Banana, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Cookies

Everyone seems to be baking more that they have more time now that we're staying home now. If you're looking for a new treat to try look no further than these banana, peanut butter, oatmeal cookies. 


What You'll Need...

2 Over Ripe Bananas
2 Cups Quick Oats
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon


Mash the bananas until liquidy. Add in the rest of the ingredients and combine. You’ll need to mash the stuff together at first.

Once it all comes together scoop out 2 tablespoons of “dough” at a time and form into discs. 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Enjoy! 

Sweet and Spicy Pizza

All four of us LOVE pizza! If you love pizza, and you love spicy, then this pizza is for you. 

What You'll Need...

1 Pizza Crust (1/4 to 1/2 of a homemade pizza dough recipe.)

Panda Express Sweet Chili Sauce

Spicy Cheese (Our favorite is Hot Jalapeno and Habanero Jack)

Your Favorite Spicy Seasoning (We like "Slap Ya Mama" Cajun Seasoning)

Deli Ham (Optional)

Pineapple (Optional)

If you're you want to make your crust from scratch this is our favorite recipe. 

Pizza Dough 

1 Packet Active Dry Yeast

1 Teaspoon Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Hot Water

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 

3 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

2 Teaspoons Salt

Add the water, sugar and yeast to a mixing bowl and allow the yeast to bloom. Make sure that the water is hot, but not too hot. Too hot or too cold and the yeast won't activate. 

Once the yeast has bloomed at the oil, flour, and salt. Mix to combine and then knead until smooth and elastic. This will take at least 5 minutes of kneading. 

Coat the mixing bowl with oil or cooking spray, place the bowl back in, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise for at least 1 hour. 

When the dough has risen and you're ready to use it punch it down once to get the extra air out and divide the dough into 2, 3, or 4 balls. It all depends on how big you want your pizzas to be. 

Pizza

Pre-heat your oven to 450 F

On a greased pizza pan or baking pan press your dough out into your desired pizza shape and thickness. We like a thinner, crispier pizza! 

Once the dough is pressed out spread the Sweet Chili Sauce and then later on the cheese. Sprinkle your favorite spicy seasoning on top of the cheese. After the seasoning top the pizza with as much or as little ham and pineapple as you like. This pizza is also great as a spicy cheese or spicy chicken pizza. You can also use your favorite regular pizza cheese as well, but the spicy cheese gives it more of a kick. 

Place your pizza in a 450 F oven and allow to bake for 12 - 17. The bake time all depends on how you like your pizza. The longer it stays in the crispier the crust will get! 

Remove the pizza from the oven, slice, and enjoy! 

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

As a family we love pancakes! We have them for dinner once or twice a month. I know what you’re thinking, pancakes for dinner?! We love to have breakfast for dinner sometimes, and we do it every Friday! So, we have a few different pancake recipes, and this Fall recipe is perfect for this week! They have a nice pumpkin flavor and are super light and fluffy.

What You’ll Need…

1 ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour

3 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

3 Tablespoon Butter (Melted)

1 ¼ Cup Milk

2/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree

Add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the butter, milk, and pumpkin and stir to combine.

Scoop the batter onto a greased skillet or griddle over medium heat. We prefer our pancakes to be about 2-3 Tablespoons worth of batter. Allow it to cook until bubbles start to appear and then flip. Allow the other side to cook through. Keep the pancakes warm until serving (while the others are cooking) in a 200̊̊ F oven.

Serve with your favorite pancake toppings. Some of ours are peanut butter, syrup, or cream cheese icing.

Enjoy!!

Roasted Butternut Squash

It’s Fall, and that means fall food! One of my favorite Fall foods is butternut squash. We love to have roasted squash in burritos, tacos, with eggs or pasta. Today I have for you my roasted butternut squash recipe.

What You’ll Need…

1 Butternut Squash

Ground Cloves

Garlic Powder or Honey Garlic Rub

Seasoned Salt

Olive Oil

Pre-heat you oven to 425̊ F.

Cut off the top and bottom of the squash. Lay it on its side and cut it in half to make it easier to peel.

Peel the skin from both halves of the squash.

Once the peel is removed cut the bottom in half and remove the seeds.

Cut the squash into ½ - 1 inch cubes and spread them out on a greased baking sheet.

Drizzle the squash with olive oil and spices. Toss the squash gently to make sure that it is coated with oil and spices.

Bake at 425̊ F for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes increase the heat to 500̊ F and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes.

Remove the squash from the oven and enjoy as part of a taco or burrito, with eggs, pasta, or salad, or whatever you like!

Pumpkin Bread

It has been quite some time, but I finally have a new, Fall recipe for you!

For about a month now Christian has been asking me to make pumpkin bread and yesterday we finally made some! All of the recipes that I could find had a TON of sugar in them, so I decided to come up with my own recipe by making some changes to my banana bread recipe.

Baking is a science, so making changes to a recipe can be risky – up this one paid off! The bread is dense, flavorful, and has a delicious fall feel to it!

1 – 15oz Can Pumpkin Puree

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

½ Teaspoon Allspice

½ Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

2/3 Cup Sugar

2/3 Cup Butter (Melted)

2 Eggs (Or 3 Tablespoons Sour Cream)

Preheat your oven to 350.

In a medium mixing bowl add the can of pumpkin and the sour cream (or eggs), and mix well. Once the eggs or sour cream are incorporated add in the melted butter and sugar, and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Add half of the dry mix to the pumpkin mixture and mix until it comes together before adding the second half.

Be sure to mix well, scraping the bottom of the bowl to ensure that all of the dry mix is incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between into two greased loaf pans, and smooth it out so that it isn’t just a mound in the middle of the pan.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Allow the loaf to cool slightly before removing from the pan and cooling completely on a cooling rack

Slice and enjoy! .

Buckeyes

One of my favorite flavor combinations in the whole world is peanut butter and chocolate. Reese's Peanut Butter cups are my favorite candy, and these buckeyes are just homemade peanut butter balls. Yum!

What You'll Need...

1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (Or other nut butter, or Sunbutter)
1/4 Cup Butter (Softened)
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups + 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
8oz Chocolate Chips or Melting Chocolate

In a mixing bowl combine the butter and peanut butter. You can use a hand or stand mixer, but I prefer to mix them by hand.

Add the sugars and vanilla to the peanut butter mixture and mix until combined. This is where doing it by hand makes the most sense for me. You will need to use your hands to make the mixture come completely together.

Once the peanut butter mixture is completely combined form them into balls and place them on a tray. I like to make mine using about 1/2 Tablespoon of peanut butter mixture at a time. The last time I made these (last weekend) I weighed each one using my kitchen scale. 9g per ball was the perfect amount.

Once you have all of the balls formed place the tray in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Before removing them from the freezer melt the chocolate in the microwave in a deep, skinny microwave safe bowl or mug.

Remove the peanut butter balls from the freezer and using a toothpick dip them in the chocolate so that they are 3/4 of the way covered.

Be careful, the peanut butter will start to soften, so you will need to refreeze the entire batch at times. I find that I can get 10-15 balls dipped before I need to refreeze.

Once they are all dipped all to set and then serve! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cabbage Bowls

Last month we had some cabbage left over after St. Patrick’s Day and I wanted to do something with it besides make coleslaw. I had an idea and I went with it – it has become one of my new favorite things to make and to eat! The measurements in this recipe are in grams for the vegetables and ounces or even cups for other goodies. If you’re not looking for accurate measurements for calorie counting purposes you can eyeball the amount, however, a kitchen scale is a great tool to have. (We gave in and bought one the fall and use it multiple times a day. Definitely worth the ~$20 spent.

What You’ll Need…

Cabbage [Chopped] (200g per person)

Spices (Your favorites)

¼ Cup Water

Mix and Match Add Ins: (The amounts for these depend on what you like and how many people the dish is being made for.)

Onions (100 – 200g)

Zucchini (150 – 300g)

Bell Pepper (100 – 200g)

½ Cup Peas

3 – 8oz Meat of your Choice Cut into Bite Sized Pieces [Pork, Beef, Chicken, Sausage, etc.]  (Per person)

1 Serving Cooked Pasta

½ - 1 Cup Cooked Rice

Your Favorite Sauce

Start out by measuring out and chopping your chosen vegetables. Add the chopped cabbage to a deep 10in skillet along with the water. Cover the pan and allow to cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Mix twice to avoid sticking.

After 10 minutes add in your additional vegetables and your chosen spices. Cover again and allow to cook for at least an additional 10 minutes. Mix twice to avoid sticking. The longer you let everything cook the softer it will be.

While the vegetables are cooking prefer your additional items like meats, starches, and sauces.

Once the vegetables are cooked to your liking remove them from the heat and divide evenly for the number of people to be served. Add in your extras (meat, starch, and sauce) and mix to combine.

Enjoy!

Our current favorite combination is cabbage, peas, zucchini, red bell pepper, chicken, rice, sour cream and barbecue sauce.

Soda Bread

It has been quite some time since we shared a recipe, and I hope that now that I am done with school that I can find the time to share something tasty with you once a month.

St. Patrick’s Day is this weekend and I don’t know about you, but I LOVE Irish food. Traditional Irish Soda Bread doesn’t have any dried fruits or anything in it, but this version is quite good. So, today I give you my take on Soda Bread. This recipe is based on Ina Garten’s.

What You’ll Need…

4 Cups All Purpose Flour

4 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 ½ Teaspoons Salt

4 Tablespoons Cold Butter (Cut into cubes)

1 ¾ Cup Buttermilk

1 Egg

½ Cup Raisins

½ Cup Dried Cranberries

Preheat your oven to 375.

Place parchment paper onto a baking sheet. A well-greased pan or non-stick foil on a baking sheet will work, too.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl and mix with a hand or stand-mixer. While mixing on low add the cubes of butter and mix until the butter is mixed in.

With a fork lightly beat together the buttermilk and egg, With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture.

Combine the dried fruit with a tablespoon of flour so that they don’t all sink to the bottom and mix them into the dough. Don’t worry, the dough will be wet.

Dumped the dough out onto a flour cutting board or counter and knead it into a rounded loaf.

Place the loaf onto the prepared baking sheet and using a bread knife cut an X into the top of the loaf.

Bake for 45 – 55 minutes. It will sound hollow when it is done.

Cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold – plain, with butter, or with jelly. There really is no wrong way to eat this bread.

Enjoy!

Peppermint Bark

Things have been crazy lately, and for that I apologize. The good news is that we’re only a few days away from Christmas and I have the perfect simple and delicious recipe for you to enjoy the Christmas.

What You’ll Need…

1 White Chocolate Melting Wafers

2 Peppermint Candy Canes

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Place the unwrapped candy canes in a zip-top bag and break into pieces using a rolling pin.

Place the melting wafers in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. Stir the chocolate, if it’s not melted all the way microwave again in 10 second increments, stirring in between.

Once the chocolate is fully melted spread it evenly on the parchment or sil-mat and sprinkle the peppermint pieces on top.

Allow the chocolate to set fully before breaking into pieces.

Enjoy!

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

It has been FOREVER since I last shared a recipe – or at least it feels that way. This got crazy busy for a few months, but now that I have a short break from school I can finally share a delicious recipe with you!

Today we have for you a delicious, protein packed new take on the cheeseburger.

What You’ll Need…

2lbs Ground Meat

1 Large Russet Potato

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

2 Heaping Tablespoons Mayonnaise

4 Slices Bacon

Cheese

Your Favorite Seasoning

Start off by cooking the ground meat all of the way through, adding your favorite seasoning to the meat as it cooks.

In a separate pan, or the oven, cook the bacon until slightly crisp.

While the meat is cooking, using a mandolin or a very sharp knife thinly slice the potato. In an air fryer, or the oven cook the potatoes slightly. In an air fryer this will take about 7 minutes at 400. In the oven it should take about the same amount of time.

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Next, in a small bowl combine the ketchup and mayonnaise.

Now it’s time to build the casserole! In a greased 9x13” pan lay down a layer of potatoes. 

Spread layer of the ketchup and mayo mixture over top. Next add all of the ground meat in an even layer and top that with the slices of bacon.

Top the meat with as much or as little cheese as you like – this can be any cheese you like. We recommend a good amount of cheese. Drizzle on the remaining ketchup/mayo mixture. Cover everything with another layer of potato slices.

Top that with some more cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Enjoy!

Chocolate Waffles

Here at the Whitaker house we love to have breakfast for dinner every once in a while, and that normally means waffles or pancakes if Christian has a say in the matter. Waffles and pancakes are great, and there are so many different ways to prepare them. Plain, blueberry, chocolate chip, topped with fruit or peanut butter or cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Recently we added a new option to our list, chocolate waffles! You should try them out, you’ll be hooked.

What You’ll Need…

1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour

3 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

¼ Cup Sugar

¼ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

3 Tablespoons Butter (Melted)

1 ¼ Cup Milk

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa powder to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Add in the melted butter, milk, egg and vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Add your desired amount of batter to a pre-heated waffle iron and cook until done.

Serve the waffles on their own or with your favorite toppings!

Creamy Crockpot Chicken "Casserole"

This meal is easy and delicious.

What You’ll Need…

4 Chicken Thighs

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

3 Large Carrots (Peeled and Chopped)

1 Cup Chicken Broth

1 Cup Frozen Peas

4oz Cream Cheese

Seasoned Salt

Pepper

Add the chicken, even from frozen, to your crockpot.

Add the remaining ingredients over the chicken. For the cream cheese, break it up into chunks and sprinkle it throughout the crockpot.

Turn the crockpot to low and allow it to cook for 8 hours.

Serve alone, with pasta, rice or garlic bread! Enjoy!

Cheesy Potato Soup

It has been quite some time since we post a recipe, and for that I apologize! Today we have something that is warm and comforting!

What You’ll Need…

3 – 3.5lbs potatoes

1 (32oz) Box Chicken Broth

2 Cups Water

1.5 Cups Sour Cream

1 Cup Shredded Cheese (Your Choice)

Pepper

Seasoned Salt

Paprika

Start out by washing and peeling your potatoes.

Cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch cubes and add to your crockpot along with the broth and water. Allow the potatoes to cook on low for three hours.

Carefully remove the potatoes from the crockpot and blend until smooth. This should be done in batches. Be careful, blending hot items can be dangerous.

Add the potato mixture back into the crockpot, add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.

Allow the soup to cook on low for another four hours.

Serve alone or topped with more cheese, sour cream and bacon.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Ravioli

I finally have a new recipe for you! If you like butternut squash, or even if you don't this recipe is for you! When I was making the puree Christian told me that he didn't want to try it because he didn't like squash - he loved the pasta, though. 

These ravioli are a delicious combination of sweet and savory, and are delicious. 

What You'll Need.. 

1 3 - 3.5lb Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed)

1/4 - 1/2 Cup Broth (chicken, beef or veggie)
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Honey
Black pepper (to taste)
2 Teaspoons Honey Garlic Spice Rub
Olive Oil
Pasta sheets, wonton wrappers or fresh pasta
Butter

Peel and cube the squash. Place in an even layer on a greased baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 400 for 45 minutes.

Allow the squash to cool before adding it, the sour cream, honey, broth, pepper and honey garlic rub to the blender. Blend until smooth.

Make the ravioli by adding 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of squash puree to a wonton wrapper or pasta sheet. If using a wonton put water on the edges and place another wrapper on top. Use a fork to crimp the edges closed.

Add the ravioli to boiling water until they float to the top, less than 1 minute.

Finish the ravioli in a skillet with melted better and additional honey garlic rub.

Serve topped with grated cheese.

Warm Brussel Sprout and Corn Slaw

It has been way too long again, I know. I cannot apologize enough – life is crazy, but I should be able to post more than once every two months. I don’t want to make any promises, though, because I don’t want to end up breaking them.

Today we have for you a way to make Brussel sprouts taste good! Brussel sprouts? I know, not a favorite vegetable for a lot of people, but if you cook them right they are actually really good. There are a few great ways to cook them, but today we’re only going to talk about one – Brussel sprout and corn slaw.

What You’ll Need…

½ Tablespoon Olive Oil

7-10 Medium Brussel Sprouts

½ Cup Frozen Corn

Salt

Pepper

Cut each Brussel sprout in half leaving the bottom end on, this helps to keep it together while you’re cutting it.

Slice each half into thin ribbons.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Once it is hot add the Brussel sprouts and allow them to start to soften. Stir occasionally.

After about 3-5 add the frozen corn and allow it to thaw.

Add the salt and pepper, to taste and stir through the mixture.

Once the corn is thawed and heated through and the sprouts have a bit of good char to them the dish is done.

Enjoy!

Fruit Cobbler Topping

It has been quite some time since I last posted a recipe, and for that I apologize. Life has been crazy lately. I think everyone can say that, though, right?

A couple of weeks ago we got some fresh peaches and made delicious peach cobbler! I wanted a topping that was soft, sweet and simple! I came up with this recipe that went great over the peaches, but it would be great over apples or any other fruit as well.

What You’ll Need…

1 Stick Very Cold Butter (Cubed)

1 ½ Cup All Purpose Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

¾ Cup Milk

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 ½ - 2 Tablespoons White Sugar

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl.

Using a fork or pastry cutter cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is throughout the mixture, but still in small chunks.

Add the milk and mix until combined.

Plop the mixture on top of whatever fruit mixture you’re using until covered.

Sprinkle the white sugar evenly over the top of the topping.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes – until a toothpick comes out cleanly.

Enjoy!

Peach Ketchup

A few years ago we made peach barbecue sauce and it was amazing! So a few weeks ago we had some fresh peaches and tomatoes that we didn’t want to go bad, so we had to use them. How do you use both tomatoes and peaches in the same recipe, though? The answer, peach ketchup!

What You’ll Need…

3 Large Tomatoes

3 Large (5-6 small) Peaches

2 Tablespoons Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2 Teaspoons Corn Starch

Start out by dicing the tomatoes and the peaches.

Place all of the ingredients, except the corn starch, in a 3-quart pot and place on the stove over medium-low heat.

Allow the mixture to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the peaches and tomatoes are soft.

Carefully transfer everything from the pot to your blender and blend until smooth.

The sauce will be thin, and that is what the corn starch is for! Pour the sauce back into the pot, place it back on the heat and add the corn starch. Whisk until incorporated.

Allow the sauce to cook and thicken for about 10 more minutes.

Cool slightly and serve with everything you would serve with regular ketchup! 

Texican Lasagna

It has been FOREVER since I lasted posted a recipe and for that I apologize! Life has been crazy busy lately, well for the last few months. Today, though, I finally have a new delicious item for you and I hope that I can get back on track and share at least once a month, if not more.

Today we have for you Texican Lasagna – yes, you read that right. This is a Tex-Mex Lasagna and it is delicious!

What You’ll Need…

1 Package Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles

1lb Ground Meat (Beef, Turkey, Chicken, etc.)

1 ½ - 2 Cups Salsa (Your favorite kind)

1 Cup Sour Cream

2 Cups Shredded Cheese (Mexican Blend works best, but anything will taste good.)

1 ½ - 2 Cups Frozen or Fresh Corn

Seasoned Salt

Preheat your oven to 375.

Cook the ground meat and season with seasoned salt.

Place a thin layer of salsa on the bottom of a well-greased 9x13 pan.

Follow that up with a layer of lasagna noodles, another layer of salsa, a layer of ground meat, a layer of corn, a layer of sour cream and a layer of cheese.

Place another layer of noodles on top of the cheese and repeat the salsa, meat, corn, sour cream and cheese layers.

Top the second layer of cheese with a layer of noodles and cover that with a thin layer of salsa.

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Allow to rest for a few minutes after removing from the oven so that it doesn’t fall apart as much.

Serve and enjoy!

Cheeseburger Pizza

It has been quite a while since I shared a recipe and for that I apologize. Life has been crazy busy, which isn’t always a bad thing, but I finally have time to share something delicious with you! Do you like cheeseburgers? Do you like pizza? This recipe combines the two in a way that is simply delicious.

What You’ll Need…

1 Pizza Crust

½ lb Ground Meat

6-10 Slices of Cheese (Your choice)

2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

Tangy BBQ Mustard (Or other mustard)

Pickles (Optional)

Shredded Lettuce (Optional)

Preheat your oven to 450.

Start out by cooking your ground meat. Once it is cooked set it aside to cool slightly.

In a small bowl combine the ketchup and mayonnaise.

If you are using an uncooked pizza crust, which is the best option, stretch it to the size you want for your pizza.

Spread the mayonnaise and ketchup mixture evenly on the dough.

Top the sauce with a layer of sliced cheese and tip that with an even layer of ground meat.

Bake at 450 for 12 minutes.

Before slicing the pizza top it with a spiral of tangy BBQ, or other, mustard.

Slice and serve!

Optional: Shredded lettuce and pickles will add more of a cheeseburger taste and feel.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Barbecue Chicken Pasta

If you like barbecue chicken pizza you’ll definitely like this barbecue chicken pasta!

What You’ll Need…

4 Portions of Chicken (4 thighs, or 4 breast halves, or 2 breasts)

1lb Pasta

¼ Cup Sour Cream

2 Cups Cheese

½ Cup Corn

2 Tablespoons – ¼ Cup BBQ Sauce (Your favorite)

Start out by cooking your chicken and pasta.

Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside for a few minutes to cool down so that you can work with it. Once it is at a workable temperature cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Drain the pasta and add the sour cream and cheese. Stir or toss until the pasta is coated.

Add the chicken, corn and barbecue sauce to the pasta and toss to distribute it all.

For a little something extra, add chopped up crispy chicken skin over the top once it is plated.

Enjoy!