Banana Bread

This is a great recipe when your bananas go bad. And the kiddos will love to help smash the bananas.

2 oz soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbl Vanilla

2 Tbl Cinnamon

1 lg egg

1 1/2 cup self rising flour*

125 ml or 8 Tablespoons milk

3 smashed bananas

Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes

Grease the loaf tin with lots of butter. Cream the sugar and butter together, add vanilla and cinnamon and blend. Then add the egg and milk, mix well. Next, add the flour once mixed, fold in the bananas. You can also add chopped walnuts at this point.

*If you do not have self rising flour simply add 2 1.4 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt to the flour before mixing. You can also use 50% wheat 50% white flour to make it healthier.

a very basic cheese sauce

I halved this recipe and it was plenty for our little family.

4 tbsp. butter
2 c. milk
1/4 c. flour

Cheese: I added 4 slices of cheese when I halved this. But the directions say: Remove basic sauce from heat. Add 1 1/2 cups diced cheese 3 minutes before serving. I just think that is way too much cheese.

In frying pan melt butter, add flour over medium high heat. Mix until mixture looks like dough - "RUE". Slowly add milk stirring rapidly. Cook until mixture is same texture, add more milk, continue until thickness desired. Serve over noodles.

Homemade Syrup

I have just never bought syrup, it is so simple to make and tastes so much better. So here is my mom's recipe which was her mom's recipe and so on.

bring to a boil
1 c Brown Sugar
1 c White Sugar
1 c Water

then add
1 capful of vanilla
I sometimes add both vanilla and maple flavorings.

If you want more then just double. So simple!

Perfect Pancakes

Bisquick is really expensive here in the UK so I had to improvise and found this yummy way easy recipe for pancakes. This was enough to serve the kids and me, so I suggest doubling it.

Mix dry ingredients
4¾oz plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar

then add:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp melted butter (allowed to cool slightly) or olive oil
enough milk to make it a pancake batter.

Play Dough

I found this on the internet and I think it is the best play dough I have ever made. It is a great rainy/snowy day activity!

3 C flour
1/3 C Salt
2 TBL Vegetable Oil
Mix together then add:

1 C water
Food coloring (we used koolaid and it worked great)

Cafe Rio Ranch

1 pkg Buttermilk Ranch dressing
3 Tomatillos - paper removed - roughly chopped
1 c mayo
1 c buttermilk
1 c cilantro - roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp green tabasco sauce
juice from one lime

put all into a blender until well blended. enjoy!

Gingerbread cookies

Whatever you do, don't over bake these guys - they will dry right out. If anything under bake them just a shade (they will continue to bake for another couple of minutes once you pull them from the oven). Big cookies take longer to cook than tiny ones, keep that in mind as well.

4 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup dark natural cane sugar (i.e. muscavado), or alternately use a dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
2/3 cup organic unsulfured molasses (blackstrap)large grain sugar (turbinado) for decoration
popsicle sticks (optional)
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
In a large bowl by hand (or with an electric mixer) cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix again until light and creamy. Blend in the eggs one at a time and then the molasses. Add the flour mixture in two additions either by hand or on low speed. Divide the dough into two pieces, wrap each in plastic and chill for an hour or so.
Heat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the middle, and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Set aside.

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop roughly 1/8-inch thick and cut into gingerbread men (or other desired shapes). Transfer to baking sheets and arrange a popsicle stick underneath each (if desired), no need to press the stick aggressively into the dough, gently is fine – the cookies will bake right onto the sticks. Sprinkle with sugar (optional) and bake for 7 –10 minutes (for 3 – 4-inch cookies), less for smaller cookies, more for larger.
Makes about 3 dozen four-inch gingerbread men.