Rosie Makes Banana Muffins.

 

Got a couple bananas going south on your counter?
Here's what to do:  make a small batch of banana muffins.
Two bananas is the perfect amount to make 8 muffins.
Add a streusel topping and you have a nice breakfast treat.
Serve warm as a muffin, or slice, butter, and toast.  Yummy!


 Rosie's Banana Muffins
2 overripe bananas
1/2 cup sugar
6 TB unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Heat oven to 350°.
Place 8 muffin liners in muffin tins.
Whip 1 banana with sugar until well mixed.
Beat in cooled melted butter, egg, and vanilla.
Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated.
Stir remaining banana into batter, mashing it up a bit.
Ladle evenly into 8 paper-lined muffin tins.

Top with streusel.

Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Streusel

1/2 cup crushed pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 TB unsalted butter, softened
Mix all together.

For the step-by-steps:

Beat one banana with sugar.

Add in butter and ...

... egg and vanilla.

Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.

Mash remaining banana into batter.


Combine streusel ingredients - pecans, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter.

Ladle batter into muffins, top with streusel, and bake.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
350° about 23 minutes.

Enjoy!

Rosie Makes Medjool Date Balls.

My son found these date rolls at Fresh Market
and they're quite good.
Of course, I decided I could do a better job,
at considerably less cost.
So I did.

First off, get you some Medjool dates.

Not dried dates.

Medjools.

Fresh Medjools.

See here:  Medjools.

These are Medjool dates.

Look for them in the produce department.

To make the date rolls or balls,

you only need three ingredients -

Medjool dates,

sweetened coconut flakes,

and pecans.

And you need a processor.

You can either roll them into balls

or you can form into a log roll and slice them off.

 

Youngest Hawthorne prefers the rolls over the balls.

He says they "taste better."

Whatever...

Date Balls/Rolls

Makes 24 balls or so.

12 Medjool dates

1/2 - 3/4 cups sweetened coconut flakes

Combine dates and coconut in small processor

and pulse/process until combined.

Roll into individual balls

OR

roll into a log.

Combine crushed pecans and more coconut flakes
(about 1/3 cup each)

and roll balls (about 3/4" diameter) or log in the mixture.

Slice log into small pieces.

If you're going to make a log,

use plastic wrap to form and roll tightly.

Then roll the log (or balls)

in a mixture of coarsely crushed pecans and more coconut.

Enjoy!

Rosie Makes Shrimp Egg Rolls With An Apricot Dipping Sauce

Yes.  I'm having shrimp.
Again.
Because I have a freezer full of it and I don't want to go to Food Lion.


So, it's shrimp egg rolls today.
Because I have all the ingredients on hand.

Here are my stuffing ingredients (clockwise from top left):
about 1 cup shredded cabbage
2 TB shredded carrot
2 TB chopped water chestnuts
2 TB chopped celery
2 TB finely chopped yellow pepper (You could use any color sweet pepper.)
2 TB finely chopped onion

And about 1 cup chopped cooked shrimp.

Rosie Note:  These amounts are not etched in stone.  If you want more or less (or none) of one thing or another, go right ahead and adjust.

Mix all ingredients together.

Make the dipping sauce:
3 TB apricot preserves
1 TB brown sugar
2 TB rice vinegar
1 TB sweet chili sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1-inch cube ginger, pressed through garlic press or finely minced (include ginger juice)
Mix all ingredients.

Now, start filling the egg rolls.

Lay an egg roll wrapper diagonally on your work surface.
Place filling in center and lightly brush water around edges.  (Or you could use soy sauce.)


Start rolling.

Roll up tightly one full turn, then tuck in the edges.

Continue rolling.
Brush edges with water or soy sauce to seal.

This made 6 egg rolls.

Heat up a large skillet with about 1/2 inch of peanut oil.
Heat to 350° - 375°.

Carefully place egg rolls in hot oil.
Do not crowd the pan.
You want to maintain that temperature.


 Fry about 3 minutes on one side, or until golden.
Then turn over and fry the other side.

 

Roll around until nicely browned all over.
5-6 minutes total.

Drain on paper towels.

And serve with dipping sauce.

This hit the spot.

Enjoy!