Food for Thought

"I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
- Jeremiah 17:10

Faithful Banana Bread

In the midst of taking summer school and dealing with chemistry, I learned how to make the CLASSIC banana bread by my forever baking, studying, and always on the run friend, Faith! Hence the name of the title...The only difference between hers and mine is the fact that I add walnuts...always good nonetheless!

Ingredients:

-1 cup sugar

-1/2 cup butter

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-2 eggs

-2 cups flour

-3 bananas

-1 cup walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix sugar and butter together, gradually combining the baking soda, eggs, and flour. Break apart the bananas into small pieces and add to mixture. Last but not least, add walnuts and place into 3 greased loaf pans.

Bake for an hour & Enjoy!

Food for Thought

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
- Proverbs 9:10

Sugar Cookie Raspberry Jamwiches

This one took a good while to make as opposed to the dark chocolate chip cookies. Nevertheless, it was well worth it...even though I didn't have a cookie cutter, I compromised with a cup for the cookie's base and a water bottle cap for the center..hence the imperfect centers above...my technique is...questionable but it was sufficient! :)

Ingredients:

-2 & 1/2 cups flour
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup butter
-1 cup sugar
-1 egg
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-raspberry jam

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

Beat butter with sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla, scraping sides occasionally. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed just until blended. Form dough into a ball with hands, then divide dough in half. Roll each dough half between waxed paper or plastic wrap about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with 2 & 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (or cup). Cut out centers of 1/2 of the cookies with 1-inch round cookie cutter (or water bottle cap). Arrange on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 9 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Remove cookies to wire rack and cool completely. Just before serving, spread 1/2 teaspoon jam on bottom half of whole cookies, then top with cut-out cookies.

"Turkey Omelette"

Working on campus at a diner has instilled the technique of making omelettes. Yet this one in particular has originated from my sis back in the day....small pieces of Cajun turkey, finely chopped red onions, a dash of black pepper, and eggs of course...on a toasted hoagie roll. Simple with a lot of flavor!

Food for Thought

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. "
- 1 Timothy 4:12

Elephant Bar's Oriental Chicken Salad

This was massive! Teriyaki marinated & grilled chicken strips over shredded lettuce with roasted peanuts, sweet peppers, cucumbers, mango, Mandarin oranges, and topped with crispy rice noodles along with fried wonton wafers on the side. Recommended for those who opt for something filling & healthy

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

So then came baking! The O.G. of cookies...personally peanut butter is my favorite but then again you can't deny dark chocolate...it's actually healthy for you...it serves as an antioxidant, lowers blood pressure, has less sugar than milk chocolate, and it contains serotonin which acts as an anti-depressant! Everything in moderation though! ;)

Ingredients:

-1 cup (2 sticks) butter
-3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 large egg
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-2 cups flour
-1 package (12 oz.) dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat butter with sugars in large bowl with electric mixer or wooden spoon until smooth. Beat in vanilla, egg and baking soda. Stir in flour until blended. Stir in chips.

Drop mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

One of my experiences during fall semester of freshman year was making this. My friend, Arielle and I were ALWAYS hungry & tired of wasting money on nonsense....so we searched for a recipe on foodnetwork.com, went to Walmart, got ingredients, and created our very own meal. All in all, it wasn't bad..it could have been better without the teaspoon of cumin...it makes all the difference!

Ingredients:

• 8 soft corn tortillas
• Filling:
  3 cups chicken broth
  4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast
  1 small onion
  2 tablespoons tomato paste
  1 teaspoon chili powder
  1 teaspoon of ground cumin (if you must)
  salt
• Sauce:
  2 cups of tomato sauce
  2 teaspoons cayenne pepper sauce
  1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon chili powder
  2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Wrap corn tortillas in foil and warm in the oven. Bring broth to a boil in a saute pan. Set chicken into broth with onion, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook chicken in broth 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Add 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and tomato paste, spices and salt and work through the chicken using the forks.

Combine all sauce ingredients and heat through, keeping warm until needed.

Remove tortillas from oven and switch oven on high.

Pile chicken mixture into warm corn tortillas and roll. Line casserole or baking dish with enchiladas, seam side down. Pour hot tomato sauce over the chicken enchiladas and top with cheese. Place in enchiladas in hot oven for 5 minutes to melt cheese then serve!