Banana bars

Banana bars

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 1 (16 ounce) container cream cheese frosting ( or make the one below)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter. Finally, mix in the mashed banana. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bars to cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese frosting.

Frosting
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 c. margarine
4 cups powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
1/3 c-1/2 cup milk

Hungarian 'Fury' Goulyas

Thanks to Jon, B's new nickname is Fury. Not to be confused with Fairy. He won't respond. Not that I tried more than once... Anyway, i made this soup that he just died for and ALL of my kids gobbled right up. It is our personal take on the

Hungarian Goulyas

1 Kilo cubed Pork (can use beef)
4 carrots (peeled and cut into medallions)
8 potatoes (peeled and cubed)
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 beef bouillon cubes
8 cups hot water
1/2 red onion (diced)
1/2 yellow onion (diced)
1/2 red pepper (diced)
3 gloves garlic (pressed)
3 Tbs. butter
4 Tbsp. green onion (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
1Tbsp. Paprika

Dice the red onion, yellow onion, red pepper (Kalifornia Paprikas in Hungarian), and sautee all the diced veggies with the 3 pressed cloves of garlic and butter in a big stew pot. Let simmer 3 min. or so. Add the cubed Pork with salt and pepper and brown. Then cover and let cook on medium heat for about 5 min. While you are letting those cook together, dissolve the bouillon cubes in the 8 c. hot water. (You can put them in the microwave to expedite this process.) Pour the chicken/beef boullion water over the pork and let it boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer covered for an hour or two. Add the cubed carrots, potatoes, and green onion and cook until the veggies are soft. This feeds our family of 5 for two dinners. (And B and I have two helpings both nights!)

Serve with

B's Paprikas Garlic Bread:

Fresh Bread (or French Bread) cut in slices. Spread butter on top and sprinkle garlic salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, and parmesan cheese. Broil for a couple minutes. We are fans of the Hungarian Paprikas... we will send our Chicken Paprikas someday...

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons peanut butter


In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Stephanie's Banana Bread

Cream together:
3/4 cup Butter
1 1/2 cup sugar

Add:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (2 1/2 to 3 bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla

Fold in:
3/4 cup sour cream
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp B.P.
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans are the best)

Grease and flour 2 bread pans. Fill pans 1/3 full with banana mixture, sprinkle with topping. Fill another 1/3 full with batter, sprinkle with topping. Pour the last of the batter on top. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. Test with toothpick in the middle...if it comes out clean the bread is done. Loosen sides immediately and cool on racks. (Lining the pan with wax paper makes for easier removal! :)

Soft Chewy Pretzels

Soft Chewy Pretzels

Ingredients:
3 tsp active dry yeast
3 pinches of sugar (mine were a little big)

1 cup warm water
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp. white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt (you can do less if you are sharing with Grandpa :)
3 Tbsp oil
9 Tbsp baking soda
3 cup hot water (as hot as your tap can get)
Sea salt

Directions:
Dissolve yeast into water with the pinches of sugar and let stand 10 min.

Mix the yeast mixture with flour, sugar, salt, and oil, and knead until combined (a few minutes, not even 5)

Let the dough rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size (about 1 hour)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. When the dough has risen, pinch off a handful and roll it out into a long strand. (I just squished it in my hand into snakes.) Set aside on wax paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Once all the strands are rolled out, pick up the first one and stretch it out again (the gluten will have relaxed and it should stretch further now).

Twist them into any shape that you want. (We did hearts for Valentine's Day and circles one time bc the girls couldn't get the pretzel shape, but you can do whatever.) Place on greased baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the strands.

Dissolve baking soda into the hot water and stir until mostly dissolved. Quickly dip each rolled pretzel into the mixture and place it back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle all pretzels with salt if wanted, (but we thought this was too much salt).

Bake for about 8-10 min, until pretzels have browned. Makes 16-18 medium sized pretzels.

***I have been seriously trying to find this recipe all my life. Okay, all my married life, but I finally found it! These are wonderful and I have made them 3 times so far (since Oct) and they always turn out fantastic! (I usually omit the sea salt bc they are salty enough already.)

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 lb. cream cheese
10 oz. grated Parmesean cheese
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. Mayonaisse
1 1/3 oz. chopped jalapeno peppers ( you can turn down the heat by using less peppers)
1T. garlic powder or 3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
1 lb. water packed artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together cream cheese, Parmesean cheese, sour cream, mayo, peppers and garlic powder. Fold in artichoke hearts. Spread into 10 inch baking dish. Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Serve hot with tortilla chips, baguette slices, or sourdough bread.

I have to give credit to Brooke Kane for this recipe and it came from her R.S. cookbook when they lived in Chicago. It's lots of calories and kinda' pricey, but great for special occasions.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 C. white sugar
2 1/2 C. cake flour*(I used whole wheat flour)
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C. canola oil
1 C. buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. vinegar

*homemade cake flour: 2 Tbs. cornstarch 1/2 tsp. baking powder fill the rest of 1 cup up with flour and sift

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. red. fat cream cheese
1 C. butter, room temp.
2 C. confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with wrappers. Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Pour wet mixture into dry and mix until combined. Fill tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake about 20 minutes. Cool completely. For frosting, mix butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly mix in confectioner's sugar. Add vanilla. Frost cupcakes using a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped tip. Or frost with a small spatula. Makes 24.

I like these just because of the frosting. It's fantastic!

This is Bryanna posting.