Banana Bread

Oh my goodness!  The smell of sweet bread baking will bring any one home!  Banana bread I think is my favorite sweet bread to eat and in the dead of the winter it can make you feel good all over.  
You can always have bananas on hand for banana recipes if you just throw overly ripe bananas that no one is going to eat in the freezer. All you have to do is take them out to thaw an hour or so before 
you need them. 

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 envelope dream whip (it's a powdered whipping cream)

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/products/d-f/dreamwhip.aspx

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. olive oil

3 eggs

3 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. sour cream

4 ripe bananas

Mix first 5 ingredients together and set aside. 
Flour....

Baking Powder.....

Baking Soda.....

Salt.....

Dream Whip.....http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/products/d-f/dreamwhip.aspx

Stir to blend well and set aside......

 Place the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend until creamy.  
White Sugar.....

Brown Sugar....

Oil....

Eggs.....

Blend well......

Add Vanilla....

Sour Cream....

Bananas.....

Blend well again... 

Add flour mixture and beat until well incorporated.  

Divide batter between 2 bread pans that have been sprayed with 
cooking spray.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  

Remove from oven and let sit in pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. 

Let cool completely,wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready 
to serve.

Call the kids in, large and small, and enjoy a treat together.  I'm pretty sure your bread won't get a chance to cool AND you won't really have to "call" any one in to eat it because 
they'll be there already!

© Nancy Rappleye 2012

Green Sauce (for sweet pork)

You will enjoy this sauce or dressing on a salad or burrito loaded with pulled sweet pork! 

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Buttermilk Dressing mix

2 T. salsa verde

2 cloves garlic

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 c. buttermilk(or drinkable plain yogurt)

3/4 c. mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lime

1 dash of hot sauce or to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.


salsa verde........

Ranch dressing .......

 garlic........

Cilantro .........

buttermilk or yogurt........ 
(I used drinkable plain yogurt)

mayonnaise ........

lime juice....... 

hot sauce.......

blend until creamy..... 

 Serve......

The garlic and lime give this dressing such a great flavor that adds a punch to pulled pork burritos and salads.  
Be sure to store in air tight container in the refrigerator.

© Nancy Rappleye 2012

Lime Rice

This is a wonderful rice to go with any pulled sweet pork recipe.  I think this is a fun way to cook rice and reminds me of  how a good friend from Arizona cooks her rice.  Browning it in oil first and then adding the rest of the ingredients and letting it simmer for 20 minutes blends all the wonderful flavors of garlic, cilantro and lime!

2 T. olive oil

2 c. rice

1 c. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

½ bunch cilantro

4 c. chicken broth

 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies

Juice from 1 lime

¼ tsp. lime zest

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet with lid, heat olive oil and add rice and onion. 

Cook until rice is golden, stirring frequently.  

Add garlic and cilantro and cook another minute.  

Stir in chicken broth and rest of ingredients, 

stir

turn down heat to low, place a lid on and cook for 20 minutes.

When the rice is done, stir and fluff up with a spoon, then serve with sweet pork in a salad or burrito....

© Nancy Rappleye 2012

Easy Sweet Pork

This is a quick and easy sweet pork for a busy day.  Start it in the morning and it only takes a few minutes to finish preparing the goodies to go with it when you are ready to eat.  

1 C. salsa, (your favorite)

1 C. brown sugar

1 (3-5 lb.) Boston pork roast

 http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/porkbuttselect.html#preferred

Place roast in a slow cooker. (I am using pork chunks I found at PriceMart in Santo Domingo.  The flavor is so close to a Boston Butt roast that I think it works great.)

Mix salsa and brown sugar together and pour over roast.  

Place the lid on slow cooker and cook on low 6-8 hours.

One hour before serving, shred roast and mix well with juices.  

I like to add another 1/4 c. brown sugar.  This is optional but I recommend it!

Continue to cook on low another hour while you prepare some rice!

Serve in a tortilla with black beans, South of the Boarder rice (find recipe under November archive) or lime rice, cheese, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and salsa. You could also serve on a bed of lettuce and create a salad.

I bet you thought all the parties were over!!
This is a party in your mouth with music and a smile!  

© Nancy Rappleye 2012