Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

A piece of cake on top of a pink plate.

Ingredients 1 stick butter, room temperature 2 fairly ripe bananas ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup sugar 4 eggs ½ cup half and half or whole milk Zest (peel) of one orange 1 Tbsp dark rum 1 ½ cups flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt ½ tsp dry ginger 3.5 oz bar of…

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Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Bites

A tray of brownies on top of a table.

Ingredients 20 chocolate creamed-filled sandwich cookies, finely-crushed – 1 cup2 Tbsp butter, melted2 pkg (16 oz.) cream cheese ½ cup sugar ½ tsp vanillaOptional: 1 tsp Amaretto vanilla ½ cup sour cream2 eggs ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled (takes 1 min. to melt in microwave) Directions Heat oven to 325 ° FMix cookie…

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Chopped Kale Salad

A bowl of greens and bread on a plate.

Ingredients 2 small bunches of fresh kale (or one large) ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 1 lemon, zested and juiced 3 Tbsp olive oil (you can add more later if it seems dry) ¼ cup each raisins, and dried cranberries ¼ cup toasted nuts – pine nuts, almonds, slivered pistachios are all good choices…

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Christmas Morning Breakfast Strata

A casserole dish with some food on it

Ingredients 1 loaf thick French bread, cut in ½ inch slices 1/3 cup diced green chilies* 1/3 cup sliced roasted red peppers from a jar* 6 sliced green onions 1 lb breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled (Can cook ahead and freeze, also easy to substitute diced ham or make without meat) 1 ½ cups sharp…

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Cider Glazed Scallops

A plate of food with asparagus, rice and meat.

*Make couscous 1st – directions below. While it cooks you have exactly the right amount of time to cook the scallops and sauce. Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter, divided 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 to 8 sea scallops”¨ Salt and pepper”¨ 2 Tbsp apple cider”¨ 2 Tbsp white wine”¨ 2 Tbsp maple syrup 1 clove…

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Cinnamon Sugar Knitting Needles

Cinnamon twists in a glass on a patio.

When my son was young, we liked to roll up crescent dough with parmesan cheese inside and bake it. He affectionately called this snake bread because – well – he was a boy and that seemed fun at the time. I’m not trying to make a kid eat and I’m pretty sure snake bread doesn’t…

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Cobb Salad with Steak and Blue Cheese

Steak, salad, corn, and eggs on a plate.

First dear friends, I apologize for not blogging for a bit. It hasn’t been our best summer, with the loss of a dear friend and, also our much-loved sweet dog. Combined with an eye surgery and the heat plus a violent ground hog eating everything in sight – well I just needed to wait till…

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Coconut Curry Shrimp Pasta

A bowl of pasta with cheese on top.

Ingredients 8 oz pasta, fettuccini or pasta of choice 2 cups chopped broccoli, or asparagus (any green vegetable you choose) 6 to 8 oz peeled, deveined shrimp 1 Tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced Zest of one lemon (Or a squirt of lemon juice) ½ cup coconut milk 1 cup chicken broth 1 Tbsp green…

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Coconut Pie

Coconut cake with berries on a plate.

Cool as a…Coconut In a hot, hot summer, a cool treat is just the thing. How about a coconut pie laced with a drop of rum that you make in the blender? I’m not kidding – eggs, butter, milk, baking mix, salt and rum – push the on button and let it blend. Pour the…

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Cookies and Ice Cream!

A plate of round, brown cookies.

What do you do on a Monday when the sun isn’t shining and there are a million tasks that you should be doing? You make cookies of course. Cookies are always a good idea. If you are like me, you have a ton of favorites. I’m partial to shortbread cookies, oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip cookies…

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