Mini Whole Wheat Banana Bread

"Because sometimes just 1 is enough." That's the tag line for a new cookbook I got over the holidays called Small Batch Baking by Debbie Maugans Nakos.  I'm super excited because there have been so many times that I want to bake a cake or cookies and not have enough to feed a family of 12.  The two of us just don't need 48 chocolate chip cookies....When I got the book, I picked up some of those tin mini-loaf pans that you see in the grocery store. I got 5 for $1.

I had 1 banana sitting around and thought I'd see what I could make.  The bread turned out delicious and 1 loaf is enough for us to eat for several days of snacking.

Serves 2-3, Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cooking spray
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 mashed banana
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In another bowl, mash together banana, brown sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and egg yolk.
3. Add banana mixture to flour mixture and stir together until well combined. Fold in nuts.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan
5. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a tooth-pick comes out clean.

Got a juicer? Make Fresh Vegetable Soup

Recently I got a juicer and now I can't visit the store without thinking, can I juice that? I've had to refrain my husband from trying to juice meat... Anyway....This soup recipe came with the little booklet in the box and I thought I'd give it a try.  I was skeptical at first as I tasted the juice mix and after I added the beans, but by the time it cooked down and flavors mellowed, it was a delicious lunch!

If you don't have a juicer, you can always throw the chopped veggies and broth into a good blender.

1 small tomato
1/2 of a small onion, peeled
2 carrots
1 green pepper or 2 stalks of celery (of course if you know me, you know I did not use the pepper, but I'm sure it would be fine with it)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
15 oz can of vegetarian baked beans
1 packet of ramen noodles, broken into small bits, or other noodles of your choice (don't use the flavor packet from the ramen)
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Juice or blend together tomato, onion, carrots and green pepper. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a sauce pan.  Add flour and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. You're making a roux.
3. Using a whisk, stir in juice and vegetable broth. Whisk until flour has dissolved.
4. Stir in baked beans and bring to a boil.
5. Add noodles and boil until cooked.
6. Add salt & pepper to taste.

This will make 4 good sized bowls. Make this the night before and pack some up for lunch at work.  If you really like onion flavor, go ahead and do a whole onion. I found it to be pretty strong with just 1/2.

White Wine Chicken & Rice Pilaf

We're in need of a trip to the grocery store so last night I scoured the pantry for something to make.  Here's what I came up with, 2 chicken breasts (no, they were in the freezer not the pantry) Kraft Lite Italian Dressing, garlic, cooking Sherry, vegetable broth, rice and pasta....Here's what they turned into:

For the Chicken:
2 Chicken breasts
1/2 Cup Italian dressing

Place chicken in a ziploc bag and add Italian dressing. Seal and shake.  Allow chicken to marinate in dressing for at least 30 mins. 

For the Rice Pilaf
1/2 cup broken spaghetti pieces
1 Cup rice
2 Tablespoons butter, divided into 1 tbsp chunks
2 Cups vegetable broth

1. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan.
2. Add spaghetti and rice. Stir to coat in butter. Stir occasionally until rice begins to brown lightly. 
3. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  ***You may need to add a few splashed of broth so check it regularly***

For the Sauce:
1/2 cup finely chopped onions or shallots
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1/4 dry white wine
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 chicken or vegetable broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Remove chicken from fridge and discard dressing.
2. Brown chicken in a skillet until mostly cooked through, remove to a plate
3. Add butter to the same pan and make sure you scrape all the goodness from cooking the chicken up.
4. Saute onions and garlic until onions soften.
5. Add wine and vinegar to pan. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Add broth, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
7. Add chicken to sauce, cover and allow to cook until sauce has reduced to 1/2 cup.

Serve with rice pilaf and a salad.

Hot Tea Mojito

Holy moly Pinterest! You've really come through on this one! Everyone who knows me, knows I'm a big fan of the Hot Toddy (hot tea, whiskey, honey and lemon) for anything from a tickle in my throat to full blown Bronchitis. Ok, even if it's a cold, rainy day, my solution is always a Hot Toddy....Until now! Meet the Hot Tea Mojito...It's even good without the fresh mint leaves (strange as it sounds, I was fresh out.) If you want to get fancy, use a heat-proof wine glass.

Makes 1 big serving (or 2 wimpy ones)

1 Cup water
2 tablespoons loosely packed fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teabag (Earl Grey, English Breakfast or Black tea)
1/4 cup rum (light or dark, whatever)
1 tablespoon lime juice

1. Boil the water in a teapot (or microwave proof mug)
2. Add mint leaves, brown sugar, lime juice and teabag. Let tea steep about 2 minutes.
3. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth (let's be honest, I used a paper towel) and enjoy!

Raspberry-Balsamic Glazed Chicken - Dinner in less than 30...

Finally a nice light dinner after all the holiday binging! I didn't get a picture of this one because it was so delicious it didn't last long enough (and the Detroit Red Wings were playing so no time for lollygagging.) Serve with couscous or rice pilaf and some steamed fresh green beans (touch of butter and a dash of garlic salt) and there's a nice quick dinner for you. Oooooh and don't forget a fresh baguette to sop up whatever juices are left on the plate.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
1/3 cup raspberry preserves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Sprinkle chicken with thyme, salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a skillet, add onions and cook until soft.
3. Add chicken to pan and cook until browned, about 6 minutes on each side.
4. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
5. Add raspberry preserves and balsamic vinegar to the onion mixture and stir until preserves are melted.
6. Spoon sauce over chicken.


This recipe is from Cookinglight.com so it's mostly healthy!

Santa Hat Pretzels

I saw a pic of these on Pinterest so I thought I'd try to make them. Super cute, fairly easy and people go nuts for them! Plan on making a practice batch before you bag them up as gifts or serve them to guests.  The chocolate takes some getting used to!

Supplies to make a ton:
1 large bag of mini pretzel twists, traditional shape
2 bags of meltable white chocolate
1 jar of red sprinkles
1 bag of mini marshmallows
Wax paper

Getting Ready...
1. Lay out wax paper sheets and arrange individual pretzels out in rows. Turn them sideways.
2. Cut marshmallows in half so that they are thinner than usual. Place in bowl nearby.
3. Fill bowl with sprinkles.

4. Melt white chocolate in the microwave, about 1-2 minutes, stopping halfway to stir. Stir until smooth. Very smooth.
5. Working in batches of about 6 at a time, spoon chocolate over half of the pretzel. Cover in sprinkles and attach a marshmallow half. You can only do a few at a time or else your chocolate will harden and nothing will stick to it.

6. Allow Santa Hats to cool completely before peeling off wax paper, about 10 minutes.

Sweet Corn Muffins with Mixed Berries

At Thanksgiving I made a traditional cheese cake with a cranberry-orange topping. Fast forward a month later and I still have half a bag of frozen cranberries left.  I thought, mmmmm...muffins....Then I saw a leftover bag of corn meal and I thought, mmmmm.....corn bread....So I tossed them all together and came up with some delicious treats.

1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup low-fat sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoon fat-free milk (I used almond milk)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 Cup frozen cranberries and/or blueberries, thawed

Preheat the oven to 375 and line a muffin tin with cute seasonal cupcake papers (or regular ones, whatever.)

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk together sour cream (or yogurt), butter, milk and egg.
3. Make a little well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the liquid, whisking constantly until moist and just combined.  The batter will be stiff so bring your elbow grease!
4. Fold in berries.
5. Use a spoon to drop batter into cups. Don't worry, it will spread out and rise a little when they bake.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm from the oven with a dollop of Cool Whip or for breakfast with a cup of tea!