Strawberry-Banana Julius

1 c. strawberries (frozen or fresh)
1 banana
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. powdered sugar
2/3 t. vanilla

This is the best knock-off recipe I've ever tried. I think I made one every day for a week after I found it.

No-egg chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting

So I couldn't get the picture to upload for this one, but that's okay because it looks disgusting, but it melts in your mouth. Mmm...
I actually made this one to celebrate Chrissy's birthday from afar. I talked to her on the phone and we decided the best way for me to celebrate 2000 miles away would be to make this delicious family recipe. Sammy (my 3-year old) helped.
If you're in a depressed-I-want-to-eat-an-entire-cake-by-myself kind of mood, this one will suit you marvelously.
If you're in a happy I-need-to-celebrate kind of mood, perfect.
If you have a bunch of extra peanut butter from WIC and don't know what to make of it, divine.
Go ahead, try it.

The cake is also special. It is a no-egg chocolate cake.

No-egg Cake
3c. flour
2 c. sugar
6 T. cocoa
2 t. soda
1 t. salt
3/4 c. vegetable oil
2 T. vinegar
2 t. vanilla
2 c. cold water

Peanut Butter Frosting
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 stick butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 T. milk (add milk 1 T. at a time)
1 t. vanilla

Zucchini Bread

I have already posted the recipe for this bread here, but here are some pictures to prove how DELISH this is. Give it a try. It has zucchini so ... it's pretty healthy, right?

Everything you need is here...almost.

Mix it up, wham bam ... and there ya go!

But, if you decide to add in some extra goodness (and believe me, it's a good decision) you'll get what we have here below:

TRY IT!!!!

Tuscan Chicken Breasts with Glazed sweet carrots and red potatoes

A great, hot dinner that's easy to prepare. Enjoy!

Tuscan Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup yellow and red pepper (I only had green, but I'm sure the others would be great!)
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 2, but there was LOTS of extra sauce, it was yummy)
1 can Italian diced tomatoes, drained (I used one large fresh tomato, chopped)
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 T balsamic vinegar
3/4 t salt
1/4 t sugar
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1/8 t pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
hot cooked pasta

Directions:
Saute onion and peppers in oil 4-5 minutes until crisp tender. Stir in garlic; cook 1/2 minutes longer until vegetables are tender.
Flatten chicken, place over vegetables. Add tomatoes, broth, vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper flakes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and sauce is thickened. Serve with pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

***Notes: If you REALLY don't like soft vegetables, I would take out the green peppers and onions while you let the chicken simmer. They were pretty soft when we ate them, but with all of the flavors, I didn't mind them being soft. It tasted great!

Glazed Sweet Carrots (The recipe I have for this is really for sweet potatoes, so use either!)

Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes (1/2 pound baby carrots, cut thin)
2 T butter
1 T maple syrup (Agave nectar syrup or honey works also)
1/4 t mustard powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t cinnamon
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes and place on a baking tray. Do not prick or oil the potatoes. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until just cooked, being careful not to over cook them. Cool.

Peel the cooled potatoes and cut them into medium sized cubes.

In a large saute pan, heat the butter and remaining ingredients together to form a light caramel. Add the potato cubes (sliced carrots) to the pan and brown together. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with a drizzle of the sauce.

***Notes: I didn't have any mustard powder, so I used regular mustard...a little hesitantly and it tasted great. I couldn't taste the mustard at all, I think it just evened out the sweetness of everything else.


Red potatoes (Recipe from my sister)

Ingredients:
Red potatoes (I used 7-8) sliced thinly
Olive oil (to drizzle)
Rosemary
Italian Seasoning

Directions:
Clean and slice the potatoes. Place in a deep, glass baking dish. Drizzle tops of potatoes with olive oil lightly. Stir potatoes around to distribute oil.

Sprinkle rosemary and Italian Seasoning over potatoes lightly and stir again to distribute seasonings.

Place in 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. Mine were nice and soft in about 45 minutes, but I just kept checking them and cutting into an edge piece with a fork to check to see how tender they were. These were GREAT with this chicken.

TWO NEW ONES

Hey everyone!

If you're reading this ... bless your heart. It's been WAY too long since we posted a recipe. But, here we are ... TWO in ONE day! I know, it's amazing.

Enjoy and let us know how they turn out for you.

Love,
The Cooking Sisters