Recipe: Banana Squares

I am frequently overly optimistic when I purchase Bananas.  They look so golden & delicious. . .the kids love them. . . they are only $.44 a lb. . . we’ll go through a dozen in no time right?

Wrong.

Sometimes we do-I swear Princess would eat 3 a day if I would let her.  My mom & mother-in-law, nurses both, do not recommend that for a daily intake unless you want to serve prune juice alongside!

But other times, many other times, we have bananas that start to go brown.

Banana bread is a classic-but sometimes you get tired of it and want something different. Need a new way to use up Bananas going brown?  Try Banana Squares!  These delicious treats are similar to a blonde banana brownie.  Think of it as a cookie alternative.

Banana Squares

1C Sugar
1C Mashed Banana
1/3C oil
2 eggs
1C Flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

-Mix sugar, mashed bananas, oil eggs.
-Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
-Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix till thoroughly combined.
-Spread into a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 min.

Variations:
Sprinkle top with powdered sugar when cool.
Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Add chocolate chips (1/4 to 1/2 C).

Recipe: Venison Parmigiana

You all know I am always looking for new and different ways to prepare venison-after all we have a couple of deer worth in the freezer!  This recipe is simply a takeoff on a classic Chicken Parmigiana (or Parmesan).  The combination of Venison with spaghetti sauce is always a winner, the flavors balance each other out, especially if the meat is a bit more gamey.

Venison Parmigiana

(Parmesan)

4 boneless venison steaks
1/2C Flour
Salt & Pepper
3 TBS Parmesan cheese
1 TBS Italian Seasoning
1 c breadcrumbs
2 eggs
olive oil
spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese

Note: This recipe uses a dredging technique. You will need to set up 3 dredging stations-one with flour, one with the egg and one with the breadcrumbs-and a “receiving plate” to put the finished meat on. Each station should be large enough to lay a piece of meat out flat in. Dinner plates or pie pans work well.

-Pound steaks with a meat mallet into cutlets approx 1/2 inch thick.
-Season flour with salt & pepper to taste & place on a plate or shallow dish. This is station 1.
-Lightly beat the 2 eggs & place in a shallow plate or dish. This is station 2.
-Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and Italian Seasoning & place on a shallow plate or dish. This is station 3.
-Dredge cutlets in each station-making sure all surfaces get completely covered in each step.
-Leave completed meat on a plate for a few minutes to “set”
-Heat oil in a large frying pan.
-Fry each cutlet-about 5 min per side.
-Place fried cutlets on in a lightly oiled baking dish. Spoon spaghetti sauce over each cutlet. I like about 2-3 TBS each.
-Bake for 20 minutes at 325-adding the mozzarella cheese to the top for the last 5 minutes.
-Serve over a bed of pasta.

Variations:
This recipe could be made with any type of meat-chicken, turkey, pork or beef.
Instead of Spaghetti sauce you could use crushed tomatoes with some extra Italian Seasoning added in.
You could make a pizza version by adding a layer of pepperoni under the sauce.

Recipe: Snow Ice Cream

Well the kiddos and I are home with a school snow day today, and our county has issued a state of emergency!  So we decided to have some fun together and use one of the ideas from my “40 Things to do on a School Snow Day“.  After an afternoon of shoveling we made some “Snow Ice Cream” as an afternoon treat!

Snow Ice Cream

6C of very clean snow*
1/2 C Sugar
1 C Milk
1 tsp Vanilla

Put the snow in your biggest bowl.
Sprinkle sugar over the top of the snow.
Add milk & vanilla and then gently stir until the snow squishes down to about 1/4 of the volume you started with.
Once everything seems fully combined, dish into bowls and enjoy immediately!

*we used snow that had accumulated on our deck railing)

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