Healthy Banana-Oat Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2 (ripe) bananas
1 c old fashioned oats
1/4-1/2 c walnuts (chopped)
cinnamon

In a bowl smash the bananas.  When done, add the oats, walnuts, and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon for more flavor.  These cookies have no added sugar so the riper the bananas the sweeter your cookie.  If your bananas aren't as ripe as you wished, drizzle a little bit of honey to sweeten the mix.  Drop spoonfulls of your cookie mix unto a cookie sheet (spray your cookie sheet to avoid them sticking to the pan.  I used a silicone mat on top of my cookie sheet so I didn't have to spray it.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Makes 12 cookies.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

 Yummy dessert perfect for the fall and holiday season.  Can be eaten warm or cold, with a scoop of ice cream or without.  Also, as noted in the list of ingredients, the caramel sauce is optional.  I added some on my serving the first day, but I thought it was already plenty sweet, so I don't think it's necessary.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

12 oz evaporated milk

4 eggs

1 1/2  c sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

1 tsp salt

1 box yellow cake mix

1 c chopped pecans

1 c melted butter

Optional:  caramel sauce for topping

DIRECTIONS: 

In a bowl beat together pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and spices.  Pour into lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

Sprinkle top with yellow cake mix, followed by the chopped pecans.

Pour melted butter evenly on top of cake.

Bake 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees farenheit, or until top is lightly browned and custard is set.

Serve warm or cold.  Enjoy!

Jalapeño Bacon Cheeseball

These is such a delicious and easy to make appetizer.  In my opinion it's perfect like this with the amount of jalapeños, but if you are afraid that it might be too spicy for you, go ahead and cut down on the jalapeños.

INGREDIENTS:
2 (8oz pkg) cream cheese, softened
1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
6 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, finely sliced (a little less than 1/2 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp worcerstershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (you can use pecans)

In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, salt, cumin, worcerstershire sauce, and garlic.  Add half the jalapeños (about 3/4 cup), half cup bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions.  Mix well, and set aside.

In a large plate mix together the walnuts, half cup bacon, and the rest of the jalapeños.  Spread these ingredients on the plate and then add the cheese mixture in the center.  Shape it into a ball and coat it with the jalapeño-nut-bacon mixture.

Cover the ball with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.  Serve with ritz crackers.  Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 & 1/4 c flour
2/3 c chocolate chips
2/3 c toffee bits
2/3 c white chocolate chips
1/2 c butter (softened)
1 egg

Mix, roll into 1 inch balls and bake at 375℉ for 8-10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Flour Tortillas

Flour tortillas are delicious!  My family loves them, but I usually just buy uncooked tortillas at Costco and then just cook them at home.  I didn't want to bother making my own specially when the ones I buy are pretty good.  

Anyway, a friend of mine asked me to share my flour tortilla recipe and I told her I didn't have one, and how I would usually just buy mine.  The next day I came across a recipe I took a picture of a while back and told her we ought to get together and try making some tortillas.  She had a recipe, I had a recipe, and we gave them a try.  The tortillas did not turn out okay (they were not soft at all), so I told her I'd definitely be sticking to store bought.

For some reason though, I was not okay about not being able to get this right and I kept searching and trying different recipes/ways of making the tortillas.  Another friend of mine shared her family recipe and I decided to make two batches a couple of days ago.  One batch was my friend's family recipe, and the other was a recipe shared by my other friend.  We decided that my friend's family recipe was overall the best because it produced softer tortillas (it called for a little bit more shortening/lard).  I still wanted to tweak the recipe a little bit and made a new batch today.  The tortillas turned out delicious and soft so I'm calling this modified recipe the winner in my opinion.  It took a lot of different batches of tortillas to finally arrive to this one, but it was a great learning experience.  My kids were specially happy with me experimenting and them being some of the judges. Anyway, give this recipe a try and hopefully they turn out yummy for you as well.  They are seriously so easy to make!

*Note: This last couple of times I made tortillas I used lard, however, my friend says she usually uses vegetable shortening when making hers.  

Also, I just used my kitchen aid to mix and knead the dough (using the dough hook) instead of doing it manually.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of flour
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening or lard
1 cup hot water

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.  Add the lard and mix until dough is crumbly.  Slowly incorporate the hot water and knead for about 10 minutes.  The dough will be soft and elastic at this point.  Divide the dough into 12-13 pieces and roll each one into a ball.  Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Preheat a griddle or skillet to medium-high heat (griddle temperature between 400-425 degrees).  Roll each ball into a thin round tortillas using a rolling pin.  Place your tortilla into the hot griddle and cook for about 20 seconds then flip, once  the cooking side is somewhat golden (around a minute of cooking time), flip the tortilla once again and cook on that side until slightly golden (at this point the tortilla would start poofing up).  Remove tortilla and place in a tortilla warmer, or wrap in a kitchen towel.  Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from a family cookbook given to me by my husband's aunt.  These cookies are so yummy, a must try!  I usually make them without the nuts, but I'm sure they are delicious with them as well.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups sugar
2 cup butter
2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
6 cup flour
3 cups chocolate chips (I usually do half white, half milk chocolate)
1.5 cups nuts (optional)

Mix first 3 ingredients together.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix.  Combine the dry ingredients (except for chocolate chips and nuts) in a separate bowl.  Combine both wet and dry mixtures.  Add the chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 This is one of my family's favorite soup recipes.  We absolutely love it!  It is easy to make and it's perfect to eat with some freshly baked rolls. 

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb bacon, chopped and cooked
1 onion, diced
3-4 carrots, peeled and diced
5 stalks of celery, finely diced (about a cup)
8 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 c flour
2-3 (14.5oz) cans chicken broth
salt
pepper
4 c heavy cream or half & half

In a large soup pot, sautee onion, carrots and celery in about a tablespoon and a half of olive oil (you can also use the drippings from the cooked bacon).  When onions are translucent, add potatoes and cook for about 4 minutes.

Add flour and mix well to try and coat your veggies.  Add chicken broth and water if needed.  Add half (or all) the bacon, and salt and pepper.

On medium heat bring soup to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft.  At this point you can mash some of the potatoes for a creamier texture.  Add the heavy whipping cream (or half & half) and simmer for another 5 minutes.  You can add more salt or pepper if it's needed.

Serve and garnish your soup with green onions, cheddar cheese, and bacon.  Enjoy!