Banana & Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

 

(1) Graham cracker crust  (use pre-made or make your own)

(1) 8 oz. cream cheese
(2) table spoons of Lemon juice
(3) packets of Stevia (or sweetener of your choice)
(3 oz.) pkg. Sugar free Lemon Jello 
(1) cup of boiling water
(1 1/2) cup of sliced banana's 
(2/5) cup of milnot / evaporated milk
(1) cup strawberries

Dissolve jello in boiling water, stir until completely dissolved.  Gradually add to softened cream cheese
Blend until smooth.  Add milk, sugar, Lemon juice, chill in refrigerator until thickened.  Add banana's & strawberries pour into crust & chill at least an hour before serving.

Note: Squeeze a little lemon juice over banana's to keep them from turning brown.

Graham cracker crust:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs or 10 to 12 whole graham crackers crushed.

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a small bowl, melt the butter in microwave
In a medium-sized bowl combine graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter; blend until the texture of coarse meal.
Press into a 9 or 10 inch pie pan. Try to press the crust evenly, about 1/8 inch, thick all around. If the crumb mixture won't stick where you press them, just add another tablespoon of water to the mix.  Make sure there are no gaps or holes.

NOTE: If you chill the crust for an hour before you bake it, this will help prevent crumbling when you want to serve it.
Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes. The edges may be just slightly browned, but you do not want the edges or crust to over-brown.
Remove from oven and let crust cool, on a wire rack, before filling.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

This Easy Beef Stroganoff is the fourth installment of classic recipes that we are making with today's family lifestyle in mind. The classic recipe uses sirloin strips, but this budget-friendly version uses chuck roast. This recipe can be made in a slow cooker making it even easier, but it can certainly be done on a stove top. The hardest part of this meal is waiting to eat!

Ingredients:

8 oz. sour cream
1 sm. can tomato paste
3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1-1/2 lb. cubed and trimmed chuck roast
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. onion, diced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 14 oz. can beef broth
1 14 oz. can vegetable broth
1/2 c. red wine
2 c. sliced cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (plus more for garnish)
4 c. cooked egg noodles (I use the dumpling style)

Directions:

1. Mix flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large baggie and add cubed chuck. Shake the bag to coat the meat and set aside.
2. In a large pan, melt the butter and saute onion and garlic until translucent. Remove from pan and set aside. 
3. In the same pan, turn the pan to medium high and add the meat. Cook until meat is browned, turning as needed.
4. Deglaze the pan with red wine.
5. Add the onion and garlic back into the meat.
6. Add the beef and vegetable broths and the tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until reduced by half.
7. Add mushrooms and continue simmering until mushrooms are tender.
8. Add parsley, sour cream, and cooked noodles. Simmer until everything is warmed through.
9. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with chopped parsley.

Creamed Chicken or Turkey

 

My family loves creamed turkey or chicken.  It’s one of my favorite go to meals when I’m in a hurry or need something warm and filling.  After the holidays my children and now my grandchildren ask for creamed turkey.   This is one of the ways I used up left over turkey!!   This is a very simple but delicious  way of making this dish.  My sisters make it this way and since I’m the baby of the family (much younger, lol) it was up to them to teach me to cook.  So here is my version of Creamed Chicken /Turkey.

Creamed Chicken/Turkey

This makes about 3 quarts

1 - 32 oz box of chicken broth (or if you make your own stalk, about 4 cups)

2 cups of water

1 chicken bouillon cube

Approx. 2 pinches of ground thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

3 – 4 cups of cooked skinless chicken or turkey, cubed

4 cups of milk

½ to ¾ c of flour

In the pot heat broth and water to boiling, reduce heat, break up bouillon cube and add to broth, stirring to dissolve.  Add thyme, salt and pepper.  Once bouillon is dissolved completey add the chicken or turkey and let that cook.  Meanwhile in a blender or food processor add the milk – turn on low so you can slowly add the flour, cover and turn on higher speed to thoroughly mix.  (This method helps prevent any lumps)   While stirring, slowly add the milk and flour mixture to the pot and let it cook to thicken.  If too thin you can add more milk and flour mix with just about ¼ c of milk with a tbs. of flour and slowly add to the pot as before.  Let this cook for about 10 minutes until thick.  Serve over rice or biscuits. 

OPTIONS:

You can serve this over toast, on mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles.  I usually make this with a side of green beans or steamed veggies of some sort.    Sometimes if I want it a little creamier I will add about a cup of evaporated milk  and 3 cups of milk.   Also when I’m in a big hurry I will use 2 or 3 cans of chicken in place of the cooked cubed chicken.   This is a great hot meal for moms on the go!!   

Salmon with Dill Caper Sauce

This dish is one of my favorite "go-to's"...so simple and delicious...and really great for a weeknight meal! This sauce can be used on almost any fish and is so simple to make!

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

Sauce:
3/4 c. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. capers (minced)
1 tsp. dried dill weed
4 Tbsp. dill relish
1 Tbsp. dill relish juice
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Drizzle salmon filets with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and dried dill to taste. After 30 mins. turn and season the other side. Allow to marinade at room temp.
2. In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients and refrigerate for 30 mins...the longer the better.
3. Spray a cast iron grill pan with non-stick spray or heat your grill.
4. Place the salmon (flesh side down) onto heated surface and turn after 2-3 mins to get cross-hatch grill marks. Then turn filets and finish cooking until skin is crisp and salmon is opaque.

 
 I served this with wild rice and steamed broccoli and it was absolutely wonderful!
 

Easy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This is another recipe that I grew up with.  It wasn't until recently that I found that most people make baked macaroni & cheese with eggs and/or flour.  This is really a much simpler and quicker way of making it with just a few ingredients.  My immediate family are real cheese lovers and we all get together at my house for holiday dinners, it was decided a long time ago that this isn't just a request but a demand for every holiday meal that we have no matter what the menu may be.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

Preheat oven to 350°

Ingredients  (for a 2 or 2.5 quart casserole dish)

1 box of elbow  macaroni (12 oz) 

2 lb. bag of mild cheddar cheese, shredded (or cheese of your choice)

1 tsp. of butter

¼ c of skim milk (you can use 2% or whole milk if you prefer)

½ c of canned evaporated milk

Salt & pepper to taste.

Instructions:

Cook macaroni in a pan of boiling water according to directions on the box until it’s done but still firm.

Drain.  Lightly spray baking dish with Pam.  Sprinkle approx. 2 hands full of cheese on the bottom then cover with a good layer of macaroni (about ¾ inch thick) then put just a small dab of butter close to each corner.  Lightly salt and pepper.  Then add another layer of cheese, macaroni, butter (close to the center this time) salt & pepper, continue layers until you end with the last of macaroni, save enough cheese for the top.  Then with your hand or large spoon gently toss the ingredients to lightly mix together but try to stay away from the cheese on the bottom.  Then put one last layer of cheese on the top.  Pour both milks evenly over all, (you can use 3/4 cup of the same kind of milk instead of 2 different, I just like using both).   Sprinkle a little more salt and pepper if desired, cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil.  Place in the oven and bake until the cheese has melted then remove cover and let it lightly brown.

*Tips:

I grew up with my mother and grandmother making it this way so I don’t have a definite recipe with proper measures, I just throw it all together and according to what we like so you may need to adjust this to suit your taste or consistency.  I use a lot of cheese because that’s the way my family prefers it, by the time I’m done I will have used the whole 2 lb bag of cheese or close to it.  I use very little butter.  You may need to adjust the amount of milk, if you use a glass baking dish the milk needs to come up about ¼ of the way up from the bottom but ¾ cup is pretty close for that size baking dish.  If you get too much milk, carefully pour some of it off then cover & put it back into the oven for about 10 minutes.   When I cover the top with foil I spray the part of the foil that will be facing the cheese with Pam so that the melted cheese doesn’t stick to it.  

To make this recipe healthier:  Use whole grain macaroni, use fat free cheese and skim milk and low fat butter.  Use small amount of salt or no salt at all.   J  

You might need to make this once or twice to adjust it to the way you like and if you are a cheese lover, you will love it!

Grandma's Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread is a classic recipe. This recipe is my Grandma Dorman's recipe and has been handed down through several generations. It is moist and flavorful and wonderfully delicious.

Ingredients

1 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
5 very ripe (but not rotten) bananas, mashed
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 c. applesauce
4 c. sifted flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Cream shortening and add sugar a little at a time.
2. Add eggs
3. Add mashed bananas, nuts, and applesauce
4. Combine sifted dry ingredients and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Pour batter into 2 greased bread pans.
6. Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center of your loaves.

Potato & Dumpling Soup

Here is a hardy and filling recipe for potato soup.  This can be eaten alone, as a side dish, or just add a salad.  There are so many variations that can be made to this soup and this particular variation is the original recipe with the added dumplings.  If you want to make a more healthy version of this recipe you can always add some vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower and maybe some ham to make a great one dish meal.  My family likes it just the way it is with some hot rolls or just crackers.  To me, this is comfort food at it's best!  :) 

Make dough for drop dumplings:

1 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

Combine all ingredients and add enough cold water 1 Tbsp. at a time to make a

stiff, sticky dough.   Set aside.

Ingredients for soup:

½ tsp. salt

4 ribs of celery

1 small onion – diced

1 to 1 ½ cups of sliced carrots (I use baby carrots)

Peel and dice about 5 medium potatoes rinse and set aside in some water.

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp. dried parsley

¼ c. canned milk

Salt & Pepper to taste

Fill a 2 qt. pan ¾ of the way full with water, add celery, onion & carrots.  Bring water to a boil.  Once it reaches a rapid boil, drop approx. ¼ tsp.  of dough into boiling water  until you have used all the dough.  Reduce heat a little bit and let that cook for about 20 to 30 minutes.  After the 20 to 30 minutes add potatoes, butter, &  parsley.   Cook just until the potatoes are done but firm – you don’t want then mushy.  Take off the heat and slowly add canned milk if you want it thicker you can add 1 tsp of cornstarch mixed with a little bit of water.