Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ok, I always have bananas left over to make something out of so instead of the banana buttermilk cake that I was going to make for Taylor's birthday, I made these, and the kids hoovered them quickly.

1 egg
1/3 vegetable oil
3/4 c sugar
3 medium bananas, mashed
2 c flour
1/2 c old fashioned oats
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c mini chocolate chips(I used regular milk chocolate chips cause the minis only come in semisweet and I DON'T use semi sweet in chip form!) personal reasons :)

In large bowl beat egg, oil, and sugar until smooth. Stir in bananas. Combine flour, oats, soda, powder, and salt, stir in the banana mixture just until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper line muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

Peanutbutter candy

Those of you that went to public school here in Pocatello should remember these delicious treasures from school lunch, the one and only thing I loved from school food. I've come across many copy cats and this one by far wins by miles! It doesn't use rice krispies but crushed graham crackers so the consistency is much finer and better.

Peanut Butter Filling
2 c powdered sugar
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. melted butter
2/3 c. graham cracker crumbs (4 large retangles will be perfect)

Chocolate topping
2/3. c chocolate chips
4 Tbs peanutbutter
2 tsp. butter

Line a 8X8 square pan with foil with some overhanging the edges. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the 4 ingredients for the filling and mix until all combined and somewhat smooth, there should be a few graham cracker chunks. Then spread in the pan into an even layer. Then the 3 ingredients for the topping need to be melted together either in microwave or stovetop. Then spread over the peanut butter. and put in fridge until set and chocolate stiff. Then lift out by foil and cut into 1 inch pieces, store in fridge, if any is leftover :) LOVE

Revision

This is just a new topping idea for the strawberry poke cake that I posted earlier. I made this for Mike on fathers day, and I've never seen a cake that big go so fast! So yummy.

So make the white cake with strawberry jello, but for the topping use:
8oz plain cream cheese, softened
8oz pkg of cool whip
1/2-1 c. powdered sugar
fresh strawberries, sliced

Beat the cream cheese until smooth and add the cool whip and mix in the powdered sugar, use less if you don't want it too sweet or more if you do. I didn't really measure I just added until it was the sweetness I liked. Once it's mixed together and smooth spread over the cake making sure it goes into the holes. Then top with the fresh strawberries. Seriously amazing!

Creamy Mints

These no-cook mints are good for parties and use any colors you want1

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp mint extract
2 drops food coloring of your choice
4 1/4-4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
superfine or granulated sugar

In a large bowl mix cream cheese, mint extract and food coloring until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar until mixture becomes stiff.
You can use candy molds which you would coat the molds in the extra sugar and press mint mixture in. Then take them out on wax paper. Or you can use a tablespoon to form into a ball for each one and roll in the sugar. Then using your thumb or back of a fork to shape the mints. Store covered in the fridge and can be frozen for up to a month

Pickle

I love pickles! My girls love pickles, and I came across a fun tip a few months ago and I just got around to trying it. I'm sure you've tried the homemade pickles with vinegar and onions but it's not the same as a pickle from the store. So what you do is save the pickle juice once your pickles are gone and cut up cucumbers, I made them spears and put them in the leftover juice. Let them sit in the fridge for at least 5 to 7 days. And you'll have yummy pickles again! We tried ours last night and it was awesome! Also please send comments on something you've wanted to try and don't have a recipe for. I'll get a good recipe and try it and then post!

Strawberry Poke Cake

Ok I know I was wanting to post something everyother day, but I realized I needed to get in gear and lose this dang baby weight! I have a wedding to be at in July and my dress is blue and I am just having horrifying images of me as the beached blue whale in the pictures. So I have been working hard eating turkey and vegetables, but I was naughty this weekend with Ari's birthday cupcakes, which were frogs and adorable I might add. With Erika down I made a yummy and very easy cake.

1 box of white or yellow cake mix(bake according to pkg directions and must be 13X9)
1 small box of strawberry jello(raspberry would be excellent as well)
1 can of strawberry pie filling(raspberry or blueberry will work, doesn't really matter it's all good. I used blueberry with strawberry jello)
whipped cream, just enough to cover the cake

Bake your cake and once it's cooled take the end of a wooden spoon and poke holes about 1 inch apart all over the cake. Then make the jello with 1 c. boiling water and mix until dissolved, add 1 c. cold water. Pour all over the cake, making sure you drench the entire thing with the jello. Put the cake in the refridgerator for at least 2 hours. Then Take the pie filling and spread it over the cake making sure the filling is going into the holes of the cake. Finally spread the whipping cream over the pie filling and put back in the fridge for another hour or more. Seriously so good, so I must get back to my rabbit food diet

Chicken and Rice Wraps

Ok this is way too easy and it's definetly not one I can take any credit for, but I made it for dinner last night and it's so good! It's meant to be made in a crockpot, so I wouldn't try it without one. Plus my crockpot seems to cook it a whole lot faster than the recipe says it should, so it's not one that you can make early and let it cook all day unless yours is able to switch to a warm and not cook it anymore.

2 cans campbells cheddar cheese soup
2 c. salsa
1 c. water
1 1/4 c long grain uncooked white rice
2 lbs. uncooked, cubed chicken

Mix the soup. salsa, and water together then add rice and chicken. Set on a low temperature or 8 hours, depending on your crockpot. But mine was done in about 6 hours and I took it out and let cool down. Once ready to eat get tortillas and spoon about 1 cup of chicken and rice filling, and eat as a wrap, but of course you don't have to make it a wrap and just eat the chicken and rice alone