Feature Recipe: Bananas and Cream Pound Cake

Photos by Vicki Arsenault/Family: A Recipe for Life

A light, sweet blend of vanilla and cream on a bed of freshly sliced bananas top this buttery wholesome pound cake. There's something about the pairing of all of these ingredients together and coming up with a perfect ending to any meal.

While flipping through one of my favorite food magazines - Taste of Home - this recipe quickly grabbed my eye. My taste buds were telling me this was going on my list of desserts for the holiday.

I prepared this dessert on Christmas Day and took it to the annual family gathering of 30 to 40 people - where there's never a shortage of desserts.

There's always the desserts that everyone counts on each holiday. The one's that become synonymous with certain people. The dessert's that if you can't find, you know exactly who to go to and ask, where is it?

I've never been one of them. I've always been one that wants to experiment, try out something new on the family and wait for the feedback. Well the feedback was good on this one.

Definitely a recipe to hang on to and make again and again.
Make it for yourself. And please, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Bananas and Cream Pound Cake

Pound cake ready to bake

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon McCormick Pure vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

40 120 \

Pound cake sliced and layered

Layers

2 cups 2% milk

1 package (3.4 ounces) Jell-O brand instant French vanilla pudding mix

1 package (8 ounces) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 package (12 ounces) frozen Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed, divided

5 medium ripe bananas

Mixing pudding with cream

 

 

 

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. 
•  Transfer to a greased and floured 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth; fold in pudding. Fold in 3-1/2 cups whipped topping.



Spreading cream mixture over prepared pound cake and sliced bananas

• Cut cake into eight slices; arrange on bottom of an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish, trimming to fit as necessary. Slice bananas; arrange over cake. Spread pudding mixture over top. Refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours. Serve with remaining whipped topping. Yield: 15 servings.

Bananas and Cream Pound Cake

Little Debbie Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

I'm reposting one of my entries from May for the Little Debbie Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake. It received a lot of activity and with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, I thought it would be nice to share again. No change in this recipe since May - it is still delicious and what a sweet elegantly way to dress up your Thanksgiving dinner table.

Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake photo from Taste of Home website. Made with Little Debbie snack cakes and ice cream.

After our May visit to Kansas City to visit our wonderful kids and grandkids, I found this recipe and posted it. Our grandkids are now 4 and 6 and we still enjoy the Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls at each visit. 

Each time we go we try to make our visit special. It usually consists of a long weekend so we try to squeeze everything in and make it into a mini vacation for our grandkids. And because we take them to hotels to enjoy swimming, eating and visiting - mom and dad get a little mini vacation too.
Before we head out on our trip, I always go to the local Kroger or Meijer store and stock up on snacks and treats. Just so happens that one of the treats I picked up this time was Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls. Big hit! Turns out, this is a favorite of our five and 3-year-old grandkids.
Breakfast, lunch or dinnertime - they didn't miss the opportunity to request a Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll!. (No, granny did not give in until after dinner!).
Can't wait to make it - for all of us!
Until next time - VA

This recipe is awesome - get it here.

Apple Cartwheels: A healthy treat for all

This recipe can be found in the Taste of Home magazine, another of my favorite go-to places for recipes. This healthy snack is not only easy, but can also be made ahead and refrigerated for a quick snack. It's a sure family pleaser for all kids - big and small.

Miriam Miller of Thorp, Wisconsin stuffs apples with a yummy filling, then slices the fruit into rings to make eye-appealing after-school snacks. The filling is an irresistible combination of creamy peanut butter, sweet honey, miniature chocolate chips and raisins.

Photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1-1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 4 medium unpeeled Red Delicious apples, cored

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and honey; fold in chocolate chips and raisins.
• Fill centers of apples with peanut butter mixture; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1/4-in. rings. Yield: about 2 dozen.

Nutritional Facts1 apple ring equals 50 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 13 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein.

Originally published as Apple Cartwheels in Quick Cooking September/October 2001, p40

How to make a great Lasagna

Looking for a great lasagna recipe, try some of these from the Taste of Home site. They always have great recipes that can easily be prepared and offer many recipes that are kid friendly. These Lasagna recipes include anything from traditional to seafood. I've also included a step-by-step video to make it even easier for you to prepare a perfect Lasagna for your family.

Enjoy and share! VA

Taste of Home offers this tip when preparing your Lasagna

To keep lasagna from becoming soupy, be certain to drain the noodles well and pat them dry. Use a thick tomato sauce. Add a beaten egg to the ricotta or cottage cheese filling to help bind it together. Saute and drain well any vegetables such as mushrooms or zucchini that may add extra liquid. Be sure to let baked lasagna stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Another option is to try no-boil lasagna noodles, which absorb extra moisture while cooking. They can be found in the pasta section of most grocery stores.

Feature Recipe

Taste of Home: Lone Star Chicken Enchiladas



Avanell Hewitt of North Richland Hills, Texas won 3rd place for this recipe in the Taste of Home cooking contest for October. If you're looking for something quick and easy that has the taste of cooking for hours, this is for you. If you would like to see more recipes like this along with cooking and health tips, fun things to do with your kids in the kitchen and more information on how to enter your recipe, go to TasteofHome.com.

Ingredients

• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, drained
• 3/4 cup salsa verde
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 corn tortillas (6 inches), warmed
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded pepper Jack cheese

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a shallow bowl, combine cream and salt.
• Dip both sides of each tortilla in cream mixture; top with 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Pour remaining cream mixture over top; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and freeze for up to 6 months.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 2 enchiladas equals 897 calories, 65 g fat (37 g saturated fat), 270 mg cholesterol, 1,437 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 45 g protein.

   Avanell says to start with deli-roasted chicken and this family-friendly casserole will be ready in no time and for a milder version, use Monterey Jack cheese in place of pepper Jack.  Be sure to take your kids/grandkids into the kitchen with you. Children love to be creative and it's a great way to spend some quality family time.   Check back again soon for another great Family/Feature recipe -  VA