Fried Bananas

Hello everyone!  We had too many bananas in the house, and my mom thought that fried bananas sounded good.  I was surfing the net, and found a lot of recipes that sounded pretty good, but had butter in them.  My mom can't have dairy, and I had wanted to find a recipe that I didn't have to substitute oil for butter.  I finally found one that sounded good, but all the other recipes I had found had rum in them.  I decided that instead of trying to find another recipe, I should just add a little rum to this one.  The thing is, I don't cook with alcohol very much and didn't know how much to put in.  I was very pleased when this turned out as well as it did.

Fried Bananas

2 ripe bananas

1 T. highly refined sunflower oil

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon rum

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Remove the peels from the bananas and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Set a nonstick skillet over medium to medium high heat and add the oil or butter, honey, rum, cinnamon, and salt.  Whisk together.

Lay down your banana slices, and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. Be sure to watch the heat and turn it down if it browns too quickly. You want enough heat to caramelize and brown the slices, but don't want them to burn.  Enjoy!

This was really good, and disappeared quickly.  You should all give it a try! 

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

Hello, everyone! I don't know about you, but kiwis are one of my favorite fruits. A few days ago, I had a craving for a fruity something, but I wanted a smoothie at the same time. The result? This strawberry kiwi smoothie! It was really good, and I am definitely going to be making it again! 

                                    Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

                           1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
                           1 kiwi, peeled 
                           1/2 cup frozen strawberries
                           sugar or sweetener of your choice

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend them until they are smooth. Pour into a cup and enjoy! 
This smoothie was delicious! Let us know how it worked for you! 
                            

Black Raspberry Muffins

Hello everyone!  Did anyone go berry picking this year?  I did!  Berry picking is super fun, and this season my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  My mom said that I should make sure to use up the berries before they went bad, and suggested I make muffins.  The muffins I made turned out wonderful, so I decided to share them with you!

                                                         

Black Raspberry Muffin

 1/4 cup highly refined sunflower oil

1-1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup raw sugar

3 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups fresh black raspberries

 Directions

Preheat oven to 375*.

 In a large bowl, mix together vanilla, oil and 1-1/4 cups sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into creamed mixture alternately with almond milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in blackberries.

 Fill greased or paper-lined muffins cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.  Enjoy!

I am ashamed to admit that I ate two of these before they had even completely cooled.  In my defense, they were absolutely delicious.

Homemade Peanut Butter Ice Cream {Dairy-free!}

Hello, everyone! It's Nutmeg again! Today I have another dairy free recipe for you! This ice cream is extremely simple and easy to make as well! 
For this peanut butter ice cream, I used coconut milk. I really like the creaminess it adds to the ice cream. I also didn't use an ice cream maker. I don't ever really use them to make ice cream. I have found that it works just as well to simply freeze it. 
I think this ice cream would be really good with some chocolate magic shell on it to make it almost like a peanut butter cup, but I have yet to find a way to make dairy free magic shell.
I hope you try this recipe and it turns out well for you! Enjoy!

                     Homemade Peanut Butter Ice Cream
    
                                 2 cans coconut milk
                                 1 1/4 cups sugar
                                 2 tsp. vanilla extract
                                 1 cup creamy peanut butter

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and pour it into a medium container. Place the ice cream in the freezer to harden, then serve! Yummy!                                  

Cherry Almond Fluff

Hello Everyone!  I don't know about you, but I love marshmallow fluff of any kind.  Whether it be my Grandma's Famous Green Stuff, which I will give you all the recipe for later, or fluff from the store, it isn't safe from me.  To me, it is like eating flavored clouds.  Today's recipe is a Cherry Almond Fluff.  I am not sure how you all feel about cherry flavored things(I have found they often taste like cough syrup) but this uses maraschino cherries, so it won't taste bad, I assure you.

Cherry Almond Fluff

one 16 oz. container of Cool Whip

1 pkg. French vanilla instant pudding mix

one 16 oz. bottle of maraschino cherries, un-drained and chopped

2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

1/2 cup almonds

Directions

Fold together Cool Whip and pudding mix.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Refrigerate over-night.  Enjoy!

This is a delicious recipe, and hope that you will all try it! 

Orange Creamsicles {Dairy-free!}

It's that time of year again, where popsicles are a favorite snack of many. My personal favorite is a creamsicle, but since I'm lactose intolerant, I have not been able to enjoy them this year. However, I had the idea to make a popsicle with coconut milk! Not only was I delighted with the outcome, i was surprised at how creamy it turned out to be! This recipe is a new favorite for me! 

                         Orange Creamsicles {Dairy-free!}

                              1 cup coconut milk
                              juice of 2 oranges (about 2/3 cup)
                              1/4 tsp. orange oil (not orange extract!)
                              4 T. sugar

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour carefully into the popsicle molds and freeze for several hours. (I just left mine in the freezer overnight.) They are so good!! 

Cinnamon Raisin Rolls

Hello Everyone!  I really enjoy cinnamon raisin bread, and wanted to find a simple way to make it.  If you haven't noticed, I have a few recipes using Rhode's Dinner Rolls.  This is another one where those came in handy.

Cinnamon Raisin Rolls

6 Rhode's Dinner Rolls, thawed

6 teaspoons cinnamon sugar

1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*.

Grease muffin tin.

Flatten dinner rolls into strips, and sprinkle one teaspoon of cinnamon sugar over each.  Add as many raisins as desired, and roll up like a cinnamon roll.

Put rolls in muffin tin, and bake for seventeen  minutes, or until cooked through.  Enjoy!

These were gone within a half hour.  Literally.  I was extremely pleased with them, and was surprised how easy  cinnamon raisin bread can be!

5 Delicious Summer Recipes

This week I am doing something slightly different for my post! Instead of a recipe, I am posting my top five favorite summer recipes so far! If you haven't tried them yet, you should! 

//1: Very Berry Salad for One- 

Everything about this salad screams "summer" to me. The fresh greens, the cranberries, the strawberries are a perfect combination to make this salad unique and delicious.  

//2: Nutmeg's Chocolate Ice Cream Bar-

Everyone needs a popsicle in the summer, right? This is a delicious way to make a chocolate ice cream bar at home!

//3: Watermelon Sorbet-

Watermelon has got to be one of the best fruits ever. Sorbet is one of the best desserts ever. Combine the two and what do you get? This amazing and refreshing watermelon sorbet! 

//4: Lemon Cooler-

This lemon cooler is the perfect refresher for one of those super-hot-ninety-degree days where all you want to do is jump into a snowdrift. 

//5: Bacon Chicken Ranch Wrap-

This is a quick and easy lunch or dinner that requires no turning on of the oven! Not to mention how good it tastes!