HippieDog's Favorite Recipes

Maple Pecan Banana Bread

Well, you know me.....can't let a few bananas go to waste :)

I found this yummy Maple Pecan Banana Bread recipe.....it's so GOOD!

 

Maple Pecan Banana Bread

2/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
3 TB buttermilk or milk
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup pecans, chopped

Combine syrup, butter and vanilla. Add egg, milk and bananas. Stir until well combined.

In small bowl, combine, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pecans. Stir until combined. Gradually add to your banana mixture, just until combined.

Pour in two greased and floured bread pans.

Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Found this recipe over at whippedtheblog.com

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

I have been really excited to try this easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe.

You only need a few ingredients and they are super easy!
 

 
 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 box yellow or spice cake mix
15 ounce can Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger (omit if using spice mix)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves (omit if using spice mix)
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Combine cake mix and spices. Gradually stir in pumpkin and blend until smooth and well combined.

Nope, you don't need to add water, eggs or oil! Hooray!

Stir in chocolate chips. Pour in muffin paper liners or pan sprayed muffin tin.

Note: I like to take a few chocolate chips and sprinkle on top at this point, yummy like frosting :)

Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container and refrigerate.

 

 

It's beginning to feel and look a little like Fall round here.......

 

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

 

The canning frenzy continues.....this week spaghetti sauce.

I love the cute cafe style jar lids. They have that Italian vibe to them :)
 

If you have tons of tomatoes and are looking for a way to use them up all in one day, I recommend spaghetti sauce. The sauce simmered down so much, we only got 9 quarts but that's ok!

I really thought with three large soup pots that I would be filling jar after jar. Tomatoes just have so much water in them, that's just what happens. The good part about having three different pots going, is you can spice each one a little different if you wish.

 

So if you're feeling adventurous.......can yourself some spaghetti sauce.

Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce

16 cups tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
1 1/2  cups onions, chopped
1 bell green pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
2 TB basil
2 TB oregano
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 TB white sugar
1 tsp. crushed red peppers
2 tsp. salt (adjusting to taste)

Add all ingredients to a large soup pot. We tripled this recipe, in three different pots.

Bring to a boil and gently simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Simmering isn't necessary but I wanted to make sure my onions were tender.

Place mixture in warm, sterlized jars. Place clean and boiled jar lids and rings, wiping jars to assure they seal.

Process in water bath or canning pressure cooker. We used a pressure cooker, please see instructions for your region for time and pressure.

When all jars have popped and sealed, store in cool room.

 

 

Prelibato....... 

Canning Nectarines

 

 
We spent part of the weekend canning nectarines. I can't believe how many nectarines just one little tree can produce.

I did a lot of research about canning nectarines and what else we could do with them.

I found that nectarines and peaches are pretty much interchangeable when it comes to using them in recipes. We love peach crisp, peach pie, peach cheesecake, peach cake, peach cobbler and canned peaches. So this is where all of our 18 quarts of canned nectarines will go.

 

We still have almost half a box of nectarines left, even after the 18 quarts. Today I've been making fruit roll-ups and will be gifting the rest :)

 

Don't you love the beautiful colors in these canned nectarines? I think they look like a sunset :) Or when I was little, Aunt Ruth would make us Tequila Sunrise drinks on New Year's Eve, minus the Tequila. I thought the syrup she used was full of booze...... lol. Love Aunt Ruth!

 

 

So this is what I did when I canned our nectarines.

Canning Nectarines

Wash, pit and quarter nectarines. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss as you are working to prevent browning.

Meanwhile, in large pot, combine 12 cups water and 3 cups sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, add nectarines. Bring mixture to a boil, nectarines are now ready to hot pack in clean, warm, sterilized jars.

TIP: I always place my sterilized quart jars on a cookie sheet in my oven on 225 degrees. This keeps the jars warm while I am getting my fruit ready.

Fill jars with nectarines, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Now using the same syrup you simmered your nectarines in, add enough sugar syrup to nectarines filling to 1/2 inch head space.

Wipe jars and place sterilized lids and rings. Process in hot water bath 25 minutes.

When jars have all popped and sealed, remove rings and store in cool dark room.

 

 

 
 

 

I'm sure I'll be sharing lots of new Nectarine-dessert recipes with you throughout the year.

Happy Canning.....it's HARD WORK....but worth it!

BBQ Cream Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

 

BBQ Cream Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

18 fresh jalapenos
1 8 ounce cream cheese
1/2 cup Colby Jack cheese
1 green onions
1 package bacon, cut in half
Famous Dave's BBQ sauce

Using rubber gloves, slice jalapenos lengthwise, removing seeds. You will want to remove the membranes too for a mild flavor or keep some of them for spicy hot.

In small bowl,  combine cream cheese, cheese and green onions. Mix until creamy and smooth.

 

Fill each jalapeno with cream cheese mixture and wrap in bacon. Secure with toothpick. Brush with barbecue sauce. I usually soak my toothpicks in water for about 30 minutes before using. This keeps them for burning in oven :)

Bake 275 degrees for 1 hour. Brush with additional barbeque sauce.

adapted from the Pioneer Woman BBQ Jalapeno Poppers