mrs.leonard's recipe box

Yummy Banana Bread

2011-05-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I got from my mom (who probably got it from her mom) and it's the best, most moist banana bread you'll ever have! Make it as a loaf or as muffins (with the crumb topping). Delicious add-ins include walnuts, chocolate chips, or cinnamon chips!

What You Need:
Bread Dough:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2-3 over-ripe (brown & squishy) bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. white vinegar

Crumb Topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. cold butter

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Spray or grease a 9"x5" loaf pan or 24 muffin cups.

2. Combine vinegar and milk in a small cup. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

4. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and bananas until mostly smooth. Gradually add the flour mixture to the banana mixture.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

6. Add milk to the banana mixture. (The vinegar will have caused it to turn a little chunky. This is good! It's basically just a cheap way of imitating buttermilk.) Mix well and pour mixture into your pan(s).

7. If you're making the crumb topping, combine first 3 topping ingredients and then cut in the butter using a fork or pastry blander. Sprinkle topping over dough before baking.

8. Bake for about 75 minutes (if in loaf pan) or 20-25 minutes (if in muffin tins).

Brownie Peanut Butter Cups

2008-06-20T08:26:00.001-07:00

Whoever created this recipe should be sainted. Yup, these little chunks of heaven are THAT good.

What You Need:
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp. water
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup peanut butter chips plus about 1/3 cup more for garnishing
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus about 1/3 cup more for garnishing
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or grease 12 muffin cups.

2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar, butter, and water. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir in 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted. Stir in egg and vanilla extract. Add flour and baking soda, stirring until blended. Allow to cool to room temperature. Then, stir in 1/2 cup each peanut butter chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spoon batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into muffin cups.

3. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out slightly wet. Place pan on wire rack. Centers of brownies will fall upon cooling. If not, tap centers with the back of a spoon to make a hole.

4. Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds, then stir. While brownies are still hot, spoon about a tablespoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan. (Or, if you can't wait, eat 'em while they're hot and gooey. YUM!)

Holy Moly Guacamole

2008-06-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

I must admit - I don't like guacamole at all. Blech! But...whenever I make this guacamole, everyone RAVES about it. It's adapted from an AllRecipes recipe.

What You Need:
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. fresh black pepper

What You Do:
Throw all ingredients in a bowl and mix it up. Refrigerate it for a while and then serve with tortilla chips.

Caramel Popcorn by Micah

2008-03-20T19:58:00.001-07:00

Micah had a hankering for caramel popcorn the other night and, since I've never made it before, he found a recipe online and made some. It was SOOOOO yummy - and super easy!

What You Need:
1 bag microwave butter popcorn, popped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn in a big ol' bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Keep stirring until it comes to a boil. Once it boils, let it go without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn and stir to coat.
3. Line a cookie sheet with foil and pour the popcorn out onto the cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool ~~completely~~ a little bit.

Amazing Apple Crisp Sandwich

2008-03-04T15:49:00.000-08:00

I call this an "apple crisp sandwich" because the yummy apple center is sandwiched between the crumbly oat mixture. Great ratio of apples-to-topping!

What You Need:
6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, & sliced
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup water
2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, melted

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with the flour, white sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the water over the apples and stir it around a bit.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and melted butter. Spread half the oat mixture in the bottom of the baking dish. Place sliced apples on top of the oat mixture. Crumble the remaining mixture on top of the apples.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Caramel Pecan Pie

2008-03-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

What You Need:
1 - 9” unbaked pie crust
36 individually-wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups pecan halves

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan over low heat, combine caramels, butter, and milk. Cook, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Gradually mix in the melted caramel mixture. Stir in the pecans. Pour filling into the unbaked pie crust.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool until filling is firm.

Chocolate-Covered Toffee

2008-03-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

My favorite nuts for this recipe are cashews. Pecans are also mighty tasty.

What You Need:
2 cups cold butter
2 cups white sugar
1 lb. unsalted nuts (optional)
1 bag chocolate chips

What You Do:
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. If using nuts in the recipe, scatter them on the cookie sheet.
2. In a large saucepan, melt cold butter over high heat. Add the sugar and stir constantly. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until mixture bubbles up and then settles down. Never stop stirring! It will take a while (and it'll seem like forever) but will eventually come together and become a nice caramel color. Don’t let it get too dark or it will taste burnt.
3. Remove from heat and immediately pour onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. When the chocolate is melted, use a small rubber spatula to spread the chocolate. When cooled, break into pieces.

Sweet Potato Casserole

2008-03-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Ohhh... this is better than sweet potato pie! (Unless of course, you're talking about the sweet potato pie from Mommie Helen's. THAT is the best sweet potato pie in the world!)

What You Need:
2 cans (29 oz. ea.) sweet potatoes
3/4 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup flour
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain sweet potatoes and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Mash sweet potatoes and add the melted butter, milk, vanilla, sugar, salt, and eggs. Transfer to a greased 9”x13” baking dish.
3. Prepare the topping in a small bowl by combining the pecans, flour, brown sugar, and melted butter.
4. Sprinkle on top of sweet potato mixture and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Chicken Tetrazzini

2008-03-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Unless you have leftover chicken you can use in this recipe, you'll need to cook some chicken ahead of time. I usually buy the chicken tenders cut of meat and season and bake them at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. You can also use leftover Thanksgiving turkey for this recipe.

What You Need:
8 oz. spaghetti noodles
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp. margarine
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
3 cups cooked chicken (or turkey), shredded
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt, pepper, & celery salt to taste

What You Do:
1. Cook noodles to al dente. Drain and place into a large mixing bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onions in margarine until they are translucent, Set aside.
3. Add the onions and half of the cheese to the noodles. Mix. Add the evaporated milk, soup, cooked meat, and seasonings. Mix.
4. Place mixture in a 9”x13” baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Smashed Red Potatoes

2008-03-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

What You Need:
2-1/2 lbs. red potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp. butter
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 green onions, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

What You Do:
1. Boil potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to the hot pot.
2. Add milk and mash potatoes with a potato masher. Add cream cheese and mash until cheese is melted into the potatoes. Add green onion, butter, salt & pepper and mash until creamy.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf Muffins

2008-03-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

Another crowd-pleaser. Even meatloaf-haters will like this one. Guaranteed. I always serve this with Smashed Red Potatoes.

What You Need:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pkt. onion soup mix
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup saltine crackers, finely crushed
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 tsp. crushed garlic

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease up a muffin tin. (Go crazy with the cooking spray all over the top of tin - not just in the cups.)
2. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, ketchup, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Pour a small amount of sauce (approx. 1 tablespoon) into the bottom of each muffin cup. Set remaining sauce aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine meat and all remaining ingredients. Using approximately 1/2 cup of meat for each, form into loose balls and place in muffin cups. Pour remaining sauce over individual meatloaf muffins.
4. Place muffin tin on a large cookie sheet to catch any overspill and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until meat is cooked though.

Best Baked Ziti

2008-03-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

What You Need:
1 lb. dry Barilla cellentani noodles (or penne if you wanna be boring)
1-1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp. rosemary
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb. turkey sausage (I like the Italian-style)
1-1/2 jars (26 oz. each) Prego spaghetti sauce
6 oz. Provolone cheese, sliced
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup small curd cottage cheese
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

What You Do:
1. Boil pot of lightly-salted water. Cook noodles to al dente according to manufacturer’s instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook onions until tender. Add minced garlic. Cook briefly and then transfer onions and garlic to a small bowl.
3. Cut the casings of the sausage and squeeze the sausage meat out. Add ground turkey & sausage to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt. Add rosemary and onion-garlic mixture. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”x13” baking dish. In the prepared dish, layer half the pasta, Provolone, sour cream, cottage cheese, and half the sauce mixture. Then layer the rest of the pasta, half the mozzarella, the remaining sauce mixture, and the remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

Jenn's Strawberry Fruit Jello

2008-03-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

Jenn made this at some kind of get-together and I fell in love with it. I detest bananas but don't mind them too much in this recipe.

What You Need:
6 oz. strawberry jello mix
2 cups boiling water
1 sm. can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, not drained
2 bananas, mashed
20 oz. sliced frozen strawberries, thawed

What You Do:
1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve the jello in the boiling water. Add the pineapple, bananas, and strawberries. Mix well.
2. Transfer to an 8”x8” baking dish and chill until firm.

Grandma's Vegetable Beef Stew

2008-03-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

I love how this recipe is so easy to make and gives you tons of leftovers! We like to eat it with Ritz crackers. :)

What You Need:
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef or stew beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 can tomato soup
1 can vegetable soup
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can Veg-All, drained
4 cups water
1 pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 can stewed tomatoes (I like the roasted garlic variety)
1 cup frozen corn
2 red potatoes, cut into chunks
Salt & pepper to taste

What You Do:
1. In a sautée pan, brown the beef. (If you're using chunks of stew beef, just get it brown on the outside. It'll finish cooking in the slow cooker.) Season with garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt. Drain the beef, add the onion, and cook a few minutes more.
2. Add all ingredients, including the beef, to a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Not-Just-For-Thanksgiving Cranberry Chutney

2008-03-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is AMAZING with turkey or ham. But also quite tasty with a bagel & cream cheese. Sometimes I add in dried strawberries too. Or a little OJ at the end of the cooking time. And, if you live near a WinCo Foods (my new favorite grocery store), you're in luck - they have "open stock" of tons of dried fruits so you can buy just the amount you need.

What You Need:
2-1/2 cups water
1 cup white sugar
12 oz. dried cranberries
3 oz. dried cherries
3 oz. dried apricots, diced
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained & pureed
1 apple (any non-mushy variety), peeled, cored and diced small
1 pear, peeled, cored and diced small
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

What You Do:
In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water until you get the consistency you like. Transfer half of the sauce to a food processor or blender and pulse a few times. Put everything back in the saucepan again, remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2008-03-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

What You Need:
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 (10 oz.) pkg. chopped spinach, thawed
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
1 (10 oz.) jar Alfredo pasta sauce (I like Bertolli or Classico)
1-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use an old kitchen towel to drain the spinach by placing the thawed spinach in the center of the towel. Over the sink, squeeze the liquid out of the spinach. Dump the spinach into a large bowl and break it up with a fork.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl of spinach. Combine. Transfer to a 2-quart dish and bake in the preheated oven. Halfway through baking time, stir the dip.
4. Serve warm with tortilla chips or toasted slices of French bread. I like to keep the dip in a small crock pot.

Flipt Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon-Sugar Chips

2008-03-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

This recipe won me first prize last year in Flipside's annual Salsa Rumble! Wahoo!

What You Need:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, & diced
8 oz. raspberries
1 lb. strawberries, hulled & diced
2 tbsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
3 tbsp. strawberry preserves
3 tbsp. orange juice
10 (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups cinnamon-sugar
"I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray

What You Do:
1. In a large bowl, combine the kiwis, raspberries, strawberries, and apples. (If you're cutting as you're going along, do apples last so that you have something to mix them into so they won't brown.)
2. In a small bowl, combine the white & brown sugar, preserves, and orange juice. Add to the fruit mixture and mix gently until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. On a baking mat or cutting board, lay out a few tortillas. Spray with spray butter on both sides and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar on both sides. (This'll get messy but that's OK.) Using a pizza cutter (or a knife) slice each tortilla into 8 triangles.
5. On a cookie sheet covered in non-stick foil, place all your tortilla triangles. No overlapping allowed! Bake in the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Crusty Homemade Mac-N-Cheese

2008-03-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

This is a little time-consuming to make but SOOOOO worth it! Sinfully deee-licious!

What You Need:
16 oz. Barilla elbow macaroni
10 tablespoons butter, divided
8 oz. Velveeta, cubed
1 cup medium Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Muenster cheese, shredded
1 cup Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs

What You Do:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In the large pot, add 9 tablespoons of butter and melt over medium heat. Add in the Velveeta slowly and stir constantly until the butter and cheese are melted and come together.
4. Gradually add in the Muenster cheese, medium and extra sharp Cheddar cheeses, and Colby-Jack cheese; mix well.
5. Combine the half-and-half and the milk and stream them into the cheese mixture, stirring constantly.
6. Temper the egg by adding a small amount of the cheese mixture to the beaten egg and mixing well. Then add the egg to the large pot of cheese.
7. Pour in the cooked macaroni and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 9"x13" baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dot with remaining tablespoon of butter.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges. Then, to make the top nice and crusty, place under the broiler for 5 minutes.

Cheesy Potatoes

2008-03-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

This recipe is a MUST at pretty much every family function. I've never known anyone to NOT like it. It's great as leftovers and for breakfast too!

What You Need:
1 bag frozen Oreida hash browns
1 stick butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
8-10 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
8-10 oz. sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 roll Ritz crackers, crushed
Salt & pepper to taste

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen potatoes in a large bowl. Pour melted butter over potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and onions. Combine.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the soup and sour cream. Pour mixture over potatoes and mix well.
3. Add cheese, mix, and transfer to a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Top with crackers and bake for 30-45 minutes.