Tag: easy

Breakfast · Cakes

Baked Banana Donut Holes (3 Ingredients)

cathysmahaLeave a comment

What to do with leftover bananas? Usually, I make banana bread, but I wanted something different. When I ordered groceries, I thought I ordered 2 bananas not knowing the grocery chain changed the quantity from 2 single bananas to 2 large bunches. Holy moly! I tried this recipe and enjoyed the donut holes. Two of my 5 grandchildren loved them…the other three did not. This would be such an easy recipe for young bakers to try.

Baked Banana Donut Holes (3 Ingredients)

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 ½ cups Self-Rising Flour (Note 1)
  • ¼ cup Light Olive Oil (Note 2)
  • 1 ⅓ cups Mashed Banana (Note 3)
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Oil generously two 12-hole mini muffin pans with cooking oil.
  2. In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas, pack them in a measuring cup to get the exact amount. If you mash too much banana, freeze it, and use it in a smoothie later.
  3. Add olive oil and self-rising flour, and use a rubber spatula to stir and form a sticky banana muffin batter.
  4. Use a small cookie dough scoop to fill each muffin hole up to 3/4 their level.
  5. Bake the donut holes for 20-22 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. In a small bowl, prepare the cinnamon sugar: stir sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
  7. Flip the pan upside down on a cooling rack and let them cool for a few minutes.
  8. Meanwhile, place the olive oil in a oil spray bottle, (or use a pastry brush).
  9. Spray oil all over the mini muffin, or use a pastry brush to lightly brush each mini muffin and immediately roll it into the cinnamon sugar.
  10. They will look like mini banana muffins coated with cinnamon sugar but taste like donut holes.
  11. Note 1: You can replace the self-rising flour with 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour + 3 teaspoons of baking powder. The recipe hasn’t been tested with all-purpose gluten-free flour, I can’t guarantee it delivers a great taste/texture. The recipe won’t work with almond flour or oat flour.
  12. Note 2: Any low-flavor oil works, like canola oil or refined coconut oil.
  13. Note 3: Make sure you use ripe bananas with black spots on their skin for the best sweetness.

Recipe from theconsciousPLANTKITCHEN

Vegetables

Easy Boursin Vegetable Bake

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Roasted vegetables are a favorite of mine and this recipe called for roasting vegetables with Boursin. What isn’t delicious with Boursin cheese? The recipe is so easy and the result is delicious. I especially like the pop of flavor with the roasted tomatoes. This recipe could easily be changed with other vegetables. I will be making this recipe over and over again.

Easy Boursin Vegetable Bake

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 small head cauliflower, cut into very small florets
  • 1 small onion, sliced thin
  • 7 oz cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large zucchini, cut into thick half moons
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp each salt, garlic powder, onion powder + Italian herb blend
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 5 oz Boursin cheese
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat oven to 425℉.
  2. In the 9×13 inch baking dish, add in the cauliflower florets, onion, tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian herb blend, pepper and mix together until all is coated. Spread out evenly. Next, add in the Boursin in the middle and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown on top and cauliflower is fork tender. Mix it all together and serve immediately.

Recipe from HungryHappens

Soups and Stews

Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup

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This 30 minute, one pot soup is easy and delicious. I love a recipe that comes together so easily and delivers the flavor!

Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup

INGREDIENTS:
  • 15 oz spicy Italian sausage crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (no sprigs, just leaves)
  • red pepper flakes to taste (if sausage is spicy, you may want to skip the pepper flakes)
  • 1 cup orzo uncooked
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 5 cups chicken stock
  • 10 oz butternut squash peeled and cubed
  • 5 oz fresh spinach
  • ½ cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
  • ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shaved, shredded, or grated (for garnish)
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Add crumbled Italian sausage, Italian seasoning, a generous amount of fresh thyme (no sprigs, just leaves), and red pepper flakes to a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat, regularly stirring to break the sausage.
  2. Once the sausage released juices and is half cooked, add 1 cup of uncooked orzo and minced garlic, and cook, constantly stirring, for about 2 minutes on medium heat to brown the orzo.
  3. Add 5 cups of chicken stock and cubed butternut squash, stir everything well, cover with the lid, bring to a boil, reduce to visible simmer, and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes until the orzo and butternut squash is cooked.
  4. Add spinach to the soup, cover with the lid and let it wilt on low heat, occasionally stirring.
  5. Once the spinach has wilted, remove the soup from the heat and add heavy cream. Stir everything and season with salt and pepper. Add more chicken stock (or water) if the soup is too dense. Add more red pepper flakes, if you like. Top with Parmesan cheese (shaved, shredded, or grated) and fresh thyme.

Recipe from JuliasAlbum

Casseroles · Poultry · Vegetables

Tuscan Chicken and Spaghetti Squash

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Tuscan Chicken and Spaghetti Squash was an easy dish to put together and used things I had on hand. I thought the flavor was very good but a little too rich for me. Next time, I would either use half and half or substitute half of the cream with chicken broth. My spaghetti squash have produced well and I’m always looking for new dishes to try!

Tuscan Chicken and Spaghetti Squash

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 medium spaghetti squash
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (cut into bite size pieces)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 shallot (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained, julienne cut)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
  • 3 ounces baby spinach
  • fresh parsley (optional, garnish)
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Carefully pierce the spaghetti squash into the center with a knife several times. Place on a microwave-safe plate and cook on high for 8-12 minutes or until tender. Let cool while you prepare the chicken.
  2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
  3. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it’s no longer pink in the center, about 7 minutes.
  4. Remove the chicken from the pan, place on a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
  5. Add the remaining butter to the pan along with the garlic and shallot. Cook 1-2 minutes or until they just start to soften.
  6. Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes and cook an additional minute.2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
  7. Pour in the heavy cream and cook until hot and bubbly, about 1-2 minutes.
  8. Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and spinach. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices back to the pan.
  9. Once the squash is cool, cut it in half length-wise, remove the seeds and scrap out the strands with a fork.
  10. Stir the squash into the cream sauce until evenly coated.
  11. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Recipe from DeliciousLittleBites

Fish

Zesty Shrimp and Avocado Rice Bowls with Cilantro Lime Sauce

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Zesty Shrimp and Avocado Rice Bowls are so easy to make and absolutely delicious. After making it, I’ll experiment by adding other ingredients such as cucumber, shredded carrot and perhaps mango. This is a great

Zesty Shrimp and Avocado Rice Bowls with Cilantro Lime Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
  • optional: 1/2 cup shredded carrots, cucumber or mango
  • Cilantro Lime Sauce:
    • 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
    • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • Pinch of black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Prepare the shrimp: In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  2. Start cooking the rice. 1 cup rice and 2 cups water.
  3. Cook the shrimp: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until pink and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Make the cilantro lime sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream (or yogurt), cilantro, lime juice, water, salt and pepper until smooth.
  5. Assemble the four (3 for a bigger serving) bowls: Divide the cooked rice among the bowls. Top with the cooked shrimp, diced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion and chopped cilantro. (optional: shredded carrots, cucumber or mango).
  6. Drizzle with sauce: Drizzle each bowl generously with the cilantro lime sauce.
  7. Serve immediately: Enjoy your zesty and refreshing shrimp and avocado rice bowls.

Note: I ate the bowls leftover as well as fresh. They were good straight from the frig or microwaved for a few seconds to take the chill off.

Recipe from awesomefood

Appetizers · Breakfast

Peach Jalapeno Jam

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Peach Jalapeno Jam sounded so delicious and I love the Cranberry Pepper jelly I make for the holidays. I wanted a smoother jam so chose to process the peaches together with the jalapeno. Next time, I would process the peaches and sugar and add to the jalapenos before cooking. The jelly is not spicy or perhaps I had a very mild pepper. If you like it hot, add more peppers to your liking. I plan to serve this with Brie and crackers. I can also envision a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with this jelly. Go wild!

Peach Jalapeño Jam

INGREDIENTS:
  • 3 1/2 lb. ripe yellow peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 small jalapeno chile, diced (I found that the jam was not at all hot so you may want to add more jalapenos)
  • 5 strips of lemon peel (I chose to grate one lemon peel and add to mixture)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. salt (I reduced to 1/2 tsp. salt)
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Toss peaches and sugar until well mixed. Let stand for 30 minutes. (At this point you can cook as instructed below or blend the peaches to make for a smoother jam).
  2. In a large saucepan, bring peaches, jalapeno, lemon peel, lemon juice and salt to a boil. Adjust heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
  3. If you did not blend the peaches in step 1, use a potato masher to lightly mash the fruit. Ladle mixture into sterilized canning jars and jar properly or refrigerate for up to 3 months.

Recipe Adapted from Good Housekeeping Carla’s Peach Jalapeno Jam

Desserts

Peach Roll Ups (or are they dumplings?)

cathysmaha2 Comments

This recipe caught my eye and I took a screenshot of it but didn’t save the source. Darn! Anyway, I tried the recipe and made 8 individual rolls or dumplings. They were quite good and the grandboys loved them. I am not a big fan of Crescent rolls so next time I would make them with Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry.

They were easy and would be great for a quick dessert. I made them with fresh peaches and honey but you could easily substitute canned peach halves or sugar for the honey.

Peach Roll Ups

INGREDIENTS:
  • Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
  • Fresh Peaches, peeled and cut in half (or canned peach halves)
  • butter
  • honey
  • cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Peel and pit fresh peaches, cut in half
  3. Roll out the crescent rolls into rectangles.
  4. Add the half peach, cut side up, on top of crescent roll rectangle.
  5. Add a dollop of butter to the center of each peach.
  6. Drizzle each peach with honey.
  7. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
  8. Fold the crescent rolls from the corner and pinch along the seams.
  9. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. Remove from the oven and let cook for a few minutes for the syrup to thicken.
  11. Serve warm with or without ice cream.

I took a screenshot of the recipe and now I cannot find the source. If anyone knows the source, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

Meats

Tri-Tip Steak

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Tri-Tip steak is rather new cut to prepare but I have found it to be tender and delicious. The rub for this recipe is bursting with flavor. If you are sensitive to spicy heat, you can tone down the spice. I prepared the steak on the grill as directed and it turned out perfectly. Using a Meater Pro thermometer has helped me assure that I am not over or under cooking meats.

I served the steak with steamed baby potatoes and broccoli. The plate looks messy because of all of the juiciness of the steak. Yummo!

Tri Tip Steak

INGREDIENTS:
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 beef tri-tip roast (2 pounds)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • Optional: Condiment of choice such as chimichurri, herb garlic butter, or bourbon cream sauce
DIRECTIONS:
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire, vinegar and honey. Place steak in dish; pour marinade over steak; turn to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°. Remove steak from the marinade; discard marinade. Pat steaks dry with paper towel. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder; sprinkle over steak.
  3. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Brown steak on all sides.
  4. Place steak on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, fat side up. Roast until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°), 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. If desired, serve with condiment of choice.

Recipe from TasteofHome

Desserts · Uncategorized

Lemon Bars

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Lemon Bars are a favorite of mine and I rarely make them. However, when we were planning our family high tea, I knew they had to be in the dessert tiers. The photo below seems to highlight the Macaroons, a great Costco find. However the lemon bars on the bottom are the star of this recipe.

After the tea, I had several leftover and discovered they freeze really well.

In case you’re interested in the tiered plate, I bought the plates from Goodwill and used glasses to glue between the plates. It was fun and added a bit of ‘fancy’ to our tea.

Lemon Bars

INGREDIENTS:
  • For the Crust:
    • 2 cups flour
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1 cup salted butter, cut into small cubes, plus more for greasing
  • For the Filling:
    • 1 1/2 cups sugar
    • 1/4 cup flour
    • 4 large eggs
    • Zest and juice of 4 medium-sized lemons
  • Powdered sugar, for topping
DIRECTIONS:
  1. For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan with butter. (Use an 8-by-10-inch pan if you’d like the layers to be a little thicker.) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to cut it all together until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Press into the prepared pan and bake until golden around the edges, about 20 minutes.
  2. For the filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Crack in the eggs, and whisk to combine. Add the lemon zest and juice, and mix until combined. Pour over the crust and bake until the filling is set, about 20 minutes.
  3. Allow to cool in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, then sift powdered sugar over the top before cutting into squares.

Recipe from ThePioneerWoman

Breads · Family Favorites · Sauces

Devonshire Cream

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Is there anything better than scones with clotted cream, lemon curd and jam? I have never tried making clotted cream, but I have a recipe for Devonshire Cream that is easy and delicious. High tea connoisseurs might argue this isn’t REAL Devonshire Cream but our family loves it. Recently, our family enjoyed a homemade high tea (scones compliments of daughter Megan) and Devonshire Cream front and center. If my memory serves me right, this recipe originally came to me from my sister-in-law, Donna. Another great family cook!

Scones with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and jam would be a wonderful way to treat the special Mom in your life this weekend!

Devonshire Cream

INGREDIENTS:
  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup whipping cream
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Soften cream cheese. Once softened add sugar, vanilla and whipping cream and beat until smooth.
  2. Chill in the refrigerator and serve with your favorite scones or bread

Attribution