Steak Bites

These were originally titled "Steak Fingers." Gross name, right? I guess when you think of Chicken Fingers it doesn't sound too bad anymore, but still. Fingers? That you eat? Yuck.

Therefore, I decided to make an executive decision and change the name to Steak Bites. Much more appealing. And they really are quite tasty, regardless of what the name is. They're basically a grown up version of Chicken Nuggets since they're made with beef. And since they're bite-size I'm sure kids would like these as well. You can also serve them as an appetizer to a crowd of rowdy men while they're watching all the NFL games lined up this Sunday. Enjoy! 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. tenderized round steak or cube steak, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 cup reduced-fat milk
• Vegetable oil and light butter for frying

Combine flour, seasoned salt, pepper, and cayenne in a dish.

Whisk together milk and eggs in a separate dish.

To bread the meat, first dredge in flour, then dip quickly in egg mixture, then put back into the flour to coat on both sides. Continue until all the meat is breaded.

Heat vegetable oil with 2 tablespoons light butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry steak strips 4 or 5 at a time, turning midway through. When golden brown, remove from the pan to a paper towel-lined plate. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Continue until all the meat is done.

Serve steak bites with ketchup and a salad.

Source: Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Raspberry Crumb Bars

I typically don't (read: never) eat raspberries, so this dessert was somewhat of a stretch for me. When my family and I went apple picking the other weekend, I was excited to also collect some fresh blueberries and broccoli like we have done in the past, but to my disappointment the only other produce they had available were raspberries. I tagged along while the rest of my family was picking the ripe fruit, but I wasn't really that into it. I reluctantly tasted a raspberry in an effort to get my niece to eat one, and I actually discovered that I liked the taste. I guess what they say is true--taste buds really do change every seven years!

I decided to buy the container I had picked and was excited to try a new dessert with my newly favorable berry. Crumb-topped cakes and bars are usually a winner in my book, so I wanted to start out with that. You know, just in case.

I loved these bars. The raspberries brought a little tartness, but the sweet crumb-topping contrasted amazingly. I could have devoured the whole pan, but I managed to control myself. Guess I'll be making more raspberry recipes from now on. Enjoy!

P.S. You can now follow me via BlogLovin'!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (not the instant oats)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed lightly and gently patted dry
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan and set it aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter, cut it in until you have a crumbly dough. Take half of the dough and pat into a thin layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, gently toss the raspberries with the 1/2 cup white sugar and cornstarch. Pour the raspberries into the pan, and evenly distribute any remaining sugar/cornstarch mixture. Take the other half of the dough and crumble it over the top of the berries.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Let cool to room temperature before cutting into squares. Serve alone, or with ice cream.

Source: Adapted from Kim's Concoctions

BlogHer Feature!

Hey all! Just a friendly reminder to please head over to BlogHer.com to see my Beef and Tamale Casserole post featured on their website today. You can also join me in discussions via Facebook and Twitter!

Thanks!
Amy
xoxo

Antipasti Plate

So this technically isn't a recipe, but it was too tasty, too pretty and too easy to keep from you all. Pair it with a glass of red wine and you'll be set for the evening. Or if you have guests stop by for a last-minute visit, this is perfect to set out on the table for everyone to enjoy. We usually have an assortment of cheese and pepperoni in our fridge, which always comes in handy for last minute hosting duties.

Chris and I even replace this for dinner once in a while. It's filling, but not too filling that you feel like you overdo it. Plus if you eat the cheese, meats and olive mixture without any bread or crackers, it's also low-carb and gluten-free. We got inspired to make this after ordering a large antipasti plate at a local restaurant one evening when we weren't hungry enough for dinner, and we found it's just as easy to recreate it ourselves at home. Plus it's a fun stay-at-home date night idea. Enjoy!

Reminder: BlogHer.com will be featuring my Beef and Tamale Casserole post on their website tomorrow, September 25th! You can also join us in discussions all day via Facebook and Twitter! Thanks and hope to chat with you :)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 oz. Brie cheese
• 8 oz. Cheddar cheese, sliced thin
• 8 oz. pepperoni or good salame, sliced into medium pieces
• 4 oz. Prosciutto, sliced thin
• Assortment of olives, mushrooms and roasted red peppers (store-bought or recipe below)
• Crackers, crostini (store-bought or recipe below), crackers, for serving

Slice Cheddar cheese and pepperoni. Place on a serving platter with Brie Prosciutto and olive assortment.

For crostini: To make your own toasted bread, buy a loaf of french bread. Slice into thin pieces. Lightly spread with olive oil and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning (or any season you prefer). Toast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned, flipping halfway through.

For olive mixture: Buy an assortment of olives, canned whole mushrooms and canned roasted red pepper strips. In a small bowl, mix olives, drained mushrooms and drained peppers with enough olive oil to coat, plus a sprinkle of Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Allow to marinate and serve.

Source: SK Original

Chicken Francese

Do you know how hard it is to cook dinner for my family when they come over? First of all, there are 12 of us. My older brother doesn't eat shellfish or most seafood, my younger brother is on a gluten-free diet, my Dad is strictly a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, and my mom....my mom doesn't eat chicken! Chicken! That's why when they come over we grill and call it a day.

I feel like most of my favorite meals contain chicken. Plus it's extremely easy to make, so it's usually perfect for when guests come over. You can easily dredge chicken in flour, fry it up, make a simple sauce, and you're good to go. Lemon is a perfect accompaniment to chicken and it's one that most people enjoy. It's also fairly cheap and quick to make, so you can spend more time enjoying the company of your guests. Enjoy! 

Special side note: BlogHer.com just notified me that my Beef and Tamale Casserole post will be featured on their website on Tuesday, September 25th! You can also join us in discussions all day via Facebook and Twitter! Hope to chat with you :)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tbsp. water
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.

Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Source: Food Network

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Back in January, my nephew's school had a Bingo Night, which my entire family attends every year since my sister-in-law (his mom) is in charge of running it. So being a good family, we always go to support her and the school. It's always a great time with tons of fun prizes. Since we are a very competitive family, sometimes emotions run high and mumbles under our breath can be heard from across the table, but it's all fun and games. At least that's what we try to remind ourselves. After all, it is at an elementary school.

My nephew won one of the last prizes of the night, which was two tickets to Luray Caverns in Virginia. He immediately ran over to our table, bypassed me, my dad, my mom, my brother, my other brother and then eventually landed at Chris. "Chris!" he yelled. "Pack your bags--we're going to Luraaaay Caverns!" It was probably the cutest thing he has ever said, since it was filled with pure excitement. Have any of you ever been to Luray Caverns before? Well if not, the look on Chris' face would have said it all. It's great for kids and they would have a fun time together, but it's not the most exciting place. Just leave it at that.

So the other weekend, Chris, my nephew, my niece and myself headed to Luray Caverns for the day. The day trip proved to fun, but very tiring nonetheless. Before we left, I decided to make some homemade vanilla ice cream with the kids since I knew they would love some after our long day. It's something very easy to make and they really enjoyed watching it transform from a liquid to ice cream. My niece is a chocolate fanatic, so I made sure to buy chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles for her to load up on top. This ice cream was fantastic and got rave reviews from the kids (and the adults!). My brother even said it tasted similar to Häagen-Dazs. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a bowl, combine all ingredients; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's directions. Yield: 1-1/2 quarts.

Note: For raspberry or strawberry ice cream, substitute 2 cups fresh or frozen berries for 1 cup of half-and-half. Puree berries in a blender or food processor; stir into the other ingredients before freezing. If adding candy pieces, chocolate chips or cookie pieces, add them to the mixture about 10-15 minutes before the ice cream is done.

Source: Taste of Homes

Baked Crab Rangoon

It's that time again! Another post for the Secret Recipe Club. This month, I was assigned the fun and pretty blog Alli 'n' Sons. Alli has a ton of savory recipes posted, but she also has a feature called "Sweet Tooth Friday" where she posts all things sweet. Next time I'm going to tackle one of those recipes for sure!

Chris and I love finding new restaurants near our home, and we recently found a sushi place that we're obsessed with. Not only are the rolls great, but they also give us free edamame, free rangoon and free orange slices at the end! Can't go wrong with free!

The rangoon the restaurant gives us is filled with a simple cream cheese and chive mixture, but it's fried to perfection. I knew I wanted to create something similar, but it had to be a lot healthier. When I saw this recipe on Alli's blog, it sounded perfect. It was baked and it had crab in it. The cream cheese combination was delicious and creamy plus the baked wonton made me feel so much better about eating four of them in a row. This recipe makes a bunch, so you can also freeze some to whip out next time you have company over. Enjoy!

The filling oozing out...yum!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/3 package imitation crab meat (not the kind in a can)
• 1 (8 oz.) package fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1 scallion, chopped
• Half of a 14 oz. package wonton wrappers (about 16 wrappers)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.

Combine the cream cheese, garlic powder, paprika and green onion in a bowl, mix until soft and well mixed. Lightly stir in the flaked imitation crab meat. Add as much or as little as you like.

Place approximately 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of the wonton wrappers. Wet wrapper edges with water, fold over the mixture and pinch to seal.

Place the filled wontons on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the wonton edges turn brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

You can also freeze these. After they have been prepared, wrap the uncooked wontons in plastic and foil and pop them in the freezer. When ready to bake, allow them to thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour, then bake as directed above.

Source: Alli 'n' Sons

English Muffin Pizza

English Muffin pizzas were always a coveted dinner at our house growing up. My mom would surprise us and make them for dinner one night and everyone would be ecstatic. If you happened to miss dinner that night, it was the biggest bummer ever. They're the easiest things to make, but are so much better than delivery pizza. Some of us even choose to have these for our birthday dinners to this day. That's how much we love them. I usually make them healthier by using whole-wheat or 100-calorie English Muffins and reduced-fat cheese, too. Still just as good. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 whole-wheat or 100 calorie English Muffins, separated
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• Part-skim Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Pepperoni slices, quartered
• Green pepper, chopped
• Other desired pizza toppings (optional)
• Parmesan cheese, grated

Toast English Muffins in a toaster oven until lightly browned. If you don't have a toaster oven, set your oven on the low broiler setting. Toast each side of the English Muffin for 1-2 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so they don't burn.

Put the toasted English Muffins on a baking sheet. Lightly spread 1-2 tablespoons of pizza sauce on top. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Add pepperoni, green peppers and whatever other toppings you desire. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Place English Muffin pizzas under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or just until cheese is melted and bubbly, careful not to burn. Enjoy!

Source: SK Family Recipe

Hawaiian Baked Beans

This is by far one of my favorite family recipes. My mom has been making this since we were young, and it's always requested at birthday get-togethers, BBQs or any time we're over my parents' house. It's definitely a kicked up version of the normal baked beans most people had growing up. But in a good way.

It's unlike any other baked bean recipe I've had before, since it includes loads of bacon, chunks of cheddar cheese and even pieces of pineapple. Yes, I know that sounds weird, but it's definitely my favorite part. The sweet contrast against the rest of the ingredients is the best. If there's a shortage of pineapple in the pan, you can most likely find it in my dish. A lack of cheese is because of my Dad, and missing bacon can be blamed on any one of my brothers. We each have a favorite part, but the whole thing together is an excellent combination. Give this one a try at your next BBQ or football gathering and I'm sure it will get everyone swooning. Enjoy!

Printable Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 (15 oz.) cans pork & beans, undrained
• 1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can butter beans (or cannellini beans or navy beans, anything but garbanzo beans), drained & rinsed
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, cubed (more if you like it cheesy)
• 1 (15 oz.) can chunk pineapple, drained (more if you like)
• 1/2 lb. bacon, crispy and crumbled (more if you like)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix beans, cheese and pineapple in a 9x13" baking dish.

Cook bacon until crispy. Drain excess fat, leaving 1-2 tablespoons to cook the onions in. Once the bacon is cooled, crumble and set aside.

Add the onions to the skillet with the bacon grease. When the onions are soft, add the sugar, ketchup and Worcestershire. Heat until boiling.

Add the hot onion mixture to the bean mixture. Mix in bacon crumbles. Cover with foil and bake covered for about 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the beans are set.

Source: My Mom

Zucchini, Squash and Ricotta Galette

This galette kind of like a girl version of a typical pizza. Instead of heavy dough, the crust is light and flaky. The stringy Mozzarella is removed and replaced with sweet ricotta and a blend of spices. And lastly, there's no pepperoni, bacon, sausage or ham. Instead, fresh zucchini, squash and basil are placed on top for a refreshing and summery bite. Hence, I made this when Chris was out of the house. He probably would have laughed.

This galette would be amazing for brunch, a girls' day, a winery trip or a book club meeting. I honestly just snacked on this myself throughout the week, but it would be perfectly fine if you wanted to share.

....not that you'd really want to. It's so good that you might just want to keep it to yourself just like me. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. light butter, chilled
• 2 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, chilled
• 1/4-1/2 cup of ice water

Filling:

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium yellow summer squash
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 egg white (reserve yolk for egg wash)
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Egg Wash:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp. water

Topping:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a food processor (or a medium bowl) combine flour and salt for crust. Pulse (or cut) in butter. Once butter is mostly into small chunks, pulse (or cut) in cream cheese. Once butter and cream cheese are in pea size pieces, slowly pulse in 1/4 cup of water until dough begins to come together (adding one tablespoon of water extra as needed). Remove from food processor and shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator.

Cut the zucchini and squash into thin circles. Spread the cut zucchini and squash onto several layers of paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and let drain for 30 minutes. After that time, gently blot the zucchini and squash. Set aside.

Whisk together ricotta, egg white, garlic, honey, thyme, and cheeses. Set aside.

After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-14″ circle and transfer to a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Spread the ricotta filling evenly over the pie crust, leaving a 2″ border around the edge. Next, evenly arrange the zucchini/squash into an overlapping pattern on top of the ricotta filling. Fold over the edges of the crust, pleating as needed to make and even circle.

Combine the egg yolk/water and brush the outer edge of the crust. Drizzle olive oil on top of the zucchini/squash and place in oven.

Bake galette for 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the cheese has puffed. Remove from oven and sprinkle with basil. Cut into wedges and serve. This is great hot, at room temperature or even straight from the refrigerator as a leftover. Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Naturally Ella

Monster Cookies (Gluten-Free)

In anticipation of my sweet little niece coming to our house for a sleepover, I wanted to have the house stocked with Princess fruit snacks, chocolate candies, lots of cookies and maybe some grapes...or something. Since she takes after her other female family members, she is a huge chocolate lover and her big brown eyes light up whenever some comes into reach.

Monster cookies can be made with just about anything as a filler, and as soon as I saw peanut butter AND chocolate in the ingredients I knew that these would be a winner. They came out soft and chewy; perfect for kids. I made these cookies as big as her little head and put them in a pretty cookie stand while awaiting her arrival.

In the 24 hours she was at our house, not once did she even look in the direction of these cookies. I think I had too much chocolate lying around for her to even consider switching it up. I probably overwhelmed the poor girl. Guess I asked for that!

On the bright side, two of my brothers came over for dinner that same weekend and they really enjoyed these! My younger brother is on a gluten-free diet, and since these are made without flour he was able to happily indulge. So even though the little princess wasn't having these, at least the three men gobbled them up. I'll take what I can get. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg white
• 1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter pieces
• 1/2 cup M&M's plain chocolate candies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper or a silpat mats.

In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter with the sugars and butter. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the oats and baking soda. Then stir in the Reece's and M&M's.

Drop the cookies by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. If you'd like your cookies to look pretty, dot a few extra M&M's and chocolate chips on each mound of dough before baking.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets until cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Source: Adapted from Recipe Girl

Shrimp Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a perfect weeknight dinner because they don't take much time and you can cater the filling to whatever your household desires. I used to have cheese quesadillas for dinner a lot when I was single and living on my own, but never thought they would pass as dinner if I made them once I was married. They just didn't seem "substantial" enough.

Adding marinated shrimp to the quesadillas and serving them alongside homemade guacamole upped the ante of these quesadillas by tenfold. I'm sure they will be requested for dinner a lot more often now that we've both had a taste. The spice blend on the shrimp added a little kick, while the combination of cheeses mellowed out the spiciness a tad, but added a great gooey contrast to the crispy tortilla. If you're not big on shrimp, you can easily substitute chicken or steak. You could even leave out a meat altogether and simple cook up some peppers and onions to place on top. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• 4 large tortillas
• Extra oil, for brushing
• Sour cream, for serving (optional)
• Guacamole, for serving (optional)
• Salsa, for serving (optional)

Cut the shrimp into bite-size pieces. Place in a medium bowl with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper and lime juice. Allow to marinate for 10-30  minutes.

After the shrimp is done marinating, add 1 tbsp. of oil to a skillet over medium heat. Cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Mix all the cheeses in a bowl and set aside.

Lightly spread one side of each tortilla with vegetable oil. Place one tortilla, oil side down, in a separate skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle on half of the cheese mixture and half of the shrimp mixture. Top with another tortilla, oil side up.

Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes or until lightly brown and cheese begins to melt. Flip quesadilla by placing a dish on top, flipping it onto the plate, and then sliding it back into the skillet. Cook the other side of the quesadilla for an additional 2-3 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. Note: You can cover the skillet with a lid in order to speed up the melting process.

Repeat with remaining two tortillas, shrimp mixture and cheeses.

Serve immediately with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

Source: SK Original

Strawberry-Banana Muffins

First of all, Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is enjoying the day off!

Second of all, these muffins. How pretty right? And they're equally as tasty.

These muffins are a delicious little morning treat. They're moist and packed with flavor. At first I was weary that strawberry and bananas would taste good together in a muffin, but they compliment each other beautifully. The bananas make the muffin really moist and I loved the small chunks of strawberry that filled each muffin. I'm sure kids would love these as an alternative to their normal breakfast. They're also a quick snack to grab while running out the door on your way to work. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup fresh strawberries (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners or lightly butter or spray the muffin cups with a vegetable spray.

In a small saucepan melt the butter. Let cool to room temperature.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Add the melted butter and stir to combine.

In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries, making sure they are coated with flour. (This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking.) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can be stored for a few days at room temperature.

Source: Joy of Baking