Cream Cheese Banana Bread

I love banana bread! It's one of my guilty pleasures! I could easily eat a whole loaf all to myself! After many years of using a recipe that my mom had, I discovered one that I wanted to try. Besides it being amazingly fantastic it was super easy too!!! In fact, it's now my mom's new banana bread recipe!


INGREDIENTS:

1 Pkg. Cream Cheese (8 oz.)
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Margarine
1 Cup Mashed Ripe Banana (about 2 whole bananas)
2 Eggs
2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Cup Chopped Nuts or Chocolate Chips, Optional


Comnine cream cheese, sugar and margarine; mix well. Add banana and eggs to cream cheese mixture. Combine dry ingredients in a different bowl; slowly add to cream cheese mixture and mix until moistened. Bake in a greased and floured 9 x 5 inch bread pan for 65-70 minutes at 350 degrees. I seperated my dough into two smaller loaves and, of course, added chocolate chips Enjoy!

Fruit Pizza

I made this for breakfast the other day...my husband thought I was crazy when I told him I was making pizza for breakfast. He sure was excited when he saw the finished product and even more excited to eat it! This is such a yummy treat for breakfast, a brunch, or even a pot luck dish! It's sure to be a hit!

CRUST:

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Shortening

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

2 2/3 Cup Flour

2 Tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 Tsp. Soda

1/4 Tsp. Salt

FROSTING:

2 Cups Posdered Sugar

2 Boxes Cream Cheese (8 oz each)

3 Tbs. Pinapple Juice

CRUST: Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add dry ingredients. Press into 2 round pizza pans. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. I put mine in a cookie sheet and it fit perfect!

FROSTING: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and pineapple juice. Beat until smooth. Spread on cooled crust. Top with fruit...I put pineapple on mine (since I need the juice anyways), strawberries, rasberries, kiwi, and oranges. I bought grapes and bananas to put on there too, but ran out of room! But you obiviously don't have to make a patern....just throw it all on there! Make sure to serve cold and KEEP REFRIDGEATED!!! Enjoy!

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

Who doesn't love a meal that you get full after just 2 biscuits? This recipe is a little more time consuming because we are making our own biscuits, but if you want you can use the refrigerated ones....but they aren't near as tasty!

MOM'S BISCUITS:

3 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
4 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Cream of Tartar
3/4 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Shortening
1 Egg
1 1/2 Cups Milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.Combine all your dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening. Add egg and milk. Knead until combined very well....you might have to add some more flour. Dump on to floured surface and roll out...you are going to want to leave them kind of thick. Cut with large cup or glass and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Let them set for about 10 minutes before sticking them in the oven. Bake 10-12 minutes.

MOM'S GRAVY:

1 Package *Sage Flavored Sausage
1 Package Country Style Gravy Mix
Flour
Milk
Salt and Pepper

Brown sausage like you would hamburger meat. Once it is cooked completely get fork and scoop sausage into a bowl. LEAVE grease in frying pan....there usually isn't very much, but we are going to use it! Add just enough flour to the grease to brown it. Then add your milk. Now I add a TON of milk because I like my gravy runny, so you can determine how much you are going to want to add. Next add your gravy mix and salt and pepper. Keep adding milk if you'd like. Then add your sausage back to the gravy and let simmer until biscuits are done. Open biscuits in half and pour on some gravy! This is such a filling meal! You'll definitely have left overs! Enjoy!

*If you don't have sage flavored sausage, you can add spices when you are browning it!

Chicken Quesadillas

This is the meal you are going to want to keep in your recipe file. It is super fast, yummy and cheap! I make this on nights when we don't have very much time to sit down to a big dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Chicken
1 Tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
This is the part I LOVE you use canned chicken!
2 *Cans Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water
6-8 Flour Tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix soup chili powder, cheese and chicken together. And guess what else! YOU can add whatever else your heart desires! Now that you have the basic mixture together fill free to add anything from olives, to corn to beans! The possibilites are endless!

Spread about 1/4 cup of mixture on one half of each tortilla. Fold tortilla over so you have a half a circle. Place on 2 baking sheets. Moisten the edges of your tortillas with water....this will keep the edges from getting burnt and crispy.

Bake for 10 minutes. Have plain or top with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa...again ANYTHING you want! How easy is this?! Enjoy!

*Of course if you don't want to use canned chicken you can boil chicken and shred it after it is cooked.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is one of our families favorite meals! It it really easy and it makes 2 full cake pans...sometimes more. So that means you can stick a pan in the freezer to eat another night! Who doesn't love that?!

INGREDIENTS:

4 Chicken Breasts
8 oz Sour Cream
2 Cans Cream of Chicken
2 Soup Cans Milk
1 Can Diced Green Chilies
Diced Green Onions

We like it hot so we also add
1 Can Chopped Jalapenos
12 Flour Tortillas
Shredded Cheddar Cheese


Boil your chicken until completely cooked. I then put my chicken in a big mixing bowl and let it cool down for a little bit, Then I start to shred it after it's cool enough that it doesn't give me 2nd degree burns on my hands! Once all the chicken is shredded add sour cream, 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can full milk, chilies, onions, cheese and jalapenos. Place mixture in tortilla and roll up and place in a GREASED 9x13 cake pan. In a seperate bowl combine last can cream of chicken and milk, you can add more milk to make it spread further. Pour this over your rolled up enchiladas. Top with cheese. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Eat it like it is or top with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, guacamole...ANYTHING you might like. Enjoy!

Brownie Bottoms

Ok...I love Chili's Molten Lava Cake. Even typing it makes my mouth water! But what I don't love so much is the price and loading up the diaper bag and the family to drive 40 minutes to the nearest restaurant. So I made a recipe which in my eyes tastes VERY similar! In fact my husband compared the two before I could even mention it! The best part is...you just throw ingredients in your crock pot and let it cook while you go about your day and waaa-laaa....a very impressive dessert! Serves 6

SAUCE:
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
2 Tbs cocoa powder

BROWNIE BOTTOM:
2 1/2 cups packaged brownie mix
1 package (2 3/4 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
2 eggs, beaten
3 Tbs butter or margarine, melted

Lightly grease the inside of your crock pot with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, water and cocoa powder; bring to a boil.

Combine brownie mix, pudding mix, chocolate chips, eggs and butter in bowl. Spread
batter into crock pot; then pour boiling sugar mixture over batter.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes.

Top with homemade whip cream or ice cream! ENJOY!