Best Banana Muffins w/ Caramel Sauce

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups ripe mashed banana
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream (not low fat)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon banana flavor
1 cup pecan or walnut pieces

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1.Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
2.In another bowl, mix the mashed banana, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, egg yolks, and flavor together.
3.Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until the ingredients are mixed well. Fold in the nuts.
4.Fill the well-greased tins nearly full. Use all the batter for twelve standard muffins. Sprinkle on some optional streusel topping.
5.Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Let sit for five minutes and remove the muffins from the pan to a rack to cool.

Salted Caramel Sauce:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup

1.Mix the three ingredients in large saucepan. It's going to boil up so fill the pan no more than one-third full.
2.Cook over medium high heat stirring nearly continually. The high heat shortens cooking time substantially but if not tended, you will burn your caramel.
3.Cook to a soft ball stage, 230 degrees. Remove from the heat and let cool.

FLAVORED WHIP CREAM:


For your banana muffins, we recommend banana, caramel, butterscotch, or brown sugar whipped cream.

2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons banana,caramel, butterscotch,or brown sugar flavor

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Add the sugar and flavor and continue whipping.

Hawaiian Haystacks

HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS

We had a recipe like this at our Hawaiian Christmas party at the Cannery a few years ago & loved them so when Megan Somes posted them on her blog….I had to share! Thank you Megan. You can use any combination of ingredients that your family will like." And the kids love making their own. It's also great for feeding a crowd!

In 1 1/2-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in onions, flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.

Pour milk and broth into pot, mixing quickly with a whisk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute. Add chicken and remove from heat, stirring to combine chicken and gravy.

Hawaiian Haystack ingredients (in the order we stacked them):
Rice (we like brown)
Cream of Chicken Soup
Pineapples or Mandarin Oranges
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Bell Peppers
Sliced Olives
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Chow Mein Noodles
Toasted Coconut
Sliced Green Onions

You can ADD anything else your family likes!

Cinnamon Sugar Cheese Danish

You wouldnt believe how easy this one is....and it's so tasty so you gotta try it.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans refrigerator butter crescent rolls
• 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter (melted)
• Cinnamon & sugar

Instructions:

Unroll and spread 1 can crescent rolls on bottom of un-greased pan. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with fresh fruit and orange juice

Peach Julius

I've always loved the orange julius from the mall so when I came across this recipe in a magazine....I had to try it! Mmmm...I was so glad I did!

2 cups water
peach half or 1/2 half banana
4 tablespoon powdered milk
1/2 cup cannery peach fruit drink
10-12 ice cubes

Place all in glass blender. Whirl around for 90 seconds-until all ice is
relatively smooth. Makes 4 cups.

Chicken Tacos using Cannery products

3 cans cannery chicken or pork chunks, drained
1 pint cannery salsa

Mix gently together in large saucepan until heated through. Can serve at this point on tortillas or hold in crock-pot on low until serving time. Add toppings of choice: refried beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, chopped onion, chopped tomato, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

8 servings/ about 24 tastes.

Strawberry-Pretzel Jello Salad

I've seen this salad at a few different "potlucks" that I've been to but it's always gone before I had a chance to try it myself. But I saw this recipe in a magazine the other day so I made it for my family....it was GONE in less than a day!! It was so good that I thought YOU might want to try it too!!

•2 cups crushed pretzel sticks
•3/4 cup melted butter
•3 tbsp. sugar
•8 oz. cream cheese softened
•1 cup sugar
•8 oz. Cool Whip
•1 (6oz.) pkg. stawberry Jello
•2 cups boiling water
•3 cups fresh strawberries or 2-10 oz. pkgs. frozen strawberries

1.Mix first three ingredients and press in bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.

2.Beat sugar, cream cheese, and Cool Whip in a medium size bowl (I sometimes double this part if I am feeding more people). Spread over pretzel crust.

3.Mix Jello and boiling water until dissolved. Add strawberries. Pour over cheese mixture. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Pumpkin Muffins w/ Cream Cheese

These muffins are perfect...their moist, sweet & creamy! These are my Husband's favorite muffin of all! His Mom used to make them while he was growing up & now we make them too. (Thank you Janice Stewart)

Muffin:
2 cups white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp Brown sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
To make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, then set aside.

For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth.

Place 1 tablespoon muffin batter in muffin cups. Make a bit of a well in the batter, without going all of the way through to the bottom. Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter. Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper liner. Next, cover with 2 tablespoons more batter. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out without any orange batter on it.

Raspberry Cream Dessert

This delicious recipe can be served in a graham cracker pie shell or just served in a glass dish...either way, it's the yummiest!

1 carton/box of Cream Cheese
1 small can of Sweetened Condensed milk
1/3 cup Lemon Juice (real lemons or it WONT set up)
1 can of cherry pie filling or any fresh preserves
1 Graham Cracker Crust (or)
(or crush 1 pkge of Graham crackers & add 1 Tbsp of melted butter & press into the bottom of a glass dish)

Whip the Cream cheese until its nice & fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk & whip until well blended. Add the lemon juice & whip again.

Pour mixture onto the pie crust or over the graham cracker bottom & refridgerate for 2-3 hours. Chill the pie filling or preserves seperately & serve on-time before eating.

(The original recipe was given to me by my Mother-in-law right after we were married.)

Moist Banana Bread

Have you ever thrown away bananas because the peel is MORE brown than yellow? Well here's a recipe you can use instead of throwing them away! It's one of my favorite recipes from my Grandma Joiners Cookbook and it's SO EASY to make!

2 eggs
2/3 cup Sugar
3 mashed ripe bananas (its better if theres some chunks)
1/3 cup margarine (shortening can be substituted too)
1 3/4 cup Flour
1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup or more of chopped Walnuts (optionable)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream margarine & sugar together. Beat in 1 egg at a time then add bananas. In a seperate bowl, add all the dry ingredients & stir together. Add the combined dry ingredients (& the walnuts) into the WET mixture & stir until well mixed. Bake in 9x9 square pan or 2 loaf pans for 35-45 minutes.

*Dont forget to sneak a piece while its warm!!

Caramel Apple & Pecan Pie

Pie Dough:
• 1 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
• 3 tablespoon(s) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoon(s) cold vegetable shortening
• 3 1/2 tablespoon(s) ice water

Pecan crumble:
• 2/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon(s) (packed) light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon(s) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup(s) pecan pieces
• 5 tablespoon(s) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Apple Filling:
• 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground nutmeg
• 6 (1/2 pound each) Apple Slices
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) grated lemon zest
• Confectioners' sugar (optional)

Vanilla Whipped Cream:
• 1 cup(s) cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon(s) confectioners' sugar
• Scraped seeds from 1/2 split vanilla bean
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Directions
1. To make pie dough: In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Add butter and shortening, tossing gently until all pieces are coated with flour. With a pastry blender, cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, drizzling over flour mixture and tossing with a fork just until dough begins to hold together. Turn dough out onto a smooth surface and gather into a ball. Wrap in plastic; flatten into a disk. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. To make salted pecan crumble: In a food processor, combine flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup pecans; process until pecans are ground. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Transfer crumble to a medium bowl; add remaining 1/3 cup pecans and, using your hands, crumble and squeeze mixture to form larger clumps. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. On a lightly floured surface or between 2 sheets of waxed paper , roll out dough into an 1/8-inch-thick 12-inch round. Fold in half and ease gently into a 9-inch pie pan. Unfold dough, letting pastry overhang edge. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold under and flute or crimp edge. Refrigerate shell. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. To make apple filling: In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg until blended. Add apples and zest; toss until apples are evenly coated. Remove pie shell from refrigerator and spoon apple filling into it, mounding filling in center of pie. Sprinkle crumble evenly over top of pie, gently pressing into place; place pie on a baking sheet.
5. Bake 1 1/2 hours, or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Dust top of pie with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Serve with vanilla whipped cream.
6. To make vanilla whipped cream: In a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and the scraped seeds from 1/2 split vanilla bean until soft billowy peaks form.