Bananas Foster Belgian Waffles

 Ingredients

Original recipe makes 4 waffles Change Servings

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup butter

• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons rum flavored extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup whole pecans
• 1/2 cup pancake syrup (i.e. Mrs. Butterworth's®)
• 3 bananas, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Check All Add to Shopping List

Directions

1. Preheat a Belgium waffle iron. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, white sugar, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Whisk together the eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and milk in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and flour mixture until a slightly lumpy batter forms. Cook the waffles in the preheated iron until steam stops coming out of the seam, about 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, rum extract, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, the stir in the pecans and continue simmering for 1 minute. Stir in the pancake syrup and bananas, continue cooking until the bananas soften, about 4 minutes.
4. Beat the heavy cream, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until firm peaks form.
5. Once waffles are done, spoon bananas Foster sauce over waffle and top with a dollop of whip cream.

 I got a waffle make for Christmas and have been busy looking for recipes for it!  I'm thinking this needs to be made real soon!

Blueberry Waffles with Fast Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 6 servings Change Servings

• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 2/3 cups milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

• 2/3 cup blueberries 
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
•   3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and milk. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in butter, and set mixture aside for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat a lightly greased waffle iron.
3. Fold egg whites and 2/3 cup blueberries into the mixture. Scoop portions of the mixture into the prepared waffle iron, and cook until golden brown.
4. To prepare the sauce, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix 1 1/2 cups blueberries, honey and 1/4 cup orange juice. Bring to a boil. Mix remaining orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl, and stir into the blueberry mixture. Stir constantly until thickened. Serve warm over waffles.

Snack ideas

We all want to snack on something through out the day.  It is even recommended for woman who are pregnant to eat portioned meals and snack through the the day.  The problem is there are more ready available unhealthy choices out there than there are healthy.  I have some ideas here that could help solve that problem, especially for those on the go and or traveling. 

Road trip, flying somewhere, these ideas could be possible for that too!

Take your favorite yogurt, preferably yogurt without fruit on the bottom (shockingly not as good for you as you would think. Higher in fat and sugar.  Instead just get plain yogurt and add your own fruit, but back to the snack idea).  Put a spoon droplet of yogurt on a sheet of wax paper, put enough droplets as you wish, but space them out.  Put in the freezer until frozen solid.  Bag them up and take them where you wish! 

In some sort of storage container, chop of sticks of celery.  But first, put at the bottom of a container peanut butter.  Then stick the celery in! WOOHOO, good healthy snack on the go.  You can even do this with other fruits and veggies with other things to use for dip. 

Use as many or as few bananas as you would like: I used about three.
1 or 2 lemons
Preheat oven (or toaster oven for small batches) to 175 - 200º F
-Slice bananas in thin slices no larger than 1/4 in.
-Place banana slices on a parchment lined baking sheet as close as possible without touching each other
-Squeeze or brush lemon juice on banana slices and place your baking sheet in the oven
-Bake the bananas for an 1hr - 1hr 45min, depending on your desired consistency
-After removing the bananas from the oven, let the chips cool on the baking sheet- they may be slightly gooey, but as they cool they will harden
For a more standard "banana chip" texture, you can coat the bananas in a sugar syrup (boiled sugar and water) or you can deep fry banana slices, which is another standard method of making banana chips.
*At this temperature the oven will act more as dehydrator than an oven, hence the long baking time. Depending on how thick you slice the bananas and how crispy you want

Baked Zucchini Chips

• 1 zucchini 
• canola cooking spray
• seasoned salt, or other seasoning(s) of your choice

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil, and spray with canola oil.  Set aside.
Slice zucchini into thin medallions, about the thickness of a quarter.  (You can either use a knife & a very steady hand, or a mandoline slicer.)
Lay out slices on prepared baking sheet, and spray tops lightly with additional cooking spray.  Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice. (A note on seasoning, however - use LESS than what seems appropriate.  These shrink considerably in the oven, and if you use too much it gets very concentrated.  It's better to end up underseasoning and add more later.)
Place in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes.  Rotate baking sheet, and bake an additional 30-50 minutes, until chips are browned and crisped to your liking.  These are best eaten within a couple hours of removing from the oven, as they start to get chewy if left out.  One zucchini makes one serving (1/4 C. - 1/3 C. of chips depending on the size of your squash).

Shredded Beef Stew

 Shredded Beef Stew

 

 10 servings

8.5hr cook time

10min prep time

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 pounds flank steak, trimmed of fat, each steak cut into thirds
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped pickled jalapenos
• 10 corn tortillas, heated (see Tip)

1. Combine broth, vinegar, celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add beef, submerging it by tucking the vegetables under, over and between the pieces.
2. Put the lid on and cook on low until the meat is fork-tender, about 8 hours.
3. Transfer the meat to a cutting board; let stand for 10 minutes. Shred the meat with 2 forks and return it to the slow cooker. Stir in cilantro. Garnish with jalapeno and serve warm tortillas on the side.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

• Tip: Wrap corn tortillas in foil and bake at 300°F until steaming, about 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 224 calories; 8 g fat ( 3 g sat , 3 g mono ); 60 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 23 g protein; 3 g fiber; 416 mg sodium; 415 mg potassium.

Butter Herb, Basil Cheese Stuffed and Rosemary Garlic Pizza Crust

Butter Herb, Basil Cheese Stuffed and Rosemary Garlic Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
3 - 4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 package, or 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
For the Butter Herb Crust:
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs (basil, oregano and rosemary), or 1 tablespoon fresh
For the Basil Stuffed Cheese Crust:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1 tablespoon fresh
about 6 pieces of mozzarella string cheese, torn in half lengthwise
For the Rosemary Garlic Crust:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 tablespoon fresh

Directions:

Combine warm water, yeast, honey, salt, onion and garlic powder in your stand mixer. Mix until yeast dissolves. Add herbs (Italian blend, basil or rosemary) and butter or olive oil. Turn mixer to low and add flour until dough starts to pull away from bowl. Knead for about 10 minutes. Dough should be sticky and smooth. Grease a large metal bowl with olive oil. Form dough into a ball and transfer to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise about 2 hours in a warm place, or until dough doubles in size. Punch down, from into a ball again and let rise again until it doubles in size.
Preheat oven to it's highest temperature. For thin crust, divide dough in half and roll out pizza crust to the size of pizza pan or stone. For a thicker, traditional crust use all the dough and stretch out with hands and roll until it's the size of a large pizza pan.
If you are stuffing the crust, place the string along the edges of the crust and roll the crust over the cheese, and seal the dough.
Pre-bake crust in oven set at it's highest baking temperature (mine is 550°) until crust is lightly golden. Remove crust from oven.
Spoon over pizza sauce (I use either a quality jarred pizza sauce or homemade). Layer cheese and your favorite toppings.
Bake pizza again at your oven's highest temperature until cheese is lightly browned.
Brush pizza crust with olive oil or butter after baking if desired.

Greek Yogurt Blueberry Banana Bread

{Greek Yogurt Blueberry Banana Bread}

Super moist, delicious Blueberry Banana bread made with Greek Yogurt.
 

Ingredients

1 1⁄2 cup

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

3 tablespoons

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 1⁄2 teaspoon

Baking Powder

1⁄2 teaspoon

kosher salt ((optional))

1⁄2 cup

Brown Sugar (or 1/4 cup agave nectar)

1 teaspoon

Vanilla Extract

3  

Large ripe bananas

2  

Eggs

6 ounces

Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt (or Blueberry)

1 cup

Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Start by combining flour, baking powder, salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mash bananas with a fork until they are gooey and liquid-like.
3. Add eggs, vanilla and brown sugar… mix thoroughly.
4. Add greek yogurt
5. Whisk until everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.  At this point, fold in the blueberries.
7. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and distribute evenly.
8. Put into the oven and bake for one hour, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Transfer to a cooling rack and (try to) let the bread cool for at least ten minutes before slicing.

Easy Kit Kat Cheesecake Bars

Easy Kit Kat Cheesecake Bars

Makes one 8×8 pan | Preparation: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line pan with a sling foil.
INGREDIENTS:
Crust

• 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 8 tablespoons of butter

Chocolate cheese cake layer

• 12 oz cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ¾ cup  Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
• 1/3 sugar
• 1 egg
• 6 Kit Kat packages

Chocolate layer

• 10oz. chocolate
• 8 tablespoons butter

White chocolate striping

• 4 oz white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS:
To make crust

1. Place graham cracker crust and sugar in a bowl and toss to combine. Add in melted butter and mix to combine. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool while making cheesecake portion.

To make chocolate cheesecake

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until fully combined and smooth; set aside. Place Kit Kat bars on top of crust. Pour cheesecake mixture over Kit Kat bars and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

To make chocolate layer

1. Place chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl over (not on) simmering water, gently stir until chocolate is melted and butter is fully combined. Pour chocolate over baked cheesecake.
2. Place white chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl. Boil heavy cream. Pour boiled heavy cream over chocolate and let sit. Do not stir for 3-4 minutes. Then using a sturdy spatula gently stir and fold chocolate, continuing until chocolate is completely melted. Chocolate may appear lumpy for the first few stirs, but will melt into smoothness. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a number 2 round tip or a place mixture in a Ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one corner.
3. Pipe white chocolate horizontally across from top to bottom. Use a toothpick and starting at the top drag the toothpick vertically through horizontal lines. Starting from the bottom drag the toothpick to the top. Continue to alternate starting points with toothpick.

To get some DELICIOUS chocolate to help make this, go to https://deannabisbee.velata.us

Another recipe blog

I came across this site when searching for recipes to post.  I was going to pick a couple, but there are just to many from meals, desserts to sides and breads!  These recipes are make ahead and perfect for freezing.  Don't have time to cook, or want to make meals for a family member who isn't able to cook and still have to prepare for your family?  Having a baby soon and want meals prepared for when you come home from the hospital?  Well I've got a another blog for you to check out. 

Make ahead Freezer Meals

Petite Vanilla Scones

Petite Vanilla Scones

Ingredients

• SCONES
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2/3 cups Sugar
• 5 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled
• 1 whole Large Egg
• 3/4 cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)
• 2 whole Vanilla Beans
• GLAZE
• 5 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk, More If Needed For Thinning
• 1 whole Vanilla Bean
• Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla "caviar" inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.
Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.
Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.
Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
VANILLA GLAZE
To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.
One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Potato Soup

Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 6 slices Thin Bacon, Cut Into 1-inch Pieces
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Scrubbed Clean And Diced
• 3 stalks Celery, Diced
• 6 whole Small Russet Potatoes, Peeled And Diced
• 8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Or Vegetable Broth
• 3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun Spice Mix
• 1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Grated Cheese Of Your Choice

Preparation Instructions

Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.
Return the hot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.
Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food process until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.
Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces.