These banana nut muffins taste a lot like banana nut bread, but in individual portion sizes (a good thing for many of us who know and love banana nut bread). They’re made even better by being part of the “quick bread” family, needing no yeast.

These muffins were moist and not too banana-ish. I used chopped almonds instead of walnuts, and half wheat flour, half white flour.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c plus 2 TBS butter, melted
• Nonstick cooking spray, for muffin tin
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 c whole wheat all-purpose flour
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c chopped almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mash the bananas using a fork. In large bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In another bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, egg whites, then pour the mixture into flour mixture. Add nuts and bananas. Fold just long enough to moisten flour mixture.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop mixture into muffin tins, about 2/3 of the way full.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Alright, alright. I know. Fruit? The men are saying, “What the heck is this stuff on my plate?” However boys, all’s fair in love and football.

Football season coincides with holiday season. While this may a be a food dream for some, it is a jeans nightmare for others. So I created this little accompaniment to go along with all that meat. And cheese. And salt.

Bananas, apples, and strawberries. Lime juice. Sugar. That’s it! I love, love, love the way that bananas deconstruct and become a little gooey mixed with citrus juice and the juices from the other fruits. Lime or lemon juice also keeps the apples and bananas from oxidizing (turning brown and becoming gross) and adds a punch of vitamin C. I personally like lime juice because it’s different and fun.

This is a real fruit salad. None of that crazy jello/whipped cream add in stuff. Feel free to mix and match your fruits. I also may or may not have used Splenda (but I’ll never tell).

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients::

• 2 apples, cored, and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 bananas, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced in half or quarters
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 2 TBS sugar

Directions::

1. Combine cut fruit in medium bowl. Gently stir in lime juice and sugar. Refrigerate until chilled or serve at room temperature.
    

Oh good gracious. Please Notre Dame, PLEASE pull out a make-it-look-easy win. I honestly don’t think I can handle another week of the emotional torture that you are putting Ryan through.

Not to mention, the food is all but wasted if it gets thrown across the room as the men jump up off the couch in dismay.

This hasn’t actually happened, don’t worry. I’m just sympathizing with you ladies out there.

This week, we explore two popular pizza toppings, bacon and pineapple. Rolled up together. And in true appetizer fashion – secured with a toothpick.

Let me just say that I am not usually a “toothpick holder” person. I honestly find them to be a bit…tacky? However, sometimes a girl’s got no choice.

The bacon gets dredged in brown sugar before you wrap it around the pineapple. It’s quite amazing really.

For the women, football season is about a third of the way over. Keep the hope, girls!

For the men, remember…if you throw it across the room, you must clean it up. And probably will be serving yourself PB & J for the rest of the season.

Just a thought.

Makes 15 servings – this is relative to what you deem a “serving”

Ingredients::

• 1 pound bacon
• 1 can chunked pineapple
• ½ cup brown sugar

Directions::

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the pound of bacon in half. Put the brown sugar in a shallow bowl. Take a half  slice of bacon and dredge it through the brown sugar.
2. Put two chunks of pineapple, side by side, on one end of the bacon slice and roll up. Secure with a toothpick and place on  jellyroll pan or cookie sheet.
3. Bake for at least 25 minutes, or until the bacon looks brown and crispy.

Riddle:: 

What’s better than a Friday night, 80 degrees, your boyfriend, a good group of friends, and Kevin Bacon circa 1984? 

Answer::

All the above PLUS candied pecans! 

Remember how I was saying that pecans remind me of the South? Well, to be completely frank – I’m homesick. I miss Florida lately and I don’t really know why. 

So I decided to come up with an easy, quick snack for movie night tonight that also helped quell my homesickness. While watching Footloose. And obviously, life doesn’t get any better than that.

Mission accomplished – oh no wait, that’s Tom. 

Makes about 4 cups (candied). 

Ingredients:: 

1 large egg white
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups pecan halves

Directions::

Preheat oven to 300°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with butter.

Whisk egg white in bowl until foamy. Add sugar, spices, and salt. Whisk until mixture is thick and opaque. Add pecans; stir until coated. Using forks, transfer nuts to sheet, spacing apart; discard remaining coating.

Bake nuts until deep golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool completely on sheet. Transfer to container; cover and store at room temperature. (Can be made 4 days ahead.)

If you have never browned butter before…well, let me tell you:: You are in for something great.

Browning butter is super easy, requires not even a full extra step, and adds a whole new level of flavor to your food. This recipe doesn’t get into the entire process of browning butter but it uses the same basic concept so you will achieve a great taste. Plus I like that for four people, this recipe only calls for a little bit of fat and since the flavor is so rich, you could probably cut it down just a little bit if you want.

Versus regular butter, browned butter adds a level of nuttiness and depth to the taste. Trust me, y’all will like this.

Pulling the basil from my little garden. Honestly, no need to be impressed. There are like five things in there. Promise.

I’m so happy that it’s corn season. Well, to my Indiana readers, I don’t know that it is actually corn season but I mean that it’s the time in which grilling corn, eating corn, and pretty much having it all the time is perfectly acceptable. Please feel free to write me an editorial correction.

Ingredients::

• 4 ears of corn, shucked, kernels sliced off
• 2 TBS butter
• salt
• pepper
• 2 TBS fresh basil, shredded

Directions::

1. Place 2 TBS of butter in 12″ heavy skillet over moderate high heat
2. Melt the butter and let heat until foaming subsides and butter is almost completely brown, lightly stirring occasionally
3. Add corn, simmer for about 4 minutes, or until just cooked
4. Remove from heat, toss in basil