Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is the prefect thing to make with bananas that have gotten a little too ripe. I chose to try out this recipe because I had everything on hand and it called for melted butter which makes everything easier. It is my new go to recipe now. I used mini chocolate chips because they spread out more through the muffin. You have to have chocolate in every bite!

From Epicurious

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 32 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool

One year ago: Butter Pecan Orange Cake

Chile Cheese Bread

This was the prettiest loaf of bread. It had orange from the cheddar cheese and red and two shades of green from the peppers. People will enjoy this impressive loaf of bread with a big 'ol pot of chili.

Adapted from: Pink Parsely, Orginially from Savory Baking, Mary Chech

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
3 Tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno chile, veined and seeded
1/2 cup finely chopped roasted red bell pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375, and grease or spray an 8x3 inch loaf pan.

Sift together the flour, salt, pepper, sugar, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add the cheese and gently toss and stir until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Whisk the milk, oil, egg, green chiles, jalapeno, and red bell pepper in another bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and cheese mixture, and pour the milk mixture in the center. Briefily blend with a spatula, only until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and place in the oven. Bake until the top is golden-brown, and springs back when touched in the center, about 45-50 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely.

One year ago: Baked Ziti

Pepperoni Bruschetta

I wanted to make an appetizer with pepperoni, but I wanted to avoid a dip recipe or something with cheese. Technically bruschetta is the toasted bread you serve with some sort of topping on it. But it seems like most people refer to bruschetta as the topping instead...so that is why I named this pepperoni bruschetta. This is a perfect if your looking for something simple and different.

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces pepperoni, diced (I used a pepperoni stick verses slices)

4 ounces black olives, chopped

10 ounces cherry tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

a splash of red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic, grated

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper

1-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

toasted bread rounds

DIRECTIONS

Combine all your ingredients (expect the bread and olive oil) in bowl and mix thoroughly. Incorporate the desired amount of olive oil . The amount olive oil will depend on how loose you want the mixture to be. I used about 2 tablespoons.

Serve with toasted bread rounds.

(If you make this ahead of time and refrigerate it before serving make sure to let it come to room temperature first.)

One year ago: Pimento Cheese Spread

Baked Ham and Swiss Rolls

We all go to gatherings and there are usually ham biscuits. Sure they may be good...but they are not very exciting. This recipe on the other hand is a nice twist on what you typically see.

INGREDIENTS

24 small potato rolls

1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 pound thinly sliced swiss cheese

1 stick butter

2 tablespoons mustard

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

On the stove top melt butter with mustard, worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds.

Without separating rolls individually cut through the bread vertically so you end up with all the tops still connected and all the bottoms connected.

Lightly brush the inside of the bread with the butter mixture. Layer the ham and cheese on the bottom layer of rolls, top with the top layer and cut into individual rolls. Place rolls in a 9x13 baking dish and drizzle the remaining butter mixture over the rolls.

Cover with foil and bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

One year ago: Deviled Eggs

Chili Lime Marinated Drumsticks

My plan was to marinate this for at least two hours, but people showed up earlier than planned so I was only able to marinate the chicken for an hour. If I had marinaded it longer the flavor would of came through more. But the flavor the chicken did have was good and the meat was so tender and moist.

Marinade from Recipezaar

INGREDIENTS

1 cup olive oil
3 fluid ounces red wine vinegar
4 ounces lime juice (freshly squeezed preferred)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
3 dashes hot sauce
3/4 teaspoon onion powder

20 chicken drumsticks

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix marinade ingredients together.

In two gallon bags split up the chicken and place one cup of marinade in each bag. Seal the bags well, shake and let your chicken marinade in the refrigerator. Make sure to move the chicken around in the marinade every 15 or so minutes.

Cook for 25 minutes, flip and cook another 25 minutes.

One year ago: Chili-Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Jalapeno Popper Spread

As usual this isn't much to look at....but it was truly amazing (and extremely unhealthy). I read the reviews on this and people commented how much it really tasted like a jalapeno popper. Although I was hesitant, I gave it and try...and it really does taste like poppers! I added panko bread crumbs before putting it in the oven to give it a nice crunch like traditional fried jalapeno poppers have. This is a must try!

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
4 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
panko bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375

Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in Parmesan cheese, green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a 8x8 dish, and sprinkle with panko bread crumbs.

Bake until bubbly and panko starts browning...about 20 minutes.

One year ago: Risotto Cakes

Better Than Sex Cake

This is one of those recipes that is simple to make and everyone loves. I have seen several recipes for this cake and next time I plan to add some fudge topping to the caramel and sweetened condensed milk. The cool whip tones down all the sweetness and gives it a nice balance.

From Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping
3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS

Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm.

Let cake cool completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate toffee bar chunks and swirls of caramel topping. (I also added some chocolate syrup to mine.)

Refrigerate and serve right from the pan!

One year ago: Roasted Poblano, Potato and Corn Soup

Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 cup breadcrumbs *see note below

1/4 cup wing sauce

4 ounces diced green chilies, drained

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup (or more) bleu cheese crumbles

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray

In a bowl gently mix all your ingredients until well combined. Transfer meat mixture in loaf pan and gently press down.

Bake until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. This took mine about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

As an option you can brush the top of the meatloaf with a little extra wing sauce when you pull it out of the oven to give it a better appearance.

*For the breadcrumbs you may need to add more depending on how loose your meat mixture is. You can also opt to soak your breadcrumbs in some milk or buttermilk

One year ago: Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Party Roll-ups

People are always looking for a potluck dish for work...and this one is perfect! I like something that can sit in the refrigerator, and all you need to do it set it out on the table and forget about it when it is time to eat. Another reason this is good for potlucks is because they are already portioned out and people can just grab them and go. This is one those recipes you can switch up to accommodate what you have and what you like.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 ranch dressing
8 burrito size flour tortillas
deli sliced honey ham
deli sliced Genoa salami
deli sliced pepperoni

DIRECTIONS

Mix together cream cheese and ranch dressing. Evenly spread that mixture on one side on each tortilla. Layer on ham, salami and pepperoni on each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and securely place in 9x13 dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap and chill for two hours. After chilling, slice tortillas and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

This is always a hit. I mean, how can you go wrong with something that taste like cookie dough. But with this recipe there are no raw eggs involved. The only thing i did different was mold it into a ball shape and add more chocolate chips to the outside for a better presentation.

From Recipezaar

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
nilla wafers and/or graham crackers sticks for dipping

DIRECTIONS

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)

Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and set aside to cool.

Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.

Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.

Garnish with additional chocolate chips or nuts, if you choose.