Banana Split Pie

My gramma always used to make this pie.  It is delicious, but this is the first time that I have made it - the raw eggs always made me hesitate before.  I just made sure to keep it super cold all of the time!

Banana Split Pie

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 bananas - sliced
1 T lemon juice
1-2 square german sweet chocolate (green foil) - shaved
1/4 cup walnuts - chopped
1 pie crust - baked

Bake single pie crust according to box directions.  Beat butter and powdered sugar together in a bowl. Add one egg at a time, beating for 3 minutes after each addition. Stir in vanilla.  Slice the bananas and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Stir in all but 12 slices. Stir in shaved chocolate and pour into pie shell. Garnish with walnuts and two banana slices per slice of pie. Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours. Best if eaten the same day.

Caramel Swirl Brownies

I decided that I wanted to make Caramel Swirl Brownies for a meeting at work.  I looked online for a recipe and didn't find what I wanted.  I wanted to use store bought caramel dip for apples as the swirl, but all I could find were recipes where you take a whole bag of caramels, unwrap them, and cook with evaporated milk. Then I opened the cupboard to grab a box of brownie mix.  No mix.  Did I give up?  No way!  I grabbed a scratch brownie recipe from my cookie brownies.  And eyeballed the caramel dip, then baked for a while, checked, baked some more, checked, and so on :)  I think the bake time is around 40 minutes, but check ahead of time so that you do not burn them.

Caramel Swirl Brownies

2 stick butter - melted
2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6oz caramel dip - or more to taste

Melt butter, stir in sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, stirring after each addition. Stir in cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt.  Pour into a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish.  With a large spoon, place 5-6 scoops of dip scattered over the dough.  Using the spoon or a spatula, swirl the caramel through the batter.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Sugar Toasted Almond Spinach Salad

My sister Lindsey made this for us when we were camping.  Camping.  Yep.  It was delicious - I even tried it and ate my whole serving today!  I have never eaten a salad without gagging before!  Ever!  This is a big step for me.

Sugar Toasted Almond Spinach Salad

1/2 cup almonds
3 T sugar
grilled chicken - sliced
1 LB strawberries - sliced
goat cheese
poppy seed dressing
baby spinach leaves

In a pan over medium high heat, melt sugar with almonds, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes until the almonds are coated.  Spread over wax paper to cool.  Assemble your salad to taste!

Sandwich Bread - milk/wheat free

Henry recently passed his baked egg challenge, so we need to get more baked egg into his diet, in the hopes that he will eventually be able to eat scrambled eggs.  I based it off from this recipe.

Sandwich Bread - milk/wheat free

1 1/2 cup water - warm
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cup gf rice flour
1 1/2 cup gf garbanzo bean flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs

In a measuring cup, measure warm water, stir in honey and then add yeast last. Set aside to proof for 10 minutes.  Whisk together flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, beat together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and eggs for a few seconds.  Add in yeast mixture and mix until combined.  Add flour mixture and beat until a sticky dough forms.  Grease a 9x5" gluten free loaf pan and pour dough into pan.  Let rise 30 minutes, then bake at 375° for 30-45 minutes.

Doubled Recipe:

3 cup water - warm
1/2 cup honey
5 tsp yeast
3 cup gf rice flour
3 cup gf garbanzo bean flour
3 tsp xanthan gum
8 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
4 eggs

Allergy Free Meatballs

I was making Everyday Meatballs for everyone else, and wanted to make something similar for Henry, so I modified my allergy free meatloaf recipe to with the seasonings from everyday meatballs to get a different taste.

Allergy Free Meatballs

1 LB hamburger
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup oatmeal
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp onion powder
dash red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove - minced

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with a fork.  Form into 1.5" meatballs and place in a 9x13" baking dish.  Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until done.  Serve with spaghetti sauce.

Cheesy Hamburger Dip

I needed to bring a dish to pass at a campground this weekend, so I decided to make up this dip ahead of time and reheat it to serve with chips for the pot luck.  I haven't made it for a while, but it smelled and tasted as awesome as I remembered.

Cheesy Hamburger Dip

1 LB hamburger
1/2 cup onion - chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
dash garlic salt
1 can tomato soup
1/4 cup ketchup
3/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp sugar
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
tortilla chips

Brown hamburger with onion and garlic, add garlic salt and simmer 5 minutes. Add soup, ketchup, oregano, and sugar. Simmer 10 minutes. Add cheeses and cook until bubbly. Place in a mini crockpot to keep hot. Serve with tortilla chips.

Ham

This is something I rarely think to make, but my kids absolutely love ham.  It is super easy and delicious.  It is loosey goosey on the ingredient list - just make how much you want.

Ham

sliced precooked ham
brown sugar
1 can pineapple

Place sliced ham in a baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar.  Cover with pineapple juice and pieces.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until heated through.