banana bread

Homemade Salsa

Approx. 12 cups of cherry tomatoes
4-5 bell or sweet peppers
5 Jalepeno peppers with seeds
2 large whole onions
minced garlic about 2-3 tablespoons
8-10 whole peaches cut up in small chunks
2 small cans tomato paste

Chop up in food processor. Cook in 18-20 quart pan. Put in jars with canning lids and rings. Process for 30 minutes.

Grandma Brouwer's Brown Bread

11/2 cups raisins
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 T butter
11/2 cup boiling water

Add
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T molasses
2 cups flour
Chopped walnuts and pecans to taste.

Put first 6 ingredients in sauce pan and leave stand over night. In morning stir in the rest of the ingredients. Put in loaf pans. Bake 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until done.

Good Yellow Cake

Yellow Cake Mix
Use milk instead of water.
1/4 cup oil
1/4 teasp. almond extract
3 eggs

2 cups Powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 stick butter softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 T sugar dissolved in 1 T hot water
Beat well.

11/2 frosting for double layer
Pudding in center

Tasty Strawberries

20-30 medium to large firm strawberries (cut off stems to make strawberry sit flat)
1-8oz cream cheese soften
Appox. 1- 2 cup powdered sugar

Cut strawberries crosswise. Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until well combined and smooth. Place in gallon plastic bag. Cut off corner tip with scissors. Fill strawberries with cream cheese mixture about 2 tsp. and place on decorative plate. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Breakfast Strata

1lb. roll breakfast sausage
8 eggs
10 slices bread cubed
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 10oz. pkg. asparagus blanched and drained( can use broccoli)
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 t dry mustard
2 t basil
1 t salt

Brown sausage, drain. Beat eggs, add remaining ingredients. Spoon into a 9 x 13 baking pan. Refrigerate for 8 hours. Bake 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees.

Anna's Chip Dip

1 15oz. can black beans drained
1 15oz. can corn drained
1 red pepper diced
1 red onion diced
2 roma tomatoes diced
1/2 cup low calorie Italian dressing

Mix together, add dressing stir and refrigerate.

Can also use an avacado.

Any kind of chips or crackers for dipping.

Flavored icees

12 oz frozen juice
2 Tablespoons jello powder of like flavor as juice
ice to fill blender

Mix together, add 1 Tablespoon sugar, put in glasses. Enjoy!

Easy Pretzel Snacks

3-ring pretzels or any small shaped pretzel desired
1 pkg. star chocolate candy
1 pkg. M&M's (plain or peanut)

On a cookie sheet place pretzels, place a star candy on each pretzel. Bake in oven for about 2-3 minutes, do not over bake. Immediately put a M&M on chocolate candy and press down. Cool in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Serve on a decorative plate.

In place of the star chocolate you can use a candy kiss of any kind or Rolos.

Chocoate Cream Cheese Balls

1-8oz. cream cheese
1 pkg. oreo cookies
1-24oz pkg. chocolate coating melted

In a food processor put cream cheese and Oreo cookies. Blend until mixed. Do not over mix. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. After melting chocolate coating dip balls until coated and place on lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until set.

Apple Salad

1-20oz crushed pineapple-undrained
2/3 cup sugar
1-8oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
11/2 cups diced apples(Ida Reds or Jonathans)
1 cup chopped nuts(pecans or walnuts)
1 cup chopped celery
11/2 cups Cool Whip
1-3oz. lemon jello

In a saucepan combine pineapple and sugar, bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes. Add gelatin, stir until dissolved. Add cream cheese, stir until mixture is combined. Cool. Fold in chopped apples, nuts, celery, and cool whip. Pour into a 9 inch square pan or put into a large bowl. Chill until firm. Cut into squares and serve on lettuce leaves. Garnish with cool whip.

If you want this recipe to be lower in fat and calories use low fat cream cheese, sugar free jello, and sugar free cool whip. I also used Splenda in place of the sugar.

Butternut Squash Soup in a Slow cooker

2 medium squash peeled and cut into cubes
1 medium onion diced
1 cup celery diced
2 cups chicken broth
8 oz. cream cheese
cinnamon
nutmeg
garlic powder
pepper and salt

Saute until tender the onion and celery. In a slow cooker add the cubed squash, saute onion, celery, and chicken broth. Add about 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 6-8 hours on low and vegetables are tender. After vegetables are tender, put 4 large spoonfuls into a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Put back in slow cooker, add cream cheese that has been microwaved for 1 minute. Cook until hot. Serve with croutons. Recipe below

Cinnamon Croutons

Cut up desired bread into cubes. On a cookie sheet, pour olive oil, spread out bread cubes, sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake until crispy, stirring a few times to turn.

Lemon Bars

11/2 cups flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs, lightly beaten
112 cups sugar
3 T. flour
1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine flour, sugar and butter; pat into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes. In a bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour and lemon juice until frothy; pour over the hot crust. Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.

Best Banana Bread

3/4 cup butter
11/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
4 large bananas(ripe)
11/2 tsp. soda
11/2 tsp. salt
11/2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
3/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. In a separate bowl mash bananas and add soda. Mix with batter mixture. Add salt, vanilla, flour, and nuts.
Grease and flour 2 bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-75 minutes or until done.

Rachel's Quick Chicken Enchiladas

2 chicken breasts cooked in olive oil and cut in small pieces
1-8oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1 12oz. salsa (any kind you like)
4 stalks celery diced
1 med. onion diced
1 14oz. diced tomatoes
1 12oz black beans
1 14oz can corn or 2 cups frozen corn
lettuce
salt and pepper to taste
soft tortilla shells(can use favored or plain)

Saute chicken breast, celery, onion in a pan. After cooked add salsa, corn, cream cheese, black beans and tomatoes. Stir until mixed well. Put mixture on tortilla shells with lettuce and shredded cheese if desired.

You can add or subtract as desired any ingredients but I like all these ingredients.