Banana Bread (Paula Deen)

I found this banana bread recipe here, and fell in love. This is definitely my new favorite banana bread recipe.

Banana Bread:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar; mix well. Add the salt, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder and bananas. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Easy Tuna Casserole

Easy, peasey and kids like it : )

This is a great stapple recipe at my house and you don't have to use tuna, we've used frozen shredded chicken and canned chicken too. This meal also freezes great too.

1 box macaroni cheese
1/4 c. butter/margarine
1/2 c. milk
dried onion
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can tuna fish
1 c. frozen vegetables (you can use any kind, mixed or peas) thawed
crushed crackers or potato chips (optional)

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to box directions. Then you are going to add soup, tuna, sprinkle in some dried onion, and vegetables (thaw first). Place casserole in baking dish and sprinkle with crushed crackers or potato chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 3o min.

If you are going to freeze this meal, leave off the crackers, cover with tinfoil and freeze before baking. Thaw over night, add topping before baking, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Baked Tortelini

LOVE this Casserole style tortelini, its one of our family favorites. Quick, easy and yummy!

1 pkg (9oz) refrigerated cheese tortelini, uncooked
1/2 C. boiling water
1 green pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
1 3/4 C. marinara
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, combine all ingredients except cheese in 13x9 baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.

Rremove foil and stir, sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes.

This recipe serves 4,
Calories: 310
Fat: 9 g.
Fiber: 4 g.

Thai Sweet Sticky Rice

YUMMY!!! If you have ever eaten ate a Thai restaurant I hope that you have taken a moment or two to enjoy Thai Sticky Rice, its more like a dessert rice served with mango, and my family loves it. We had it this last week for dinner, for lunch, after school snack...

Thai Sticky Rice
Basmati rice (cook according to package directions)
1 1/2 C. coconut milk
1 C. white sugar
1/2 t. salt

Mango's peeled and sliced

Make rice according to package directions. While the rice cooks, mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; remove from heat and set aside. Stir the cooked rice into the coconut milk mixture; cover. Allow to cool for 1 hour.

Serve mangos over rice.

Some, probably most, make a sauce with more coconut milk and sugar, salt and tapioca starch to serve over the rice and mangos, but we find it plenty sweet with out it.