Banana Cream Pie

Mm-Mm-Good...

Makes 1 9-inch pie

  3/4 c sugar
  1/4 c cornstarch
  1/4 tsp salt
  3 c milk
  4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
  4 tbsp butter, softened
  2 tsp vanilla

Precook 9-inch pie crust.

In a large saucepan, mix dry ingredients thoroughly with a wisk until consistent texture (no lumps of cornstarch remaining).  While continuing to whisk, pour in milk, slowly at first.  Stir thoroughly.
Stir about 2 cups of the milk/sugar mixture into the egg yolks, and stir until well mixed.  Pour back into saucepan.
Stir constantly over medium heat until full boil (can't be stirred down).  Should be thick at this point.  Lower heat to medium low and continue to stir for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add butter and vanilla, and stir until well mixed.

(Note:  You can use 2 T butter if you prefer.  Also, if using real vanilla, you may choose to use a bit less, unless you like stronger vanilla flavor.)

Cover with plastic wrap (to inhibit a 'skin' to form on the pudding) and let sit for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, slice 2 medium-sized, ripe bananas, into pie shell.
Remove plastic wrap from pudding, and stir well.  Pour into pie shell.

Serve as desired: warm or cold, with cream or meringue, 1/2 pie or full pie :)

Alternatives

Instead of bananas, gently stir 1-2 Tbsp sugar into 1 1/2 cup fresh raspberries or blackberries (depending on sweetness).  Pour 1 cup into pie shell.  Fill pie shell with pudding.  Sprinkle remaining berries on top.

Cajun Pasta

This is the most popular dinner at my house right now.

1 pkg. bowtie pasta (or any pasta)

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks

Cajun seasoning

1¼ t. salt, divided

¼ C. butter

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 C. sliced mushrooms

2 green onions, sliced

1½ C. cream (I have used whole milk in a pinch)

¼ t. lemon pepper

¼ t. dried basil

¼ t. garlic powder

Boil pasta according to package directions. Sprinkle chicken generously with Cajun seasoning and 1 t. salt. Melt ¼ C. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until done; remove chicken. Add to the skillet and sauté until tender and liquid evaporates. Add red and green peppers and green onions and saute a couple more minutes. Return chicken to skillet. Stir in cream, lemon pepper, basil, garlic powder, and remaining ¼ t. salt. Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until heated. Add pasta; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Stuffed French Toast

I like to make this for Clint on our anniversary. It reminds us of the yummy french toast served at The Merry Inn - a delightful bed and breakfast we stayed at on our honeymoon.

1/2 C. cream cheese
3 T. of your favorite jam (homemade apricot pineapple is my fave)
2 T. chopped pecans
12 slices of your favorite bread

Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. (Or just use the whipped kind.) Stir in jam and pecans. Spread onto 6 slices of bread and top with remaining bread to make sandwiches. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally to form triangles.
Make a french toast mix by combining eggs, milk, a splash of vanilla and some cinnamon. Dip both sides of each triangle in egg mixture and cook. When both sides are done, I stand them up on the cut side to brown it just a tad so it isn't soggy. Top with a bit of your favorite syrup. YUM!

Club Cracker Chicken

This has become one of our favorite family quick-fixes!! The whole family is crazy about it, and we NEVER have leftovers!! Even the boys get excited to eat this dish...and for anyone who knows our Dryden...that is really saying something!! Enjoy!

Defrost desired number of chicken tenderloins, boneless and sprinkle lightly with baking soda (to maintain moisture).

Completely smash up a single pack of club crackers.

Immerse tenderloins in melted butter and then cover in cracker crumbs.

Place breaded tenderloins in greased bakind dish in a single layer.

Sprinkle remaining crumbs over entire dish, salt and pepper to taste.

(we usually drizzle a little melted butter over top entire dish as well!)

Bake at 375' for 30 minutes.

Easy and delicious!!!!

Yummy Homemade Oreos

Cookie Ingredients:
1 Devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
3/4 cup softened butter

Frosting Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Mix cookie ingredients together well. Roll into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350' for just about 8 minutes. Let cool until warm. Frost with cream cheese frosting and sandwich together.

Enjoy these tasty treats!!!!

Bow Tie Romaine Salad

This one may not sound appealing as you read the ingredients. It's a little different. One time when Matt, Ali, Mike, and Kamala were all here, I told them what I was making and I think they were all a bit leery of it. So they were all pleasantly surprised at how yummy it actually was. We had no leftovers and they all wanted the recipe. Give it a try. It's a great summer salad.
Disclaimer: Although the adults loved it, most of the kids didn't. I usually make this one when entertaining adults, and have a regular kid friendly salad for the kiddies.

Salad:
8 c. spinach or romaine lettuce (I like Romaine)
8 oz. bow tie pasta cooked, rinsed, and cooled to room temperature
1 bunch green onion, chopped
¼ c. cilantro, chopped
¼ c. salted sunflower seeds (optional)
½ c. red and yellow bell chopped (you can use red only or even tomatoes)
2-3 chicken breasts boiled and shredded

Dressing:
*½ c. oil
2/3 c. soy sauce
2/3 c. rice vinegar
6 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. pepper
¼ c. sesame seeds (optional)

*I don’t add oil to the marinade; I add it to the salad and mix just before the chicken.
Marinate cooked, shredded chicken in dressing at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, mix all other ingredients together and add chicken with dressing.
Sometimes if I'm not going to need that much for one meal I'll keep the dressing separate from the salad in the refrigerator and mix it the next day for leftovers.
Serve with a focaccia bread or breadsticks. Enjoy!

Corn Salsa

This is one of our favorites.

1 can corn, drained
1 can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 plum (roma) tomatoes, chopped
2 ripe avocados, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bunch (or less, to taste) cilantro, chopped
1 packet good seasons italian dressing, mixed with oil and vinegar as per directions (do not add the water, there will be plenty of that in the salsa)

Combine all ingredients well in a bowl. You may not need all the dressing. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. It is best to make a little ahead so that flavors can meld, but take it out of the fridge a little before serving so it is room temperature.
Serve with tortilla chips.
Enjoy!!!