Banana Snack Cake

I recently purchased the tasteofhome simple & delicious cookbook at Target ($16, cheaper on Amazon) and I tried my first recipe: Banana Snack Cake.

I always have bananas that need used up so I thought I'd give this cake a try. I doubled the ingredients and placed it into a 9x13 pan. I only increased the baking time by 5 extra minutes (40 min total) and it wasn't enough to get it cooked through in the middle. It will need longer next time, or I will need to bake it per the recipe in the 8x8 pan.

You can find the recipe here: Banana Snack Cake. If this recipe doesn't appeal to you there are many other banana cakes to try. They made my mouth water and made me wish I had more ripe bananas on hand.

Happy Snacking!

Fruit Smoothies

A month ago I managed a beverage station for our Volunteer Celebration event at church. While there I made more smoothies in one night than I had ever made in my life. By chance my blender broke and the following day my husband and I picked out a new Kitchen Aid blender to replace our old one. Thank you Kitchen Aid; your appliances rock!!

We have made smoothies every day since then. really. EVERY DAY! We're fanatics.

Here is the "recipe" I follow:

For each smoothie, I fill the blender about 2 inches full of fruit. (maybe 1 1/2 - 2 C worth.)

Angie
 Strawberry
 Banana
 Mango
 Peach
 Orange
 Blueberry
 Blackberry
 Pineapple

My girls make up little smoothie order forms with the above choices. I use mostly frozen fruit bought in large packages, but we use fresh bananas and any other fresh fruit that would be cheaper than the frozen.

After putting the fruit in the blender, cover the fruit with a liquid. Our favorites around here are orange juice or lemon lime soda (yes, soda - give it a try. It's refreshing.)

If you like your drink a little sweeter, then add 1 T of sugar. Blend on high.

If the liquid seems too thin for you, add ice and pulse until you get a thicker beverage. Usually the fruit is enough to make it thick, but sometimes it needs a little extra help.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I love the memories that food can evoke, don't you?

When I had just delivered my fourth child a friend from choir brought our family a meal that included chocolate covered strawberries. I can't tell you how yummy those strawberries were - oh, my! Since that experience whenever I have the opportunity to bless a family who's just had a new baby I always include chocolate covered strawberries. I do this for several reasons: it makes me remember how blessed I was by a friend, it's a great sweet treat that's not too fattening for the new mom, it's fruit and dessert in one, and it communicates I took a little extra time to make sure the recipient knows how much I care about her.

This past week when I made a meal for a co-worker I included these strawberries. I had some milk chocolate chips in my pantry and just followed the bag on the back of the package. You can do that with dark chocolate or semi-sweet too. You might even have a package on hand.

Of course, my family is now campaigning for their own strawberries. I just might have to dip a batch for us soon. Do you have a food memory to share?

Peach-Banana Cream

This was one of the first recipes I made for my husband when we were first married. When we wed, I couldn't cook anything...not even a grilled cheese sandwich! He taught me how to cook and I used my Betty Crocker Cookbook like a Bible for the first year. This brings back lots of memories!

Peach-Banana Cream

Ingredients:

1 can (16 oz.) sliced peaches, drained
1 pkg (3 3/4 oz) banana instant pudding and pie filling
1 C whipping cream
Place peaches in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add pudding and pie filling (dry) and whipping cream. Cover and blend on high speed, stopping blender frequently to scrape sides, until smooth and thickened, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with ground nutmeg if desired.

Servings: 4
Recipe Given By: Betty Crocker's Cookbook under Apricot-Banana Cream
Hint: We garnish with added fruit on the top. Beware: this is a very sweet dessert so a little goes a long way. (You can substitute a 17 oz. can of apricot halves, drained for the peaches.)

Fruit Dip

Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
7 oz. marshmallow crème
2 C. whipped topping
T. sugar

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.

Serve this with grapes, oranges, apples, bananas, peaches, and strawberries.

Recipe Given By: Aunt Ellie Couch
Hint: I leave out the 2 T. sugar; it doesn't change the flavor. I do not serve with grapes, oranges or peaches - too messy, but I do serve with cantaloupe, and pineapple.