A Food Adventure

For a while now, I have been interested in taking advantage of all of the wonderful, delicious, locally grown produce that is available to us living here in East TN.  There are several local farms that over a crop share for a fee where you are guaranteed fresh, organic fruits and vegetables available for pick up every week.  Jonathan and I did some talking and a bit of research and decided that we would give it a try.  Doing the math, it broke down to a reasonable amount of money each week and guaranteed us fresh, seasonal food that was also organic. 

Our first harvest from the CSA (crop share) that we joined arrived last Thursday.  We decided to take on this endeavor with some friends of ours, the Slagers, so we are actually sharing a large "box" each week.  Mia Slager and I take the time to divide the spoils each week and also share ideas on how to cook and prepare each thing.  It's only been a bit over a week, but we are already loving it. 

Look at all of the stuff we got last week at our first pick-up:

Isn't this a ton of food!?  Now, keep in mind that this is the entire large share that Mia and I split.  But even after we split it, we had tons of fresh produce.  This first week included fresh strawberries, two heads of cauliflower, two heads of broccoli, radishes, garlic, leafy green lettuce, romaine lettuce, and Swiss chard.

Things I learned from my first week:  When Mia brought the food over, we washed everything quickly and divided up the food.  I found out through the course of the week that some of the lettuce did not get washed well enough.  So, last night after we got our second week's worth of food, I washed everything very closely.  I took every piece of fresh lettuce and washed it well, removing all dirt.  This will hopefully diminish our loss of food and will keep any little creatures from living and eating off of our veggies before we consume them.  (I did find a little caterpillar that had fattened up on my broccoli last week).

 Cauliflower:  When it came to cooking the cauliflower, I followed a recipe that my mother-in-law suggested.  It's so simple.  Basically, you cut the stalks of the cauliflower a bit shorter than usual.  You want mostly the tops off.  I tossed it in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted it on a lined baking sheet at 350 until the cauliflower was pretty brown.  It wasn't just tender, it was browned.  The flowerettes crisped up and actually seemed to take on an entirely new flavor as they carmelized in the olive oil.  Delicious!  Our kids tried it because Jonathan and I were raving about how delicious it was.

 These berries were so ripe and so sweet that they made the strawberries I typically by at the grocery seem terrible.  I must confess that only I enjoyed these berries.  The kids were sleeping over at the grandparents' house, and I couldn't stop eating them.  They were gone before I went to bed that first night!

 These were the largest radishes I have ever seen!

This is how I wash and dry the lettuce before storing them in the fridge.  This way I hope to get the longest life out of them!  I wrap the lettuces in paper towel to absorb any excess water after washing them and store them in Ziploc bags.  It seemed to work pretty well this first week.

As far as other things I did with the produce, we made taco salads on Memorial Day with the lettuce and I gave my radishes to my in-laws.  I am not a fan!  I still have the Swiss chard which I am going to sautee this weekend to have it wilt with some olive oil in a skillet. 

I do want to show you a picture of the produce I received yesterday for our second week.

This is a picture off of my phone, so the quality isn't that great.  This is just my portion, but as you can see, it's a ton of food.  We received a huge head of cabbage (which I cut in half for Mia and I), another huge head of romaine lettuce, a head of red bibb lettuce (I think), fresh spinach, strawberries, and some squash and garlic.  I hope to make some yummy stuff this week including some chicken lettuce wraps!  Also, I may experiment with making a green smoothie with my fresh spinach, but if not, I'll just wilt it as a side-dish for dinner one night this week.

I am loving this food challenge!  I really love to cook and having access to these wonderful foods is not only beneficial to our health, but it is pushing me to cook more and to cook healthfully.  Our kids are open to trying new things more than they ever have before.  I hope that this experience continues to benefit us and broadens our horizons a bit!  So far, it is really fun and really tasty!

I will do my best to document some of our food and how things are going with the CSA.  I won't even try to plan for a weekly post because--as we all know--I won't be able to keep up with that.  We have lots of busy weeks ahead, so I will try my hardest!  Do any of you participate? If so, I'd love to follow along on your journey and find out what you are doing with your food.  I love new recipes!

Kitchen-ette

Hey gang!

I have finally bitten the bullet and done something I've been wanting to for quite some time now. I've decided to create another blog to keep up with all of my recipes and cooking endeavors. I plan to transfer all of my recipes on this blog to the new site, and I'll continue to add new ones over there!

Please check it out:

kitchen-ette.blogspot.com

I hope you enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

And by cheesy, I mean dairy. Not corny or silly.

Does Velveeta really qualify as cheese?

Moving on.

A good friend of ours from dental school, the one and only Lauren VanBebber (now Lauren Davis) gave me this recipe. She is from Hot Springs, AK, and is such a great cook with soooo many recipes up her sleeve. When we all lived in Baton Rouge following Hurricane Katrina, Lauren lived in the same apartment complex as Jonathan and I. The three of us, along with a few other friends, would get together weekly for a supper club. We would rotate homes, and if it was your week to host, you provided supper for everyone in the club! I loved eating at Lauren's place because she always had the most wonderful, comforting food! Here is one of our favorites:

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use reduced fat)
1 smallest package available of Velveeta cheese (not certain of the number of oz.), diced into small pieces
1 large can of Veg-all mixed vegetables (I use the Homestyle)
1 can corn, drained
2 refrigerated pie crusts
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, boil chicken in water with butter, salt and pepper. Once chicken is cooked, let cool and shred. Return chicken to pot along with soup, cheese, and vegetables. Mix together and stir frequently until cheese is melted and everything is combined. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one pie crust in bottom of pie plate. Pour chicken filling on top, then cover with the second pie crust. Pinch the two crusts together. Bake in oven until pie crust is golden brown, approximately 45-60 minutes. Enjoy!

***This meal is so yummy and so comforting!

Mustard-Crusted Salmon and Roasted Potatoes

I have always been intimidated by the idea of cooking fish at home. It seems beyond my ability. Fish is so delicious, yet so delicate. And, I have a thing about fishy fish. I like my fish fresh, and I guess I've just always been afraid that by cooking it myself I will make it more fishy. I don't think that's possible, but anyway, that's what I thought. The other night, however, I faced my fears as Jonathan suggested we try a salmon recipe out of a new cookbook I just got from Williams-Sonoma. Have I mentioned how much I love that store? And how ridiculously expensive it is? And how wonderful it smells when you walk by there? It's a total marketing ploy that sucks you in to the store so you will sample their delicious delicacies and then be forced to buy something.

So, I tried this new recipe using fresh salmon (a splurge for us, and one we won't be doing regularly). It was amazing! And so simple! Here is the recipe. It was such an easy meal to prepare that I bought some frozen salmon fillets from Sam's yesterday because now I am craving salmon and want to fix it again really soon. (Frozen fillets are MUCH cheaper than the fresh ones).

Here it is:

Mustard-Crusted Salmon & Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lb. of red-skinned potatoes, quartered
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of dry mustard
1.5 lbs Salmon fillets (4 servings)
4 tablespoons Panko or fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Roast the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large roasting pan, toss the potatoes with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes evenly in the pan. Roast until the potatoes are golden, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Season the salmon: While the potatoes are cooking, in a small bowl, stir together the Dijon and dry mustards. Coat one side of the salmon fillets with the mustard mixture, then sprinkle evenly with the panko, gently pressing to adhere.

3. Bake the salmon: Arrange the fillets in the pan, breaded sided up, next to potatoes. Bake until the fillets are barely opaque, and the topping is golden brown, and the potatoes are tender, 15-18 minutes. Arrange the salmon fillets alongside the potatoes on a platter, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

(4 servings)

***I only used 2 salmon fillets. I, not thinking, made a full batch of the mustard spread, and put all of it (4 servings worth) on just 2 fillets. The mustard was a bit too overwhelming, so we took off some of the topping. Next time, I will spread just a thin layer of the mustard on the salmon and top with the breadcrumbs.
***I served the salmon and potatoes with roasted asparagus.

Onion Souffle Dip

Onion Souffle Dip

Ingredients:

3- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
2 large Vidalia onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Dice onions finely. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl using a mixer. Bake in a 2-quart casserole dish uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Serve with toasted French Bread rounds or crackers.

*** If dip is browning on top but not done in the middle, tent with foil and continue baking.
*** Can be reheated in microwave.

Festive Fudge

Jonathan and I watched Julie & Julia the other night! It was such a good movie, and it immediately made me want to jump in the kitchen to whip something yummy up to eat! Surprisingly, Jonathan got the itch too, so he started rummaging through my cookbooks to find something delicious that he wanted to make!

He settled on this cookbook:


He decided on two recipes: Festive Fudge and Hershey's Best Loved Chocolate Cheesecake:



We made the fudge on Monday night and it was so easy and so delicious! Tonight we are going to make the chocolate cheesecake! I'll let you know how it turns out!

Here is the recipe for the Festive Fudge (sorry for the lack of a picture):

FESTIVE FUDGE

3 cups (1 1/2 packages, 12 ounces each) Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
Dash of salt
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:
1. Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with wax paper
2. Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in nuts, if desired, and vanilla. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
3. In another heavy saucepan, melt 1 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Chips with 1/2 cup whipping cream. Stir until thick and smooth. Spread over fudge.
4. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board, peel off paper, and cut into squares. Store covered in refrigerator.

Delicious! And such a great idea to give out as Christmas goodies! Jonathan is not allowed to make things like this in our kitchen only to leave them in the fridge to call my name all day long, so he is bringing a majority of the fudge to his office. (And I think he'll be doing the same with the chocolate cheesecake because it's just not fair to leave it in there yelling at me to eat it all day long!)

Please make some and eat some. It will make your mouth happy!

Fresh Apple Pound Cake

My in-laws dropped of a brown grocery bag full of fresh apples from an apple orchard they visited last week. I have tons of apples so I was busy looking for some yummy apple recipes when I found this one on Tasty Kitchen. You know how I love The Pioneer Woman. Well, this is her new website where viewers can submit and find recipes. It's awesome!

This is called Fresh Apple Pound Cake. It's really yummy. Not very appley (is that a word). Not too coconutty. (Definitely not a word). Just really nice and light flavor. I really liked it!

FRESH APPLE POUND CAKE

Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
* 2 cups Sugar
* 4 whole Eggs
* 3 cups Flour
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla
* 1 cup Chopped Pecans
* 1 cup Coconut
* 3 cups Chopped Apples

Preparation Instructions

Mix the oil, sugar and eggs well. Add flour, salt, baking soda and vanilla. Mix until smooth and blended completely. Fold in pecans, coconut and apples.

Pour into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake for 1 hour at 275 F. Increase oven temperate to 300 F and bake for another ½ hour.

***I don't know if it's my oven or my bundt pan or what, but I ended cooking mine at 300 for an additional hour, not just thirty minutes. My recommendation is to check the cake with a knife and back until knife comes out clean.

Tennessee Caviar

Jonathan came home from work a few weeks ago and handed me the recipe to this dip called Tennessee Caviar. Someone at his office brought some in for the group, and it was so yummy and he loved it so much, that he actually SOUGHT OUT THE RECIPE and BROUGHT IT HOME to me. My first thought was, "Man, this must be some REALLY good dip!"

Tennessee Caviar is a great dip to bring to tailgating, Care Group, picnics, or cookouts! I made it last night for Care Group, and it seemed to be a big hit. Warning, this dip makes a TON, so you want to be sure to have a large group to feed. I don't believe you can half the recipe, but hey, I guess it would be worth a shot!

Tennessee Caviar

Ingredients:

2 (15oz) cans of black-eyed peas
1 (15oz) can of black beans
1 (13oz) can yellow niblet corn
1 (13oz) can white shoe peg corn
2 cans of Rotel tomatoes
1 can of chopped black olives
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 bunch of green onions, thinly slice, include whites and greens
1 (16oz) bottle of Zesty Italian salad dressing


Directions:
Drain all vegetables very well. In a bowl, combine chopped onions and pepper and all vegetables. Pour Zesty Italian dressing over all of the vegetables and marinate over night. Serve with Fritos.

Correction!

This is in regard to my earlier post about Pumpkin Spice Cake.

My friend Carrie reminded me that her little girl has an egg and milk allergy, and is not allergic to wheat. The recipe was great for her because it lacks eggs and oil. It is NOT a gluten-free recipe. She mentioned in her blog that it was GUILT-FREE.

Somewhere along the way, I got it stuck in my head that it was GLUTEN-FREE. If I think about it, of course it's not gluten-free! I am a goob! However, it IS a guilt-free dessert and is super delicious!

Sorry for the confusion!

Whew, you would think I have pregnancy brain with all of this craziness going on. I DON'T, but, man, you would think.

Pumpkin, Spice, It's Oh So Nice!

I just love the Fall and all the yummy and smelly-good things that go along with it! I am a big fan of all of the pumpkin-flavored things that come out this time of year: pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice chai, pumpkin bread, and have you ever tried Pecan Pumpkin Butter from Williams Sonoma? That stuff is incredible.

I have tried making pumpkin soup.

Night.mare.

I'll have to share that story another time. But, all I am seeing are visions of orange mush. Spilled all over my mother's minivan. It was tragic.

However, here is a delicious and simple recipe I tried last night involving pumpkin that is fool-proof, easy, delicious, and low in fat. It's also gluten-free! (I don't really know what that means, but it seems to be a new trend, so since it is gluten-free, I though I'd mention it for those who are into that.) Just kidding, I do know what gluten-free means, and food allergies are no joke.

All joking aside, my friend Carrie posted this recipe on her blog. Her one-year-old has recently been diagnosed with some food allergies, so Carrie is having to adjust to life with some new food regulations. Her daughter, Kendall, can't have wheat or eggs, so gluten-free is a must for now!

I made this pumpkin-spice cake yesterday, and it is delicious! Try it sometime. Seriously, it couldn't be simpler.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of spice cake mix
1 can of pumpkin
1/2 can of water

Directions:

Combine all three ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Pour into your favorite cake pan. (I used a bundt!) Bake cake according to the directions on the box, let cool, and serve. For a beautiful display, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

This cake is so good, so moist, and just perfect for Fall. It's a great breakfast or dessert or mid-day snack! Oh, I love pumpkin!

P.S. Have I mentioned that when I was growing up, my family got on a kick where we named all of our pets after food? My first dog, a Sheltie, was named Pumpkin. It's true.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Here is a yummy and easy supper to fix that I tried out last night! Jonathan and I really enjoyed it, and I will be adding it to my repertoire! I found the recipe on the $5 Dinners blog! This is a great website with lots of great money saving ideas and delicious dinner recipes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast, diced
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, with juice
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger


Directions:
1. In large skillet over medium high heat, brown the diced chicken pieces in oil.
2. Add diced green bell pepper and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. In small bowl, whisk together corn starch and soy sauce, then pour the mixture into skillet along with the pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and ginger. Stir together and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency/thickness.

Serve over brown or white rice.
***I used white rice and added just a few splashes of soy sauce to the water to add a hint of salt.
***This meal was wonderful, but I like lots of sauce, so I doubled the sauce portion, minus the pineapple and pineapple juice. I added some water to replace the liquid that the pineapple juice added.
***Jonathan mentioned that this recipe would probably be equally as tasty using shrimp instead of chicken. I think I may try that sometime soon as we love us some shrimp in this household. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Hope you enjoy!

Cranberry Chicken

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall! YEAH! I love fall in Tennessee!

Speaking of fall, here is a delicious and simple supper idea that reminds me of fall weather! There's just something about cranberries that makes me think of cooler weather, Thanksgiving, changing colors. My neighbor, Anne, made this meal for us for dinner a few weeks ago and I made it myself for our supper tonight. It was so yummy!

Cranberry Chicken

1-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce
1 package of dry onion soup mix
8 oz. of Catalina salad dressing (I used Kraft Light Catalina to cut back on fat and calories)

In a bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, soup mix and dressing. Place chicken in a casserole dish and cover chicken with sauce mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour, or until chicken is cooked through. I served this with white rice and turnip greens. The sauce is so yummy and tastes great over the rice!

This is definitely one of our new favorites!

P.S. Jonathan brought home candy corn yesterday, and I have already eaten way too much! I just love this time of year!

Once Again, The Pioneer Woman Proves To Be My Hero

Oh, dear. These are incredible.



I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks a few months back. I knew they looked heavenly, so I printed out the recipe. I can't justify baking something like this for no reason. But, I finally had an occasion to bake these delicious little desserts! They are amazing and you MUST MUST MUST try them!

Individual Raspberry Cobblers
Makes 24 cobblers

Ingredients:
2 cups self-rising flour (must use self-rising)
2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
2 sticks butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh raspberries
Extra sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour with sugar, then whisk in milk. Whisk in melted butter and vanilla. Pour 1/4 cup batter into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle a few raspberries on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown and crisp around the edges. Invert onto a cooling rack and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

***This full recipe makes 24 cobblers, but as you can see, it is easy to half or double this recipe if you need to.
***I sprayed my muffin tins with Pam, then lightly floured the bottoms. She mentioned in her blogpost about these cobblers that they tend to stick. I had trouble getting my first batch out of the muffins tins, so I used a knife to loosen the edges. Some fell apart, but most of them stayed intact. I recommend letting them set for about 5 minutes to cool a bit before inerting them.
***These were so delicious and so easy. I bet they would be equally as yummy if you were to use blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries.

Cajun Pork Chops

Talk about S-I-M-P-L-E! Yes, this says Cajun, but I actually got the recipe from my mother-in-law who is a good ole, Southern, Mississippi girl. It is yummy and super easy, and not really spicy at all!

Ingredients:

4- 1/2 inch thick pork chops
olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1 can of Chicken Gumbo soup

Directions:

In a medium-sized, deep skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. You'll want a very thin layer of oil to cover the bottom of pan. Salt and pepper both sides of pork chops and dredge in flour. Make sure the oil is hot, then place chops in skillet and brown 3-4 minutes per side until lightly browned.
Add can of Chicken Gumbo soup. In soup can, mix 1/2 can of water with 1 teaspoon of flour and mix well until all clumps of flour have dissolved. Add water/flour mixture to skillet. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until the chops are cooked through and the liquid from soup has condensed some. Ta-da!

Serve with salad and hot bread!

***I bet this would be equally as tasty with chicken instead of pork chops.
***I used Campbell's Chicken Gumbo soup.

Chicken Marsala

This is one of our favorite dishes at Italian restaurants. We really fell in love with it at the restaurant that used to be in Turkey Creek called Vinny and Me. Unfortunately, I think the economy got to the owners and they closed down after we had only just discovered it. Anyways, Jonathan and I came across this recipe on weightwatchers.com the other night and I gave it a whirl for supper. It is delicious and is very simple to make. Jonathan said, "This would be something I'd love to eat even if it wasn't on Weight Watchers." So, here it goes!

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, fresh, sliced
1 lb. uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (four 4 oz. piece)
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup Marsala wine (I bought Marsala cooking wine)
1 1/4 cups canned beef broth, reduced-sodium, divided
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until tender and releasing liquid, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken on a plate and season both sides with thyme, salt, and pepper. Move mushrooms to outer edge of skillet once cooked. Place chicken in center of skillet and saute until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side.
3. Add wine to skillet; simmer 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of broth and simmer, uncovered, until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 8 minutes. (I scraped the bottom of the pan to get all the good stuff off of the bottom and into the sauce, just like Rachael Ray tells you to).
4. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup of broth in a small bowl; add to skillet. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly and incorporating mushrooms into the liquid, about 1 minute. Serve chicken with mushroom sauce spooned on top. Yields about 3 oz of chicken and 1/3 cup of sauce per serving.

***I served this with roasted asparagus and whole grain pasta mixed with butter and parmesan cheese. It was yummy!
***For anyone interested in the weight watchers points here, one serving is 4 points (chicken and mushroom sauce only).

As if I couldn't love The Pioneer Woman any more...

She goes ahead and starts this web page.

Check out Tasty Kitchen

I hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ball

This recipe is a wonderful and simple idea that is great for Care Group, showers, or just because you are in the mood to stuff your face! It is super yummy, and I'm sure the kiddos will love it too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ball

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Chocolate or honey graham crackers for dipping

Directions:
In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioner's sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Gently stir in mini chocolate chips.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped nuts before serving. Serve with your favorite flavor of graham crackers for dipping. (I use the graham cracker sticks).

Banana Nut Bliss

Every now and then, say every other month or so, I get the hankering for some banana nut bread. Baking makes me feel so Martha Stewart. So Betty Crocker. So domestic. I do it so rarely, and I truly don't do it very well at all. However, for whatever reason, banana nut bread calls my name occasionally, and I just HAVE to make some. My most recent hankering came upon me this afternoon. Maybe it is the hormones, maybe it's the lack of sleep lately. But, I'm pretty sure it was the stack of brown bananas on my fruit platter that just screamed BAKE ME!

A few hours later and my house smells like freshly baked goodness. I even broke out of my shell a little bit and made banana nut muffins instead of the typical banana nut bread. Can't wait till breakfast! Anyway, I thought I would post the recipe I use in case any of you out there love banana nut bread like I do. The best part about this recipe is that when this craving occurs so randomly, I almost always have all of the ingredients in my pantry/refrigerator.

Banana Nut Bread

1 stick of butter, at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
3-4 bananas, preferably ripe
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda (sifted in flour)
1 cup nuts (optional) (I use chopped pecans)
1 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time. Then add the bananas, sifted flour and baking soda; mix well. Add nuts, raisins, and vanilla. Pour into a greased loaf pan (or greased/lined muffin pans) and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

***For the muffins, I took them out after 30 minutes. I usually bake the loaf for 40-50 minutes, or until the middle is done. Also, I ended up with approximately 20 muffins with just one batch. I know this recipe can be easily doubled to make multiple loaves or to freeze some.

Snicker Brownies

Ingredients:

1 box of German Chocolate cake mix
1 1/2 sticks of margarine, melted
1 can of sweetened, condensed milk
1 bag of Snickers fun size candy bars

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine cake mix, melted margarine, and condensed milk. Spread half of the cake mixture in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Slice candy bars into small slices and layer the slices onto the baked crust. Crumble the remaining batter on top of the candy slices. It will have a crumbly texture, so don't worry about making it smooth. Put pan back into oven and bake for 20 minutes more at 350 degrees.

These brownies are delicious! The best part, honestly, may be in making them. Since they don't have raw eggs in the batter, I was free to sample as much of the batter as I felt was required. This is a super simple recipe with amazing results!

A few tips:
*** I bought a large bag of fun size Snicker bars because I knew going in I was making two batches of the brownies. I ended up slicing up about 10 fun size Snickers for each batch, so that may help you gauge. The great news: I think I can get about 3 batches of Snickers brownies out of the big bag if I use that number.

*** This recipe would probably be equally as scrumptious with Milky Way! Honestly, there are endless possibilities.

*** I also think after much serious thought and meditation and sampling, that these brownies would actually make great cookies! I think I may try this. Make the batter, slice up some Snickers, drop by the spoonful. Yummy!

Yum, yum, yum.....Hummus!

For the longest time, I didn't think I liked hummus. I don't know if it just took such a long time before I had some that was actually delicious or if I just had a close-minded approach to the stuff. Plain, ground up chickpeas aren't really that appetizing, if we're being honest here, and some restaurants cover the dip with feta (blek!). However, over the past year or so, I have become SUPER fond of this yummy Greek treat and have had some amazing versions. If you haven't tried it yet, try out the hummus at The Tomato Head in Market Square. Supreme! I have really been wanting to find a good recipe so I could make some for us at home, and my friend Katie shared hers with me. I whipped up a batch this afternoon in a matter of minutes and let me just say: oh. my. goodness.

Let me warn you: it's addicting and super easy and very healthy!

Katie's Hummus

1 15 oz. can of chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you don't prefer spicy food)
juice of 2-3 lemons (preferably fresh-squeezed)
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth or your desired texture. Serve with pita slices/tortillas and fresh vegetables. Cucumbers and carrots are best!

**I adjusted Katie's original recipe just a bit. She recommended 1 Tablespoon of cayenne pepper, but I decided to take it easy due to the fact that I'm pregnant, and I had visions of sleepless nights due to heartburn. I used only 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and it was PLENTY spicy for me, and I'm from New Orleans. Katie must love her some spice. My advice: start small and add if you think it's needed.

**This recipe is wonderful! I have an idea to add green olives to the list of ingredients to be processed for my next batch because I am obsessed with green olives. I could eat them on anything. I bet sun-dried tomatoes would be a great addition as well.

**Tahini was a challenge for me to find at the grocery store, but I found it at my Kroger in the olive section, next to all the fancy olives. It looks like peanut butter, but it's made of ground sesame seeds.