Banana-Bran Muffins

This is a Williams-Sonoma recipe - completely delicious.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat bran
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter standard muffin tins.

In a medium bowl stir and toss together the flour, bran, baking soda, salt, and nuts.  Set aside.  In another medium bowl beat together the banana and butter until completely mixed (mixture will be lumpy) then add the brown sugar and egg and beat until completely mixed.  Add the combined dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Spoon into prepared muffin tins, filling each cup about three-quarters full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes.  Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove.

Makes about 12 standard muffins.

1 Minute Chocolate Frosting

Recipe is from www.cdkitchen.com

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 t vanilla

Directions:
Mix together everything but the vanilla.  Bring to a boil and boil for one minute.  Add vanilla.  Cool partially, then beat with a mixer for 3 minutes or until spreadable consistency.

Pizza

Mix together in a bowl:
1 cup warm water
1 T yeast
1 T sugar
1 T oil
1 1/2 t salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Knead briefly; cover with clean, folded dish towel and let rise 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put dough in a large round, steel, greased pan.  Flatten with your hands to fit the pan.  Add toppings of choice.  Bake for 12 minutes and serve immediately.

Note:  You can refrigerate the dough for later use, but it needs to be used within 2 days unless you freeze it.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 t dry mustard
1 t salt
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 cup oil
1T (or more) poppy seeds

Combine in blender the first 5 ingredients.  Pour in oil gradually in a very thin stream.  This will thicken the dressing.  After all the oil has been added, pour in the poppy seeds and blend for 2 seconds or until mixed in.

This dressing is really good on a shredded cabbage salad with craisins and peanuts. 

Ghana Chocolate Cake

Stir together:

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour (ww or white or a mix)

1 t baking soda

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 t salt

Add:

1 cup water

1 T vinegar

1 T vanilla

1/3 cup oil

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes in a 9x9 greased pan.

Frosting - Mix all ingredients together:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup cocoa

2 cups powdered sugar (+ or -)

1 T hot water (add slowly, just amount needed)

1 T vanilla or almond flavoring

Italian Sausage and Artichoke Soup

Crumble and brown 1 pound Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage with 1 chopped red onion.  Add 1 can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped).  Add 1-2 large cans diced tomatoes (with juice).  Add 3 cans chicken broth.  Add: 1t basil, 1t oregano, 1t fennel seed.

Simmer 30 minutes.  Add 1/2 pound penne pasta.  Simmer 15 minutes.

Oreo & Fudge Ice Cream Cake

I stole this recipe from the Kraft Foods website.  It is really easy and totally delicious.  Better than a lot of store bought ice cream cakes I've had.  You can make it slightly better for you by using sugar free hot fudge, sugar free cool ship, and sugar free pudding mix :-)

1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8 oz.) cool whip, thawed & divided
1 pkg (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding
8 oreo cookies, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

• Pour fudge topping into a medium bowl.  Whisk in 1 cup cool whip.  Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min.  Stir in chopped cookies.
• Arrange 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on a 24-inch long piece of foil; top with half of the cool whip mixture.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining sandwiches.  Frost top & sides with remaining cool whip.  Bring up foil sides; Double fold top & ends to loosely seal packet. (Try not to let foil touch the cool whip so it doesn't stick to the "frosting".)
• Freeze 4 hours or until firm (this is important - once we didn't let it freeze long enough and it was hard to cut and didn't taste as good).