Odds and Ends

What do you do with all your odds and ends of sad old fruits and veggies? Sadly, a lot of mine go to waste, as I forget about them in the bottom crisper drawer sometimes. However, I'm very good about old bananas! I know how great they are in baked goods, and it's easy to just pop them in the freezer for safekeeping. Note - it's best to peel them first and then store them in plastic wrap or a bag. Peeling a frozen or defrosted banana is cold and annoying.

I was in the mood to bake something - anything!- so I looked around online for a muffin recipe that would use my freezer 'nanas. This recipe had the best reviews online, so I figured it was worth a shot.

AHMAHGAH was it ever! These are absolutely delicious. Great crumb texture, fantastic banana flavor, and the brown sugar crumb topping is just the kicker. I made modifications (of course!) to the original, but nothing drastic. The crumb recipe made a LOT, so I think next time, it would be great to layer batter-crumbs-batter-crumbs for a sweet surprise *inside* the muffin.

Banana Crumb Muffins
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar (use 1/2 cup only b/c the crumb topping is so sweet)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.               

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.               

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins. (Or layer batter, crumb, batter, crumb)    
       
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Halloween & Old Bay Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I have such wonderful memories of pumpkin carving with my family when I was little. My dad would lug a big pumpkin onto our kitchen table (covered in newspaper, of course) and Ada and I would dig out the guts, shrieking in grossed-out delight. All while my mom took Polaroids and then roasted the seeds. If only I could find those pics somewhere!

After we carved a silly or scary face, my dad would rig up the pumpkin above our front door and hook up a light through the guest bedroom window. He's an engineer, so I'm pretty sure that this was like playtime for him. I was so proud that our house had a carved and lit pumpkin, standing tall and proud where everyone could see it!

This past Halloween, Alex wanted to carve a pumpkin and I wanted to roast the seeds. I can't wait for him to start a pumpkin carving tradition with our little goblin (due in 6 weeks..AHHH!). He drew a face freehand and went to town, while I took care of seed-prep. We lit a candle inside the pumpkin as soon as it got dark and the neighborhood kids loved it.

It's incredibly easy to roast pumpkin seeds, but it does take a little prep work. You have to wash them right away, or the "guts" will dry and it's impossible to remove them. But overall, it's a delicious snack to munch on while opening the door to Wolverine, Harry Potter, DJ Lance, Hannah Montana and the cutest little firefighter ever.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin seeds
Oil
Old Bay (or any other seasoning you like!)
Salt

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 325.

After removing the "guts" from your pumpkin, rinse all the seeds under cold water, in a colander. Remove them from the stringy pumpkin, making sure to get it all off or it will dry on there. Pat dry with a towel.

Toss the seeds in a bowl with a little oil and seasonings, and then spread in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until they are dry and slightly toasted. Enjoy!


This was my costume...I was an 8-ball. I mean, really...what else could I possibly be with this ginormous belly??

Fried Cheerios

We all have those strange childhood foods that make other people raise an eyebrow. Don't deny it...I know you do.

Fried cheerios is my ULTIMATE childhood memory food. I don't know where my mom came up with this recipe, but I imagine she threw it together in a fit of "OhdeargodMUSTputsomethingintheirmouthestomakethemshutup" craziness induced by my sister and me. Just so you know, I was always the innocent one. Always. Shut up, Ada.

I know that nothing looks very different about those O's up there, but you don't know the taste. It's warm, crispy, salty and intensely cheerio-ey. I was having a really bad day the other week for a variety of reasons and the only thing that I wanted was a bowl of fried cheerios. So, I did my version of them, minus the huge pats of butter. It wasn't as good (clearly) but still good enough to make me smile, as I snuggled into the blankets on the couch and worked my way out of a good funk.

Thanks, Mom. :-)

Ingredients:

2 cups Cheerios

1 TBS Butter, butter substitute or Pam spray

salt to taste

Instructions:

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high and melt the butter. Pour in the cheerios and turn carefully to coat them all. Continue to stir frequently and cook until they are toasted brown. Pour in a bowl and toss with salt. Enjoy.

Addictive

I couldn't think of another word to describe this easy and delicious snack. You pick one up, out of curiousity at first. Then, before you realize it, you've inhaled about 45 of the little buggers...and you still want more!

I spent last weekend at my friend Allison's house in Allentown. I used to work up there and I love to go back and visit to see old friends. She had a party on Saturday night, and gave me the task of putting together these delicious little devils. Mmmm, I think I ate about 5 straight out of the oven.

Ingredients:

Pretzels

Hershey Kisses (any kind except the ones with filling. We used the new peppermint ones which were delish!)

M&Ms

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200. Lay the pretzels on a baking sheet, and top each with a kiss. Bake for only 2 minutes, and then remove. Immediately press an M&M on top of each kiss, pressing down to secure. Allow the candies to set in the fridge and enjoy!

We also made a delicious vegetable pizza, from Allison's mother's recipe collection. I was excited to try it since I had seen it on so many other blogs!

Ingredients:

2 Pillsbury Crescent roll packages

8 0z softened cream cheese

1 packet of Ranch dressing seasonings

1/4 cup mayo

Any vegetables you like

Instructions:

Using an lightly greased cookie sheet, roll out the crescent rolls as a whole sheet and bake according to instructions. Mix together cream cheese, mayo and ranch seasoning, and spread onto fully cooled crust. Top with vegetables and keep refrigerated until serving. Cut into small pieces and enjoy!

The party was a ton of fun, and of course, the women kicked the men's butts in a highly competitive round of Taboo. And then we discovered an easy way to change it from a Holiday party to a Hannukah party:

becomes