Banana Bread out of a crockpot?

Well that's what I said. Maybe you heard of this before, but not I. I was in the grocery market while in check out behind a very long line I spotted a (food) magazine (which is my eye candy) picked it up and flipped through. Not having much faith in the book (it's a diet one) thought it would amuse me while in line. As I flip I come across Banana bread made in a crock pot. I never heard of that before so of course I have to try this. Well after reading the ingredients and putting it together (all the while being skeptical that it's going to be good) I made it yesterday. The verdict? Seriously it was great, I was shocked great. Now I do have to say that my old fashion version is my favorite, but this took a pretty darn good 2nd place. It is moist, super fluffy, not crazy sweet...really um how to explain..yummy ;0) So here you go....

Crock pot Banana Bread (they say diet but hmm I don't know)

Grease the inside of the crock pot with margarine (I can't believe it's not butter) then flour  the pot

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of margarine
2/3 cups of sugar or sugar substitute
2 eggs well beaten
2 tbsp of light corn syrup
3 medium ripe mashed bananas
1 3/4 flour (all purpose)
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
optional 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts

Cream margarine in large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly add sugar, eggs, corn syrup, and bananas. Beat until smooth.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.

Slowly beat flour mix into creamed mix. Add walnuts if using here. Pour into crock pot. Cover, and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours depending how yours cooks, mine was good after 2 hours.. turn off the carefully unstick sides with a butter knife and turn on to serving plate......(now I did have some burned side on the bottom not much but some which I just carefully removed/ scraped with a knife and all was fine after that)
Voila...crock pot banana bread

(haha..notice my finger prints from checking to see if it's done)

Encouragement to chew on:

To rejoice in another's prosperity, is to give content to your own lot: to mitigate another's grief, is to alleviate or dispel your own.

You want a delish fast snack???? Apple nachos?

Apple Nachos

1 apple per person cored then sliced in rounds
Nutella chocolate spread...warmed to drizzle
Peanut butter, warmed so you can drizzle it also
chocolate chips
Melted marshmallows
Slice the apples. Place them in a bowl of water with salt in it to keep them from turning brown. Use about 1/2 tsp. of salt per 4 cups of water. Spread apple slices on a platter and drizzle with peanut butter, nutella and melted marshmallows. If you want you can even sprinkle with nuts, coconuts and chocolate chips and drizzle with more peanut butter....yummy treat..tastes like a chocolate covered apple just nice and easy to eat.

        
You can use all kinds of other ingredients if you like. Drizzle with caramel or chocolate, sprinkle with other kinds of dried fruit or use butterscotch, peanut butter or white chocolate chips. You can try whatever sounds good to you.


                                    Encouragement to chew on:

                  Kind words are the music of the world.
                               F. W. Faber

Who wants FREE jewelry? Well then enter this giveaway

 

 

I can't help it I love to give, it makes me giddy. So drum roll please......Bailey Grace Jewelry is going to do a giveaway. It will end on the 10 of February so you will have time to receive the jewelry in time for Valentine's Day. So here we go, Bailey Grace Jewelry is a new little business and needs exposure. So it will be a month long for entries. Share..share..share and tell all you come to te...ll me who me who sent them…the more likes that come in on your name the more entries you receive. So lots of potential to get lots of entries. What do you win well the jewelry piece of your choice. Be sure you visit my site or facebook and comment under the piece you like the best so I may keep track of it. So let the giveaway begin!

 

 

https://sites.google.com/site/baileygracejewelry/home

http://www.facebook.com/mrsmelodywest#!/pages/Bailey-Grace-Jewelry/336109413074170

Come check out the rest of the collections

My momma never cooked liked this.

Growing up in a Portuguese home my mom never made "American dishes" that's what she called chicken pot pie. So when I got married I had chicken pot pie and honest thought "oh man great comfort food". So off I went to figure out how to make a super yummy pot pie that would be yummier then any other I've had and without the whole canned soup thing. Here we go the recipe I use and dare say the tastiest.

Chicken pot pie

1 rotisserie chicken ( I pull the meat off and shred it)

1 cup green beans

 1 cup of corn

You can add 1 cup frozen green peas, carrots, peas, and celery, but hubby doesn't like those so I leave them out

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions                                                                                           Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)               

 

                       In a saucepan, combine chicken, and veggies (if using corn and canned green beans then you can skip over this. Instead just combine meat, beans, and corn then set aside). Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside         

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.              

Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.  Brush with egg wash to make pretty and shiny.               

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.               

Tada comfort food done right. Hope you all enjoy.

Encouragement to chew on:

Every artist was first an amateur.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Channeling my latin side...que the music and hip movement!

Alright who am I kidding I'm full blooded Portuguese so not much channeling going on. Last month we went over a friends Christmas get together and a beautiful mama there was making empanadas and my husband was very interested in it and decided to ask her 20 questions on what she was doing. Seeing him ask her all those questions I honestly started to cringe..(I'll let you in on a secret I hate to fry food, not because of fat and stuff but because I always think it's going to spit at me) So the whole way home he said "Mel do you think you could make those?" Well how am I going to turn him down so I told him I would. Today was the day...I put on my big girl pants and fry some empanadas and not only did I learn how to tame the oil, but they were so crazy good I'm sold.

I went pretty basic on my first try, nothing fancy.

Ingredients:

My basic taco seasoned meat that I make

Shredded cheese

Threw in some mash potatoes (hey why not)

Last by not least shells...(hint they are in the freezer section not the international aisle or bread section as I first looked)

So we begin

Fill shell, fold over and crimp with fork

Keep it going...thankfully not rocket science

Filled up my dutch oven with veg table oil until super hot. Then turned done heat to maintain heat. Time to fry up these puppies.

Fry till they look done..crispy look to them

and they were kind to me not one of them spit oil at me.

And I was afraid of frying...silly girl. Now that I've got that under my belt I see some crazy creations ahead of me...breakfast, dinner, and you bet even dessert..can't you picture it some nutella chocolate, marshmallows and crushed up graham cracker inside all melted and gooey....drooling over here.

Let me know if you try them..so much easier then you think.

Encouragement to chew on:

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.
Albert Einstein

Oh my goodness muffins......yep that's right that's what I call them!

I felt experimental this morning and oh my am I happy I did...these muffins are amazing..I guess they should be call Peanut Butter, Banana, Pumpkin, and Chocolate chip muffins..but they are rightfully called "Oh My Goodness Muffins" they are beyond good, and moist, and filling and hey hey now healthy. I also discovered  that adding  half the brown sugar at the end of the mixing creates a spectacular, crunchy exterior on the top of the muffins...did I tell you these are amazing oh wait till you try them.

Oh My Goodness Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (divided in half)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup of banana puree

1 egg

1 cup of Whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup of chocolate chips (I use semisweet)

1 tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven 350 degrees coat 12 cup muffin tin or line them.

In a large mixing bowl mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar with the peanut butter, pumpkin, banana puree and egg using a wooden spoon.

Put the flour, baking powder and soda along with salt in to a zipper lock bag and shake to blend well. Now add to with wet mixture, and stir just to combine (batter will be lumpy DO NOT OVERMIX, now add remaining brown sugar and stir once or twice. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until brown exactly 18 minutes in my oven. Turn muffins out on rack to cool. Pour yourself a cup of milk and enjoy. Did I tell you these are so yummy?

Encouragement to chew on:

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."~ Alexander Graham Bell

Be sure to join the fun at Sugar Bean Bakers Linky party...here you go http://sugarbeanbakers.blogspot.com/2012/01/watcha-got-linky-party.html

http://comfyinthekitchen.com/2012/01/feasting-in-fellowship-friday-link-up-stuffed-pepper-soup/

Fun recipe, the kids loved....Baked Egg Puffs

 My munchkins loved these cute, puffy little egg souffles. I make them in ramekins so that we each get our own puff (makes each kiddo feel pretty special)..best part they are good for them too. I paired them up with some crazy delish muffins that I'll add in another post.

Baked Egg Puffs recipe

Ingredients:

Nonstick spray
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree  (trying to use up all the canned pumpkin I bought)
4 tbsp of shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 tbsp of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400. Coat 4 ramekins with spray and set on baking sheet.
In large bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, pumpkin puree, cheese, flour,baking powder, and salt until combined. Divide the mixture among the cups, sprinkle some more cheese on the top and bake until puffed and eggs are no longer runny in the center about 15-18 minutes...(every oven cooks different keep eye on it after 15 minutes)
There you go a simple healthy breakfast that looks fancy enough to serve at a brunch...enjoy

(Peanut enjoying his, he's my slow eater so I was able to get a picture of him)

Gotta love that silly smile

Encouragement to chew on:

When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place."~ Unknown

 

 

 

http://comfyinthekitchen.com/2012/01/feasting-in-fellowship-friday-link-up-stuffed-pepper-soup/