Yummy Banana Cupcakes

After getting tired of only making banana bread when I needed to use up some over-ripe bananas, I turned to this recipe instead. I tweaked it just a bit to suit our tastes, and it has become a fast favorite. It's easy and delicious, and makes fantastic cupcakes that I love to pack in my kids lunches for school. The cupcakes freeze wonderfully, and this also makes a great bundt cake.

Yummy Banana Cupcakes

1 (18 oz.) yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 oz) pkg. instant vanilla or banana pudding mix
4 egg whites
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-4 ripe bananas, mashed
frosting (chocolate, cream cheese, or vanilla)*

Preheat oven to 350* F. Using two muffin tins, line the 24 cups with paper liners and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and pudding mix. Add the egg whites, water, oil and mashed bananas. With an electric mixer, mix on low until combined them on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scoop the batter into the paper lined muffin cups, using about 1/4 cup batter per cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched. Let cool completely on wire racks. Once cool, frost with your favorite frosting (chocolate is our favorite). Store in the fridge or freezer. Makes 24 cupcakes.
*Once the cupcakes are frosted, I flash freeze them on a cookie sheet, then place them in individual plastic baggies and store them in the freezer. In the mornings when I am packing school lunches I can easily grab one to toss into the kids lunch sack for a fun, home-baked treat at school, and they are defrosted in time for the kids to eat.
**Variations**
-Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch bundt pan and bake @ 350* F for 55-65 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack and let cool completely. Once cooled, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1 1/2 TBSP. milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract into a glaze and drizzle over top of the cooled cake, then sprinkle with chopped pecans.
-Add 1 cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter before baking and just skip the frosting.
-For a breakfast muffin variation, add 1 cup chopped pecans to the batter, pour into paper-lined muffin tins, then sprinkle a streusel-crumb topping over each one and bake as usual.

Tangy Beef Stroganoff

This is my favorite Beef Stroganoff recipe, I have been making it for years. I love that I can use sliced beef strips or even ground beef, and it always tastes delicious! You can also make this in your slow cooker if you prefer.

Tangy Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. beef top sirloin steak (or ground beef instead)
1/4 cup butter
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup water
2 TBSP. lemon juice
2 TBSP. red wine vinegar
4 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream
Hot cooked egg noodles

Cut beef into 1/8-in. thick strips. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef in butter until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In pan juices, cook mushrooms, onion and garlic until tender; stir in flour. Add water, lemon juice, vinegar, bouillon, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream and beef; heat through (do not boil). Serve over noodles. Yield: 4 servings.
*Slow Cooker Method*- I don't brown the meat, instead I just toss the meat, onions, butter, 3 (4 oz.) cans of mushroom slices drained, beef bouillon, and 2 cups of water into my slow cooker, turn it on LOW and let it go for the day. About 1 hour before serving, I whisk the flour into the lemon juice and vinegar, then add it to the crock pot along with the salt and pepper. I give it a good stir and let it go until right before serving, then I stir the sour cream in. Then serve it over the hot cooked egg noodles.

Ugly Dip

Not sure what the name is all about, but I can tell you that the dip itself it totally delicious! My kids scarfed it down, with Dylan claiming it as a new favorite. So, ugly or not, it's a winner!

Ugly Dip

1 (8 oz.) pkg. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 (10-14 oz.) can Ro-Tel, drained
1 (11 oz.) can Mexican-style corn, drained
corn chips (Frito's Scoops are the best)

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and mayonnaise with a mixer until well combined and creamy. Add the Ro-Tel and corn, stirring to mix. Chill until ready to use.

Ham Pasta Salad

This salad was an easy main dish meal that I was able to make earlier in the day when things were not too crazy, tossing it in the fridge to chill until supper time where we enjoyed it after a long hot Summer day of playing. It was also a great way to use up some of the many tomatoes we have been picking in our garden this year. Also, I used my food processor to chop the sweet pickles, it was quick and easy and they were perfectly minced for the salad.

Ham Pasta Salad

1 lb. shells pasta

2 cups cooked cubed ham

8-10 small sweet pickles, chopped, juice reserved

4-6 roma/plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

2 1/2 tsp. beef bouillon granules

1 TBSP. white vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

few dashes ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Cook shell pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the well drained pasta, ham, chopped pickles and tomatoes. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, beef bouillon granules, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of reserved pickle juice (add it to taste). Fold into the salad and toss gently until evenly coated. Chill 4 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to blend.
Makes about 10-12 servings.

Morning Glory Muffins

I made these to take camping for breakfast the following morning, and they were a huge success. I liked that they were full of good stuff like the carrots, apples and such, and my kids loved the crumb topping. These freeze easily, and are a great way to have a fast breakfast on hand since they taste just as good the next day. Also, I ended up getting 32 muffins with this recipe, even though it was supposed to make 24.

Morning Glory Muffins

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

3/4 cup applesauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrots

1 medium tart apple, peeled and grated

1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained

3/4 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries or chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir in carrots, apple, pineapple, coconut, and raisins. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350* F for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Makes about 2 dozen.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I made these today since I had a large number of over ripe bananas, and they were absolutely delicious! And even though the recipe calls for 3 bananas, I used 5 since I had that many that needed to be used right away, and it worked out just fine. And since the crumb topping is what makes this muffin stand apart from the rest, I made 1 1/2 times the topping so that I could generously cover the top of each muffin. Simply scrumptious!

Banana Crumb Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 bananas, mashed (or 4-5)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 TBSP. flour

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 TBSP. butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease muffin cups, or line with muffin papers. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and vegetable oil. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
Makes 12 muffins.

Garden Veggie Cream Cheese Spread

I like that I can utilize some of the zucchini from my garden to make this yummy veggie cream cheese spread. We use it on bagels, toast, crackers and especially spread on flour tortillas with a few slices of ham or turkey for a roll-up "sandwich". My kids love them! I always make a few extra roll-ups and toss them in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap so that anyone can grab one for a quick snack or lunch on the go during these busy Summer days.

Garden Veggie Cream Cheese Spread

1 (8 ounce) pkg. low fat cream cheese, softened

3/4 cups shredded carrots

3/4 cups shredded zucchini

1 tsp. dried parsley

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

a dash ground black pepper

a dash paprika

a dash garlic salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients, making sure to incorporate everything. Chill in the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. Also, if you do decide to use cheese, you can use pepper jack cheese in place of the sharp cheddar if you like a bit more kick in your cream cheese spread.
Makes 2 heaping cups.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Cassserole

An easy and delicious breakfast that you toss into your crock pot the night before, and it's ready to eat first thing in the morning. Such an easy and yummy way to start off your day!

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole

1 (32 oz.) pkg. frozen hash browns
1 lb. browned sausage, or cubed ham, or cooked and crumbled bacon
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese*
12 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
few dashes garlic and onion powder
ground black pepper to taste

Spray your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Using the hash browns, meat and cheese, layer them in that order, 2 to 3 times each, ending with the cheese on top. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together. Pour over top of the layers in your crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours** or HIGH for 6-8 hours**. This is yummy with either ketchup or topped with a dollop of salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!
Makes about 8 servings.
*You can also substitute shredded pepper jack cheese for all or part of the cheddar to give your breakfast casserole an extra kick.
**I made this for the first time for dinner so that I could see just how long it would take to cook in my own crock pot since I know temperatures vary as do cooking times for every model.

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

This is a fun and tasty twist on the usual chocolate sheet cake, and since you make it with a boxed cake mix, it's even easier to throw together and enjoy. Everyone loved it, and it will for sure be joining my regular rotation of easy desserts. Yum!

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
1/2-3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 (18 1/2 oz.) yellow cake mix
2/3 cup water
frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 TBSP. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven 325* F. Grease large cookie sheet and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and peanut butter together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well mixed. Add the cake mix and water alternately, beating each addition until well mixed and creamy. Pour the batter into the greased cookie sheet, spreading it evenly. Bake @ 325* F for 25-35 minutes, until cake tests done. Place on wire rack to cool.
For the frosting, in a large saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter, peanut butter and milk, stirring to mix. Bring to a boil and let cook for 1 minute (it will look like it has separated a bit, but this will correct itself once you beat it with the powdered sugar). Remove from heat and add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix with an electric mixer for the smoothest and best result. When the frosting is well mixed and creamy, frost the warm cake with the warm frosting. Let the frosted cake cool completely, cut, then serve.

Crockpot BBQ Beans

I saw this recipe, just one of her many tasty offerings, and knew I had to make it. It's so easy to throw together and a delicious side with any of our grilled summer fare. I wrote out the recipe as I made it, which is still almost exactly the same as the original, I just used all brown sugar and I used all canned beans . And the green beans were a great addition, they really worked in this dish and only added to the yummy flavor.

Crockpot BBQ Beans

Place in your crockpot:

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can pork & beans
1 (15 oz.) can green beans, drained
1 small pkg. real bacon bits/pieces 'or' about 1 cup crumbled, cooked bacon

Mix together and pour over beans in crockpot:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 TBSP. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook on 'LOW' for 4 hours or on 'HIGH' for 1-2 hours until hot. Serve and enjoy!