Banana Muffins

Simply homemade banana muffins

I must apologize if you've been looking for a new post. It has been a busy couple of weeks around our house. We have been quilting, sewing birthday dresses for the twins, sewing some new spring clothes for ourselves and chalk painting some old furniture! I've also been working on a new Easter wreath so keep checking back for that fun DIY project. I'm attempting to make some freezer food this weekend so I am starting with banana muffins, although I have a feeling they won't make it into the freezer! Maybe a double batch would have been a better idea!
Ingredients:
1/4 c applesauce
2/3 c milk
Egg whites from 2 eggs or 1 whole egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 ripe, mashed bananas
I mix all of the ingredients with a wooden spoon rather than an electric mixer. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the applesauce, milk, eggs and vanilla together. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are mixed. Add the mashed bananas and stir together. I used paper liners in muffin pans and filled them almost 3/4 full. I made 18 regular size muffins. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes (depends on your oven). When they are done, they should look golden brown on the tops and spring back if you touch them with your finger. I removed mine from the pans after cooling on a rack for 5 minutes.
These are great for a light snack or breakfast on the go!
Enjoy!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Baked Chicken Tenders

We love this idea, eating a whole meal with your fingers! You can start off with some homemade chicken strips or chicken tenders! These are a favorite for kids of all ages! My family likes to sprinkle a little hot sauce over them at meal time and a few of them dip them in ranch dressing. Yummy!

Ingredients:

2-4 chicken breasts, cut into strips or you can buy the chicken tenderloins already cut
2 c corn flakes cereal (I use gluten-free or organic), crushed
1 c buttermilk or milk of your choice
1 egg

Directions:

• I start by placing my corn flakes in a plastic bag and crushing them using a rolling pin. If you roll it back and forth a few times, your cereal will be crushed.
• I rinse my chicken pieces with some water and place them on a paper towel to dry off.
• In a pie plate, I add an egg and the milk. Using a fork, I whisk them for a few seconds.
• Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and milk mixture.
• Place your chicken strips (about 2 at a time) in the cereal bag and shake them around. Do this until your chicken strips are covered.
• Place your chicken strips on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. (Depending on your oven and the size of your chicken, you may need to add an extra 15 minutes if the pieces are quite thick).
• If you slice some potatoes (the long way) and spray them with olive oil and your favorite seasoning, we like organic seasoning salt, you can pop them in the oven at the same time as your chicken strips! They look like homemade french fries!
• And since it's Valentine's Day, homemade vanilla cupcakes for dessert!

 

Enjoy your finger food meal! Blessings for a great weekend!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Turkey Sliders

Turkey is an inexpensive source of protein and is a nice change from red meat. I roasted a turkey last weekend and had some leftover so I decided to make sliders. We don't make the typical sliders here because not everyone likes them so I modified ours and even used some non-homemade ingredients. Sometimes I have to do it that way!
Ingredients:
Roasted turkey, cut up or I just separate into pieces using my fingers
Frank's hot sauce (or buffalo sauce of your choice)
Cheese (your choice)
Lettuce
Ranch, Caesar or Blue Cheese dressing
Pretzel roll slider buns or your favorite buns
Directions:
I reheated my turkey leftovers in the oven for about 30 minutes, covered. Once the turkey was warm, I used about 1/2 bottle of Frank's sauce and stirred it into the turkey. Place this in a pan on the stove over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
You are ready to put your sliders together using garnishes of your choice.

This also works great with chicken, check out Angie's shredded chicken sandwiches, Simply Shredded Chicken.

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Italian Cream Soda

It was a busy weekend at our house, we had so many projects going on I couldn't keep track of them all! A  headboard was being made, car panels were being upholstered and I was quilting and cooking. About 2:00 we all ended up in the kitchen at the same time for refreshments! I love making these in the summer but they also work great on a heavy project day, Italian Cream Sodas, I call them my "comfort drink." How cute would these be for Valentine's Day?
Ingredients:
3/4 c sparkling water (I use Perrier water)
2 T flavored syrup per drink (my favorite is Torani)
1/2 cup half-n-half (or milk if you want)
ice cubes
whipped cream (optional but necessary in this house!)
Directions:
This is really simple. Place 2 T flavored syrup in a glass, we used raspberry. Add the sparkling water, then the half-n-half, then about 3-4 ice cubes or some crushed ice. I usually stir it gently at this point. Add whipped cream on top and place your straw in the glass! That's it, enjoy your awesome little refreshments!

* If you like Italian sodas, just leave out the half-n-half.

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi