Check Your Bananas

Do you have fresh bananas on the counter? Are they starting to look like a science experiment? If they are brown, even blackish, and starting to get squishy...they are PERFECT for this recipe!

How is grocery shopping for you these days? I haven't stepped foot in a grocery store in over a month. See, since Mr. E works in healthcare, he is already exposed to Covid 19 daily, so we decided it was smart for him to venture into the stores weekly.

And oh what an adventure it is! I don't just hand him a list and say see you in a couple hours. Oh no. See, when I was pregnant, both times, I was extremely sick. More so with Alex, but Max too. So for weeks he did the grocery shopping and I learned letting him loose with a list is not a good idea. Therefore, to avoid that disaster again, we virtual shop. Yep, he Facetimes me and I instruct him on what to get.

But here is the ironic part. Something happened to me when this whole quarantine started. Those first few shopping trips were a nightmare of empty shelves, revamping meal plans and substituting products. So now that stores are better stocked, I still find myself having him get things simply because they have them, and didn't at one point.

Case in point? Bananas. We already had some. But he found more. So I had him get a few. Now, my boys eat fresh fruit daily, and we go through a lot of it, but bananas go from green to black in about 35 minutes! So I found myself needed to use some up, and fast.

Banana bread came to mind instantly, but I only had 2 bananas. So muffins it was, and a small batch at that. But it was the perfect amount for us, and can easily be doubled for more.

They are perfect for a quick breakfast before your Zoom meetings, or a snack in the afternoon, since I know the kids are asking for those every 10 minutes!

I hope you're staying healthy and safe. Sheltering in place with as much ease as possible. We can all get through this quicker if we do what is asked. No doubt, some yummy muffins will make it a bit easier too!

Banana Bread Muffins

2 over ripe bananas, divided

1/2 c. white sugar

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

6 TBS butter, melted and cooled

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin tin, or use papers. In a large bowl mash one banana with a fork. Add sugar. Whisk until well incorporated. Add butter, vanilla and egg. Whisk well. Add flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Using a spatula, fold together until just mixed. Mash remaining banana and fold into batter. Fill wells 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 6-9 muffins. 

Shared at Weekend Potluck

Grocery Shopping Today

Quarantine...Day....I don't even know. I've stopped counting. One day runs into the next. Every morning when I wake up, for just a second I find myself asking "what day is it and what do I have to do"...and then I remember. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not doing anything. Well, nothing of excitement that is. There is always stuff around the house to do.

Have you ventured out to the grocery store since this all began? We are weekly shoppers in this house. We don't have the space to have tons of stuff on hand. Yes, we have 2 chest freezers with our beef supply, which I'm so thankful for, but not a lot of cupboard space, and no pantry at all. So, I have always done a weekly store run.

Thus, we are those people who have to go out for essentials. Well, I say we, it's not. Adam goes. See, he works in healthcare, so he is already exposed daily, so we decided it was smartest for him to do the shopping as well. But we have a good system. I help him over the phone. I keep the list at home, and I guide him. Or we even Facetime so I can shop with him. It cuts down on him getting the wrong thing and/or adding things to the card he finds "necessary" that are in fact, not.  LOL

I planned on posting this recipe this week, because while I used deli ham for these tasty biscuit sandwiches, they would be super tasty with that leftover ham many of us will have in the fridge after Easter. But when I sat down to type this out, I almost decided not to because I know many of you are struggling to find things at the grocery, or aren't shopping at all.

After going back and forth for a while, I decided to still post. See, I need some normal in my life; and I assume most of you do as well. So I figure, even if some of you can't make these right now due to these crazy circumstances, you can always save the recipe for post quarantine as something to look forward to.

We are actually still having our big Easter dinner. Well, kind big. After we had to cancel our trip to Pennsylvania to visit my grandma and aunt, we were planning an Easter dinner here with my parents. But since Adam works where he does, we all decided that wasn't safe either, plus our governor extended our shelter in place order, so it will just be the 4 of us.

I'm making a spiral cut ham, mashed potatoes, noodles, hearts of palm salad, deviled eggs and a new lemon dessert. I'm looking forward to it, and I know my boys are too.

These are a terrific breakfast or brunch while you're working from home, or heck, maybe add these to your Easter menu. A simple brunch might be the holiday pick up you need! And if you don't have all the ingredients, use the recipe as a template and create something with what you do have!

However you're coping with these uncertain, sometimes scary, sometimes boring times, I hope you're staying safe and healthy. We wish you a very Happy Easter from our family to yours!

Everything Ham & Cheese Biscuits

8 count jumbo flaky biscuits

16 thin slices honey ham

8 slices Provolone cheese, cut into quarters

1 stick butter, melted

1 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard

1 TBS everything bagel seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Bake biscuits for 10 minutes. Carefully split. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Place biscuit bottoms in dish.  Top each with 2 pieces ham, folded if necessary, 4 quarter pieces of cheese and top biscuit. In a medium bowl whisk together butter, mustard and seasoning. Pour over biscuits. Bake for 15 minutes until golden on top. *NOTE* Each biscuit is getting 1 piece of cheese, but cut into 4 smaller pieces to fit better. The bottoms of the biscuits are going to be extra brown and crispy, if you don't like them that way, reduce cooking time by a few minutes. 

Our New Normal

Every day when I wake up these days, I find myself holding my breath as I reach for my phone to read the latest headlines and see what latest development has occurred.

We are living in uncertain, and for many, scary times. Being told to stay in place, shelter at home, quarantine ourselves. Restaurants are closed. Businesses have sent workers home. Grocery store shelves are empty. I could go on and on about so many things that are causing anxiety of every single minute of the day.

As I was going through the few recipes I have to choose from to post this week, I chose this for one reason. It is filled with ingredients that you could maybe have on hand already or hopefully find easily at the store, and not spend a fortune.

The thing I notice when I venture out to buy groceries, besides the vast amount of empty shelves, is that fact that for many like me who shop on a budget, and know the brands to buy every week to stretch a buck...that is out the window. We are all in survival mode, and buying whatever we can find, no matter what brand, and in many cases, no matter what the cost. I know I spent more money at the store yesterday than I normally would because I had to substitute pricier brands for the generics I usually buy. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to find what I did and felt blessed to be able to buy every single item on my list (okay, I couldn't find any tomato soup, but that is very minor) but it got me thinking about how much extra money we might have to spend on groceries over the next few weeks.

Don't worry when you see the amount of ingredients on the list. They are simple. They are pretty inexpensive. And many of them might be in your pantry or fridge right now. We are heading into the end of March, and I wish I could say it's warming up so stew doesn't really sound that good, but as I type this, snow is falling outside, so soups and stews are definitely still on the menu.

The other great thing about this? Make it for supper one night, and have leftovers for lunch for a few days! You know with the kids home from school, lunches need to be easy too!

I wish I had some encouraging words for all of us to make our new normal actually seem normal. I will leave you with something our pastor said during our virtual church service today.

"Asking why is okay in times of trouble. Rest assured, while we might not have the answer, God is doing is work all the time, and we can have peace knowing His plan is always right." 

Smoked Sausage Stew

3 TBS butter

1 lb. smoked sausage, chopped

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely chopped  

1 (32 oz.) box beef broth

3 c. water

3 beef bouillon cubes

1 (12 oz.) bag frozen mixed veggies

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. dried parsley, extra for garnish

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

4 TBS cornstarch

Salt and Pepper

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, melt butter. Saute sausage, onion, celery, carrots and potatoes for 5-7 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add frozen veggies, broth, water, bouillon, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Whisk cornstarch into cream until smooth. Increase heat high. Add cream mixture. Stir constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes until desired consistency. Garnish with extra parsley.

My Boy Is Home

Like so many of you, we are facing a month off school. Welcome to the world of Covid19. I am NOT dedicating an entire post to this scary time, the cause, the hysteria, the fear. We are all getting inundated with that 24/7. But I am offering what I do best (at least in the blogosphere)...food!

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, I announced yesterday that for the next few weeks (Monday-Friday) every day at 9am EST, I will be sharing a kid friendly recipe to help get your kids into the kitchen and engaged. I love using food to teach things like math, and kids get such a great sense of accomplishment when their little hands help make something they get to eat.

My son's high school is actually doing remote learning every day from 8:30-1, which is different from e learning. Many are utilizing that method, and our biggest school corp in the city is unable to do any of that (too many kids without devices or access to internet). So while many of our kids are still learning during this mass shut down, others won't. So I thought maybe cooking would be a fun way to get them learning, and they might not even notice.

I've actually been waiting to share this recipe until closer to spring and warm weather, but I decided it would be a fantastic one to post now. Only 3 ingredients, it's a great one for the kids to help with. Don't worry about making them as pretty as mine! Let them measure, mix, assemble. If they are too little for any that, they love to watch and taste test!

I am very blessed to be in the position to be home with my kids; and having the oldest home for the next month makes me smile (not the circumstances, of course, but getting to hug his neck more) My heart goes out to all of you scrambling to figure out childcare.

There isn't much I can do to help, but I thought maybe a simple, fun and yummy activity to fill some of the day might put a smile on faces when we need it most.

Easy Strawberry Mousse

12.5 oz. frozen sliced strawberries, thawed or fresh
1/2 c. white sugar
1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip, 1/4 cup reserved

Place berries and sugar in food processor. Pulse into a puree, with small pieces remaining. Pour into large bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup. Fold in Cool Whip. Divide 1/2 cup puree evenly among 4 dessert cups. Divide mousse mixture into cups. Chill several hours to set. Top with extra Cool Whip.

Breakfast, Brunch or Supper

Many of you are planning those Easter brunch menus. Others might be wanting an idea for breakfast for supper this week. Or maybe you like to make a big family breakfast every weekend. If you fall into any of these categories, today's recipe is going to the top of your grocery list!

Imagine tater tots mixed with all the things we love about tasty loaded baked potato, baked together in one simple casserole Are you drooling yet?

Perfect with eggs and bacon, or as a side dish for your next burger night, this is as versatile as it is yummy. Plus, it's pretty wallet friendly too, so if you've got a big Easter guest list, this will help you stay on budget.

 Come home from sunrise Easter service, pop this in the oven and it can be done by the time the kids find all the eggs! Whip up some scrambled eggs, a fresh fruit salad and toast...and you've got a holiday brunch that is easy on you and delicious for your guests.

Loaded Tater Tot Casserole is the potato dish the kids will gobble up and the adults will want the recipe for.

Loaded Tater Tot Casserole

2 lb. frozen tater tots

16 oz. sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 envelope ranch dressing mix

2 (2.5 oz.) pouches real bacon bits

2 c. shredded mild shredded cheese

1/2 c. shredded fiesta blend cheese

1 TBS chopped green onions (green only)

1 tsp. dried parsley

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 baking dish. In a large bowl combine soup, sour cream, bacon bits, 2 cups mild cheddar, and ranch mix. Stir to combine. Add frozen tater tots. Stir gently, to coat evenly. Transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup fiesta cheese and parsley. Bake for 45 minutes until bubbly and heated through. Garnish with green onions. 

Shared at Weekend Potluck
Shared at Meal Plan Monday