Banana Bread- No Oil

I can't stand pouring cupfuls of oil into my cakes and such. The thought of it really makes me ill. In cake mixes, I just omit it all together. I don't substitute applesauce or anything, and you really can't tell.

Now, banana bread is a little trickier. It is a little heavier than normal, but I love the taste of it and it doesn't leave my mouth or hands greasy. It is filling and a slice makes a good breakfast. This recipe came from the dessert cook at the Morris Center at BYU. When I worked there, she developed a whole menu of low fat entrees, and was kind enough to give me this recipe:

3 egg whites
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup water
3 mashed, ripe bananas
4 cups flour (you can even substitute 1 cup with whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix it all together. Spray pans with Pam and dust with flour. Pour in mixture. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes (30-35 in mini loaf pans.)

Alfredo, from scratch (GASP!!)..

This is what I have figured out..
- butter
- cream
- garlic
-salt
-cheese (I like the blend of parm, asiago, and romano..)
You cook your noodles, drain them and return them to the pot. Melt about 2-4 tablespoons of the butter in the warm noodles, add garlic to taste (I like to use garlic salt too..) and return to the stove. With the heat still on medium, add the cream and stir until it bubbles. Then add the cheese. Usually a half cup to a cup. Stir well.. This has worked better than any packaged mix, everyone loves it! It is Lynn's favorite and she's the pickiest eater in the house..

Help!

OK, ladies. I need your help. I need a fabulous alfredo recipe. I haven't found a packet I like...or anything from a jar. So I'm thinking I need I need to start from scratch (gasp! I know!) Any and all recipes you have would be much appreciated!

Triple Berry Delight

This is a recipe that became a favorite of all the missionaries and other workers at the Polynesian Culture Center in Laie, Hawaii when we were there. It came from Sister Wilcox of Farmington, and though it was very expensive to make over there, especially if you had to double to batch for the office crowd, it is more reasonable here in the States.

1 package of Mixed Berries (Costco)
1 12 oz container of Cool Whip
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

Remove berries from freezer one hour before serving. Mix the Cool Whip and condensed milk together by hand in a large bowl thoroughly. Softly blend in the berries and serve. This can be used as a salad or a dessert. It will store well in the refrigerator if you should have leftovers. Serves 12 large servings.

Chicken Fajitas with Homemade Tortillas

I've had Fajitas on the menu for the past week. The only problem was, the little mouths in this house ate all my tortillas without me realizing it. So I searched the Internet (what did we ever do before Internet?) and found some recipes for flour tortillas. They all required shortening- which I have none of. Then I came across this one that uses only 2 teaspoons of oil, instead. Everbody loved them! We decided we might never buy tortillas again. They are a little puffy- that is how Texas tortillas are.

Texas Flour Tortillas

(adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)

Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk. Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed. Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes. After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.) After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook. In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done. Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil. While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so. Makes eight tortillas.

I sliced onions and green bell peppers and sauteed them 'til they were transparent. Then I cooked my sliced chicken breast and added Lawry's Fajita Mix. Put the veggies back in with the meat and sautee them all together. Serve on tortillas with sour cream and guacamole. YUM-O!!

Pulled Pork

We are on a pork kick at my house, if you couldn't tell...
When I dream about Texas Roadhouse's pulled pork dinner, I know I have to find a good recipe.
This one came from Good Things Utah, when they had Rib City on..
It is sooo yummy!

1 small 2lb-4lb pork butt "bone in", or pork collar, or roast bone in or no bone

1 bottle Liquid Smoke

1 blend of Vegetable blend spices (Season Salt,Celery Salt,Pepper, Salt, Montreal BBQ Spices,Garlic powder mixed together)

1 bottle Rib City Sweet BBQ sauce ( I used Bull's Eye, Hickory smoke)

Spread all spices on Pork Roast or Butt forming almost a crust, or thick layer.
Tear off 2 big pieces of foil to cover roast.
Pour 1/2 bottle liquid smoke into foil with roast. Wrap the 1st sheet then wrap it again with the 2nd sheet so the juices cannot escape when cooking.

Place in a shallow pan or cooking tray. Slow cook on convection bake or regular oven at 375 for 4 hours and then 275 for 4 more hours.

Unwrap and pull bone (if any). Take a fork and make sure that the meat separates easily. Leave cooking juice and put in bowl and pull with forks or gloved hands.

Add BBQ sauce.

This one was a real winner... no one could stop eating it. It was so tender, the foil was the only thing keeping it together.

Simple, Sweet Pork...

After having my hubby crave Costa Vida Sunday night, I went hunting for a sweet pork recipe Monday...
I found this one on recipezaar.
Ingredients

• 1 (3-5 lb) boneless pork roast
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed

Directions

1. Place ingredients in a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 8-10 hours.
2. Shred pork with a fork. Keep lid off after shredding for about 15 minutes so juice will thicken.
3. Use meat in burritos, tacos, or salads.
4. If freezing, keep juice and freeze with meat.

we ate it with fresh salsa, tortillas, and our favorite toppings... have some left to freeze. It was so yummy!