Banana Bars

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup sour cream
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 10x15 jelly roll pan. Beat first four ingredients until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla one minute. Add dry ingredients and blend one minute. Stir in nuts and spread in pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Cool and frost with Browned Butter Frosting (recipe below).

Browned Butter Frosting

½ cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
about 3 tablespoons milk or half and half

Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat past the melting point until it boiling, and a delicate brown. Remove from the heat and immediately add the remaining ingredients. This should be thicker than a glaze and thinner than frosting. Using a spatula smooth over the top of the Monkey Squares immediately.

 

 *From The Welcome Mat

Baked Beans

2-3 31oz. cans baked beans, drained
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup molasses
2 T. liquid smoke
1 T. garlic powder
1 t. dried minced onion
1 t. chili powder (to taste)
1 t. dried mustard
3/4 cup barbeque sauce
pepper, celery salt

Heat through

*Recipe from John M.

Good Karma Fruit Soup

This recipe came from our good friend Karma Winward (my friend Dave's mother). It has been one of our favorites ever since.

1 small package of tapioca pudding
1 large package of cook and serve vanilla pudding
1 can chunk or tid bit pineapple
1 can mandarin oranges
1 tablespoon organ juice concentrate
3 bananas

Combine juice from pineapple and oranges with enough water to total three cups. Combine with tapioca and vanilla puddings and cook, stirring until it thickens and boils. Add orange juice concentrate and let cool. Add pineapple and oranges. Slice bananas and add to the mixture just before serving. Can be served warm or chilled (we prefer it cold). Can be served with whipped cream.

Coconut Cream Cake

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 melted butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 14 oz. coconut cream (Find it by the cocktail mixers)
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 2-3 limes (for garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch rounds.
2. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, butter, water and coconut flavoring. Beat for 2 minutes and pour into rounds. Bake according to directions, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
3. In a medium bowl, combine coconut cream with sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth. When cake comes out of the oven, let cool for ten minutes. Put the first layer on your cake tray and poke holes into it in even rows using a large fork or chopsticks. Pour half of the milk mixture over, allowing it to soak into the cake. Add top layer and repeat. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. In a large bowl, whisk cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue whipping until stiff. Spread over cooled cake. 
5. Toast coconut in oven. Allow to cool, then sprinkle over cake. Mash it into the sides to get it all over.
6. Garnish with limes if desired (no one will eat them, but they look nice).

Lemon Bars

1. Cream together

1 Cup butter or margarine
½ cup powered sugar

2. Add and mix well

½ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour, unsalted

3. Pat into a 9” x 13”
greased baking pan
Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes

1. Mix together and
Pour over hot crust 

4 eggs, beaten slightly
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup flour
¼ cup lemon juice rind of
one lemon, grated

2. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.
When done sprinkle with powdered sugar
Cut when cool.

*Recipe from Suzanne M.

Honeycomb

1 tube refrigerated biscuit dough

1/4 c. cinnamon and sugar mixture

1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

4 tbs. melted butter

honey

Cut each biscuit into fourths. Roll into balls, then roll balls in graham cracker crumbs and place in greased round cake pan. Arrange in honeycomb pattern, sides almost touching. With the end of a wooden spoon, poke a hole in each. Pour butter over all and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake @ 400 for 10 min. or until done. squeeze a drop of honey in the hole of each one.

The Eight Year Roll

2 Cups warm water
2/3 Cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tb. dry yeast
1/3 Cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 Cup shortening or butter at room temp
1 egg
5-6 Cups flour

Combine the water and the milk powder and stir so the milk dissolves. Mix in the yeast, sugar, salt, shortening, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Then keep adding flour and mixing it in until the dough is not overly sticky.

Spray a separate bowl with Pam. Transfer the dough into that bowl and flip it a couple times so it is all covered in Pam. Cover it with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise until it is double in size (about 45 minutes).

 Roll out the dough into a big rectangle.

Then use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into little rectangles, roughly 2 inches by 5 inches, but it really just depends how big you want your rolls and how your big rectangle turned out.


Now, take the little rectangles and flip them around themselves so they ends up looking like snail shells. Line them up on greased cookie sheets about an inch apart.

Cover them with the plastic or towel again, and let them rise again until they have doubled in size (about another 45 minutes). Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes until sufficiently browned.

*Recipe from Ashley C.

Creamy Split Pea Soup

1/2 pound sliced bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 pound dried green split peas
2 quarts water
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups diced fully cooked ham
2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a soup kettle, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon to paper towels. Add onion and celery to drippings.  Saute until vegetables are tender, drain.  Add the peas, water, potatoes, ham, salt, bay leaf and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until peas are very tender, stirring occasionally.  Discard bay leaf.

Cool slightly.  Process in small batches in a blender until smooth.  Return to pot and stir in cream.  Heat through.  Garnish with reserved bacon.

*Originally from Allrecipes

French Bread

1 1/4 cup hot water
1 T. yeast
1 1/2 T. sugar
3 cups flour
1 1/2 t. salt

Mix water, yeast, sugar and 1 1/2 cups of flour.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Add remaining flour and salt.  Knead 5-7 minutes.  Shape into a loaf and let rise.  Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes.

*Originally from Laurie D.

One Hour Breadsticks

9 x 13
3/4 cup warm water
1 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 T. yeast
1 3/4 cup flour


Full Pan
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 T. yeast
3 1/2 cups flour


Bread stick spread
1/4 cup soft butter or margarine
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozarella cheese
garlic salt
parsley flakes


Mix water, sugar, salt, and yeast. Rest 5 minutes. Add flour and mix well. Rest 2o minutes. Coat a pan with butter. Place dough on pan and spread to edges. Top with spread. Cut into breadsticks. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minuets.

*Originally from Laurie D.

Pizza Crust

1 1/4 c. hot water
1 T. yeast
1 1/2 T. sugar
3 c. bread flour
1 1/2 t. salt


Mix the water, yeast & sugar together and let sit for 5 minutes. Mix in half the flour. Let that sit for 10 minutes. Add remaining flour and salt, and knead for 5 minutes or so.  Cook at 425 for 17-20 min.

*Originally from my wonderful MIL Laurie

Marshmallow Chocloate Brownie Topping

1 Brownie Mix
1 small package of mini marshmallows

  

Follow directions for brownie mix and spread out on large cookie sheet with sides.
Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove from oven and cover with marshmallows.
Return to oven for 3 minutes. 
Re-remove and cool for 1 hour.

Icing:

1/3 cup cocoa
2 cubes butter
1/3 cup canned milk or cream
2 cups powered sugar
a pinch of salt

Combine ingredients and spread on brownies. For best results let stand 24 hours or at least 12 hours in the fridge.

*Originally posted to The R House (Auntie Paula's Super Brownies)

Ham Sandwiches

Make or buy about 2 dozen rolls

Spread mayonnaise on both sides of the open roll

Stuff with one slice of ham and one slice of swiss

Pour sauce over sandwiches

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Sauce:

1/4 C. Worcestershire Sauce

1 T. Minced onion

1 1/2 T. Prepared mustard

1 T. Poppy Seeds

1/2 C. Butter

Warm and stir together on stove, then pour over sandwiches.

 

*Originally from Miranda W. (Baby Shower Sandwiches).