"Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding!"

I got this recipe from a friend of a friend and it is always a big hit! It's pretty easy to make and tastes so yummy! I forgot to take a picture of it, so I'll have to take one next time and add it to this post! Enjoy!!

"Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding!"
Ingredients:

• 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessman Cookies
• 6-8 bananas sliced
• 2 cups milk
• 1  5oz. box instant Vanilla/French Vanilla Pudding
• 1  8oz. pkg. cream cheese
• 1  14oz. sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12 oz. frozen whipped topping

Directions:

1. Line bottom of a 9x13 pan with one bag of cookies. 
2. Layer sliced bananas on top.
3. Combine milk and pudding with mixer. 
4. In separate bowl, combine cream cheese and condensed milk, and mix until smooth.
5. Fold the whipped topping into cream cheese mixture. Add cream cheese mixture and stir until blended. 
6. Pour over cookies and bananas. Cover with last bag of cookies. Cover and let "set" in fridge for 24 hours. 

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 8 hrs   Serves: 7-8 persons 

I created my own version of beef stew…part of this recipe comes from:
35 Delicious Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes For Busy Families (Kindle Locations 318-330).Kindle Edition.

Ingredients: 

▪   1 ½ lbs. of beef stew meat, 1 inch cubed

▪   Sweet potatoes (3 medium sized, chopped)

▪   Carrots (6 medium sized)

▪   Onions (2 medium sized chopped coarsely)
note: I used 1 red and 1 white since that is what we had

▪   Celery ribs (3 coarsely chopped)

▪   Tomato (diced 1 can)

▪   Mustard ground (1 tsp)

▪   Salt (1 tsp)

▪   Black pepper ground (1 tsp)

▪   Dried thyme (1 tsp)

▪   Garlic, minced (3 tsp)

▪   Browning sauce (1 tsp) – note: didn’t have this so I used 2 tsp of brown sugar, a little bit of liquid aminos (similar to taste of soy sauce).

▪   ¼ cup of almond meal flour (you can omit this if you don’t have it)

▪   I threw in a bunch of spices too:
Cumin ground

Paprika

Garlic powder

Onion powder
Chili powder

Italian seasoning

Parsley

▪   Beef Stock (2 cups)

▪   Red Wine Vinegar (1/4 cup)

▪   ½ cup or less of water

Directions:

1.  In a container/bowl, combine tomato, ground mustard, salt, black pepper, thyme, and browning sauce if you have it. Pour it over the stew meat and marinate for 20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, peel and chop up your sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, celery ribs, and any other veggies you want to put in the stew.

3.  I used a 6 qt slow cooker/crock pot. Cook the meat mixture on high for 1 ½ hours and then mix in your veggies and the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Then enjoy!

You could also add in mushrooms, butternut squash, or whatever you’d like! I saw a lot of different ingredients in the different recipes I looked at. 

Classic Baked Penne Rigate Casserole

Classic Baked Penne Rigate Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2/3 (12 oz) package penne rigate pasta, uncooked (I used 100% whole wheat made with whole grains penne rigate from Kroger-where I found this recipe!)
• 1/2 lb or 1 package of lean ground beef, cooked and drained (I used 1 package of lean ground turkey meat)
• 1 (26 oz) jar pasta sauce, any kind you want
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese (or other cheese if you want)
• Chopped parsley (didn't have this when I made it so I didn't use it)

Directions:

1. Prepare penne rigate according to package directions; drain. Cook ground beef or ground turkey if you haven't already. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In large bowl, combine cooked penne rigate, meat, sauce, and 1 cup of cheese; mix well. Transfer to greased 2  1/2 qt shallow baking dish; cover.
3. Bake for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Uncover; top with remaining 1 cup cheese and parsley. Bake 8 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 4-6 servings.

Red Beans and Rice

One of my favorite easy meals to make and the hubby loves it too!

Red Beans and Rice 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup white rice
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pkg (14 oz) smoked sausage
• 1 can red beans
• Zatarains Creole Seasoning (I use Tony's)
• Note: I also add garlic powder and/or minced garlic, feel free to add whatever you want!

Directions: 

1. Add the rice, water, and salt to a sauce pan/pot with a lid.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, then cover & simmer for 15 mins. (I just make white rice in a rice maker separately)
2. Meanwhile, thinly slice the sausage and drain the juice from the red beans into the sink. 
3. Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and begin heating over medium heat. Add the sausage, give a sprinkling of creole seasoning and stir occasionally for about 7 mins until the sausage starts to get sizzly on both sides.  Note: I also added garlic powder and/or some minced garlic.
4. Add the red beans and stir until warmed through. About this time, your rice should be done or almost done too. Serve the beans and sausage over the rice. Add extra creole seasoning as desired at the table. Serves 2-3.

See original recipe: www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/red-beans-rice-nawlins-style.html

Easy Brazilian Cheesy Bread Recipe

If you've ever been to a Fogo de Chao or a similar churrascaria/brazillian steak house then you've probably had these and though omg they are soooo delicious! 

Easy Brazilian Cheesy Bread Recipe

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

The recipe as presented is fairly basic. Feel free to dress it up a bit with herbs or spices of your choice. (I don't do that, bc I like it the way it is!)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg*
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup milk
• Scant 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup (packed, about 66 grams) grated cheese, your preference, though we got the best results from Mexican farmer's cheese - queso fresco (I usually use parmesean and grate it myself and use some other cheese with it too, like either mozzerella or the mexican shredded mix if you can't find the queso fresco cheese)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (or more to taste)

Special equipment recommended:

• One or two mini muffin tins. Mini muffin tins are about half the size of a regular muffin pan. The muffin openings are about 1-inch deep, and 1 3/4 inch wide at the top. (I used a regular muffin pan because it's all I had the first time I made it)

*It helps when baking with eggs to start with eggs at room temperature. If you don't plan ahead (that would be me, usually) you can put the egg in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to gently take off the chill of the fridge.

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a mini-muffin tin. Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well. At this point you can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to a week.

2. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until all puffy and just lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes. (You don't want to over cook them, so they will be soft, if anything take it out just a tad bit earlier!)

Eat while warm or save to reheat later. - Best served fresh! 

Enough batter for 16 mini muffin sized cheese breads.

*Note that Brazilian cheese bread is very chewy, a lot like Japanese mochi.

Original recipe from:  http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+elise/simplyrecipes+(Simply+Recipes)

DIY: In-Ceiling Speaker Installation

When we built our home, we had it pre-wired for surround sound in the family room. The builders put junction boxes on the studs where the speakers would go. We had trouble finding any details on how we could install the speakers on our own with these junction boxes being on the stud without having to cut into the ceiling joist/stud. We definitely did not want to leave the plate cover on the ceiling and put the speakers somewhere else on the ceiling!

So we decided since we were able to do it ourselves then we would make this video to help anyone looking to do this on their own. It saved us plenty of money and is not hard to do.

If you are a little hesitant to cut into your ceiling or wall then stop by your local hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowe's and then get a 4x4 or small scrap piece of sheetrock and practice cutting the hole on it first.

We got our speakers from Monoprice.com. Check out the video below that we made for how to install in-ceiling speakers on your own! A great DIY project! 

For some reason the video won't show, so here is the direct link to it: 

In-Ceiling Speaker Installation YouTube Video

Plantain Chips & Chimichurri Sauce/Dip

These pics were taken from the first time I made this, but I've gotten better at it! :) It's yummy!!

Chimichurri Sauce/Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped (or use less see below)
• 1/4 cup cilantro (I usually use more cilantro (1 cup/1 bunch) and less parsley (1/4 cup))
• 2 bay leaves (I usually don't have this so I omit it)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1  1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (I usually used dried oregano from my spice rack)
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1  1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, pulse/blend until combined. Put the sauce in a container, using as needed. Chimichurri will last for up to 1 month, refrigerated. Great for plantain chips and on beef or chicken! Especially skirt/flank steak!

Plantain Chips

Ingredients:

• 3 large green plantains (I usually like to make more so I use at least 6 plantains or more)
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• Kosher salt, for seasoning

Directions:

1. With a sharp knife or a butcher knife, take off the peel/outer layer of the plantain and I usually like to slice the plantains in half so that the chips are shorter.
2. Using a mandoline, or sharp knife, finely slice plantains into thin chips (for fancier presentation slice them lengthwise into ribbons).
3. In a heavy based pot or wok, heat vegetable oil over medium heat (to 375 degrees F). You can test to see if it's ready by a drop of water or a small piece of plantain.
4.  Fry the plantains in small batches until crisp and golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Make sure you don't burn or over cook them. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel or two. Season with a little kosher salt immediately after each batch. Enjoy!

I want a better mandoline slicer, but right now I just use a cheap slicer I got from Walmart and it works okay. Here is the one we have: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=16565405&findingMethod=rr