BETTE'S BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon and a large mixing bowl, mix butter into the mashed bananas. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir together. Add the flour last and stir until well blended. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

•  Prep Time: 20 minutes
•  Cook Time: 20 minutes
•  Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 serving
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1 very large bunch of Tuscan Kale (16 loosely packed cups once cleaned and chopped)

4 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil

5 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled but left whole

2 pints grape tomatoes

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

To clean the Tuscan kale, grab the leaves with your fingers on the thick end of each stem and pull down, ripping all of the leaves from the stem. Once you get the hang of this, you can go pretty fast removing the leaves. Discard stems. Lay the leaves out and cut across the grain then a few slices down the center to yield bite-sized pieces. Place in a salad spinner and rinse thoroughly, then spin to remove most of the water. Some water still clinging to leaves is fine and helps in cooking.

In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot then lower flame to medium low and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for about five minutes until golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside, flipping to cook all sides.

Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes until they blister and start to burst. Use the back of a wooden spoon and flatten and break up the garlic, as well and crushing about half of the tomatoes.

Add the kale and toss, then cook for five minutes covered. Remove the cover and cook for up to five more minutes until tender and any liquid has evaporated.

Sprinkle on the vinegar, toss then serve immediately

Thank you Family Feast for this great recipe

Cranberry Nut Bread Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon grated orange peel (optional)

1 egg, well beaten

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries

½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and lightly flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange juice, oil, orange peel and egg. Mix until well blended.  Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. 

 Bette's Artichokes 

4 medium-sized artichokes

 2 cups breadcrumbs

 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

 1 tablespoon garlic powder

 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

 ¼ cup water

3/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

Rinse the artichokes well, remove the small outer leaves from the bottom row around artichoke, cut off the stem and slice about 1 inch off of the top. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and pepper. Add the melted butter, water and oil and mix well.  If needed, add more water or oil to make stuffing very moist.Turn the artichokes upside down and press firmly to spread the leaves. Turn right side up and stand the artichokes in a large pot with about 1 ½ inches of water in the bottom. Cover and steam over medium-high heat about 20-25 minutes or until the artichokes are tender, checking the water level occasionally and adding more water as needed.  Stuff the breadcrumb mixture into the center and inside surrounding layers of leaves.  Put onto microwavable plate and microwave for approximately 3-4 minutes or before serving put into pan covered tightly with foil and place in 350° oven for approximately 20 minutes.    

Roasted Cauliflower

• head of cauliflower
• ½  stick butter, melted
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• Salt & pepper to taste
• ¼ cup parmesan or Romano grated cheese
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Directions:

Heat oven to 375°

Break cauliflower into florets rinse and put into pot. Add 1 cup of water. On medium-high heat, steam until fork tender. Do not overcook. Cauliflower should be on the firm side.

Drain and put back into pot and add melted butter, olive oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently until fully coated and place in roasting pan. Sprinkle with grated cheese and roast in oven for approximately 20 minutes.

2 heads of broccoli

1 pound Velvetta cheese

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons chopped onions

2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 375 DEGREES

In a large saucepan, steam the broccoli until fork tender.

In a small saucepan, melt the cheese on low heat, then 

add the milk, onion, and bell pepper. Stir until well blended.

Layer the ingredients in a large casserole, beginning with

the melted cheese, then adding the broccoli and sprinkling

with the cracker crumbs. Dot the crumb layer with butter

and repeat.  Sprinkle the final layer with additional

cracker crumbs. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover

the casserole and bake an additional 5 minutes, until the 

crumb topping is lightly browned.

4 strips thick-cut pancetta

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved

1/2 large onion, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, then roughly chop. In same pan with pancetta fat, melt butter over high heat. Add onions and Brussels Sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss pancetta back into pan. Serve immediately.

Makes  6 to 8 servings

6  Large Apples  ( A mix of different apples is great)

3  Tablespoons sugar

3  Teaspoons ground cinnamon

2  Teaspoons instant tapioca

1  Baked  9-inch pie shell

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

CRUMB TOPPING

1 1/2 cups flour

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) butter

Preheat the oven to 375*F

Peel, core, and slice the apples and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar,

cinnamon, and tapioca and stir together until the apples are well coated.

Spoon the apple mixture into the pie shell. Dot with butter or margarine

and set aside.

For the crumb topping, place the flour, cinnamon, and sugar in a large

bowl and cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the

mixture has the texture of course cornmeal. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the apples.

Bake the pie for 40 to 45 minutes.

Enjoy the Taste of Fall

• 2 pounds broccoli rabe (Approximately  2 Bunches)
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced      
• 1 pound sausage, hot or sweet 
• ½ teaspoon hot red crushed pepper      
• Salt & pepper to taste 
• Cooked pasta (optional) 

In a large frying pan, brown sausage. After sausage is cooked, cut into approximately 1/4" circular pieces and set aside. Cut off about 2 inches from the bottom stem of the broccoli rabe; rinse well and drain. In a large pot, put in broccoli rabe and add approximately 4 cups of water, cover and steam on medium-high until tender, stirring occasionally.  In colander, drain broccoli rabe and set aside. In the same empty pot put in oil and garlic and sauté garlic until lightly browned. Add broccoli rabe, sausage, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to the sautéed garlic and oil and stir together. If desired, place broccoli rabe over cooked pasta and serve.  

Break apart broccoli into florets.  You can also cut up stems.  Steam broccoli until fork tender.  Do not over cook.  In a large bowl put in broccoli.  Squeeze the juice of the lemons and add the olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir until well coated.  You can either serve it at room temperature or refrigerate. 

• 2 heads broccoli, cut into small pieces 
• 1/2 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries      
• 1/2 small onion, red or white, diced     
• 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled     
• 3/4 cup of cashew nuts

• 1-1/4 cups mayonnaise 
• 3-4 tablespoons red wine or balsamic  vinegar     
• 1/3 cup sugar 

In a large bowl, mix together all the salad ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over broccoli and stir until well coated.  Chill and serve.