Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

We have a busy Sunday so I made an early dinner and this Banana Cake for dessert.  This cake is moist and delicious and the homemade frosting is the “icing on the cake”!!

Banana Cake

2 eggs

2/14 cups flour (all purpose)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup mashed bananas

3/4 cup milk mixed with 1 TBSP. lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil (I used coconut oil)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Grease well a 13×9 cake pan or 2 round pans. Preheat oven to 350

Let eggs sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  Add the bananas, milk/lemon juice, oil and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer until combined.

Add eggs and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour into the pan.

Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes (checking after 25 minutes or so for doneness by inserting a tooth pick in the center and if it comes out clean it’s done).

Remove and let cool.

Frost with homemade Cream Cheese Frosting!  This cake deserves the homemade instead of store bought because it’s so good!!

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz brick cream cheese softened

1/2 cup butter

2 TBSP. vanilla extract

5 1/2 – 6 cups sifted powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the powdered sugar until it’s spreadable and smooth.

**This makes a large container of frosting which you can store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.  Or cut the recipe in half for the perfect amount for this cake**

 

One Pot-Pot Roast

Recipe here:  Pot Roast

Last weekend we had our first blast of very cold temperatures.  This was the perfect meal to come into after skating in the frigid cold on our ice pond.  Comfort food at its best!

The cold temperatures only lasted 2 days and the next ten days it seems we will be back up into the mid 40’s again.  It’s been a very mild, snowless winter here on the Island so far.  I don’t mind too much but sure hope we get some snow and colder days so we can snowmobile and skate again!

 

Dinner Rolls

These rolls are super easy to make. You can freeze them after baking which is a perfect way to grab a few dinner rolls when you need them as this makes 24 rolls (or you can make 18 larger size but I think 24 works best)

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 1/2 TBSP active dry yeast (or use 2 packets)

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

4 Cups of all purpose unbleached flour (or plain all purpose)

Mix the yeast and 1 tsp. sugar into the warm water and set aside to proof for 10 minutes

In a mixing bowl with your dough hook or in a regular bowl with a wooden spoon, mix together the oil, melted butter, sugar, 2 eggs and salt until combined.

Add in the proofed yeast mixture and mix just to combine

Add in the flour one cup at a time mixing slowly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl

Flour a surface and scrape dough out of bowl. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top and knead the dough about a minute or two.

Pull apart into 24 pieces as even pieces as you can get (doesn’t have to be perfect) and roll into balls

Place into a greased cake pan or 2 round pans

Put into a warm spot to rise for an hour to 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 15-17 minutes until lightly browned on top and remove from oven Let set for 5 minutes and then pour out onto a wire rack to cool.

Break apart and store in an air tight container or place in freezer bags and freeze!

The whole process takes about 15 minutes to get the dough into the cake pan to rise. Super easy and delicious flavor!!

I find if reheating from frozen state it’s best to let them thaw and warm in the oven.  You also can microwave them…either way, they are delicious!  I recently made 9 dozen for a Farm Market Feast dinner event with over 100 people and there was not a roll left over!

Apple Crisp

It’s that time of year again and while apples are in season it’s the best time to make some yummy treats!  This is a pure comfort food dessert.  Super easy and the house smells amazing while it’s cooking!!

6 large apples peeled, cored and sliced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp melted butter

Combine all in a bowl and set aside to marinate together

Make the sweet buttery topping
½ cup quick cook oats
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
¾ cups heaping all purpose flour
1 ½ sticks of room temperature butter

Combine oats, sugars, and flour and mix until well incorporated. Add in the room temperature butter and use a fork or a pastry cutter to form crumbles

Place the apple mixture in a lightly greased 13×9 cake pan. Sprinkle the crumble top evenly over the whole top.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 32 – 35 minutes (or until evenly browned)

 

Old Fashioned White Bread

In my previous post I shared we will be selling our Old Fashioned
White Bread we make at the farm.

This bread is super easy and pretty much no fail for beginners.  It also has none of the horrible chemicals store bought white bread contains

You can find our easy recipe on my facebook page here:  Old Fashioned White Bread

Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash

Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash on the menu tonight.

Slice and layer squashes, cover in sauce, top with grated mozzarella. We like onions on ours too but you can use anything you like (mushrooms, peppers, ground beef, shredded chicken and so on).

Comfort food minus the carbs!!

Bake at 425 until squash has softened, cheese has melted and onions have browned.

Italian Sausage Pasta

https://wordpress.com/post/chasenchanceranch.wordpress.com/6094

This is another easy, hearty delicious meal.

This is a dish I created a while back trying to come up with a different use for Italian Sausage instead of the usual meals.

4 Italian Sausage Links
16 oz box of pasta (I use large shells) cooked
1/2 onion
1/4 slice of pepper (2 colors or 1/2 of one color)
1 medium clove of garlic
3 TBSP butter
4 TBSP olive oil
2 cups beef bouillon with 1 heaping TBSP cornstarch stirred in until dissolved
Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Par-boil the sausage for 25 minutes and then finish cooking in micro (about 3 minutes) or pan fry until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit to slice

Dice the onion and peppers (I like to use 2 colors to keep it colorful)

Mince the garlic clove or dice very small

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onions and peppers. Cook until soft (about 5 minutes).

Add the oil and garlic and stir gently heating it on medium heat for 2 minutes.

Turn the heat up and pour in the bouillon and cornstarch mixture stirring frequently until starting to thicken and turn down heat.

Add in the sliced Italian Sausage and heat it through.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with grated cheese!

Easter Ham Leftovers

Here are some of my favorite leftover ham recipes.  You can always freeze the left over ham and ham bone until you are ready to whip one of these up!!

Chunky Potato Soup

Super Simple Split Pea Soup

Simple Scalloped Potatoes

Ham Salad

Navy Bean Soup

Egg Muffins

NOTE:  ***If you open the facebook link and it comes up to a picture you can click the “x” to close the picture and the album and recipe will come up.***

Lemon Lush Cake

With Easter and spring coming, this is the perfect dessert!

This is light and delicious!  The buttery crust compliments the rich cream cheese and light lemon pudding perfectly!

CRUST- 2 cups flour/1 cup butter softened

Blend with pastry cutter, press into a cake pan (13×9) that is lightly greased with the butter left on the wrapper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for approximately 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool completely

CREAM CHEESE LAYER –

2 8oz cream cheese bricks softened

1 cup sugar

Using a paddle, blend the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth and spreadable.

Spread over the cooled crust

PUDDING LAYER:

2- 3.4 oz boxes instant lemon pudding mix

3 1/2 cups milk

2 TBSP Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed is best or you can use store bought)

Using a mixer or whisk for 4 minutes

Spread over cream cheese layer

 

Chill the entire cake for 2-3 hours

Spread on whipped cream (or coolwhip)

Keep leftovers refrigerated with plastic wrap to keep it fresh (if it lasts long enough)!!

 

Romano Buns

If you are looking for a quick sandwich type dinner, this is it!  These are perfect baked in the oven and even better cooked on the grill or right on the side of a bonfire.  These are a must for our camping trips and as a dinner when we are cooking on the bonfire.

They are like a melted ham and cheese with a buttery rich mustard flavor.

I don’t really measure anything but it’s simple ingredients:

Sliced deli ham (use a good one)
Swiss Cheese
Mustard (any kind you like)
Butter softened
Chopped Onion
Poppy Seeds
Sandwich or Hamburger rolls

Mix mustard, softened butter, and onion in a bowl
Place 2 slices of ham and a slice and 1/2 of swiss cheese on the roll
Place a tablespoon of the mustard mixture on the inside of the roll
Close the roll and spread a little extra mustard mixture on top and sprinkle with poppy seeds
Wrap loosely in tent style in aluminum foil

If baking bake at 350 for 10 minutes to let the cheese melt and the roll get crusty.
If cooking in the fire set on hot coals for about 8 minutes

The roll gets crusty, the cheese and buttery mixture melt into the roll and you have a delicious quick lunch or dinner!