banana bars

1/2 cup butter
11/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sour milk (1 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar)

Icing
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Combine ingredients and bake in 9x13 pan at 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
2. For icing

oven-fried paprika chicken cutlets

2 sprays cooking spray
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 Tablespoon paprika, sweet-variety, divided
15 saltine crackers, crushed into crumbs
1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
16 oz. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz thin pieces
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 medium lemon, cut into 4 wedges

1. Preheat broiler and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place yogurt and 1 teaspoon of paprika in a small shallow bowl; mix to combine. Combine cracker crumbs, salt, pepper and remaining 2 teaspoons of paprika on a large shallow pie plate; stir to combine.
3. Place each chicken cutlet in yogurt mixture and turn to coat. Next, place chicken in crumb mixture, turning to coat both sides and pressing lightly to make crumbs stick.
4. Place coated chicken on prepared baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat source until golden brown and cooked through, flipping once, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
5. To serve, sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon wedges. Yields 1 piece of chicken per serving.

~Laura L.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 14 min. Cook time: 1o min.
Source: WeightWatchers.com

My one suggestion is to make a bit more of the cracker mixture - I always seem to run out towards the last couple pieces of chicken.

baked french toast with banana and chocolate

4 large eggs ½ cup milk 2 Tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon vanilla extract a pinch of sea salt 8 pieces white bread, crust off 2 to 3 bananas, sliced 50 g bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened (to grease the baking dish) 1 ½ Tablespoons demerara sugar, for sprinkling (optional) cocoa powder 1. Preheat an oven to 375˚F. (190˚C) 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt until well combined. Dip the bread slice, one at a time, turning once. Then fit the coated bread into the greased baking dish in a single layer. 3. Arrange the sliced bananas and top with chopped chocolate. 4. Repeat with the remaining bread and egg mixture and press gently with a spatula to lightly compress the bread. Pour the remaining egg mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle Demerara sugar on top, if desired. 5. Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden in color. Remove the toast from the oven and let it cool slightly. Sift some cocoa powder over the tops. Serve the baked French toast warm or at room temperature. Serves 4 ~Laura L. source: SeaSaltwithFood

jackie's zippy shrimp

1-2 lbs. uncooked shrimp (large or jumbo works best), shelled and deveined, but tails on
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup olive oil
12 oz. chili sauce, Heinz (found usually right by the ketchup)
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon parsley
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon tabasco

1. Place all ingredients except shrimp in a large pot, and cook over medium heat 8 minutes. Add shrimp to sauce, turn off heat and let marinate 2 hours.
2. Bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes
3. Serve it up on a plate as a big sloppy mess. Serve with a loaf of french bread, tear off pieces and dip into sauce. Eat dinner with hands. A little bit zippy, a whole lot yummy.

Oh, and enjoy it with lots of wine of course!
~Jackie S.

best cut-out sugar cookies

huge batch (between 8 and 12 dozen, depending on size)

3 cups unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for an hour
3 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
6 ounces cream cheese (3/4 of a standard cream cheese package)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
9 cups flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and add the sugar. Cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until golden. Add the cream cheese and again beat until well incorporated. Add the flavorings and lemon zest.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl then add, bit by bit, to the butter/sugar mixture until fully incorporated. (You will have chosen a large bowl for this particular recipe, I hope - mine was overflowing by this point and I ended up doing the final mix in a large plastic bag.)
3. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour — preferably overnight.
4. Heat the oven to 350° F. Divide the dough into smaller balls and roll out 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out cookies.
5. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes, depending on thickness. The small, thinner ones started browning after about 8 minutes, and I didn't want these brown at all. The larger ones had a slight golden bottom after 11 minutes, which was perfect for my purposes.
6. Let cool before icing or decorating, and store in a tightly covered container.

small batch (about 3 dozen cookies, depending on size)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for an hour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 ounces cream cheese (1/4 of a standard cream cheese package)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and add the sugar. Cream until light and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat until golden. Add the cream cheese and again beat until well incorporated. Add the flavorings and lemon zest.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl then add, bit by bit, to the butter/sugar mixture until fully incorporated.
3. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
4. Heat the oven to 350° F. Divide the dough into smaller balls and roll out 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out cookies.
5. Bake cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. The small, thinner ones started browning after about 8 minutes, and I didn't want these brown at all. The larger ones had a slight golden bottom after 11 minutes, which was perfect for my purposes.
6. Let cool before icing or decorating, and store in a tightly covered container.

Source

fall salad

yummmm, this sounds delicious, though I've never tried it.

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 cup pecans
2 small shallots, minced
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 heads Belgian endive, leaves separated
3 heards frisee, torn in bite-sized pieces
1 large head radicchio, leaves torn
1 medium red pear, cored and sliced
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

1. For candied pecans, combine butter and brown sugar in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When butter has melted, toss in pecans. Cook, tossing occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a sheet pan, lined with waxed paper. Use two forks to separate pecans. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl combine the shallot, vinegar, and Dijon mustard. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly until well combined. Add the maple syrup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the endive, frisee, radicchio, and pear slices; toss gently to coat. Serve salad topped with Parmesan shavings and candied pecans.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Prep: 20 min Cook: 3 min

Can't Wait to Try 'Em

This will be a catalogue of sorts. Instead of tearing pages from magazines and piling them in the back of other back issues, until that "day when I can go back through them," I'm going to try to electronically file recipe ideas...we'll see how that goes.

If you try any before I do, please let me know! :)

Appetizers
Beverages
* Citrus Mule using Simple Syrup
* Blackberry Crush uses Simple Syrup
* Mint-Grapefruit Granita (Everyday Food mag)
* Salty Dog using Simple Syrup
Breads
Brunch
* Healthy Morning Muffins (186 cal, Everyday Food mag)
Condiments
* Green Chile Mayo
* Green and Yellow Tomato Salsa (Cuisinart)
* Hot Fudge Sauce
Desserts
* Chocolate Cupcakes with White Truffle Frosting (BettyCrocker.com)
* Classic Hot Fudge Sauce (Cooking Light)
* Lemon-Lime Tea Cakes (Everyday Food mag)
* Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle (Everyday Food mag)
* Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes (BettyCrocker.com)
Desserts-Cookies
* Heart Sandwish Cookies (Everyday Food mag)
* Oatmeal -Almond Lace Cookies (Cooking Light)
Desserts-Pies n Pastries
* Strawberry Icebox Pie
* Buttermilk Cream Tart with Apple Roses (Martha Stewart.com)
Meat-Beef
* Southwestern Steak Salad
* Bacon Sloppy Joes (Rachael Ray mag.)
Meat-Bison
Meat-Lamb
Meat-Pork
* Emeril's Pork and Chorizo Burgers with Green-Chile Mayo
* Roast Pork and Asparagus with Mustard Vinaigrette (Real Simple)
* Zucchini-Wrapped Pork (Better Homes and Gardens)
Poultry-Chicken
* Baked Chicken and Onions (Everyday Food)
* Campbell's Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatatoes
* Chicken with Prosciutto and Sage (Everyday Food)
* Chicken with Tarragon and Leeks (Real Simple)
Poultry-Turkey
Salads n Dressings
* Cucumber and Grilled Tomato Salad (Family Fun Magazine)
* Mango and Black Bean Salad (Cooking Light)
* Middle Eastern Carrot Salad (sub butternut squash for carrots?) (Cooking Light)
Sides
* Chinese Noodles with Sesame Dressing (Everyday Food)
* Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions (Everyday Food)
* Spring Risotto with Peas and Zucchini (Everyday Food)
Snacks
Soups n Stews
* Corn and Shrimp Chowder with Bacon (Everyday Food mag)
Vegetarian Main Dishes
* Black-Bean and Brown Rice Cakes (Everyday Food mag)
* Green Vegetables Stir Fry (Everyday Food mag)
* Kale with Tomato, Garlic, and Thyme (Everyday Food mag)
* Polenta Wedges with Asparagus and Mushrooms (Everyday Food mag)
* Tofu and Peppers with Spicy Peanut Sauce (Everyday Food)