Thai Tacos

I love this spicy peanut sauce with hamburger. It is an easy, quick to prepare meal that we all like. I serve it with tortilla chips and melon on the side.

1 1/2 pounds hamburger

2 medium sliced red bell peppers

2 Tbsp minced ginger

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

Brown and drain hamburger. Add peppers, ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper to skillet. Cook until peppers are crisp-tender.

Mix peanut butter, cilantro, lime juice, soy sauce and sesame oil with whisk to make a sauce. Stir into beef mixture. Remove from heat.

Stuff meat mixture into pita halves and garnish with lettuce just before serving.

Monster Cookies

These are really yummy cookies! They are best fresh out of the oven! They are also gluten free which is an added bonus!

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

12 oz creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup M & Ms (I like the mini ones)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

2 tsp baking soda

4 1/2 cups quick oats

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine eggs and sugars in a very large bowl. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter and butter. Mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand 3 minutes before removing from sheets. Cool on wire racks.

Zucchini Brownies

Often in late summer we are gifted with an abundance of zucchini. These brownies are a nice change of pace from the usual zucchini fare. They are good with or without chocolate chips or frosting.

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired
• 1 cup chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour (or sugar) a 9x13 inch baking pan.

1. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
2. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

Banana Cake

Whenever I have bananas, I secretly hope they’ll get brown and icky so I can make banana cake. This recipe is a combination of two recipes I like. My favorite way to bake them is in my Pampered Chef silicon flower baking pan. I spray them with cooking spray, coat them with white sugar (instead of flour) and have them as little cakes. They have an almost caramelized coating on the outside that makes them extra yummy!

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2/3 cup buttermilk, sour milk or sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, or sour cream, to the creamed mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.