Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Muffins

3 very ripe bananas, peeled & mashed
1 egg
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. all purpose flour
1/2 C. cocoa powder
3/4 C. oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt

-Preheat oven to 375 & prepare muffin pan by either lining with cups or heavily spraying with non-stick spray.

1. In medium-large mixing bowl add bananas, egg, sugar, applesauce & vanilla.  Beat on med-low speed until well mixed.
2. Add in remaining ingredients & beat until just mixed.
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups until 3/4 full.  Place muffin pan on large cookie sheet and bake 18-20 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven & let sit 5 minutes before removing muffins to cool on wire rack.

-Makes 12-16 muffins.  I made 12 muffins and then made a small "cake" with the remaining batter.

Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

1 C. sugar
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 C. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 C. blueberries (thawed if frozen)
Extra sugar for topping

-Preheat oven to 375 & prepare muffin tins
1. Whisk together sugar, oil, egg, sour cream and vanilla.
2. Add dry ingredients & mix until just incorporated.  Fold in blueberries.
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups or greased muffin tins.  Sprinkle sugar over tops.  Place on *cookie sheet & bake 20-25 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let sit 5-10 minutes before removing from pans to cool on wire rack.

-Makes 24 muffins

*Cooking your muffins on a cookie sheet helps prevent the bottoms from over-cooking and burning.

Potato Kielbasa

4 medium/large potatoes, cubed
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 freshly made bratwurst or Polish sausages, cooked & sliced
6 bacon strips, cooked & crumbled
1/3-1/2 C. frozen spinach (2 C. fresh)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme

1. Heat oil in large pan on medium heat, cook potatoes (seasoned with salt & pepper) & onion until potatoes are just tender.  Add sausage, bacon & spinach to pan.
2. Make sauce by mixing remaining ingredients in small bowl.  Pour into pan & mix in.  Cover & simmer on med/low heat 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Serves 4

p.s.  I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine & made a few slight changes.  This is also delicious when served with an over-easy egg; the yolk makes a great sauce.

Beets with Dill Sauce

3-4 large beets
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate
(or 2 Tbsp. apple juice)
1 tsp. dried dill
Salt & pepper

1. Trim ends off of beets, peel & cube.  Steam 15-20 minutes until tender.  Let cool until warm.
2. Combine remaining ingredients to make sauce & toss with beets.  Cover & refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

-Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Oatmeal Rasin Cookies

1  stick butter, softened
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder'1/2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
*3/4-1 C. oats
1 C. raisins

-Preheat oven to 375
1. In medium bowl combine butter, sugars, egg & vanilla.  Beat until mixed.
2. Add remaining, except oats & raisins, and mix until just incorporated.  Mix in oats & raisins using a spoon.
3. Spoon batter onto cookie sheets.  Bake 10-15 minutes until edges are beginning to brown.  Wait 2 minutes before placing cookies onto wire rack to cool.

-Makes 18-24 cookies

*Amount of oats depends on your own preference, I like more oats in my cookies so I use 1 C. but you can use a bit less if that's what you prefer.

Rice Pudding

3/4 C. white rice
1 1/2 C. water
1 1/2 + 1/2 C. milk
1/3 C. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 C. raisins
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine rice & water in medium pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover & let simmer until cooked (20 minutes).
2. Turn up heat to medium, add 1 1/2 C. milk, sugar & salt.  Let cook until thick and creamy, stirring often.
3. Stir in remaining 1/2 C. milk, egg & raisins.  Cook 2-5 more minutes, until desired consistency is reached, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat, stir in butter & vanilla.  Serve warm or cold.

-Makes 4-6 servings & is especially delicious when topped with ground cinnamon

Banana Crumb Muffins

3 overly ripe bananas
3/4 C. sugar
1 egg
5 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

-Preheat oven to 375 & prepare muffin tins
1. In large bowl combine bananas, sugar, egg, butter, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg.  Beat on med-low speed until well mixed.
2. Add remaining ingredients & beat until just mixed.  Spoon batter into muffin cups or greased muffin tin.
3. Make crumb topping:
1/3 C. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cold butter
-Mix ingredients with fingers until fine crumbs have formed.

4. Top muffins with crumbs.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let sit 5 minutes then remove from pan & let cool on wire rack.

-Makes 12 muffins

Blueberry Bagel Bread Pudding

2-3 day-old blueberry bagels, torn into pieces
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1 C hot water
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4-1/3 C slivered almonds

Glaze:
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 C powdered sugar
Milk
1 tsp honey

1. In medium bowl combine all ingredients except bagel and almonds. Mix well. Toss in bagel pieces and mix until well coated.
2. Pour mixture into greased 9x13" pan and top with almonds. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before baking.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and let pudding sit on counter 30 minutes before baking. Bake 55-60 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let cool while preparing glaze.

To make glaze simply combine all ingredients in small bowl and mix together until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over bread pudding and serve!

Texas Sheet Cake

1 C. butter
1 C. water
1/4 C. cocoa powder
2 C. flour
1 3/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. sour cream

-Preheat oven to 350
1.  Add butter, water and cocoa powder to small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.
2.  Combine dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl, add in cocoa mixture and mix well.  Stir in sour cream until smooth.  Pour into cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Set aside on wire rack while making frosting:

1/2 C. butter
1/4 C. milk
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 1/2- 3 3/4 C. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1.  Melt butter in small saucepan on medium heat.  Add milk and cocoa then bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth (may take a few minutes).  Carefully pour over warm cake.  Let cool and serve!

Peach Bread Pudding

2-3 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted & diced
4 C. French bread, torn into small pieces
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs, beaten
1 C. hot water
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

-Preheat oven to 325 and grease a 9x13"dish
1.  Toss all ingredients in large bowl until well mixed.  Let sit 5 minutes before pouring into baking dish.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until golden brown and an inserted knife comes out clean.  Set aside to cool while making caramel sauce.

Sauce:
1 stick butter
3/4 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. agave or honey

1.  Heat butter in small saucepan on medium heat until melted.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Let simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until thick.  Let sit for a minute or two before drizzling over bread pudding and serving.  Serves 4-8.