Tennessee Banana-Black Walnut Cake with Caramel Frosting courtesy Paula Deen Yield: 12 servings Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 ripe bananas, mashed 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup chopped black walnuts* Frosting: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as necessary 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners sugar 2 cups finely chopped black walnuts, for garnish (optional)* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. For the cake: In a medium bowl, stir together flour and baking soda; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together shortening and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, mix until just combined. Stir in black walnuts. Pour into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare frosting. Melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and 1/3 cup cream. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in confectioners' sugar a little at a time until smooth. If frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream at a time until consistency is right. Sandwich 2 layers of cake with frosting. Frost the outside of the cake. Press chopped black walnuts on the sides of the cake, if desired. *Cook's Note: DO NOT substitute English walnuts for black walnuts. BANANA SPICE CAKE Yield: 12 servings Bananas, pecans and currants give rich flavor to this recipe. Baking 1 hrs. 20 min. 3/4 cup currants or raisins 1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted* 2 eggs 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3 medium bananas, peeled, chopped 1/2-inch 3/4 cup chopped pecans Topping Ingredients: Vanilla ice cream, if desired Caramel sauce, if desired Instructions: Heat oven to 325°F. Combine currants and orange liqueur in small bowl; let soak 30 minutes. Drain well. Set aside. Combine sugar, butter, eggs, orange peel and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Beat until well mixed. Stir in soaked currants, bananas and pecans by hand. Spoon into greased and floured 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove sides of pan. Cool completely. (Cake may dip slightly in center upon cooling.) Top each serving of cake with ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired. *Substitute LAND O LAKES® Soft Baking Butter with Canola Oil. Calories: 330 Banana Cake Cockaigne Adapted from Joy of Cooking Grease and flour 2 round cake pans (8 or 9 inch) or one 9X13 inch rectangular pan. I usually line pans with waxed paper before I grease and flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Mash two ripe bananas, or enough to make one cup. Add 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (fat free is OK) ot buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla Sift together: 2 1/4 cups flour (Cake flour) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Cream in a large mixing bowl: 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup butter Add 2 eggs, one at a time, Add the flour mixture, alternating with the banana puree, STIR until smooth after each addition. ( DO NOT OVER MIX...THINK MOISTEN) Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake at 350 until the cake springs back when touched, about 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if serving warm or frost with a chocolate frosting, mock whipped cream frosting. or a cream cheese frosting. I make it with the Mock Whipped Cream Frosting and sprinkle the filling and top with a crushed Heath Bar. Mock Whiipped Cream Frosting Ingredients: 2/3 cup milk 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla combine milk, 2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil (4 to 6 minutes). Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cover surface with plastic food wrap; cool completely (1 hour). Beat 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in large bowl at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, gradually adding cooled flour mixture and scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. Frost cooled cake. Banana Cake Mocha Frosting: 6c powdered sugar 1/2c cocoa 1/2c butter, softened 1/2c brewed strong coffee Sift powdered sugar and cocoa` together. Add softened butter and mix on very low speed till incorporated. Add coffee and beat till smooth.

I found a Rachael Ray recipe for crab cakes. Rachael does not like mayo so I was confident it would be ommited and I was correct! I like that she uses red wine vinegar though . (in addition to her text book EVOO) Someone above did not like the fact I recommended avocados as a subsitute and that I happened to write a blog article about that. Oh well, can't seem to please everyone. But this recipe is directly from Rachael's Ray site and it sounds really tasty. (and looks to be mayo free!) Ingredients 1 starchy potato, peeled and thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic Coarse salt Handful fresh flat leaf parsley Couple sprigs fresh thyme, leaves finely chopped 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 tubs fresh lump crabmeat (6 ounces) , available at fresh seafood counter 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided 2 roasted red peppers 1 small shallot, chopped 2 teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Black pepper 1 small head escarole, chopped 1 small head radicchio, chopped 1 endive, chopped Preparation Cook potatoes in boiling water 6-7 minutes until tender, drain, scatter across a large flat surface to cool and dry, 5 minutes. Smash the garlic with salt to make a paste and add to potatoes along with thyme, parsley, lemon zest and crushed red pepper flakes. Feel through the crab as you add it to the potatoes to check for shells. Mix together to combine and form into 4 (4-5-inch) super sized, killer crab cakes. Heat 3 tablespoons EVOO in a non stick skillet over medium to medium- high heat. Add the cakes and cook 5 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown. Combine the roasted red peppers, shallot, sugar, the juice of 1/2 lemon and the red wine vinegar in a food processor. Stream in the remaining 1/4 cup EVOO and form a dressing. Stop the processor and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Combine the greens in a salad bowl and dress them. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste.

Lou, I have a similar recipe that I use for deviled crab, and I have also substituted canned tuna for the crab with good results as well. It is also baked and then broiled. I'll have to try the salmon recipe, although I really like Marilyn's fresh salmon cakes, and I had no problem with hers falling apart. I'll have to look at her recipe again. I have a feeling now that it was the type of bread I used, as rococogurl suggested. And the recipe does call for fresh bread crumbs as opposed to dried ones. The end result was still very good, even though it was difficult to get them to stick together. I'm considering adding a bit of potato starch to the insides to see if that will make them "stickier". Carol, I had saved your recipe before (it was one of only two that I had saved), but I neglected to look at it before I started. I'll try yours next time, as it looks really more like what I wanted, which is why I saved it in the first place. As for the recipe from the Anapolis native (I saved that one also) - what is regular mustard? My first thought is that it is dried, but it might mean prepared mustard. Crab meat is so cheap right now that I will be making more variations. The first batch of cakes I did not refrigerate, but the second batch had been refrigerated over night, and it had the same problem. I'm pretty sure it is the type of bread, which gave an excellent flavor, BTW. Thanks for all the help! Lars

Easy Italian Chicken 4-6 chicken breasts 1 very large tomato 1 large bottle Italian dressing (fat free is ok too) Grated Parmesan cheese (as much or as little as you like) Place chicken in baking dish. Pour Italian dressing over top.Cut up tomatoes to bite size pieces and place on top of chicken. Add cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour or until juices run clear. Serve white rice and pour juice over rice from the chicken. Source: SOAR My way of making this: I use skinless, boneless chicken breasts & cut each breast into thirds. Ive never used a whole bottle of Italian dressing. I like to sprinkle dried rosemary and dried basil over the chicken & tomatoes along with some garlic powder and dried red pepper flakes. I usually serve with vermicelli on the side. You can make everything the night before, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Sweet Potato Casserole 4 large sweet potatoes ½ cup granulated sugar ½ stick butter 1 Tbsp Half & Half (or more if it needs thinning) 1 tsp. Vanilla extract Walnut or pecan halves ½ cup Brown sugar 1/3 bag Miniature Marshmallows Boil, peel & mash sweet potatoes. Add butter, granulated sugar, Half & Half. Then add vanilla. Whip potato mixture in electric mixer until smooth. Pour into casserole dish; swirl in brown sugar and about 1/3 bag of miniature marshmallows. Top with walnut or pecan halves. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (Recipe can be made ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.) Note: I have also added the miniature marshmallows towards the end of the baking time so that theyre partially intact/melted. This is delicious! Thin Noodles with Bacon This was a favorite supper of mine as a kid. Cook noodles or thin spaghetti or orzo until al dente. After draining and placing in bowl, I add butter and then parmesan (either grind up a wedge or get the Digiorno shredded in the little plastic container). Salt and freshly ground black pepper. (sometimes I squirt a little fresh lemon juice over the pasta at this point). Then I sprinkle with crisp bacon cut in bite size pieces . Serve this with a tossed salad with vinaigrette or Italian dressing. You might want to just start with the noodles, butter and bacon to see if your family likes it and add the parmesan on your own serving. Meat Loaf 2 eggs 3 oz tomato paste ½ cup water 1 tsp salt 15 grinds fresh black pepper (probably should use way less ) ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 2 lbs ground beef, 85-90% lean ½ cup plain breadcrumbs 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, pressed Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk together the eggs, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper and cayenne in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and work together completely until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Place the meat mixture into a baking pan and shape into a loaf about 11" x 4" wide. The loaf should be in the middle of the pan. Blend some ketchup, a little chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and a little bottled BBQ sauce and spread over the meatloaf. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes, then uncover, and remove as much liquid as possible. Return to oven uncovered and bake another 15 minutes. Source: I adapted this recipe from Dave Liebermans recipe, "Bubbys Meatloaf". You can cut back on the onions, black pepper and cayenne pepper a bit.--Ann Great with whipped potatoes (I like to add butter, milk or Half & Half, salt & pepper and a little garlic powder, to boiled potatoes, then whip in electric mixer until very smooth).