love it!

We have a few freezers and I have been wanting to can enough meat in them to downsize by 1 of the freezers.  What I've been doing is canning just some plain meat, and then some meals also!

Do you can?

Don't you love opening a jar and you already have something either made or partially prepared!?

Today I pressure cooked Chili!

We love chili!

Now, usually I have my own recipe that I always have made and it's really delicious.  I also add macaroni noodles to it, and after it's in the bowl, a bit of shredded cheese is sprinkled on the top.  Yum!!

This time, I tried a recipe I found online.  It's a knock-off (copy cat version) of Wendy's Chili!  Their chili is so good, that I knew I had to try this!  There isn't a Wendy's here, so I don't get to go there that often, but when I do, their chili is a definite must have!

If I can have a batch of soup at home that tastes very similar, I want it!

Here is a photo of it made:

 Here is the recipe I used:

5 lb. hamburger
2 C. onion ~ chopped
2 green peppers ~ chopped
4 stalks celery ~ chopped
2 Tbsp. minced garlc
2 Cans Ranch beans (15 oz)
2 Cans red kidney beans (15 oz) ~ drained
2 Cans Rotel (10 oz)
2 Cans stewed tomatoes (15 oz) ~ chopped
4 Cans tomato sauce (15 oz)
2 pkgs McCormick mild chili pkgs (1.25 oz)

Now, first I must say that the original recipe calls for 7 green peppers.  To me, that is just too much.  We like green peppers, but not that much!  So, I simply adjusted this amount to our personal taste.  That's the great thing about recipes...you can do that!

Now, onto cooking.

Fry the hamburger, drain.  I rinse my hamburger with water, getting rid of even more of the fat than simply draining.  When canning, I like to have as little fat as possible. 

Add rest of ingredients.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it cook until veges are softened.  I let mine simmer for 2 hours on a low simmer.  I put my into 2 large crock pots for this part.

Next, I put into my prepared jars and canned them!  I won't get into the canning part, as there are so many wonderful sites on how to do this.  For my area, I will say that I can them at 10 lbs. for 90 min.

Here's what I ended up with:

 7 quarts of wonderful Chili!! 

These are going to be great either as a bowl of chili, poured over french fries with some cheese on top, or on hotdogs!! 

Vegetarian Hamburger Substitute

Wether you are a vegetarian, or just enjoy some meatless meals, here is a recipe you might enjoy!  It uses whole grain foods, and is so much healthier than real ground beef.

If you are used to buying the vege meat that looks like ground beef, here is a substitute for you to try.  I will use it the same as hamburger and possible even mixing it with hamburger to make my real meat stretch.

You will only need 6 ingredients. 

What you need:

2 Cups brown rice

2 Cups lentils

2 Tbsp. steak seasoning (I used Montreal Steak)

1/4 Cup olive oil

1/2 Cup vital wheat gluten*

1 Cup rolled oats

What to do:

In a large pot, add 8 Cups of water and your rice, lentils and steak seasoning.

Cook until these are soft.  I let mine come to a boil, then covered and simmered for over an hour.  Make sure the rice is done, the lentils will be done before the rice.

Add the oil, wheat gluten and rolled oats.  I found it easier to mix these in a very large bowl.

Mix well.

  Pour into 2 - 13x9" pans. 

Bake at 300* for an hour.  You want the mixture to be more dry than wet.  Think "crumbles".  After I cooked mine for an hour, I turned my oven down to 225* and left them in there for another hour.  Keep checking and stirring mixture to evenly cook and "dehydrate" it.

Now, knowing that 1 pound of cooked ground hamburger usually gives me about 2 Cups, I measured out my cooled "meat" into 2 Cup portions and put into freezer bags.

As I make up some recipes using this beef substitute, I'll show you and give you the recipes!  Let me know if you try this out and what recipes you used it in!

  

*I get my vital wheat gluten at my local Amish store, they carry many bulk items and I always buy from them!  You can also find this at a health food store, whole food store or online.

Whats For Dinner Wednesday / Homemade Chocolate Cake

It seems like the best cakes are the homemade ones, and this year for my husbands birthday, I decided to make his favorite! 

If you're like me, you love Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Cake.  You know...the kind you buy frozen in the box?  Yes, I love those!  All those lovely layers of chocolatey goodness and fluffy frosting, yum! 

This cake:

is better than the PF one!  Yes, 10 times better!  And it's so easy to make, that you probably have all the ingredients in your cupboard to make it, too!

The only item you may not have, is buttermilk...BUT...you can use plain yogurt in place of it!  I buy powdered Buttermilk, and you'd never notice the difference in the cake when it's done!  Seriously!  I have made this cake many times, using fresh buttermilk or powdered, and I taste no difference.  We don't drink buttermilk, so to buy it and only use 1/2 cup of it would be a waste.  The powdered mix is so easy to just add to 1/2 cup of water and then there's no waste, and the rest of the mix goes right back in the cupboard.

The frosting...oh, the frosting.  It takes like chocolate mousse.  No. Kidding.  It's good enough to eat with a spoon.  A big one.  Now, the thing with this homemade frosting, is that you have to make it ahead of time.  It needs time to chill!

Frosting:

What you need:

12 ounce bag of chocolate chips (I used the Ghiradelli milk chocolate)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

What to do:

Melt the chips over a double broiler.  Slowly add the whipping cream.  Now, refridgerate for 6 hours. 

When you take it out, it may still be liquidy.  That's fine.  This is whipping cream, afterall, right?  So, take out your mixer and whip that chocolaty mixture into a delicious bowl of fluffy frosting!  This is great, because when you're done, well....the beaters DO need to be licked before washing them for you cake mixing, right?  Right.

Now, onto the cake.

What you need:

2 C. flour

2 C. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 C. water

1/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 C. (2 sticks) butter

1/2 C. buttermilk (or yogurt)

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

What to do:

1) Preheat oven to 350*.

Grease and flour pans.  This makes a great 2 or 3 layer cake.

2)  Mix flour, sugar and baking soda in a large bowl.

3)  Put water and butter in a small saucepan and heat til butter melts.  Add cocoa powder and mix.  Pour over flour mixture and beat with a whisk or a mixer until blended.  Beat in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until blended (batter will be thin).

4)  Pour into prepared pans and place evenly on racks in oven.  If making 3 layers, then switch pans half way through to ensure even baking. 

Bake 25-35 minutes.  Keep checking until pick or knife comes out clean.

5)  Cool on racks 10 minutes and invert.

Now, frost and enjoy!!

It helps to keep your layers together, if you place some toothpicks randomly between the first 2 layers, then again between the 2nd and 3rd layer.  I use 8" pans, and use 2 toothpicks in each layer. 

Don't be fooled by the size of this cake when it's done.  It may look a bit on the small side, but it's rich, and you really don't need a huge piece to be very satisfied!



Make It Monday / Dishwasher Detergent

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I know that there are some people out there who love doing dishes by hand.  My family is not in that group.  Really, I'd much rather fill up the dishwasher and let it do it's job, while I am wiping down counters and putting things away.  Then, when I'm done, I'm done.  Off to other things I'd rather be doing, and then just come back later and put them away.  It takes me 5 minutes to put them away.  Yes, I love a machine that does the work for me. 

Also, because I get these funny little red dots on my hands that itch and spread, I prefer to only wash by hand what I have to.  Like things that I don't want broken because their too vintage and aren't dishwasher proof.

I've been looking for a recipe that worked for me, and my hardwater, that would clean my dishes.  I make most of my own soaps, and since I have a lot of ingredients already, I knew I could make this, too, if I had a good recipe.

This is the one I chose and I've been using it for quite awhile now and I really like it!  It's so simple to make, and my dishes are clean. 

Here are the 4 ingredients:

Here is the recipe I use:

1 C. Borax

1 C. Washing Soda

1/2 C. citric acid

1/2 C. table salt

You can find Borax and Washing Soda in the cleaning aisle at your grocery store.  You can buy citric acid by the canning section at the store also. 

Put the Borax and Washing Soda in the bowl (or bucket).  Add the citric acid and salt.  Mix well.

I keep my soap in a bucket and keep it under my sink.  Nothing fancy, just an empty ice-cream bucket!

See that bag of rice in there?  I keep that in there because the citric acid in the mixture will clump up.  The rice will absorb any moisture and then the citric acid won't clump.  I put the rice in a baggie....

and I poke some holes in it.  Not huge, and not a ton of them, just enough to let the air get in (and the moisture):

  I keep an odd kitchen Tablespoon in there.  To use this soap, I only use one Tablespoon.  That's it. 

Besides using this homemade dishsoap, I only use vinegar for my rinse.  I fill up the dispenser, and it leaves no smell on my dishes.  For the price of a gallon of vinegar, it's a lot cheaper than the blue stuff.  It rinses well and helps take care of the spots.  I will still have some spots, but I have even more when I use the blue stuff. 

Try it, and let me know what you think!

What's For Dinner Wednesday

Canned Chicken -or- Turkey Potpie

This recipe is so incredibly easy, it's one I've been making for over 20 years and it's also a quick go-to dinner for a fast, yummy meal!

The reason it's called Canned Potpie?  Because most of the ingredients come from a can!!!  That's right, a can!

Today, instead of using 2 cans (tubes) of biscuits, I used my own bisquick - type of mix and made a top.  Super easy and quick to do, and I'll show you how to make this also.  But, I usually use the cans of biscuits.

This is one of those meals where you can literally open up some cans, put them in the pan, and walk away for 30 minutes...then, come back to a meal that's done!  Who doesn't love that!?

Here is what you need:

2 cans of mixed vegetables

1 can of potatoes - cut up (or buy diced)

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of chicken broth

1-2 cups of cooked chicken

poultry seasoning (optional)

2 tubes of canned biscuits

Open, drain and pour your mixed vegetables in the bottom of a cake pan.

Open and pour in can of soup.  Mix well.

Now, open the broth, and mix 1/2 - 3/4 of the can in the mixture.  You don't want to make this a soup in the pan, just a moist mixture that isn't a runny mess.

I sprinkle a bit of poultry seasoning on top, and mix well.  This is totally optional.

I take my pre-cooked chicken (you can use turkey also), cut-up, and add this to the pan.  Mix well.

Here is where I would open up the 2 cans of biscuits.  Open them up, seperate the biscuits, flatten them out with your hands, and lay them on top of the ingredients in the pan....overlapping slightly.  I use 2 cans, because that's what it takes to cover the whole cake pan.

I don't have a picture of this, because I used my own homemade mix to make a topping tonight

.

For the topping I made, you can use Bisquick, it's the same as what I used only I make my own mixes.

What you need for the topping I made in the picture:

2 Cups Bisquick

1 1/2 C. milk

Mix well.

Here is the best part of using this mixture!  Pour this over the potpie filling in the pan.  Yes...just pour it right over.  As it cooks, it will make it's own top.

It doesn't need to look pretty.  It will be when it's done, trust me.  And be delicious, too!

I like to sprinkle on some parsley from the garden, to give it some color. 

Now, cook at 350* for 1/2 hour - 3/4 hour. 

Just until the biscuit top (or the Bisquick top) is golden brown.

Look at that topping!  Mmmmm....

Here is a closer look at the potpie broth bubbling out under an edge...

Here is a picture after some pieces were taken out of the pan.  I just wanted to show you what the broth looks like after it's cooked, and the inside of the pie.  Notice that I don't make mine too runny, but you can totally make yours more runny (or juicy rather), by adding the whole can of broth when making this!

All dished up and ready to eat!

How do you make your chicken pot pie?  If you try this, let me know how you liked it!

Enjoy Ü



Fresh Assorted Fried / Roasted Vegetables

In my last post, I showed you how to make my Salsa Meatloaf, and on the plate I had my favorite fresh roasted vegetables.  My family loves these, with any meal, and they taste so different from any other vegetable serving, that they are gone right away!

In this vegetable dish, I have many vegetables!  Keep in  mind, these are all FRESH veggies, nothing from a can!  Zucchini, carrots, yellow pepper, red pepper, onions and some spices, that's it! 

If I had had other fresh veggies on hand, I would have used them, too!  These are just what I had on hand at the moment.  Sometimes I use tomatoes, or broccoli, or celery.  Anything will work, as long as you like them!  What I find, is that when I use all these different veggies together, my kids will try them and find that they really do like them.  So, they'll eat more, and that's great!

To begin with, I chopped my carrots, and cooked them in water briefly, just to soften them up a bit.  I knew everything else I was using would cook quickly, and the carrots would take longer, so I wanted to cook them up and soften them a bit.

Not long, just a few minutes!

Next, I chopped the rest of the vegetables I would be using.

Make them into big chunks, not small.  You want something to bite into!

 I took out some chunked zucchini from my freezer and let it thaw (this just took a few minutes)

Pour some olive oil in your frying pan.  About 2 Tbsp. I had some minced garlic and I put that in the oil.  To this I added the onions and peppers in the pan, on a med/high heat and gave them a quick fry...stirring as they fried, until they were nice and browned on one side. 

The carrots were added next, and I kept stirring until they also were browning nicely.  Last, I added the zucchini.  This was because they were the softest vegetable (remember I took them out of the freezer), so they would take the shortest amount of time to cook.

I shook on some Lemon Pepper Seasoning, and some pepper (because I love pepper!).  Then I served on the dinner plates:

This is so easy, and quick, and it's a great way to use up your vegetables!  Serve it over rice, and you don't even need to have a meat (we love it this way, too!).

Let me know if you try this, and how you like it and  if you add anything to yours!

Enjoy!!