Karen's Banana Cake

My dear friend Karen, and also my neighbor, made the most delicious cake for
church dinner today....I had to get the recipe from her, so I now post it so I can come back here and find it....this blog has ALL my favorite recipes.


Karen's Banana Cake

"This is a very versatile and fast cake recipe.
Not only is it moist and delicious, the same
batter can be used to make banana bread
and muffins. Delicious frosted with chocolate
or cream cheese frosting."

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar 3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Karen also adds :
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 heaping Tablespoon Sour Cream to the batter.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour
, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar
and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in
eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour
mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed
mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour batter into the
prepared pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven,
and place on a damp tea towel to cool



Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 lb powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 t vanilla
1 t butter flavoring
1/2 & 1/2 or milk to thin to spreading
consistency

Beat the cream cheese and butter till
blended good. Gradually beat in
the powdered sugar and salt; beat
in the flavorings. Thin with the 1/2 &
1/2 or milk until you get to desired
spreading consistency. I always let it
beat for quite a while and taste test
it until it's no longer gritty, usuall
about 10 minutes or so. Then stack
and frost the cooled layers. Enjoy!!

Banana Bread

I spied two bananas this morning hiding under a towel near the kitchen sink, and nothing goes to waste in this house, so I got out my trusty old Banana Bread Recipe.This is a good recipe. I found the ingredient of a TBSP of vinegar intriguing, but you are also using soda in it, so it works out great. I use a cup of native pecans in it. I also had some left over green candied cherries left over from the candy I made, so those went in as well. I would have preferred the red candied ones, but if I serve a friend who is color blind, they won't know the difference ! It is in the oven baking, and will go good tonight with cups of hot Cappiccino. I have fallen in love with the Vanilla flavor one from Folgers....foget that little teaspoon to a cup of boiling water, I use 2 TABLESPOONS to a cup, then add a dollop of fat-free Cool Whip...I have to save calories somewhere !

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oleo (margerine)
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup mashed bananas
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 TBSP vinegar
1/2 to 1 cup pecans

I mix all my wet ingredients together
first, then add the dry. Bake at
350 degrees, will take about 50 to
60 minutes. Bake in a greased and
floured loaf pan or spray with Pam.
I usually use 2 bananas, 3 works fine
as well...a good way to use up old
bananas.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cake

I was looking through some of my old recipes and came across one I had not made in years. It was always such a favorite of mine, so I decided I better put it on here so I can find it the next time I want to make it...perfect for a hot summer night.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cake

Combine 30 crushed graham crackers, 1 TBSP sugar and 1 stick of melted margerine( or 1/2 cup butter) and press 3/4 this mixture on the bottom of a cake pan 9 x 13. Save the rest for topping on the cake.

Lemon Filling
1 package (3 ounce Lemon gelatin dissolved in one cup of boiling water and cooled.)
I put in the the refrigerator and let it get almost to a soupy consistency....you want it good and cold, but not quite set.
1 tall can of evaporated milk..I usually use Carnation. You want to put this in the freezer, but do not freeze it...let it get ice cold, chill thoroughly.
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package 8 ounce Cream Cheese..let it set at room temp. so it will be nice and soft to use.
Beat the cold canned milk at high speed in a large bowl until it is thick and looks like whipped cream.
Beat the cooled Lemon gelatin until it is foamy, add to the whipped milk, beating constantly,. Add sugar, vanilla and cream cheese in small portions, continue to whip in mixer.When well blended, whip about three minutes more, and pour on top of the crumb mixture in the pan. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs, and refrigerate at least four hours or overnight. This is so lucious and creamy...a wonderful dessert.

Red Velvet Loaf Cake

If you are in a hurry, this is a good recipe. I have tried it with the moist chocolate cake mix and the carrot cake mix....both have been excellent. I bake the
batter in two bread pans. I wish I had put chopped pecans and raisins in the carrot cake mix, but we enjoyed it any way.

Hands-on Time: 25 min.; Total Time: 2 hr., 15 min.

Yield: Makes 16 servings


Ingredients
1 (18.25-oz.) package DUNCAN HINES Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 (16-oz.) containers DUNCAN HINES Creamy Homestyle Cream Cheese Frosting
Garnishes: white sparkling sugar, fresh mint sprigs
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch) loaf pans.

2. Beat first 5 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer just until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium, and beat 1 minute or until batter is smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

4. Place loaves on a serving plate or cake pedestal. Spread frosting over tops and sides of cakes. Garnish, if desired.

Southern Living Food for Today, SEPTEMBER 2009

Holiday Favorites

JELLO POPCORN BALLS


1 cup Sugar

1 cup Karo

3 oz. package of your favorite Jello


Combine all ingredients and bring to a rolling boil. Pour over popped pop corn.

Stir until well coated. Store in an airtight container.

--------------------------

CRACKER JACKS


2 gallons of popped popcorn.

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup white Karo syrup

2 sticks oleo

1 cup raw peanuts

Bring all to a rolling boil. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon

soda and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour syrup over the popped corn. Stir until the

corn is well coated. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every

15 minutes

-----------------------

MARSHMELLOW POPCORN BALLS

6 cups popped popcorn

32 large marshmellows

1/4 cup butter

Melt butter and marshmellows over low heat. Add food coloring if desired.

Pour over popped popcorn and press into balls. I spray Pam on my hands

to keep them from sticking to me. They are pretty sticky at first, but let them

set for a few hours and they will be just right..

------------------

COCONUT-POTATO DROPS


1 medium potato, peeled

1 teaspoon butter

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 pkg (1#) powdered sugar

1 package flaked coconut (7 oz)

Cherries and Nuts


In a small saucepan, cook the potato in water to cover until tender.

Drain and mash. Measure 1/2 cup into bowl and stir in butter and

almond extract. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar (mixture will

be thin at first). Mix until smooth. Then stir in coconut. Drop by

teaspoons onto waxed paper. Top each with a cut candied cherry

or nut. When cold, pack into airtight containers. Makes about 45

pieces of candy.

--------------------------

Graham Cracker Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 sticks oleo

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup coconut

1 TBSP Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and bring to a boil. Spoon over graham crackers lined up

in a rimmed cookie sheet.(about 24 graham crackers) Bake 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cut into squares while still warm. So easy, and so good. Make great gifts. I sometimes

omit the coconut. and add extra nuts.

---------------------

Jan Baker's German Fruitcake



3/4 cup margerine

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon of Allspice,Nutmeg,and Cinnamon



1 cup buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon soda

2/3 cup cherry preserves

2/3 cup apricot preserves

2/3 cup pineapple preserves

1 2/3 cups pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix in order. Grease and flour 10" tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees

for 1 1/2 hours.

--------

Brandied Fruit Cake

To begin the fruit:
Week one.....1 cup pineapple, drained. Add one cup sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon.
Week two....1 cup drained peaches,add 1 cup sugar
Week three...1 cup drained apricots, add 1 cup sugar
Week four......1 cup marischino cherries, drained, add 1 cup sugar
I keep all this in a big glass jar, stir every day with a wooden spoon, leave on a shelf, covered with some saran wrap.
Week five......the recipe:

Brandied Fruit Cake
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
3 cups brandied fruit
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups pecans
Mix oil and eggs, beat well. Add flour,soda,vanilla, etc. and mix well.
Add the brandied fruit and nuts by hand last.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

This is an old,old recipe, have had it for years. It is also good on ice cream.

I always love to sneak pieces out of the pineapple...it is soooo goood.

Be sure to check out the appetizer recipes for other Holiday favorites...

Granny Lois's Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Granny Lois was one of the best cooks in town. Everyone loved this recipe and she always made it for the church suppers. Everytime we talk about this recipe we laugh. The first time my daughter Karen made this, she did not know you had to bake the cornbread first, so you can imagine the mess she ended up with...we laugh every Thanksgiving over Karen's special dressing. Granny Lois wrote the recipe down for me before she passed away, but her writing was so hard to read, age had made her hands tremble and shake, but luckily, Karen still had the recipe written in younger days, so it is with joy that I share her wonderful recipe. Eat and enjoy !

Granny Lois's Cornbread Dressing

4 pkgs. corn bread...bake it first....
8 slices of white bread
8 boiled eggs,chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 sticks of celery chopped
3 cans of cream of chicken
1 can of cream of celery
1 boiled chicken,skin removed, cut into bite size pieces
sage
poultry seasoning
pepper
curry powder
1/2 cup cooking oil
save broth from whole chicken

prepare cornbread, crumble into foil pan.
crumble bread. add chopped up eggs,onions,bell pepper, celery and

cooking oil.
2 cans of cream of chilcken and 1 can of cream of celery
add chicken pieces
season to taste
add broth if thick
put last can of cream of chicken on top
bake 350 for 30 mins

Cranberry Relish

Thanksgiving day is almost here.....I am lazy when it comes to this recipe...Just open a can of whole cranberry sauce, add a jar of orange marmalade, and stir it together. No fuss, quick and easy...you can add some chopped pecans to it as well...what is left over makes great topping for hot biscuits in the morning...