banana bread

Banana Bread Recipe

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

2 cups mashed banana

3 cups flour

tsp baking powder

tsp baking soda

tsp cinnamon- heaping

tsp salt

2/3 cup water

nuts

bake @ 350 one hour

SLOW COOKED SHREDDED BEEF

Use a boneless chuck roast cut of beef.
For every half pound of meat, you need to cook it for at least 3 hours.
Anything above 10 lbs., you need to cook for at least 16 hours at 175 degrees.

Salt & pepper meat generously
Brown in skillet with oil

If cooking in dutch oven inside the oven… put meat in foil and add:
1 Tbl. liquid smoke per pound of meat or no more than one bottle per wrapped pkg.

Wrap tightly in foil and then a brown paper grocery bag or butcher paper.
Put in oven at 175-200 degrees and let cook for duration of time noted above.

If cooking in crock pot…mix ½ cup water with 1 Tbl. liquid smoke per pound of meat or no more than one bottle per batch. Place meat in crock pot (don’t need to wrap in foil or paper). Set crock pot to low and let cook for duration of time noted above (I used the "keep warm" setting and left it over night and it worked great). You may want to turn the meat half way through since it won’t be completely covered by the liquid.

Take out of pkg. or crock pot and pull apart. (It is much easier if you let the meat cool before you pull it apart) Remove the fat and shred.
Put back in roaster or crock pot and mix with Bulls Eye Barbeque sauce. (I used about ½ of an 18oz bottle of BBQ sauce for a 3 lb roast. I also skimmed the fat off the water/liquid smoke liquid from the crock pot and added that back in for flavor with the BBQ sauce).

Keep warm until ready to serve or keep refrigerated for up to three days and then warm and mix with barbeque sauce.

Serve on rolls or your favorite bread.

Can also be frozen with BBQ sauce on it.

Contessa Chicken Salad

Serves 2:

1 chicken breast- best if rotisserie chicken

olive oil

kosher salt and fresh pepper

1/2 C pecan halves

1/2 C walnut halves

1/2 C real mayonnaise

1/2 C sour cream

1 T chopped taragon leaves

1 C green grapes cut in halves

Celery

Lettuce leaves

Cook chicken and cut into 3/4 inch dice

toast pecans and walnuts (7-8 min in oven)

mix mayo, sour cream, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and half of tarragon leaves

add all remaining ingredients, serve over lettuce or on croissants.

Pear, pecan, gorgonzola salad

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 C rice wine vinegar

3 T sugar

1 T dijon mustard

1/3 C canola oil

1 16oz can pears

baby greens

sliced pears (fresh are best)

slices apples

candied pecans

gorgonzola cheese

put garlic, mustard, vinegar, oil, sugar, pears in blender until smooth- may need more sugar

add dressing over greens, pears, apples, pecans, gorgonzola and enjoy!

Tortellini Salad/ Herb and Tomato Vinaigrette

2 lb package tortellini

4 C freshly diced tomato

4 T chiffonade basil leaves

2 minced shallots

4 C fresh arugula or mixed greens

salt

pepper

1 1/2 lbs fresh mozzarella sliced approx 30 slices 1/4 inch thick

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

4 T chopped tarragon leaves

2 T minced parsley leaves

6 T lemon juice

boil salted water and cook tortellini according to package directions. When cooked and drained, toss with 2 T olive oil and cool to room temperature.

in other bowl, combine diced tomatoes, herbs, shallots, lemon juice and remaining olive oil. mix to combine and season with salt and pepper.

when tortellini have cooled, toss with vinaigrette.

serve by: lining platter with overlapping slices of mozzerella, spoon tortellini salad in center and scatter mixed greens on top

Coffee Cake

1 ½ c. flour

¾ c. sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

¼ c shortening

¾ c milk

Topping: (recommended to 1 ½ x topping)

1/3 c brown sugar

¼ c flour

½ tsp cinnamon

3 T firm butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees. 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

Bean-and-Tortellini Zuppa (The one Tiff talks about :)

(Men’s Health; Serves 6; Prep time 30 m)

What you’ll need:

15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

15 oz can zucchini in tomato sauce (hard to find, with canned veggies)

2 14 oz cans low-sodium chicken broth

9 oz package refrigerated cheese tortellini

½ c chopped onion

¼ c finely chopped carrots

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Italian seasoning

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

How to Make it:

In a 3-quart microwavable bowl, stir the onion, carrot, and garlic with the olive oil until coated. Nuke for 4 to 6 minutes or until soft. Stir in the chickpeas, zucchini, broth, tortellini, and Italian seasoning. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tortellini is cooked. Stir in the salt and pepper. Top with parmesan cheese.

(note: This is a family friendly favorite, quick and easy!...dang I should advertise for them)