Baked Bananas with Honey-Brown Sugar Glaze

These baked bananas are amazing!  They taste so rich and indulgent, and you aren't left with a week's worth of calorie-dense dessert laying around.  (I know how dangerous that can be!)

An Ommy Noms Original

INGREDIENTS

2 bananas, each cut into 4 sections
2 tbs butter, melted
2 tsp honey
Splash of lemon juice
Brown sugar to top

DIRECTIONS.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, honey, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add banana sections and stir to coat. Place banana pieces in a glass baking dish.  Drizzle with remaining glaze.  Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake for 12 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

Homeade 'Niller Ice Cream

Aka frozen sunshine.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups half-and-half
1 14-oz can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs vanilla

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix well. Refrigerate 1-2 hours. 2. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer directions.

Crab Rangoon Cups

I love food. I love Asian food. And I l-o-v-e crab rangoons.

But there's something about deep-fried, cream-cheese-filled numminess that tells me it's probably not the greatest thing for my thighs. Hence, here is a tried-and-true recipe for non-fried, cream-cheese-filled numminess!

Inspired by Food.com

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg wonton wrappers
1 8 oz pkg light cream cheese (See? It's practically diet food!)
1 can crabmeat, DRAINED
2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
Seasoned salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix cream cheese, crabmeat, green onions, and seasonings (to taste) in a small bowl.

3. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Put wonton wrappers in muffin depressions so that they form a little cup.

4. Place a heaping spoonful of crab mixture into each cup. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Edges of the cups should be light brown in color.

(5. Say "you're welcome" to your thighs, which should be thanking you by now.)

White Trash Din-Din

Before we get started, let me just throw this out there- you may NOT pass judgement on me based on what follows. This was (is?) one of my favorite things to chow down on when I was but a wee lass. Now, I haven't yet worked up the cojones to try it out on my husband yet, but it is GOOOOOD.

INGREDIENTS

Hot dog weiners, sliced into 1/4 inch sections
Macaroni
Diced onion
Spaghetti sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. You haven't judged me yet, right?

2. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain, and set aside. Sautee onion in a smidge of oil until starting to lose crunchiness. Add hot dog pieces. Stir around until onion is done.

3. Pour in spaghetti sauce and continue to stir until sauce is hot. Combine all ingredients.

Chicken Legs

This recipe is quick & easy, down & dirty. It's a good recipe for those "Ugh, after a day like this I have to cook dinner?!" days.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken legs
Melted butter or olive oil
Seasoning of choice

DIRECTIONS

1. Rub your choice of "grease" all over the chicken legs.

2. Sprinkle liberally with seasoning.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, turning once. (Check temperature for doneness.)

4. Chow down, baby!

Coconut Macaroons

I made these for my grandfather, who is a coconut fiend. He liked them a lot. I had to add a couple extra spoonfuls of flour. Be aware that this makes a very "wet" dough and it's impossible to mix and shape them without getting ooey-gooeys all in between your fingers and anything else that touches them. They bake up nicely though.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups flaked coconut (ie one regular package)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle brand all the way!)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about golf ball size.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted.

Herb-roasted Onions

This is a very tasty side dish by Barefoot Contessa. I used two onions and threw in some halved new potatoes. I had been concerned about the Dijon, but it wasn't strong at all.

INGREDIENTS

2 red onions
1 yellow onion
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

My VERY OWN RECIPE!!! :) Avocado-Chicken Stir Fry

When DH and I ate at a local Chinese restaurant recently, I decided to find the weirdest thing on the menu and try it. I wound up with a chicken stir-fry dish that had avocado in it. It was sooo good! I created my own stir fry recipe from the bottom up inspired by that dish. I submitted the recipe to Allrecipes.com, so hopefully you can see it there soon!

Make sure your avocado isn't super ripe or it will turn to mush in the cooking process.

Avocado-Chicken Stir Fry

INGREDIENTS

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 large, ripe but firm avocados cut into large chunks

2 cups snow peas

2 cups cremini mushrooms, destemmed and sliced thinly

4 bunches green onions, cut into 1 inch sections 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Sauce

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 clove of garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Coat the bottom of a wok with vegetable oil. Heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.

3. Stir-fry chicken until cooked through. Remove and set aside. Add snow peas and cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and bell pepper.  Cook until mushrooms are done and snow peas are crisp-tender.

4. Pour off excess oil and liquid. Return chicken to wok. Add sauce, green onions, and avocado chunks. Cook 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens, stirring gently. Serve over rice.

Sauteed Mushrooms

These turned out soooo good! I'm always looking for tasty veggie sides!! I kept cooking spray close by in case the mushrooms started looking dry.

INGREDIENTS
10 oz bag sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 shallot, thinly diced
Olive oil to cover pan
1/2 tbsp butter
Seasoned salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder

DIRECTIONS
1. Sautee mushrooms in oil over medium to medium high heat. Add shallot and butter during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Season with seasoned salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder to taste.

Pretty easy huh?

So-good stuffed chicken

I have always wanted to try baking a stuffed chicken breast and today I put on my creative hat and gave it a go. The results were outstanding!! Next time, I want to add some thinly sliced green onions.

INGREDIENTS
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
1/2 package light cream cheese
5 canadian bacon medalions, thinly sliced
1 minced garlic clove
Shredded parmesan
Basil
Oregano
Seasoned salt
Crushed red pepper
Onion powder

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Mix all filling ingredients. Stuff into chicken breasts and secure with toothpicks. Sear on stovetop over medium-high heat in a little bit of olive oil on both sides, 2 minutes each.

3. Move pan to oven and bake 25 minutes or until done.

Maple Salmon

Mmmmm!!! This recipe was absolutely delicious! It's maple salmon from Allrecipes. We actually ended up doubling the marinade recipe, then making another double batch to baste with halfway through baking. We served it with garlic mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon fillet

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

Ike and Ever After

Okay, the rest of these pictures are backwards. The first set is post-renovation, the middle set is the damage, and the first set is the house before we bought it.

This is over the front of the house/entryway.

This room bore the brunt of the damage. It was DH's office.

These two are from the house before we bought it. The countertops are pea green and cream flecked and the tile, despite what you see in pictures, is pink, pink pink.

Italian Dressing Chicken

This recipe could also be named "Finally, Baked Chicken That Does NOT Taste Like Cardboard" (Hurrah!). These marinated chicken breasts are very flavorful and entail practically no prep work. I think it would be really good to throw some finely sliced onions into the marinade. Yum!

INGREDIENTS
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Italian dressing to cover

DIRECTIONS
Place chicken breats in bowl and cover with Italian dressing. Poke holes in chicken with a fork. Marinate overnight.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done.

Honey Crusted Chicken

Awhile back, I tried the honey crusted chicken recipe from the Mayo Clinic website. The flavor was really good, but the saltine cracker crust did not get crisp enough for my liking. I'd like to make this again, but using either regular or panko bread crumbs rather than the saltine crackers.

INGREDIENTS
8 saltine crackers, each about 2 inches square
1 teaspoon paprika
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each 4 ounces
4 teaspoons honey

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Crush the crackers on a cutting board, using the back of a knife. Place crackers in a small bowl and add paprika. Stir to mix well.

In a separate bowl, add the chicken and honey. Toss to coat evenly. Add the cracker mixture. Mix and press the chicken into the cracker mixture until it's evenly coated on both sides.

Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Garlic Herb Chicken

Whoa mama. This was some of the tastiest chicken I've ever had. DH had a fit over it. The sauce is really flavorful and is so good atop mashed potatoes. A definite keeper!!

Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 teaspoon parsley
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
Garlic Powder
About a tsp each of basil and oregano
Seasoned salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Pound chicken breasts so they are thin and even. Whisk together chicken broth and cornstarch; set aside.
2. Preheat sauté pan to medium heat and add in olive oil and garlic. Add chicken to pan and cook until done (approximately 20 minutes). Remove chicken from pan and place on a plate, tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Add chicken broth and cornstarch mixture to the pan and simmer until thickened. Add in remaining seasonings and stir to mix. Add chicken back into the pan and turn to coat both sides with sauce.
4. Drizzle remaining garlic herb sauce on potatoes or vegetables.