Whole wheat cream cheese banana nut bread muffins

1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas

1/4 C buttermilk

2 large eggs

1\2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c soft butter

8 oz block cream cheese

2 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour

1cup all purpose flour

1/4 ground flax seed (optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

3/4 C toasted crushed walnuts

Streusel topping:

1/2 brown sugar

1/2 c chopped walnuts

2 T melted butter

2 T flour

Pinch of salt

Few drops of vanilla

Few pinches of cinnamon 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour muffin cups or use paper liners.

Combine flours,ground flax(if using), baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl  beat butter and cream cheese till soft and creamy. Add sugar beat till fluffy. Add buttermilk. Add eggs till just blended.

Add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture. And mix well. Stir in bananas, walnuts and vanilla.

Make topping just by combining all ingredients and stirring well.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and sprinkle a little topping on each and press down lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes or till tops are golden brown.

Serve warm with butter!

Alison's Pastitsio

This is better that that box of hamburger helper stuff you thought about making for supper. Besides it has none of those fake flavors and powder packets. Trust me. This is not only better for you.....it taste fantastic!

1 lb of ground round

1 very large yellow onion chopped

5 cloves of minced garlic

1 brick of 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 8 oz box of tub shaped pasta

1 14 oz can of diced tomato drained

2 cups of low fat milk

1/4 cup of flour

salt and pepper

4 oz of thawed spinach with moisture pressed out

7 oz of mozzarella or italian cheese blend shredded cheese

heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet brown ground beef with chopped onion and garlic. While meat is browning boil pasta and drain. Once meat is browned and onions are soft add flour and stir till it is incorporated. Pour in milk and add cream cheese, diced tomato, spinach, salt and pepper. Stir and incorporate till mixture is hot and bubbly.

Add the pasta and 4 oz of cheese and stir. Pour into a casserole dish and put rest of cheese on top.

Bake for 20-25 till cheese melts and the casserole is good and hot.

Spaghetti squash Fritter

I fell in love with the spaghetti squash a few summers ago. Since then I have been through a thousand.....well maybe not quite a thousand recipes , but I have been through lots of them and I put a little twist on an old recipe making this one all mine! I hope you enjoy it!

1 Spaghetti Squash (about 1 1/2 lb is what i had)
8 oz frozen spinach thawed and pressed dry
5 oz parmesan cheese shredded
2 green onions sliced thin
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 T minced garlic
2 eggs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste ( I probably used 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper)
olive oil

Cut spaghetti squash in half. Salt and pepper it and drizzle with olive oil. bake it at about 400 degrees for 30 minutes or till soft. cool to touch and then scrape out the insides.

While squash bakes: in a mixing bowl place panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, green onion, italian seasoning, garlic, eggs, salt and pepper.

mix your squash and spinach together in one bowl and then pour into the mixing bowl with the bread crumb mixture.

heat a pan on the stove top with olive oil swirled in it so that when a water droplet hits it then it sizzles.

measure 1/3 cup sized patties and press them out to about 1/2 inch thin or about the thickness you  like. Place them 3 to 4 in the hot pan at a time and turn after 2-3 minutes or just browned. and cook on the other side for 3 minutes.

serve hot and enjoy it!!!

Pumkpin Spiced Belgian Waffles for best friends!

September hits me every year with this ridiculous craving for sweet potatoes (not that old sweet potato casserole your grandma made but sweet potato rolls and breads and risotto and etc.) and the need for pumpkin anything! This year I made this fantastic belgian waffle. and yes, its a little complicated but let me tell you now sometimes, especially for best friends, its worth going the extra mile to watch that pure joy wash over their face as they enjoy each bite.

2 1/2 Cups of flour

2 1/4 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp of salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp of fresh ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

4 large eggs separated

 2 tsp vanilla

2 C whole buttermilk

1 1/4 C pumpkin Puree

1/3 brown sugar

7 tbs. butter melted

You will need three bowls. 1 very large one. 1 medium one to put the egg yolks and mixture into. 1 smaller one with high sides to whip the whites in.

In a large bowl place the first 8 (dry) ingredients.  Now into the bowl you have your yolks from your eggs you will need to add the vanilla, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and melted cool butter. Stir these together and slowly pour this into your dry ingredients. Mix it till incorporated and set aside. In the bowl with the egg whites whip them with a hand mixer ( I like to add just a pinch of cream of tarter, but you can do it without) till you get soft peaks.  Fold whipped egg whites into the batter and have belgian waffle maker hot and ready to go!

 Follow your waffle maker's guidelines for waffle making. I just bought an Oster Belgian Waffle maker and I am in love with it!! 

This  made 8 very large waffles!

Greek steak pita sandwiches

These are a fantastic summer sandwich! It packs great protein and a cool crunch of cucumber with the sweetness of good ole summer tomatoes!

1 lb of flank steak

2 cloves garlic minced

1 cucumber

1 tomato

3 T of red wine vinegar

3 T of  of chopped oregano (I used fresh but dried would work too)

1 T salt

1 T of fresh ground pepper

4 T olive oil

1 package fresh pita bread

Fresh spinach leaves

Kalamata olives and feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:

5 T plain Greek yogurt 

1 T red wine 

Salt and pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp course ground mustard

3 T olive oil

First we need to make a marinade for the meat. Mix your olive oil and red wine vinegar with oregano and garlic. And salt and pepper and mix marinade well. I like to put mine in a zip lock bag and put the meat in and coat it real well. Let it marinade for an hour or two.

Heat up your grill and grill your meat till the doneness you like it. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

While meat rests, cut tomato and cucumber really thin. Also mix up your dressing by throwing all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisking to bring it together. I sprinkled a little feta in mine just because I love some feta!

Now slice your meat into really thin strips and cut your pita in halves. Make a layer of cucumber then tomato then spinach then add your meat slices in. Throw in some kalamata olives and feta cheese and drizzle in a big spoonful of dressing.

Now take a big bite and enjoy!

Chocolate chip brioche pretzel

A little salty and a perfectly sweet little pretzel bun! Ate the last one with a cup of coffee this morning! They sure didn't last long at all!

2 1/4 C. Flour

2T honey (if no honey then just double the sugar)

2 T sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

1/3 C whole milk warmed to 120 degrees F

2 eggs at room temp

1/2 cup unsalted stick butter at room temp.

1 C mini chocolate chips

1 square bakers semisweet baking chocolate square chopped

For the glaze:

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp salt

1T water

Coarse sugar to sprinkle

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment mix your flour, sugar, honey,salt, yeast. At low speed add Milk and eggs and then work up to a medium speed and let it go for about 10 minutes. Begin to add butter by tablespoon at the end of 10 minutes. You may need to swap to a dough hook here....I did. Keep added butter till all gone and incorporated. Then let dough hook work its magic on low for about 5 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly olive oiled bowl and set in a warm place for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly punch down dough and add chocolate chips and chopped chocolate. Gently fold into dough with hands and begin to pinch about 8 pieces. Roll each of your pieces out into nice long ropes and then twist and fold into pretzelish shapes. Place on parchment paper.

Whisk egg,salt, and water in a small bowl and brush onto each pretzel and then let rest for 15- 20 minutes. Brush pretzels once more and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 12-15 minutes just till they begin to brown. Let cool just a few minutes then eat while warm! Eat them all while they are nice and fresh and warm. You'll regret it later but gosh they really are that good! 😀

Poppa's Peach Cobbler

I am sharing this with you as we'll as preserving for myself the method in which I made the best peach cobbler known to mankind!

I made this for my daddy for Father's Day and it knocked his socks off!

1 quart and 1 pint of canned peaches drained with 1 cup of juice reserved

3 c flour

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 1/2 c white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c milk

1 egg

Few pinches of salt

3 T cornstarch

2 T oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

In a large bowl place 2 C flour, 2 cups brown sugar,a pinch of salt, and two sticks of butter. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter in till it gets crumbly. Sprinkle 1/3 of this mixture in bottom of a 9x13 pan. Don't press it down or anything.

Now to your juice add 1/2 c white sugar and your corn starch and stir.

Arrange peaches over the first layer and pour your juice/cornstarch over the top

In a small bowl mix your milk, oil, egg, 1 cup of flour, and baking soda and a pinch of salt and cinnamon. Whisk well and pour this over cobbler.

Sprinkle the rest of your crumble mixture from the beginning over the top and do not press down. Throw a few pinches of cinnamon over the top and bake at 325 for 35 miniatures then raise temp to 350 for about 15 more minutes.  Remove from over when golden brown and top and serve warm with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream!