Blueberry Masquerade Banana Bread

from the kitchen of Benjamin Larson

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
½ cup butter (softened)
4 eggs
3-4 bananas (ripened)
1 ¼ tsp lemon juice
½ cup soy milk
2 T. vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1/3 pkg of (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese [cut into small chunks)
½ pint blueberries [fresh](optional)
2-3 cups chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with oven rack on the 2nd tier from the bottom of the oven.
2) Mix both the sugar and butter until well blended.
3) Add the eggs, bananas, lemon juice, soy milk, and vanilla extract; blend together with the sugar and butter
4) Add in the baking soda, salt, and flour; mix until well blended.
5) Add in the cream cheese. Mix until blended or with small chunks.
6) Lastly, add the blueberries and chocolate chips at this time, if so desired.
7) Grease an 8-count mini loaf pan or muffin pan and pour ½ cup of the batter into each section.
8) Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done.

Seattle Dutch Babies

3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
2 T. melted butter (or margarine)
1 cup milk
powdered sugar
lemon juice

Beat eggs until fluffy with a wire whisk.
Add flour slowly, beating until smooth.
Add milk in two additions, beating slightly.
Lightly beat in two tablespoons of butter (or margarine) and salt.
Thickly butter two 9" pie pans.
Pour in 1/2 of the batter in each pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
Top with lemon juice and powdered sugar.
Serve hot.

Baked Corn Casserole

1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 can whole kernel corn (undrained)
1 can cream style corn
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
1 (8 oz) box Jiffy corn muffin mix
2 eggs (beaten)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Melt the butter and then add both cans of corn, sour cream, sugar, and eggs, in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Blend together.
3) Lastly, add in the Jiffy corn muffin mix and blend until smooth and creamy.
4) Grease a 9x9 or 13x9 casserole dish with butter and pour the batter inside.
5) Bake for 50-60 minutes or until set with a golden browning on the top.
6) Let casserole cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

Zucchini Bread

from the kitchen of Grandma Porter

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups zucchini (grated)
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1 cup nuts (optional)

1) Beat eggs until lightly foamy.
2) Add oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and zucchini; mix lightly, but well.
3) Add the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Mix until well blended.
4) Add in the nuts (if so desired).
5) Pour batter into a bread pan.
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done.

Notes:
1) If baking with glassware, bake at a lesser time to avoid burning.

Banana Spice Bread

(servings 10-12 mini loaves)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (softened)
4 eggs
3 bananas (ripened)
1 1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup soy milk (vanilla lite)
1 T vanilla extract
1 pkg (2 oz) almond slices (finely chopped)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 T poppy seed (optional)
1 T cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour


1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with oven rack on the 2nd tier from the bottom of the oven.
2) Mix both sugars and butter until well blended.
3) Add the eggs, vanilla extract, bananas, lemon juice and milk; blend together.
4) Combine all the spices and almonds together, then add them to the batter mixture.
5) Lastly, add in the baking soda, salt, and flour; mix until well blended.
6) Grease an 8-count mini loaf pan and pour 1/2 cup of the batter into each section.
7) Bake for 35-45 minutes or until done.

Notes:
1) Chop the almonds into a fine powder witha food processor.
2) At the 30 minute mark, you can open the oven and top the bread with some toasted coconut, giving an added holiday look, if so desired.
3) This recipe was adapted from a banana bread recipe that is found on "canigetyourrecipe.blogspot.com". I took out and/or changed and added in some ingredients. So I guess you could say this is a semi-original recipe.

Mini Loaf Banana Spice Bread

Strawberry Bundt Dream Cakes

from the kitchen of Benjamin Larson
(servings approx. 5 dozen)

STEP 1

Soaking:
20 small strawberries (washed & tops cut out)
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
½ cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1) Cut off the bottom ends of each strawberry.
2) Place strawberries and cut-off ends in a small mixing bowl.
3) Pour the water, sugar, and powdered sugar over the top of the strawberries and mix the ingredients with your hands until the sugars semi-dissolve.
4) Cover and place in fridge to soak and chill for at least 1 ½ hours. This will allow the sugar to seep into the strawberries.

Notes:
1) These strawberries are to be used for the Strawberry Cream Topping and Batter described below.
2) You will also be using the sugar liquid later on in STEP 3, do not throw out.

STEP 2

Strawberry Cream Topping:
10 strawberries (pureed), from STEP 1
½ of the sugar liquid used to soak the strawberries, from STEP 1
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 pkg. (8 oz) Philadelphia cream cheese (softened) – cut into small pieces

Directions:
1) Puree the 10 strawberries with ½ of the sugar liquid, in a blender. When finished, transfer into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2) Add in the heavy whipping cream and cream cheese.
3) With a hand-held electric beater, slowly beat the above items together for approximately 15 minutes or more, depending on how well the cream cheese will blend into the whipped texture; fold in the mix with a spatula, until you get a nice light and whipped, creamy topping. Make sure that all of the cream cheese is well blended and that there are no small chunks anywhere. You will also have to occasionally scrape the sides to get everything well mixed.
4) Once you are finished whipping the cream, cover and place in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes.

Notes:
1) If you can get your mixing bowl to spin on the counter-top, this will help make it easier to blend your cream together, but is not necessary; this is just something to make the whipping process go a little quicker.
2) Also, your cream will naturally turn into a light pink color because of the strawberries. No food coloring is necessary.
3) Another option you can do is to use the blender entirely for blending all the items together to make the process go faster and then transfer into a medium-sized bowl that will chill in the fridge.


STEP 3

Batter:
3 cups sugar
1 cup butter (softened)
2 pkgs. (8 oz) Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp. orange extract
1 T. vanilla extract
6 eggs
1 T. lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup soy milk (vanilla lite)
10 strawberries (pureed), from STEP 1
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ cups flour

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the oven rack on the 3rd tier.
2) Using a standing mixer (such as a KitchenAid), cream together the sugar, butter, cream cheese, vanilla & orange extracts, and eggs.
3) Next, add in the lemon juice, heavy whipping cream, sour cream, and soy milk until well blended.
4) Using a blender, puree 10 strawberries and add to the batter, blending it in.
5) Finally add in the baking soda, salt, and flour; mix until the batter become smooth and creamy.
6) Make sure that you scrape the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl several times throughout the mixing process, to ensure that the entire batter is being mixed.
7) Grease a 12-count bundt cupcake pan (Nordic Ware) and pour ¼ cup of batter into each section.
8) Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden-brown on top, at 350 degrees.
9) When finished, cool the cakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes at room temperature and then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.
10) Top each cake with ½ – 1 tsp of the Strawberry Cream Topping and place the cut-off strawberry ends in the center. Serve cold.

Notes:
1) When you take your cakes out of the oven, DO NOT eat them yet, as the center will appear relatively moist and must be allowed to settle and chill in the fridge before eating.
2) Also, baking times may vary depending on individual ovens, so don't be surprised if you have to add on a few more minutes.