Christine's Monday Munchies
FOOD!

As a child my favorite family time was spent in the kitchen with my mother or grandmother, combining all sorts of ingredients and creating the most delicious desserts.  That time was too short and is so much more appreciated now that they are no longer here to be in the kitchen with me. As a home daycare provider every day is a mini party at my house, and these are some of the favorites that every one loves.

Although these might not be the greatest for hennaed hands,  they certainly are just some of the comfort foods that bring my soul back to childhood.  These are just a few of the tasty morsels I do bring to many social and family events. 

Banana bread -
Preheat your oven to 350 F

Ingredients:
  • 1 Cup butter or margarine
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3-4 over ripe banana’s (mashed)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup of yogurt (optional) my husband prefers adding some yogurt or sour cream to this mix he find’s it lighter and enhances the flavors, but its just as good without..

Instructions:
In a medium bowl -Cream together the butter and sugar vanilla and yogurt/sour cream and add the eggs one at a time until smooth. Then blend the mashed banana’s in.

In a 2nd bowl, Add:

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
  • ½ Teaspoon of Baking Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

Give it a stir to mix it together.
You can also add 1 cup of walnuts or 1 cup chocolate chips.
Make sure you grease your loaf pan before to adding the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Its best to add the flour mixture to the wet mixture as the baking powder activates when it gets in contact with the moisture.  This will ensure that the loaf will rise. 

Put the mix in the pan and Immediately put it in your oven. Bake for approximately 60 min or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean.  Let it sit for 10 min.. and serve..(my favorite) or.. wrap in layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of tinfoil to keep moisture in. keeps in the fridge for a long time, or on the counter for about a week.. but mine rarely lasts a day.


My Not Quite Pizza Dough
(this comes in 2 parts)…

After many years of attempting to make my own perfect pizza dough that resembles the actual pizza shops I discovered this comes a close second and is the best one that I’ve come up with.. I think its actually more of a   bread dough recipe..  but this always works ... never fails ...  my daycare kids prefer this to the real stuff and since I actually know what I put into it. I prefer it also. If you have an old bread maker laying around, like I do, it certainly saves a lot of time and mess.

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons of Butter or Margarine
  • 1 package or 3 tablespoons of Dry fast acting Yeast
  • 1 tsp of Sugar, (I like honey)
  • 3 cups of all purpose flour
  • 11/4 cup of warm water
  • 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
  • 1 tsp dried or fresh herbs finely chopped (optional)

Instructions:

I add all these to my bread machine (in order) and set it to mix it up.. you can use a food processor too, or those bowl mixers with the dough “accessory thingy”  once well mixed and dough ball is formed.. I remove it from the bread machine, and place in a lightly oiled bowl.. and I put a clean dish towel over it, and place it in my microwave for about a half an hour.. of course if you need to use your microwave during that time, a draft free warm area where it wont get disturbed is great.. after that half hour period is over.. its ready to be used for pizza.

The 2nd part of this recipe is what I make with it besides pizza: roll out and dust with cinnamon and sugar and cut in strips and keep flat or twist for a light sweet treat.. Or, you can coat with garlic butter and herbs for garlic sticks..

My Ultimate Sandwich

… after the pizza dough is completed.. I roll it out into a rectangle  start adding fillings.… use which ever kind of lunch meats or fillings you prefer in your sandwiches. For an example,  I like using some smoked ham, and then some shredded cheese and some ranch salad dressing and some Dijon mustard ... leaving enough space on each end to leave room to make a seam to enclose all your fillings.   Fold up pull one side over the other, and place the folded edge on a baking sheet with either parchment paper or  sprinkled with floured or with cornmeal.. or and bake until golden brown  in an oven around 350 F about 30 minutes slice into finger sandwiches, and place on platter, with a salad.

I’ve also done this with peanut butter and marshmallow, tuna salad and cheese, tomato sauce, ranch or Caesar dressing and mixed cold cuts and cheese,  sautéed green pepper, garlic and onion, with beef strips, the possibilities are endless.


OOOEY GOOEY YUMMY MESS
I invented this one afternoon when I was trying to make something other for my daycare kids instead of the usual treats. It sure is good to eat! And they loved it.

Ingredients:
  • Any Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough recipe
  • 1 cup of oatmeal
  • 1 cup of marshmallow’s
  • ½ cup of butterscotch or caramel ice cream topping
  • 1 tsp milk
  • 1/3 cup of smarties (2 boxes)

Instructions:

Mix the oatmeal with the cookie dough and press into a 9x13” or similar (rectangle) greased pan
Bake in 350 Celsius oven for 15-20 min until golden brown.
Sprinkle with the mini marshmallows re-bake until the marshmallows swell
And drizzle with the butterscotch or caramel topping
And sprinkle smarties all over top
Let cool and cut into squares..


Orange Creamcycle Smoothie
lets just say  OHH so YUMMY!

Ingredients and Instructions:
  • In a Blender, add approximately:
  • 1 cup Orange Juice (fresh or from concentrate)
  • 3-5 ice cream scoops of vanilla ice cream
  • ½ cup of pineapple juice or more orange juice - Add Parrots Bay rum for alcoholic version
  • And blend!!

Adjust the ingredients to your preference of consistency and taste.


Chrisitne

Back to the Index of Monday Munchies

Do you want to send in your Monday Munchies and get treats?  Go HERE for instructions!