Beautiful Banana Bread

I love this recipe-it’s taken me years to get it just right and it’s so dang easy. I have inadvertently discovered a secret to making your banana bread super moist-causing demand from neighbor’s and Grandmother’s everywhere.

Yum. Grab your wooden spoon and apron.
It’s time to bake.

Here’s what you’ll need:

5 1/2 Bananas
1/2 Cup Sweet Cream Stick Butter (I use unsalted butter)
2 Beaten Eggs
2 Cups Bread Flour (you can use all purpose, too)
1 Cup + 2 Tbs Organic Sugar (I prefer this, because it browns nicely)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt (or omit if using salted butter)
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon*
1/8 tsp ground Nutmeg*

*Grinding your own cinnamon and nutmeg really sends this banana bread over the top. But, if you don’t have them on hand-don’t worry your pretty little head about it. Just use the store bought spice and no one will be the wiser.

Preheat your oven to 350 first and foremost.
Next, peel your naners and mash the puddin’ out of them with a potato masher.

Melt the 1/2 Cup of butter in the microwave. Add the two eggs to your melted and beat thoroughly with a fork.

Pour the butter and eggs into your banana bowl. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

In a separate bowl, add the 2 Cups of flour.

And the 1 Cup + 2 Tbs of sugar.

Next, add the 1 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder and the 1/2 tsp Baking Soda.

If you are using salted butter, do not add the salt. If you are a purist like me and buy unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp salt.

If you are using fresh nutmeg and cinnamon-it’s time to get your ‘grate on’. Add either the fresh 1/8 tsp of Nutmeg and the 1/4 tsp cinnamon or the store bought kind to the dry ingredients.
Stir the dry ingredients with a fork thoroughly and then make a well in the center.

Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients all at once.

Stir with a wooden spoon just until the batter is moist. There will be lumps-and that’s ok. Sometimes, life gives you lumps…

Grease the sides and bottom of a 9” x 5” loaf pan. If you use another sizes of loaf pan, just decrease the amount of time the bread is in the oven. Fill the pan 2/3 full.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan for ten minutes on a wire rack or trivet. Run a knife along the sides of the pan to release the bread. Flip the pan over onto a wire rack, tapping the bottom of the pan to remove the bread.

Make one for Poppa Bear, Momma Bear and Baby Bear.
Cool on a wire rack for ten more minutes. Now, here comes the secret part. Thoroughly wrap the bread in saran wrap-while it is still warm and let it sit overnight. You can go a step further and place the bread inside of a ziplock bag. This traps the moisture in the bread and makes it sooooo moist.

If you absolutely cannot wait until the next day to eat it-which usually happens around here if Biceps has anything to say about it-at least let it sit for an hour or two inside of the saran wrap.

Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Easy and Hearty Chili-(Vegetarian or Meaty)

Mmmm….chili.
The perfect meal for any tummy on a cold winter’s day. I make a large batch and freeze a bunch for later use-or to share with others. Food is always better when shared.

And, the longer you let the flavors hang out and get to know one another, the better the chili is.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 lbs ground turkey/beef (leave out if you’re going the vegetarian way)
2 Roma Tomatoes
2 White Onions
4 Cloves Garlic or 1 tsp garlic spice
1 Green Pepper
1 jalapeno or more if you like it spicy
2 Cups black beans, drained
(1)14.5 oz can chili-ready tomatoes, undrained
(1)15 oz can tomato sauce, undrained
(1)7 oz can green chilis, undrained
2 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Cast Iron Skillet
Large Crock-Pot

Seed tomatoes, slice and place in a small saucepan with 3 TBS of water.

Stew over medium heat until soft and mushy. Set aside and let cool.

Seed and chop up the green pepper and the jalapeno. Slice up your onions.

Cook turkey/beef in your iron skillet and drain the fat. Return the meat to the pan and turn the heat to low. (If you are making the vegetarian version, skip this step.)

Mince your garlic cloves, adding it to the cooked meat (if you are making the vegetarian chili, mince the garlic into a large saucepan. Proceed to the next step).

Add the onions, green peppers and jalapeno to the meat. Cook on low heat until the tender, usually 3-5 minutes. While this is cooking, we’ll focus on our crock-potting next. Yes, ‘crock-potting’ is a word. Don’t try looking it up, though…

Turn the heat to low on the crockpot and add the “wet” ingredients:

Stewed Tomatoes
2 Cups black beans, drained
(1)14.5 oz can chili-ready tomatoes, undrained
(1)15 oz can tomato sauce, undrained
(1)7 oz can green chilis, undrained

Stir the ingredients together.

Next, add the spices to the crockpot:

2 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Lastly, add the meat, onions, jalapeno and the green pepper. Stir thoroughly once more.

Add a little cheese on top and voila-yummy in your tummy.
I serve my chili typically with cornbread and raw veggies on the side. It’s so dang good, you may not want to share….

Put the ol lid on top, turn the heat to low and let simmer for 2-3 hours.

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Brown Rice

The weather is turning colder, the noses are getting stuffier and the preferred meal, as of late, is soup.
I love making a ginormous amount of Chicken Vegetable Soup and freezing most of it in smaller containers for later use. Plus, this recipe is soup-er easy to make and soup-er tasty.
That was dorky, I know. Forgive me.

I usually freeze the bones of any bird that I have cooked at one time or another, saving it just for this recipe.
But, if you don’t have frozen bird carcasses, you can use approximately 6 cups of ready chicken broth or 8 chicken bouillon cubes for the base flavor, adding cooked chicken to the pot.

Here’s what you’ll need for the Chicken Vegetable Soup:
2-3 Cups Chopped Celery, leaves and all
4 Red Potatoes
5 Medium Carrots
2 Yellow Onions
2-3 Cups Brown Rice
2 Cans of Stewed Tomatoes
1 Can of No Salt Added Corn
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Thyme
1/4-1/2 tsp Pepper (depending on your preference)
1/2-1 tsp Salt (depending on your preference)
3 Frozen Bird Carcasses (see instructions above if you don’t have this)
5 Bay Leaves

Fill a large stock pot or canning pot with water and add the bird carcasses and bay leaves. Bring the pot to a rolling boil, and then turn the heat down to medium.
Let it cook for 30 minutes and then remove the pot from the heat to cool.
While that’s happening, prep your veggies!

Chop 2-3 cups of celery into chunks, using the entire stalk-including the leaves. Grab a large bowl and throw the celery into it.

Dice up four red potatoes into bite sized pieces and add them to the bowl.

Next, chop the five medium carrots into bite sized pieces and also add them to the bowl.

Dice up both of the yellow onions. You guessed it, add it to the bowl.

Add two cups of brown rice to the bowl.

Add the 1 tsp of oregano and 1 tsp of thyme to the bowl.

Next, add the 1/2-1 tsp of salt and the 1/4-1/2 tsp of pepper, depending upon how salty and peppery you like your food.

Add the 1 can of undrained corn and the 2 cans of undrained stewed tomatoes. If the tomatoes are in big chunks as mine were, chop them up into smaller pieces.

Once the bone water is cool to the touch, use a ladle to remove the bones. The water is a yummy broth that will become the base of your soup.

Once the bones are cool, pick off any remaining meat that is still on the bones, adding it to the broth water.
Throw in the bowl of veggies and spices. Bring the pot to boil again and allow it to boil for two minutes. Then turn the heat down to a low simmer with the lid tilted. Cook for an hour or until the rice is tender.
If you refrigerate your soup and allow the flavors to mingle for a day, the soup will be even better the next day.

This recipe makes a large amount of soup. Freeze as much of it as you can and enjoy it throughout the week.
Like a fine wine and my man, Biceps, this soup gets better with age….

Tasty Turkey Meatloaf-Quick Cook Method

Meatloaf comforts the soul as the weather decides if it’s going to be cold or warm.
In those in between times, grab some lean ground turkey and make a belly-filling, yummy-tasting, soul-comforting meal for the ones you love.
Paired with Baked Rosemary Potatoes, this is sure to please.

This recipe is enough for a whole family, or great as a leftover if you are just a two-some.
Which we are. The cat gets nothing.

Here’s what you’ll need for Tasty Turkey Meatloaf:

2 LBS Lean Ground Turkey (or beef if you are into that kind of thing)
1/2 C Finely Chopped Onions
1/2 C Fine Bread Crumbs (Toast two slices, tear them into pieces and run them through your coffee grinder)
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Garlic
1/4 + 1/4 C Ketchup
1 C crumbled Tortilla, Frito, or any Plain Chips (I save the crumbles from my bags, freeze them in a ziplock
and use them for this recipe)

Preheat your oven to 350.

Put your ground meat into a medium sized bowl. Add the 1/2 C of onions.

Add your 1/2 C of bread crumbs. Shoo away the birds if necessary.

Ok, that was stupid….

Try using your left hand to crack your egg open, while photographing the action with your right hand. It’s a fun alternative to the normal way.
(Add your egg.)

Let’s spice it up! Add the 1/2 tsp Basil.

And the 1/4 tsp Oregano.

Finally, add the 1/2 tsp Garlic.

Dump in your 1/4 C of Ketchup.

Now get in there and get dirty! A spoon just won’t do it-you must use your mittens (hands)….

Here’s a secret I learned a long time ago in making meatloaf-make a ring out of your meat. It cooks so much quicker and the entire loaf is moist.
It changed my life.
Seriously-I didn’t like meatloaf until I discovered this secret.

Make a pretty ketchup pattern on top of the meat ring. Biceps loves ketchup, so I added a little more than this picture shows, just for him. He’s worth it.

Add the 1 C of crumbled chips on top of your meat ‘ring’.

Add a little more ketchup on top of the chips-this ketchup will brown and taste, oh so good.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the center is no longer pink.

Once done, let your meatloaf sit for a few minutes before serving. The juices will soak back into the meat if you do this.
I take this time to pour myself a glass of wine and dish up my sides. Then, I a slice off a considerable amount of the meatloaf and enjoy it to my heart’s content-and I share some with Biceps.