Banana Bread

I found this recipe while looking for a healthyish treat to make for Mom for Mother's Day. It's from Food.com. According to the Weight Watcher's guidelines, a whole loaf is only 12 points. So I think that means that it's not too bad for you. The best part is that it still tastes really good. I don't think you can even tell that it's supposed to be a healthier alternative. The loaves have bows on them because this is what I gave out as our Christmas treat.

Ingredients:
3 Very Ripe Bananas, mashed
1 C Splenda Sugar Substitute
1/2 C Natural Applesauce
1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 C All-Purpose Flour
1/2 t Salt
1 1/2 t Baking Soda
I like to add chocolate chips. It cuts down on the healthy, but it increases the delicious.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix bananas and Splenda in a mixer.
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Spray bread pan with non stick spray and pour in batter.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Caramel Pretzels

This pretzels are the best things ever. After Mom made them for my wedding, people talked about them for a long time. These are the ones Mom and I made for Amy's baby shower. We did the pretzel rods instead of the twisty pretzels because we could fit more onto a pan and they take up less caramel. They kind of look like clubs, but the important thing is that they taste good. Mom bought the long rods and we just broke them in half and covered the broken end with the caramel and chocolate.

Ingredients:
Pretzels
Milk chocolate melting chips-Mom just bought the chocolate chips from Michael's that is used for candy making. It was only a few bucks for a package.
White chocolate melting chips

Here is the caramel recipe. It comes from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 C Butter
2 1/4 C Packed Brown Sugar
2 C Half and Half or Light Cream
1 C Light-Colored Corn Syrup
1 t Vanilla

In a saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add brown sugar, half and half, and corn syrup and mix well. Cook and stir constantly over medium-high heat until the mixture boils. Put a candy thermometer on the side of the pan and reduce heat to medium. Continue boiling and stirring until the mixture reaches 248 degrees.
Remove from heat. Remove thermometer and stir in vanilla.

Prepare a cookie sheet with wax paper sprayed generously with non stick spray. The caramel may still stick, but it is a lot easier to coax it off if it has been sprayed.

Once the caramel is ready dip part of your pretzel in and place it on the cookie sheet. Put caramel pretzels in the fridge to cool (It only takes a few minutes.). While they are cooling, heat up the chocolate in the microwave according to the package directions.

Dip each of the caramel covered pretzels in the melted chocolate and put them back on the pan and back in the fridge to cool and solidify. While they are setting up you can melt the white chocolate in the microwave. This is just drizzled over the top to look pretty. The pretzels will need to go back in the fridge for a few minutes while the white chocolate sets up and then they are done.

Heath Bar Cookies

These cookies have quickly become a favorite of mine and will be making an appearance on my Christmas treat plates this year. Also, you can make them and freeze them and they are just as good out of the freezer.

*Note: I use butter Crisco instead of butter, I like how it turns out better.
*Note: This recipe requires chilling the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes, so plan ahead!

*Makes about 4-5 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped Heath Bar pieces (Eight 1.4 ounce bars) or 1 (8-ounce) package of chocolate-covered or regular toffee bits

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric stand mixer), with an electric handheld mixer, beat together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla and mix until the mixture is very light in color and creamy. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Once it is about halfway combined, add the heath bits and mix until all the ingredients are mixed together. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. On cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a Silpat liner, scoop the cookie dough into about 1-inch balls. Place the dough about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets (these cookies have a bit of spread to them!). Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Remember forever ago when I said I was going to post a recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce and then I didn't? Well, baby #3 has my head spinning (actually, it's not Olivia, it's Ashlynn who requires the attention of 3 children), but I am starting to get into a new groove, so I finally remembered that I still needed to post that recipe.

This recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and she said that it makes enough for her family of five for 2 meals. So, I tried it just because I wanted to try making my own sauce, but thinking it's not the most economical way to go as far as spaghetti sauce goes. So, I make the sauce, and about died. I don't know how much dear Mel's family consumes, but I had enough sauce that we ate it for dinner and then I froze enough for 6 more meals. So, pretty economical after all. And it was nice and fresh tasting.



3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped and divided

1 red pepper, coarsely chopped

2 pounds hamburger (at least 90% lean)

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 12 oz. can tomato paste

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 teaspoons dried oregano

3 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes

2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 carton fresh mushrooms (optional)

1 1/2 cups beef stock or beef broth

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until no red is showing. Drain beef slightly. Blend up the remaining onions and red pepper in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. Add mixture to the garlic, onions and beef and stir to combine, cooking for another minute. Add tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add tomatoes, beef broth and sugar (and mushrooms, if using). Stir until combined and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in the balsamic vinegar.

NOTE: The sauce will seem watery at first but will reduce to perfection after simmering for an hour. I've let it simmer on the stove for up to three hours before with no problems.