Best Ever Banana Bread

I know, I know, when you see the words best ever you question "is it really?".   At least I do.  Because how do you define BEST EVER?   Your best ever is going to be different than mine.  Best Ever can best be described as something that is outstanding and this is what this banana bread is.   This was made by my mom.   I thought all banana bread was just like this - not so, and I learned that in elementary school when I was over at Devri Hulbert's house. ( story for another day ) . This is the recipe I now always use.   The other day Reagan was so excited that we had browning bananas so we could make banana bread.   The day was busy and hectic and baking up a treat with  6 year old was not on my agenda but it is just what we did.  We made the Best - Ever Banana Bread.


Best - Ever Banana Bread

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup Butter
6 Ripe Bananas ( i dont always use 6 because we aren't huge banana lovers over here )
4 eggs - beaten
2 1/2 Cups Flour
2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Chocolate Chips ( semisweet and milk mixed)


Preheat oven to 350
Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Add bananas and eggs and beat until well mixed
Add in all the dry ingredients and don't over mix
Pour into greased loaf pans - should be 2 of them
Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour and test for doneness
* if the top is getting too dark for you but it is not cooked thru yet - make a loose foil layer over the top.
* cool on rack for about 10 minutes before  removing from pans
* bonus because these are so great to freeze
* for some odd reason this tastes better as bread and not as muffins

The very best part about this picture is that these
little bread pans were my moms 🍞🍞

Almond Joy Protein Bites

We tried these first over Christmas break and they are quick and easy tasty treats.

Make sure you always have a batch in the fridge or the freezer.  They’re great to eat before or after iou workout, as you are sitting in the car waiting for seminary to end, to send in kids lunches, or as a treat to fill your sweet tooth hankering. 

These protein balls are easily customizable. You can switch out the almond butter with any nut butter of your choice. You can also change the flavor by using different extracts or nuts/seeds in place of the mini chocolate chips.   If you don’t have the protein powder, no worries, don’t put it in.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp coconut or almond extract
• 1/4 cup milled flaxseed or protein powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine almond butter, honey, extract, flaxseed and 1/4 cup coconut into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix well.
• Add oats and chocolate chips.  I didn’t have mini chips so I just chopped up a bunch of regular chips.Mix to combine.
• Use a mini cookie scoop to form balls.  This scoop
  Still seems a bit big.   Eye ball to whatever size you want. Roll balls in 1/2 cup coconut.
• If stacking, use parchment paper between layers.  Store in the fridge or freezer.

NOTES

You can use any nut butter in place of almond butter.

For a smoother, more cookie-dough-like texture, use blended oats or Kodiak Cakes flour in place of the oats.

If you're using all-natural almond butter, you may need to add a little more honey or melted coconut oil to help bind the protein balls together better (if the mixture seems dry and crumbly).

Smoky Corn Chowder Soup

Another recipe straight from the Melskitchencafe site.   Nothing needs to be changed or altered, it is just that good.

INGREDIENTS

•  4-5 slices bacon, chopped 
•  1/2 cup diced onion or leeks 
•  2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
•  1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 
•  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
•  2 (10-ounce) packages frozen corn 
•  3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 
•  1 cup milk 
•  1/2 teaspoon salt 
•  1/2 teaspoon pepper 
•  4 green onions, white parts cut off and discarded and green parts thinly sliced 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a 4 or 5-quart saucepan, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until golden and crisp. Scoop onto a paper-lined plate and discard all of the bacon grease except a very thin coating (about 1-2 teaspoons).
2. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, paprika and red pepper and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in the corn, broth and milk. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Transfer half of the soup to a blender (very carefully - don't overfill the blender since hot liquids will expand while blending!) and puree until mostly smooth.
5. Return the blended soup to the pot and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste and add more if needed.
6. Serve warm topped with green onions and bacon.

NOTES

You can sub regular paprika for the smoked but you'll lose, well, the smoky flavor (and it's delicious, I'm telling you).

French Bread Pizza

this recipe and these directions from Melskitchencafe make it so you don’t end up with the traditionally soggy French bread pizza.   Make your own sauce with recipe at the end , or just use a jar- up to you.

INGREDIENTS

•  1 loaf (about 12-inches) french bread, storebought or homemade
•  1 tablespoon olive oil 
•  Garlic powder, for sprinkling 
•  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more or less 
•  1-2 cups pizza sauce (I use this super simple homemade recipe) 
•  Pizza toppings of choice 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Slice the french bread in half the long way, forming two long halves (like a hot dog bun but don't keep them attached). Lightly press on the bread with the palms of your hands or with the bottom of a flat baking sheet until the bread is compressed to about half of what it was (generally about 1/2-inch or so thick, but like I mentioned in my post, homemade french bread doesn't flatten quite as well in my experience).
3. Drizzle the olive oil on both halves, about 1/2 tablespoon for each half, and brush lightly into the dough. Sprinkle with just a touch of garlic powder.
4. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese across each loaf. Place the loaves of bread on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes, until the Parmesan cheese is just barely starting to turn golden and has hardened a bit to the touch. Take care not to burn the Parmesan!
5. Spread pizza sauce on top of the Parmesan-crusted loaves and top with pizza toppings of your choice. I usually go with about 1 cup of mozzarella cheese for each half and throw on some pepperoni and olives but the sky is definitely the limit here!
6. Bake the pizzas for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the edges of the bread are starting to crisp up and turn golden.
7. Using a serrated knife, cut into pieces and serve immediately.

NOTES

If you use the following fabulous Pizza sauce recipe , you'll have some leftover which is perfect for dipping pizza slices if you or someone you know likes things a bit more saucy. Otherwise, a full batch of the sauce is perfect for a doubled recipe (2 loaves of french bread yielding 4 loaves of pizza). 

Also, I use freshly grated Parmesan cheese - shredded on the small holes of my box grater and not the stuff in a can. 

I was quite vague on the pizza toppings - that's up to you! This recipe is more about the method and besides, the options for toppings are endless.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

INGREDIENTS

•  1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 
•  1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 
•  1 teaspoon sugar 
•  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
•  1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 
•  1/2 teaspoon dried basil 
•  Pinch of crushed red pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency. I leave mine slightly chunky. You can adjust the seasonings to taste. This recipe is open to interpretation. Use what you like, taste it along the way and it is sure to be delicious!

NOTES

This recipe is very adaptable so feel free to play around with the different seasonings and amounts. I usually forego all measuring utensils and just sprinkle in until it feels right.

Satay Chicken Noodle Salad

This recipe comes straight from Melskitchencafe.   No changes or adjustments made, it’s just that good.

INGREDIENTS

SATAY SAUCE:

•  1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, natural or regular 
•  2 garlic cloves, finely minced 
•  1 tablespoon sesame oil 
•  1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 
•  1 tablespoon brown sugar 
•  1 teaspoon sriracha or chili paste, more to taste if you want extra heat 
•  1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes) 
•  2/3 cup light coconut milk 
•  Salt, to taste 

CHICKEN:

•  1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced 
•  1/4 teaspoon salt 
•  1/4 teaspoon pepper 
•  2 teaspoons curry powder (see note) 
•  2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 
•  1 tablespoon sesame oil or other cooking oil, like vegetable, avocado, coconut 

SALAD:

•  10 to 12 ounces spaghetti noodles or fresh egg noodles (depending on how noodle-y you want the salad) 
•  2 cups shredded green or red cabbage (or a combo) 
•  2 cups chopped kale (see note) 
•  1 large carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 1/2 to 1 cup) 
•  Chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional) 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside (this can be done several days in advance and refrigerated).
2. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. While the noodles cook, toss the chicken with the salt, pepper, curry powder, and soy sauce.
4. Heat the oil (sesame oil is my favorite for this recipe!) in a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet until rippling and hot.
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 3-4 minutes.
6. In a large bowl, toss the prepared noodles with the cabbage, kale, and carrots. Add the chicken. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine.
7. Serve immediately (although this also makes great leftovers straight from the fridge).

NOTES

Natural peanut butter works great - the sauce will have more grit to it than if using creamy peanut butter, but it's still delicious.

The greens in the salad are very adaptable. It's best to have something sturdy - like cabbage or kale - so it doesn't wilt as the salad sits (because the leftovers are amazing) but you could probably even experiment using spinach or romaine, especially if you are eating it up right away. I like to use a shredded cabbage and kale mix from Trader Joe's.

I'm a broken record about this but my favorite curry powder is the sweet curry powder from Penzey's - just make sure to love the taste of whatever curry powder you use.

One key to this salad is to slice that chicken extra thin. It cooks quickly and absorbs a ton of yummy flavor!

Terriyaki Chicken and Veggies Ann On 1 Pan I Repeat 1 Pan

This is dinner made easy.  It is all thrown together on a sheet pan.  Easy clean up, add some rice and dinner is served. 

If words “throw everything on a sheet pan” work for you, you’re going to love this sheet pan recipe.

Even better, that teriyaki sauce is homemadewith many every day ingredients (it’s already a favorite teriyaki sauce recipe I’ve used for years –  and it only takes a few minutes to whisk together.

Easy, easy, easy.

INGREDIENTS

•  2 small-medium yellow or zucchini squash, about 12 ounces, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 
•  1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces 
•  1/2 to 1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces 
•  1 medium head of broccoli, about 12 ounces, stem trimmed, and florets cut into 1-inch pieces or so 
•  1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into about 1/2-inch strips 
•  1 tablespoon olive oil 
•  1/2 cup pineapple juice 
•  1/3 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium) 
•  1 tablespoon molasses 
•  1 tablespoon brown sugar 
•  1 tablespoon rice vinegar (can sub white vinegar) 
•  1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press 
•  1 to 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger 

NOTES. This serves 6

If you want a saucier end result, you might consider doubling the sauce. If it were me, I'd only pour half of the sauce over the sheet pan ingredients and cook per the recipe, and then take the other half of the sauce, stir in 2-3 teaspoons cornstarch and bring to a simmer on the stove to thicken and use the extra sauce for serving.

Feel free to sub out the vegetables in the recipe for other favorite choices like asparagus, cauliflower, other types of squash, etc. - you could easily add cherry tomatoes, too.

If you want to roast the vegetables longer (for more tender veggies), you can either keep the chicken breasts whole instead of cutting into strips and increase the cooking time to 20 minutes for everything (or longer, depending on how thick the chicken is) OR you can start the veggies cooking first and add the chicken strips after 5-7 minutes of cooking. 

Almond Rocca / English Toffee. This Is It!!

Growing up my Mother was the cook of all cooks.  There was nothing she could not make.  She was especially famous for making her homemade chocolates at Christmas, fondants, Olympian creams, caramels, Hans sipping them in tempered chocolate, homemade turtles, and English toffee/sometimes called almond rocca depending on if you lived in Canada or the states.     When mom was sick she had my sister Jodi and I come to Calgary, we went thru many a recipe and she told us which were keepers, which were made at certain people’s weddjngs. . . That was a week that I will always treasure.  At that time I got the chocolate and the fondant recipes but I never could place the almond rica darn it.  Until now!  This year!   I have tried many a recipe and I have finally found the one most like my moms!

This treat was made at the beginning of December.   My mom would always put it in special Christmas tins with her othe chocolates and whipped shortbread cookies. ( another favorite Canadian Sandy Miller treat that is here on this list)


Nothing is sadder than reaching for a piece of toffee and findingthe tin empty, souse this English toffee recipe to make as much as your cupboards will hold to get  you thru December - before you start the January resolution to be more healthy.  What’s more, when you cook this up, your kitchen will be filled with the scent of butter, sugar and holiday spirit.

Ingredients:
 — 1 pound unsalted butter

— 2 cups white sugar

— 1/4 cup water

— 1/2 teaspoon salt

— 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

— 2 cups dark chocolate, chopped

— 2 cups milk chocolate, chopped

— 2 cups finely chopped toasted almonds

Instructions:

1. Grease two sheet pans with butter. ( not your giant Nordic Ware full your whole oven one - just a regular one)

2. Melt the butter, sugar, water and salt over a low flame, stirring with a wooden spoon. When the mixture starts to boil, turn the heat up to medium.

3. When the mixture has reached 305 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla.    **** 305.   Not 350.  Pay attention!!!

4. Pour into sheet pans and set in the fridge to let the toffee cool.

5. Once the toffee has cooled, remove it from the refrigerator.

6. Melt the two types of chocolate over a double boiler, stirring to combine.

7. Once the chocolate has melted, pour it onto the toffee, smooth with a rubber spatula and then sprinkle the chopped toasted almonds on top. Work quickly, because you don’t want the chocolate to cool before the almonds stick!

8. When the chocolate has cooled, use your hands to crack it into pieces.

9. Pack them in a tin and enjoy!