Banana Gelato

This is really sweet and really yummy. Megan and Jeremy seconded my opinion of that this weekend. (Phew! Previous testers weren't as impressed as I was, but they were my kids so...). The recipe suggests serving it with toasted pecans, which I made and forgot to serve, so maybe someday I'll try it that way - sounds good to me.

Banana Gelato

1 3/4 c. whole milk

2 very ripe bananas, peeled and quartered

5 egg yolks

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. heavy or whipping cream

1. Bring milk and bananas to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat (stirring occasionally). Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Cool 5 minutes, then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan; set over very low heat to keep warm.

3. Beat yolks and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer at high speed until thick.

4. Beat half the milk mixture into yolk mixture in a thin stream, then combine with remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Set over low heat and cook until mixture coats back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla, salt and cream.

5. Pour into a large container, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Pour into the canister of an ice cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Mine has never gotten thick enough to make the ice cream maker stop spinning. It's not thick like regular ice cream so you just have to watch it - peek in the lid - and see if it looks thickened. Then freeze it in the freezer). Serves 8

From relishmag.com

Creamy Chicken Dinner

We're working on finding good and easy recipes for our 3-Month food storage plan. This uses all canned items and of course you can use your frozen chicken or canned chicken so it fits the plan perfectly. Also it's a simple recipe that's tasty but mild - so kids might even eat it.

Creamy Chicken Dinner

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 can condensed chicken with rice soup, undiluted

1 can (5oz) evaporated milk

1 C cubed (or shredded) cooked chicken

Chow mein noodles

Combine all ingredients except chow mein noodles in a large bowl; stir well. Transfer to a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve immediately with chow mein noodles sprinkled on top.

Serves 4.

Originally found in Quick Cooking.

Fancy Green Beans

These were tasty green beans and I always like to find a great veggie recipe - I mean who wants plain green beans? I used sesame-ginger sauce rather than teriyaki just because that's what I had already open in the fridge and it was great.

Fancy Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed

2 bacon strips, diced

2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 C sliced sweet red pepper

1 small onion, cut into thin wedges

1/2 C salted whole cashews

1 /2 tsp lemon juice

Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 4-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.

While beans are cooking, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the teriyaki sauce, honey and butter.

Saute red pepper and onion in drippings until tender. Add the beans, teriyaki mixture, bacon, cashews, and lemon juice; heat through.

Originally from Taste of Home

Corn Fritters

Guess what these taste like! The fritters at White Fence Farm! I was trying to look for the recipe for their kidney bean salad and came across this - score! Be forewarned though - it makes quite a few (depending on how big you make them), which means you can just keep eating them if you're not careful.
They don't turn out looking like the ones at the restaurant but that's ok in my book. I made mine flat instead of round for two reasons - (1) I can't stand using all the oil it would call for to cook big round ones and (2) I wanted to make sure they were done in the middle. Enjoy!

Corn Fritters
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 can cream-style corn
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. flour
powdered sugar

Preheat oil in a skillet or deep-fat fryer to 350 degrees (I did mine a little lower because it was too hot at 350 in my skillet). If you're doing them big and round there needs to be about 2 inches of oil.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, salt and pepper together. Add the corn and blend thoroughly. Add the baking powder and flour, but do not over stir; some of the flour should be visible. Drop 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the hot oil (I flattened them after I dropped them in) and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until light brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle immediately with sifted powdered sugar. Serve warm, with maple syrup if desired. (We didn't try that, but that's what the recipe suggested...)

This was from http://www.carolscomfortfoods.com/

Cold and Creamy Banana Pudding

Ok so I posted this on my blog quite a while ago but I like it so I'll post it here too. :)

Cold & Creamy Banana Pudding

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant banana flavored pudding
1/2 carton whipped topping (about 6 0z)
36 vanilla wafers (optional)
3 medium bananas
In a large mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and water.Add pudding mix and beat until well blended.Chill 5 minutes in refrigerator.Fold in whipped topping. (Do this slowly and as few times as you possible to combine, so the mixture will retain its thickness.)Spoon 1 cup pudding mixture into 2 1/2 quart glass serving bowl.Top with 1/3 each of wafers, bananas and pudding. Repeat twice. Garnish as desired. Chill thoroughly. Refrigerate any leftovers. You can also layer in individual serving dishes.

I didn't use the vanilla wafers and I thought it was perfect. The original recipe and photo is from this girl's food blog: http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/07/some-like-it-hot.html
but I changed it a bit. The sweetened condensed milk is what really makes this yummy... of course sweetened condensed milk makes everything yummy!:)

Salmon with Cucumber Sauce

This is super yummy. Avery was disappointed that the salmon wasn't "sweet" like how I usually cook it. Everyone else still liked it though. (Not that the kids ate the sauce). The sauce is actually really similar to Carrie's Cucumber Dill Dip in the family cookbook, so you could eat any leftovers with crackers! This is from Simple & Delicious.

Salmon with Cucumber Sauce
1 c. chopped peeled cucumber (I removed the seeds too - personal preference)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. grated onion (I just sprinkled in some onion powder - grating onions sounds gross)
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp. pepper
Dash salt
4 salmon fillets (6 oz. each)

For sauce, combine everything but the salmon. Refrigerate until serving. Salt and pepper the salmon then broil or grill it until it flakes easily with a fork. Serve with cucumber sauce.
Yield: 4 servings.

Tortellini with Garlic Butter Sauce

I've wanted to try this recipe for awhile and finally put it on the menu. (Well, we were going to BBQ but it's raining so we swapped menu items...) I used Barilla cheese & spinach tortellini (found in the pasta aisle) which was great. You can also use cheese, mushroom, or meat filled if you prefer, or even ravioli. It's easy and delish!

Tortellini with Garlic Butter Sauce

6 Tbsp butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground sage

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 pound tortellini (fresh or frozen or dried)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a medium frying pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is soft and golden and the flavors have blended nicely, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the sage, salt, and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini as directed on package. Drain and return to the pot. Add the butter and parsley and toss gently until the pasta is thoroughly coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.

I got this from MSN. MSN got it from Food & Wine. :)