Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (Recipe)

I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was spent trying to recover from a cold I've battling all week.  But I did manage to sneak in some bowing, laundry, football, and baking.  My mom always makes the BEST chocolate chip banana muffins, so when we had a few ripe bananas sitting around, I decided to get her recipe and make some myself.  They are seriously so easy and taste AMAZING!

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 eggs
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 teas. baking soda
1 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 teas. nutmeg

1. Mix all ingredients together, EXCEPT the brown sugar and nutmeg, until well blended (I used my kitchen aid mixer for this).
2. Add in the chocolate chips and mix.
3. Fill 24 cupcake liners with the batter you just made.
4. Mix the brown sugar and nutmeg together and sprinkle over top of each filled cupcake liner.
5. Bake at 350 degrees to 12-18 minutes (I did mine at 18 minutes. It just depends on your oven and how full you fill your cupcake liners).

I actually eat these for breakfast, but they are also great as a dessert too!  What are some of your favorite recipes?

Linking up with:

The Creative Corner

Easy Sangria Recipe (& it's Delicious!)

A few weeks ago when I hosted a Pinterest party, I made sangria for the first time.  I was really happy with the way it turned out, so I thought I'd share the recipe.  I based it on this Skinny Sangria Recipe from Living Locurto,but I changed it up a little.

Ingredients:
2 bottles red Moscato wine
1/2 bottle Chardonnay wine
1 liter of Sprite Zero
1/2 cup Vodka
ice
fresh fruit (I used strawberries, pineapple, oranges, and blackberries)

Mix the red wine, white wine, sprite zero, vodka, and fruit together in a big pitcher. Let it chill for 4-6 hours.  Service over ice and enjoy!  (I actually chilled the bottles of wine, pop, and vodka in the fridge separately and then mixed them all together with the fruit about an hour before the party and it turned out great.)

It was so easy and I thought it turned out delicious!  Perfect drink for summer when you are sitting outside enjoying some sun :)

Linking up with Tatertots & Jello for Link Party Palooza

Quinoa Veggie Salad - Recipe

On Sunday we celebrated my Grandma's 79th birthday with a big family pot luck.  I wanted to make something new and something healthy, so I headed to my Pinterest boards to find some inspiration.  I found this recipe for Quinoa Veggie Salad from Pinch of Yum.  The salad looked delicious and I had most of the ingredients at home already, so I decided to make it.  I changed the recipe a little bit to accommodate things I did/didn't have on hand.  You can find the original version HERE, but here is the way I made it:

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons warm water

3 cloves garlic, chopped

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of parsley

For the Salad:

1 cup cooked quinoa

12 leaves romaine lettuce

1 large carrot, peeled

1 cup cherry tomaotoes, halved

1 cucumber, chopped in to bit size pieces

Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1.  Cook the quinoa according to package directions.  When finished cooking, chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.  The texture of the salad is better when the quinoa is cool and crumbles a little more easily (instead of hot and sticky).

2.  Puree the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Store in fridge until ready to use.

3.  Shred/chop the lettuce in to bit size pieces (whatever size you like it). Cut the carrots in to a few big chunks and mince them in the food processor.  Toss the tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers together.  Toss the cooled quinoa with the dressing; then add the carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

4.  When you are ready to serve, toss with the lettuce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I LOVED the way the salad turned out and would make it again in a heartbeat.  I had enough left to take for lunch the next day, and it was still fresh the next day.  It was super easy and it made a good sized bowl that was perfect to take as my dish to pass.  And it was healthy which made it even better!

Linking up with Katie Did What for Healthy Habits!

Weekend Recap: A Recipe & An 89th Birthday!

What a weekend.  It was jam packed, so let's get started.

FRIDAY:  It was about 45 degrees and sunny, which basically meant I HAD to sit out on the deck and enjoy an ice cold beverage....even if that meant I was wearing a winter coat and sitting next to a pile of snow.  It was wonderful anyway.  Now if only those 45 degree days would stay....

SATURDAY:  I finished painting the kitchen!!!  I can't wait to show you the before and after photos this week!  After I finished painting, I went to do some laundry...and realized our washing machine wasn't working right.  Great.  So I spent much of Saturday night on Google and YouTube looking for possible solutions.  Kevin and I are going to attempt to fix it ourselves this week.  Wish us luck!

I did a fun and yummy dinner on Saturday night that I want to share.  You may have seen this Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring photo on my Instagram:

You can find the original recipe HERE, but I did it a little different and it was still delicious, so I'll share what I did below.

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup buffalo sauce

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 tubes crescent rolls

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, buffalo sauce, and shredded chicken.

2.  Open the tubes of crescent rolls and separate each roll into four rectangles.  Lay the rectangles on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet to form a large circle.

3.  Spoon chicken mixture into the center of the crescent dough ring.  Fold the top of each crescent dough rectangle over the chicken filling, pressing into place to secure the dough all the way around the filling.

4.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes (original recipe said 15-20 minutes, but my dough wasn't done, so I had to keep putting in back in the oven), or until golden brown.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.  Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping!  

SUNDAY:  We headed to Kevin's mom's early on Sunday so we could do some laundry before his Grandma's birthday party.  She is turning 89 tomorrow, so all the family got together to celebrate!

After the birthday party, Kevin and I headed to my parents to visit for a little while, and then my friend Kristen and her little boy, Cam, came over to visit for a while too.  We finally got home around 9:30 p.m. last night and then went straight to bed.  We were tired after a busy weekend.  

I'm looking forward to heading to Cincinnati this weekend to visit my brother-in-law and his wife!

Cool Cucumber Pasta (Recipe)

We are having a pot luck at work today, so last night I made this great pasta dish.  It's quick, easy, makes a lot, and best of all, it's soooo good!  My mom makes it a lot in the summer with cucumbers from her garden.  It's a great summer recipe, but since Mother Nature hasn't realized that Spring is on the way, I'm hoping that me making this will hurry summer (or spring) along!

Cool Cucumber Pasta

Ingredients

16 oz cooked pasta, drained, set aside

2 medium cucumbers, sliced thin

1 medium onion, sliced thin (or if you're lazy like me, you buy pre-chopped onions)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbsp prepared mustard

1 tbsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Combine oil, cucumbers, and onion.  Toss with pasta.  Combine remaining ingredients and toss.  Cover and chill 3-4 hours.  Serve with a slotted spoon.

That's it!  So easy and soooooo good!  What's your go-to pot luck dish?

Cookies & Cream Cake Recipe

Over the past month or two, I have been going through my stack of magazines.  When I got to the bottom of the stack, I found a Food Network Magazine that had a bunch of cake recipes in it.  I knew Kevin would love the Cookies-and-Cream Cake recipe, so I ripped it out so I could make it for him for his birthday.

You can find the recipe on the Food Network site HERE, and I've also included it in this post.  This cake did NOT disappoint.  And it was actually really easy to make.  I'm not a good baker by any means, so if I say it's easy, it really is.  I'll be the first to admit that nothing about this cake is healthy, but it tastes soooo good.  It's worth a little "cheat" to have a piece or two.

Ingredients:

For the Frosting

6 ounces white choclate, finely chopped (I used vanilla candy coating)

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners' sugar

pinch of salt

For the Cake

Basic Vanilla Cake (boxed mix), baked and cooled

15 chocolate sandwich cookies, chopped

1.  Bake the cake as directed on the box (I used two round cake pans) and allow to fully cool.

2.  Make the frosting:  Microwave the white chocolate as directed.  Beat butter, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add the melted white chocolate and beat until combined.  Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth.

3.  Assemble the cake:  Place 1 cake layer on a platter; spread 1 cup frosting on top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped cookies.  Top with the second cake layer.  Cover the whole cake with the remaining frosting, then press the remaining cookies on to the sides.

4.  Let the frosting set for a little bit, and then enjoy!!

Even though this cake tastes amazing, I'd do a couple things differently next time.  First, I had a ton of frosting left over, so I'd layer the frosting on thicker next time for sure.  Also, I would crush the cookies that go on top of the bottom cake (so they are in the middle of the finished cake) so that they are much smaller.  The top cake didn't sit very evenly, which I think was because I had such large cookies chunks.  

If you check out the pic on the Food Network site, it's much prettier than mine.  But don't let that fool you.  This cake tastes like heaven.

What do you think?  Would you try making this cake?  

Mini Caramel Apples

I'm over at Thrift for Today sharing the recipe for these mini caramel apples.  Make sure you head over there to check it out!  Trust me, you want to make these :)

Cinnamon Apple Chips

I saw this recipe for Cinnamon Apple Chips on Katie's blog a few weeks ago and decided I needed to try them.  So last night, I did!

I finally opened the food processor that we got as a wedding gift and used it to slice my apples.  

First of all, I was AMAZED at how fast this thing sliced an apple.  Like literally two seconds.  It doesn't take much to amaze me, obviously.  

These cinnamon apple chips are super easy to make:

• Thinly slice your apples (and remove the core).
• Put a sheet of wax paper on a cookie tray.
• Lay your sliced apples on the wax paper and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon (less is more with the cinnamon).
• Bake for 50-60 minutes around 200 degrees, then flip them over and bake for another 50-60 minutes.
• Then let them cool a little and enjoy!  

I put them in a bowl when they were done, and I had to eat one every time I walked by! An easy, tasty little treat to enjoy during this holiday weekend.

Ready to stick in the oven.

Backed and ready to eat!

I hope you have a GREAT Thanksgiving and get to spend time with those you love...and maybe score some good Black Friday deals :)

Saw It, Pinned It, Did It: Buffalo Chicken Bites

My fiance and I love anything buffalo chicken related, so when I saw this pin for Buffalo Shredded Chicken Bites, I knew I had to try it out.

Original Pin

They were super easy and tasted good too!  The most time consuming part was shredding the chicken.  I might try to use canned chunk chicken next time.  I varied a little from the original recipe and it still turned out great  Here's what I did:

Ingredients

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 tablespoons buffalo sauce

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3-4 cups of bread crumbs

Step 1

Heat Oven to 350.  Line large baking sheet with foil.

Step 2

In large bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, buffalo sauce, and cheddar cheese.  Roll a heaping tablespoon of mixture in to a ball and place on to a plate.  Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Step 3

Please flour in a shallow dish.  Place eggs in a second shallow dish.  Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish or zip-lock bag.

Step 4

Dip each chicken ball first in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs.

Step 5

Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing and enjoy!

Hope you enjoy these if you make them.  Now go check out all of the other awesome SI, PI, DI projects!

UPDATE:  These were featured on Delicious Dish Tuesday!

-Ericka