Banana Bread Cookies

Have old bananas but sick of Banana Bread?? I am!!! Here is a fun substitution! They are soft like banana bread, moist and chewy like oatmeal raisin cookies, but still decadent like chocolate chip cookies.

What you need...

*Hint- the dough needs to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours!! So give yourself enough time.

Part 1:
2 eggs
2 large ripe bananas (1 cup lightly mashed)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter (1 stick)
4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. light brown sugar, packed

Part 2:
3 c. old-fashioned oats (not Quick oats!!!)
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Last:
1 3/4- 2 c. chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

In electric mixer, combine Part 1 ingredients at medium speed for about 3-4 minutes. It will be lumpy because of bananas and that's okay!

Then add Part 2 ingredients at low speed for 1-2 minutes. Lastly, add choco chips and beat slowly until just combined.

Either place in bowl in refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or prescoop onto silicone (or parchment) lined cookie sheet and place in fridge. I use a 1/4 c. scooper because it makes the perfect size cookie!

Once you remove from fridge, Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 13 minutes and remove from oven. Leave on tray for at least 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Once completely cooled, you can add peanut butter! This is optional, but adds an extra richness! I just take 1/2 c. or so of creamy peanut butter and microwave it for 30-45 seconds. Then I use a spoon to drizzle over top of the cooled cookies. 

Serve with a glass of milk and enjoy!

Matcha Almond Cookies

I recently started drinking Matcha, which is essentially green tea powder. It has many health benefits like boosting your metabolism, naturally detoxifying, and is a natural energy booster.

It reminded me of the Green tea ice cream they sell at most Japanese restaurants, which I love! I wanted to make something out of it, and got the idea of little tea cookies from my classmate. These are super easy to make and are only 6 ingredients!

What you need:

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 c. packed powdered sugar

1 c. flour
1 Tbsp. Matcha green tea powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 c. chopped almonds

Directions:

Cream together butter and sugar in electric mixer.
Sift together all other dry ingredients (flour, matcha, salt)
Slowly add dry mixture to butter mixture while mixing.
Stir in almonds until evenly distributed.

Your dough should be nice and green like this!
                                >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>




The best way to bake is to refrigerate the dough and roll into a log, then cut the log into pieces (1.5 inch). You can also take a teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball, like I have done here.

Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar before serving!





I hope you like them!

* You can also make cakes, cupcakes, candy, and other tasty treats!

Autumn Apple Crisp

Not only is this easy to make, but it makes your house smell delicious! Since apples are in season, go grab one of those 3lb. bags while they are cheap!

What you need:

*13x9 pan

*8-10 apples

1 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 c. flour
1 c. oats
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

First prep your apples. This is the most time consuming part. Peel completely, then slice thin.
Lay apples into pan evenly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine white sugar, tbsp. flour, and cinnamon. Cover apples with mixture. Pour water over and cover evenly.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, 1 c. flour, baking soda and powder. Melt butter and mix in. Use a fork to mash together and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the apples.

Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Serve with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!

*TIP: You can store in the fridge for a couple of days if you don't want to cook it right away!

THE BEST Peanut Butter Choco Chip cookies

This one is for my friend Chandra who asked me to post this recipe! :)

It has taken me a while to perfect this recipe. After cutting out a few ingredients that were not needed, I found this to be my favorite Peanut Butter cookie recipe. They not only look picture perfect, but have a balanced taste and are super yummy!

This makes about 4 trays depending on the size you make them.

1 stick butter (unsalted)

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 cup white sugar

2 cups flour

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

1/2  semi- sweet chocolate chips

*No salt or vanilla needed!

-Roll into 1 inch balls, or whatever size you want. 

*If you make bigger dough balls then flatten them a littel, they make great BIG cookies to wrap individually and give to friends! 

**Bake 8-10 mins on 375 degrees. 

Haluski vs. Halupki

Today I will share with you how to make my version of Polish Haluski. Most people tend to mix up the difference between Haluski and Halupki. I will not be posting how to make Halupki today, but maybe later!

What is Halupki?

A Slovak stuffed cabbage roll. It is usually stuffed with a meat and rice mixture, almost similar to stuffed peppers. 

What is Haluski?

Pan fried cabbage and noodles. WITH TONS OF BUTTER. Get ready to clog some arteries!

I love this dish. It reminds me of an enhanced version of buttered noodles that I used to eat as a child. I make Haluski probably every other week, and it lasts me for 2-4 days. Since I am only cooking for 2, I always make enough for leftovers. This makes a HUGE amount of food so feel free to adjust the recipe. 

I don't always serve Haluski with a protein. When I do, I like to buy a Wegman's $5 Rotisserie Chicken (lemon pepper or plain); which is the best deal ever! I also sometimes pan fry Kielbasa (polish sausage) and cut it up into bite size pieces to mix in. 

*This recipe is not really exact. You can adjust it based on if you feel it needs more butter, more pepper, other seasonings, different noodles, etc. 

Photo: Haluski with Kielbasa

Ingredients: 

-1 stick of salted butter

-2 Tbsp. Olive oil

-1 Medium/Large Head of Cabbage

-2 bags of No Yolks Brand Egg noodles- I use "Dumplings" but "Extra Broad" work as well. 

-1-2 Vidalia onions (depends how much you like onion)

-Salt, pepper, garlic powder 

Get out your largest skillet. Mine is about 14 inches wide. Turn to medium heat and melt butter.

Chop cabbage into pieces about 1 inch wide. I slice it into 1 inch circles first, then cut into squares. The cabbage will fall apart into pieces naturally. Dice whole onion. Once butter is melted, add the olive oil with the cabbage and onion. Stir. 

Cook on med-high heat for a good 20 minutes while stirring every 3-5 minutes. Slightly brown the cabbage, but do not burn it! The cabbage should be translucent when it is done. Make sure you do not undercook it, because it can be bitter and hard to chew. 

Meanwhile, boil egg noodles. Once immersed in the boiling water, they cook way faster than regular pasta, so be sure not to overcook. (Follow directions on bag.)

Once the cabbage mixture is done, add it to the egg noodles in a large pot or bowl. Add your spices. I use lots of black pepper, and no salt (because the butter is salted.) I also like to add a little garlic powder. Stir together. Add your protein of choice and serve! 

That was easy! 

Mexican Fish Tacos

CAJUN FISH TACOS

-Served with Rice and Beans

This is a very time consuming dinner to make. It is best to have a few cooks in the kitchen for all of the prep work!

The easiest part about this recipe is the fish itself. It takes a lot of other ingredients to make the tacos come together. Everyone likes different toppings on their fish tacos. Today I will be using corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa verde, and cilantro lime crema. I serve it with Ozzie’s cilantro, jalapeno rice and my refried black beans. You can use salmon, cod, tilapia, mahi mahi, or any fish you like. I use Wegmans Wild Caught Mahi Mahi frozen individual pieces. They are easy to defrost and to control the portion. Below I have each part of the dinner listed separately my recipe with the directions below. Oz usually makes the Salsa Verde ahead of time because it can be stored for weeks in the fridge if canned. You can also use Wegmans Roasted Salsa Verde, because it is delicious. I make the cilantro lime dressing the day of, but store it for leftovers.

*Prep your sides first. I like to shred my cheese, dice my tomato (Roma or Grape), and shred my lettuce first then put in the fridge for later.

Cajun Mahi (Photo shows 2 pieces cut into 3 yields 6 tacos)

- 1-2 Tbsp. coconut oil

-McCormick Cajun Seasoning

Once defrosted, heavily coat the Mahi in Cajun seasoning.  Heat coconut oil in saucepan on med-high heat. Pan fry Mahi 4 minutes each side. Remove from heat. Once cooled, cut in half or in 3 depending on size for tacos.

Cilantro-Lime Crema

-1/2 c. sour cream (I use Daisy Light)

-1 Tbsp. lime juice (fresh squeezed)

-2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

-1/2 tsp. minced garlic or you can use garlic powder (use to taste)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together very well, except cilantro. Add cilantro last and mix lightly. I like to put this in a squirt bottle for storage.

                                        

 Ozzie's Rice (4 servings)

-1 c. Goya Brand Canilla Enriched White Rice (long grain)

-1 Tbsp. Olive oil

-2 c. water

-1 tsp. coarse salt

-3/4 c. packed fresh chopped cilantro

-2 Tbsp. Fresh squeezed lime juice

- 1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced

-1/2 c. minced Spanish onion

-2 scallions, thinly sliced

-2 diced tomatoes (preferably grape tomatoes)

Heat olive oil in saucepan over med-high heat. Add onion and jalapeño and stir until soft and translucent (about 2 mins.) Add rice and lightly toast for about 1 minute. Add water and bring to a boil for one minute. Reduce to simmer and cover.                                                                   Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cilantro, lime                                                                   juice, and scallions and stir. Top with tomatoes.

 

Anna’s Refried Beans (yields 4 servings)

-2 cans Goya Black Beans (or store brand)

- 1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper

-1/2 c. chopped Vidalia or Spanish onion

-1 Tbsp. Olive oil

-Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder to taste

*Add a dash of cayenne for spice

Heat olive oil in skillet on med-high heat. Add red pepper and onion. Sweat the peppers and onions a little and then add black beans (with juice). Add spices and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes until the juice from the beans gets a little thicker, more like a refried bean. 

Pork Pot Stickers

Two days ago I made pork pot stickers while I was bored.  I always freeze them and then bag them in portions  (about 12 per bag) for when I am in the mood for a few.

Yields about 60

1 package wonton wraps (Dynasty Brand) *Can be found at Wegman's next to the frozen pizza
1 lb. ground pork
1/4 c. chopped vidalia onion
1/4 c. chopped red bell pepper
1 egg
2 squirts of ketchup (about 1.5 TBSP)
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. mustard (yellow)
2 tsp. brown sugar
1.5 tsp. kosher salt or sea salt
.5 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Mix thoroughly with fork or hands to make sure everything is mixed in well.
Fold about 1 tsp. of mixture into wonton wrapper and make a triangle. You can make any shape you want whether its a dumpling square, half moon, or triangle. Pinch and fold the corners.

To Freeze: Lay flat on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. When frozen thoroughly, place in bags however you like. I bag them by the dozen.

To Cook: Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet on med-high. Place pot stickers in and cook until the bottoms get a nice golden brown. Then add chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water and cover to steam for 3-5 minutes (depending on if they are frozen or fresh.) I like to use chicken broth because it gives them some more flavor. When finished, serve with sauce of your liking. I use Wegman's Sweet Chili Sauce or Stir Fry Teriyaki.