Elvis' Fried Banana Sandwich

One of Tink's many, many birthday food requests was a fried banana sandwich.  She calls them Elvis sandwiches and she absolutely loves them.  We all do!  Of course, I add my own little touches and healthy it up as much as possible. :) These sandwiches are also a great alternative to banana bread when I need to use up the overripe bananas we seem to constantly have.  In this heat, bananas last two days at most on our counter.  I usually stick them in the fridge, which keeps them from ripening for almost two weeks, but the kids still won't eat them because the skins turn black.  I have come to enjoy my bananas cold better than room temperature!

You will need (for one sandwich):

1 overripe banana
peanut butter
2 slices of whole wheat bread
Smart Balance spread (or butter)
cinnamon sugar
honey
frying pan

Preheat your frying pan to medium heat.  Grease with pan spray or butter.

Spread peanut butter onto both slices of bread.  I like Smart Balance's natural peanut butter.

Drizzle honey on one side of peanut butter laced bread.  Slice the banana and place the slices on the other peanut butter slathered bread.

Put the two slices together, banana and honey meeting in the middle.  Spread the Smart Balance spread onto the outside of the sandwich.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Heat in the frying pan until a beautiful golden brown.

Tink likes to have her sandwich cut in half.  (It's all I can do to not write "sanch" because that's what the girls have always called sandwiches. Sanches! Goose started it.  Her favorite lunch as a toddler was a "cheesh sanch.")

So delicious!!  My mouth is watering and I glanced over at the bananas on the counter.  The stinkin' things are under ripe for once.  Of course!  :)

We've been on a cold sanch kick this week for dinner because the heat index has been in the 100's.  The weatherman said that this is the hottest weather in recorded history here in Florida.  I didn't even want to turn on the burner to boil the eggs for egg salad sanches last night!  But I would turn on the burner for these fried banana sanches!!  I think I've decided on tomorrow night's dinner!

All great flavors!  Bananas, peanut butter, honey, cinnamon.  Absolutely wonderful!  Add the touch of sugar and the nutty whole wheat and you come pretty close to the perfect sanch.  At least according to Elvis and Tink!

Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

I made my apple pie over the 4th of July weekend, but still had a whole bunch of apples left.  I spent most of the day running around in the Heat (it earned the capital H, trust me) and wanted to make an apple dessert without turning on my oven.  We had macaroni stew for dinner, but that was on the stove so the Crock Pot was empty and ready to make something sweet.  I decided on apple crisp, which made Bubba panic for a minute because, "the whole point of a crisp is that it's crisp!"  He was convinced that it would turn out soggy and didn't believe me when I said it would be awesome.  But he should realize after 17 years of marriage that I am never wrong.

You will need:

a slow cooker
6 Granny Smith apples
1/3 cup white sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
*****************
1 cup flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter (Smart Balance)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional--I didn't use them this time)

I used Granny Smith apples because they are tart and, I think, the perfect cooking apple.  There is a lot of sugar in this recipe and if you start with a sweet apple you may end up overwhelmed by sweetness.  Plus the tartness of the Granny Smiths really adds a nice balance to this dessert.  Peel and chop all of your apples and add them to the slow cooker.  I did not grease the pot first--it's unnecessary.  Now, the apples are going to brown up a bit while they cook, so I never worry about adding lemon to the apples to protect them from the air.  But if you think making the topping will take you a while and brown apples freak you out, then go ahead and toss the apples with 2 T of lemon juice. 

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.  Pour the mixture over your apples and toss.

In the same, now empty, bowl, mix together the flour, oats, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Then add the stick of butter.

Thoroughly work the butter into the flour mixture with a fork or your fingers and pour it over the top of the apples.

Place two paper towels across the top of the slow cooker and put on the lid. 

Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1.5 hours.  Then remove the top, take the pot out of the cooker and set it on a heat-safe surface.  Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.  The topping will harden up a bit more and you won't burn your mouth when you finally dig in.  :)

The topping is crisp and the apples are tender.  SO delicious!  If you cook it longer than you should the apples will cook down into applesauce, but that's just fine.  It will taste great anyway! 

We all loved this apple crisp!  And you will, too.  Enjoy!!

Sunshine Mom's Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

slow cooker

6 Granny Smith apples 

1/3 cup white sugar

1 T cornstarch

1 tsp ground cinnamon

*****************

1 cup flour

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter (Smart Balance)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional--I didn't use them this time)

1. Peel and chop all of your apples and add them to the slow cooker.

2.In a medium size bowl, whisk together the 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.  

3. Pour the mixture over your apples and toss.

4. In the same, now empty, bowl, mix together the flour, oats, white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

5. Then add the stick of butter.

6. Thoroughly work the butter into the flour mixture.

7. Pour it over the top of the apples.

8. Place two paper towels across the top of the slow cooker and put on the lid. 

9. Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1.5 hours.

10. Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Granola

My favorite morning snack is greek yogurt. Sometimes I add my sugar-free blackberry jam but lately I've been eating it with blueberries and my homemade granola. This recipe is not the store-bought conventionally sweet stuff--it has just a hint of sweetness so that you can really taste the oats, walnuts, and cinnamon. It uses honey instead of sugar and no oil at all, so it is also low-fat. I got the original recipe from answerfitness.com



You will need:

3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon



Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with foil.

Add the honey, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla, and cinnamon to a small saucepan and heat on medium low until the honey has dissolved. No need to bring to a boil or anything. It won't take long, 2 minutes at most.



Add the dry ingredients (oats, wheat germ, flaxseed meal, and walnuts) to a large bowl and give them a toss. Flaxseed meal can be found in any supermarket (even Wally Mart). It's a great addition to homemade bread! I keep a box in the freezer.



Now pour the honey mixture on top of the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.





Spread the granola onto an ungreased foil-lined jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after 15.



Allow the granola to cool on the pan. I store my granola in a vacuum seal bag, but any large Ziploc bag will do, just make sure to squeeze out all the air.



After it cools, you can add raisins, mini chocolate chips, M&M's, or any dried fruit. I leave it plain, but you could sure get creative with this recipe!


I toss a handful onto my greek yogurt with blueberries. In one snack you get whole grains, dairy (calcium and protein), nuts, and fruit.



Enjoy!!

The Best Apple Pie Ever!

Apple pie is my least favorite pie. Un-American, I know. I love apples, love brown sugar, love cinnamon, love pie, don't like them mixed together. I don't even like the smell of apples and cinnamon. Weird, I know. But, this recipe I like. Not love, but like and based on my tolerance and my family's adoration for this pie I figure it must be the best darn apple pie ever.
You will need:

1/2 to 1 cup flour
6-7 cups Granny Smith apples
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 T butter
1 tsp cinnamon (I use more...lots more.)
2 pie crusts
1 pie pan
cinnamon sugar



One apple equals about one cup, so I used 6 apples. If you get your hands on some tiny Granny Smiths you might need closer to 8. I used my handy dandy apple peeler (it also cores and slices). I love it and wish I loved to bake with apples more so I could use it more often.



The peels were so pretty I just had to take a picture.



Mix the flour, sugars, and cinnamon in a large bowl. I used 3/4 of a cup of flour. Finding the right amount of flour is tricky...it all depends on the juiciness of your apples. Unfortunately, you usually can't tell how much liquid they will give up until they are baked. It's a crap shoot--you could end up with an overly-juicy pie or one that is too thick and can stand on its own. Those pie slices that are thick and stand up high are beautiful in magazines, but they don't taste so great in real life. I have found that 1/2 cup is almost always too little, though.



I like to chop my apples instead of slicing them. With the slices you have to cut up your pie and I don't like that. I just want to dig in and get a forkful. The large chops cook all the way through, I promise.



Now add your apples to your flour, sugar, cinnamon mix and get in there with your hands to mix. Kids love to help out with this part!



Line your pie plate with one crust. I just use the refrigerated ones. Easy and super yummy. Add all of the covered apples to the pie pan. You will have lots of the mix leftover--just pour it over the apples.



Cut up the 2T of butter and place around the top of the pie.



Now here's a trick. I use mini cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the top crust. This trick allows more steam to evaporate from the pie and caramelizes the sugars inside. SO GOOD! (Save your cutout shapes.)



Place the top crust on top of your pie and seal the edges. Now brush the entire top crust with milk and place your cutout shapes anywhere you like, except over the openings. Now brush the tops of the cutouts with milk and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of the whole pie.



Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes. I use a cake tester to poke the apples and make sure they are soft. I've never had to bake for more than 55 minutes.





This pie speaks for itself, don't you think?





Enjoy!

**note: I baked this pie a few months ago. I'm still not turning on my oven in this heat and I am really, really looking forward to the big cool down in September (if we are lucky) or October. Definitely cooler by November. Or December. I'm having trouble remembering when it was cool... :)

Monkey Bread

This recipe is so much fun for the weekend. Quick, simple, and so, so good!

You will need:

One bundt pan
3 (12oz) cans of refrigerated biscuits
1 cup white sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter (Smart Balance)
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

optional: 1/2 cup walnuts or raisins (I don't add either)



Mix the white sugar and cinnamon in a bag or bowl. Cut each biscuit into fourths and drop into bowl/bag of cinnamon sugar. Kitchen shears work really well for cutting up the biscuits. It also helps to have a little monkey give you a hand. Kids love to get their hands messy.



After they are coated with cinnamon sugar, drop the biscuits into a heavily greased bundt pan.



Set aside. Place the 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 stick of butter into a small pot and melt over medium heat.



Bring to a boil and stir continuously for one minute.



Pour over biscuits in bundt pan.



Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.



After removing from oven, immediately invert the pan onto a plate. A standard dinner plate works great. You should not have any sticking at all.



If you can stand to wait, let it cool for a couple of minutes. If we make it two minutes before cutting into it I am impressed. The biscuits puff up and the syrup coats every piece, along with the cinnamon sugar. Mmmmmm.



We rarely have leftovers, but when we do I store them in a ziploc bag on the counter overnight. If you want to heat up the leftovers, give them about 30 seconds on half power. The reduced power keeps them from hardening when reheating. Enjoy!!

Apple Muffins

I found this recipe online when I was looking for a decent homemade apple fritter recipe. Then I realized that I did not have enough oil to fry the fritters and started looking for a baked apple doughnut. These are absolutely amazing, but definitely more muffin than doughnut. I am dedicating this post to my father-in-law, who for 16 years has been trying to get me to eat apple pie. There is something about the apple/cinnamon combo that just doesn't do it for me, but I'm trying. If I love these muffins, I know he will, too!



I changed just a couple of minor things, so here's my version:

1 1/2 cup flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup half and half (or any milk)
1 1/2 cup finely diced apples (I used Fuji)
************
1/3 cup butter
cinnamon sugar

Mix first three ingredients and cut in shortening. Add egg and milk, mix, then add apples.



Stir just until combined and fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups about 3/4 full.




Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. While baking, melt the butter and get out your cinnamon sugar. I keep mine in a cute little shaker. Makes cinnamon toast easy peasy.



When the muffins are done they will be lightly brown.



Brush with melted butter...



then top with cinnamon sugar.



These are best eaten warm. They are so moist that they do not need any butter.