Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

²/3 cup sugar

¹/₃ cup shortening

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup mashed banana (it works best with very ripe bananas)

¼ chopped walnuts

¾ teaspoon salt

Grease and flour an 8x4 inch bread pan. Stir together all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

In another bowl, mix the sugar and shortening together with an electric mixer. Add eggs one a time, and then the milk. Then alternate adding some of the dry mixture and the mashed bananas, mixing until smooth after each addition. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Put the batter into the bread pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for about ten minutes before removing.  Enjoy with cream cheese or just on its own!

Best Ever Quesadillas

Ingredients

(for two quesadillas)

4 flour tortillas

1½ cups shredded cheese, your favorite blend (I like cheddar with monterey jack or mozzarella)

½ a brown onion, sliced in thin strips

1 bellpepper, also sliced in thin strips

3 cloves garlic, minced 

olive oil

½ a tomato, diced

sprig of fresh chopped cilantro

dab of guacamole

salt and pepper

Put a dab of olive oil into a frying pan and cook the bellpepper, onion slices, and garlic over medium heat.  While it's cooking, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  When it's well cooked and fairly soft, remove from the pan.

Turn the heat down to low.  Add another small dab of olive oil and put one of the tortillas onto the pan.  Quickly add a layer of cheese, some of the bell pepper and onions, another layer of cheese, and the other tortilla on top.

Once the cheese starts to melt and hold the tortillas together, flip it over and let the other tortilla cook.  After the cheese is thoroughly melted and both tortillas are the same size, transfer it onto a plate and cut it into fours.  Sprinkle chopped cilantro and diced tomatoes on top, as well as guacamole and sour cream, if desired.  Repeat for the other quesadilla.

Garlic Brussel Sprout Crunches

Here's a different and delicious way to prepare brussel sprouts!
This recipe also works really well for asparagus.

Ingredients

20 fresh brussel sprouts (or as many as you'd like to eat)*

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

garlic powder

salt

*Frozen brussel sprouts can also be used, but they may not come out as crispy.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the brussel sprouts in half and peel the layers apart, laying them on a baking sheet.

 

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the brussel sprouts.  Toss the minced garlic over them, and sprinkle some garlic powder and salt on.  Mix them together with your hands, then lay them back out evenly on the baking sheet.

Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until the edges become golden brown and they are slightly crispy.

Add more salt or garlic powder if necessary.  Yum!