Cookbook Digest

Classic Sour Cream-Banana Bread (with blueberries)

2009-04-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

I'm still using up banans, and this finishes them up. I found this recipe on the Kraft Food & Family website. I had some dried blueberries, so I threw in a half cup.

Classic Sour Cream-Banana Bread

Prep time 15 minutes

Total time 1 hr 15 mins

makes 16 servings

1/4 cup butter, softened (I used butter flavored crisco)

1 cup sugar

1 cup Sour Cream (I used low fat)

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mashed fully ripe banans (about 3)

1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans I had on hand)

Heat over to 350ºF. Beat butter and sugar in large bowel with mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs; mix weel. Blend in sour cream. Add combined dry ingredients alternately with banans, beating or stirring just until blended after each addition. Stir in nuts (and blueberries).

Pour into greased and floured 9X5-inch load pan.

Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Keep refrigerated.

Potluck Pockets

2009-04-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe years ago in Taste of Home. Then I lost it, but I found it again on the website. Taste of Home is one of my favorite magazines. The recipes are always easy and things you have on hand. My husband doesn't eat anything with tomatoes so these are a great alternative to sloppy joes. My favorite way to eat them is on flat bread with tomato, lettuce, and sour cream. I can't quite figure out what nationality to call them. There are elements of Italian, Mexican, Chinese and Mediterranean in it. Tonight I served them with couscous and we're having strawberry shortcake for desert.

Potluck Pockets

SERVINGS: 12
CATEGORY: Main Dish
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
6 pita breads, halved
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 cups shredded lettuce
SAUCE:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Dash pepper
Directions:
In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, cumin and Italian seasoning; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5-10 minutes.
In a small saucepan, bring sauce ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5-10 minutes. Spoon meat mixture into pita halves; top with sauce, tomatoes and lettuce. Yield: 12 servings.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

2009-04-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

This isn't from a cookbook. It's off of the Weight Watchers website. I have an over abundance of bananas that are going to go to waste unless I find a use for them and this recipe uses 3 of them.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

From the kitchen of LITTLENYAMA

Servings | 18
Estimated POINTS® value per serving | 2
Course | Breakfast

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
1/4 cup Splenda
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
1 large egg, beaten
2 medium egg whites, beaten
3 large bananas, ripe
1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add yogurt and eggs; mix thoroughly.

In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add bananas, oatmeal, cocoa and chocolate chips to batter.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray. Scoop 1/8 cup batter into each muffin tin and bake until tops firm to touch, 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from tins to plate or wire rack and allow to cool.

Off We Go

2009-04-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well I've been reading up on Blogging and everybody says you need to specialize. And you need to specialize in something you have a passion for. The 2 things that I have a passion for are cookbooks and photography, so I'm going to try to combine the 2. I'll be reviewing cookbooks by actually making food from them and then posting a photograph or two. I'm not a gourmet cook and for me half of the joy in cookbooks is reading them and looking at the photographs (the more photographs and chatter about the origin of the recipe the better). And now a little about me. I work full time, midnights. A crazy work schedule where I work a week straight and then I'm off for a week (the weeks I work are a real bitch, but having every other week off makes up for it). I have a picky husband when it comes to food, and an even pickier son. So when I'm working the food has to be quick and easy but when I'm off I can do more elaborate things. I am also a follower of Weight Watchers (I've lost 50 lbs) , so food needs to be low in calories and low fat and high in fiber (I even have my husband and son eating Weight Watcher friendly food but don't tell them). And if someone wants to give me a cookbook or two along the way to review, so much the better. So here we go.