Chocolate Chip, Pecan, Banana Bread

CHOCOLATE CHIP PECAN BANANA BREAD
I don't know what it is like where you are, but it has been brutally cold here.  The temperatures rise a little, just enough to melt some old snow, and then the temperatures dip and more snow arrives.  It is enough to keep you making soup, hot chocolate, and anything to keep you warm on the inside and outside.  This scrumptious bread is just the thing with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate to keep the chill off your bones. Olivia tweaked a similar recipe she found online by adjusting some ingredient amounts and swapping out pecans for walnuts (just out of personal preference).  We hope you try it and like it. Remember, keep the coffee pot brewing, the snow blower filled with gas, and the hope of Spring alive!
-Nanette

CHOCOLATE CHIP, PECAN, BANANA BREAD

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 6 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition.
5. Stir in the mayonnaise and bananas.
6. Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
7. Blend the flour mixture into the banana mixture; stir just enough to evenly combine.
8. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
9. Bake at 350~ until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 to 75 minutes.
10. Cool loaf in the pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Serve with room temperature butter if desired.

Crab Rangoon

CRAB RANGOON
If you enjoy Chinese food and you've ordered crab rangoon very many times you know it can vary significantly in texture and content.  By that I mean it is sometimes overdone to the point of "why bother" or it often is so light on the crab that you might as well call it just --rangoon. You can avoid these problems by making this tasty dish yourself.  It if fairly easy and you can make them delicately moist and filled with lots of crab meat.  This recipe is also large on flavor thanks to the garlic, ginger, and soy sauce.  A nice light meal would be just these and a bowl of soup!  Olivia made these because she is a big fan of crab rangoon.  Try making your own and you may never be satisfied with restaurant ones again!
-Nanette

CRAB RANGOON

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temp
• 3/4-1 cup crabmeat, picked
• 2 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• wonton wrappers (You should only need one package)
• oil ( for frying)

Directions

1. Whip together the sour cream, cream cheese and soy sauce and sugar until smooth.
2. Fold in remaining ingredients (except wrappers) Heat oil to med-high and you want it around 1 1/2-2 inches deep.
3. Place a small bowl of water on your work surface and lay out 6 wrappers, and place around 1 1 1/2 t's in the center of each wrapper.
4. Moisten edges with water, bring up corners and pinch together, along with sides-you dont want filling to float away.
5. Place all 6 in the hot oil and repeat process.
6. By the time you have the next set of 6 ready to crimp it should be time to turn the rangoons.
7. You want them a nice golden color.
8. When done remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
9. Repeat until finished.

Olivia's Chili Con Queso

OLIVIA'S CHILI CON QUESO

This time of year (where we live) you need something to warm you during the cold weather and maybe you even need something yummy to munch on while watching a game.  Olivia offers this great recipe that can be as tame or spicy as you like.  She reports her husband even enjoyed spreading it on a warm tortilla and rolling it up. Use your favorite sausage and add interest with just the right amount of jalapeno to taste and black beans for even more texture.   Yum!
-Nanette

Olivia's Chili Con Queso

1/2 lb. ground pork sausage (This could be mild, hot, etc.  I used plain sausage.)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped (Remove the seeds if you want it to be milder; add another jalapeño if you
                                           want to kick up the heat!)
3 tablespoons dried onion flake
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, optional
1/2 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 large brick of MEXICAN Velveeta Cheese, cubed
1 cup salsa
3/4 cup sour cream

Over medium heat, brown sausage while separating it into small pieces.  If your pan doesn't have enough drippings to brown the veggies, add the vegetable oil.  If you have enough drippings, don't add the oil.  Add in the red onion, jalapeño, and onion flake.  Stir to combine and sauté for two minutes.  Dump the black beans in, and continue to cook for two more minutes.  Place the cubes of Mexican Velveeta on top of the mixture, and reduce the heat to low-medium.  Stir the mixture so the cheese doesn't burn. After the cheese is melted, stir in the salsa and sour cream.  Serve while the mixture is warm with tortilla chips!

APPLEWOOD JULEP

APPLEWOOD JULEP
If you are looking for a non-alcoholic way to toast in the new year, this drink is a winner.  The recipe comes for the Apple Barn Restaurant cookbook.  The Apple Barn Restaurant is a favorite of ours when we visit the Great Smoky Mountains.  Each meal there begins with a glass of this yummy  beverage.  It is a sweet yet slightly tart way to prepare your palette for a delicious meal ahead.  You can also use it as a breakfast juice if you like.  It is slightly different and really good.  We hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for sharing the year 2013 with us in our little corner of the world.  Olivia and I look forward to sharing more recipes and memories with you in 2014.  Feel free to contact us with recipes you think are worth sharing.  We love trying out new things and paying homage to tried and true favorites.  We wish you and yours a very happy new year!
-Nanette

APPLEWOOD JULEP

1 quart unsweetened apple juice, chilled
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled
1 cup orange juice, chilled
1/4 cup lemon juice, chilled

Combine all four ingredients with ice cubes; mix well.  Serve immediately.

Yield:  6 1/4 cups

Holiday Divinity

HOLIDAY DIVINITY
Several people have asked Olivia about  posting the divinity recipe.  We whipped up a batch to add to our candy and cookie trays we give away each year.  We received lots of positive feedback about the divinity.  I am convinced it is one of those holiday confections that is somewhat tied  to one's age.  Younger people tend to often not know what it is and older people, when they find it on the tray, smile and reminisce about eating it as a child.  Being on that older end of the spectrum, I have fond memories of making divinity when I was a child.

It is a simple recipe but one that requires close attention to detail.  You need to get it to the right temperature (hard ball stage), be sure to beat it long enough, and then work quickly and with another person if possible to spoon the delightful little clouds onto wax paper. I remember making it as a child.  Olivia remembers making it as a child.  Holiday memories taste oh so sweet!  Make a batch and make a memory!

Olivia and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.  Although we speak often of our holiday traditions and memories tied to food, we celebrate Christmas as the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We hope you will join us in celebrating God's greatest gift.
-Nanette

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water.  Cook to a hard ball stage (260 degrees) stirring only till sugar dissolves.  Meanwhile, beat egg whites to stiff peaks.  Gradually pour syrup over egg whites, beating at high speed on your electric mixer.  Add vanilla and beat till candy holds its shape--about 4-5 minutes.  Act quickly dropping from a teaspoon onto waxed paper.  It works best to scoop with one spoon and push off the divinity with another.  Makes about 40 pieces.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS
Olivia made these outstanding biscuits for Thanksgiving instead of rolls.  They were not only delightful the first time around but made magnificent mini sandwiches or "sliders" days after.  I even used one as a breakfast sandwich one morning with a scrambled egg.  If you have ever had the cheddar biscuits served at a Red Lobster restaurant, these are very similar.  They have a wonderful depth of flavor and are very versatile.  I had one left when I used the last of the turkey to make turkey tetrazinni so I crumbled it on top for bread crumbs.  It was the crowning glory!  If you are looking for a dinner roll or biscuit alternative, you will want to give them a try.  They are scrumptious!
-Nanette

CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS:

For the Biscuits: 4 cups baking mix 3 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded 1 1/3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

dash of Old Bay Seasoning

For the Buttery Topping:

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/8 teaspoon dried parsley 1/8 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.	In a mixing bowl, combine all of the six first ingredients. Mix until dough is firm. Using a small scoop, place dough on the prepared pan.
3.	Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
4.	Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, Old Bay Seasoning, and parsley. Brush over baked biscuits immediately upon removing from oven.

VANILLA CHIP MAPLE COOKIES

VANILLA CHIP MAPLE COOKIES
Olivia's friend Deb is a fabulous cook and shares the greatest recipes.  This one was really a hit and comes to you just in time for your holiday baking.  While it is nice to use the traditional recipes your friends and families love, it is also great to mix it up a little with something new.

We hope all of you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday weekend as much as we did.  Olivia and I made our annual shopping excursion to the mall and beyond on Black Friday.  I must say since stores have started their sales on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday is not as crowded as it used to be.  I'm happy for the people who found bargains on Thanksgiving Day, but I am a purist.  Olivia and I still do our Black Friday thing.  This year we did something I have wanted to do for years. We had our picture taken with Santa and it turned out really well.  We laughed hard, shopped until we dropped, and had a jolly time.  We have fun but we never forget the reason for the season and the greatest gift of all!  We hope your holiday season is off to a great start!
-Nanette

VANILLA CHIP MAPLE COOKIES                                            

1 cup shortening  

2 t baking soda

1/2 c butter, softened           

3 c flour

2 eggs                  

1t maple flavor

2c brown sugar      

2 c vanilla chips

1 t vanilla              

1/2 c pecan pieces

Cream together shortening, butter, and brown sugar.  Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and maple flavoring.  Add baking soda and salt, mix well.  One cup at a time, add the flour, until all is incorporated.  Fold in pecan pieces and vanilla chips.

Drop them by spoonful and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet.