Dad's Hot Sauce with a twist

DAD’S HOT SAUCE 

2 cans whole tomatoes (drained)

2 fresh tomatoes, diced (added at the end)

1 can of Rotel

2  cans of green chilies

2 onions, chopped (added separately)

   Dash of lime juice

   Salt and pepper to taste (pepper adds to the spicyness)

   garlic powder (as much as you like, we used 1 Tablespoon)

        Jalapenos to taste to make more or less hot

Mix can tomatoes, rotel, green chilies, one chopped onion, lime juice, salt, pepper, and jalapenos in a blender. Season to taste (remember it will get spicier as it sits), then add fresh tomatoes and one chopped onion and pulsate if you like it chunky or if not mix and make it more of a hot sauce.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set and savor flavors.  If you don’t want sauce to be so thick, then do not drain tomatoes.

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 overripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.

Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve.

Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 1/3 cups of cake flour
• 3 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of buttermilk*
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

Frosting ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

*You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to milk and letting it stand for about 10 minutes.

METHOD

The cupcakes

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

3 In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.

4 Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.

5 Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.

6 Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Frosting

1 Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the vanilla extract and mix.

3 Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

You can make them with a 1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring for red velvet cupcakes.

Creamy pesto chicken

Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes:

3 pieces of chicken

2 tbl lemon juice

special spices (use any you would like for you chicken)

olive oil

Pesto sauce:

Pesto (McCormick bag - add water and oil)

Cream Sauce:

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbl butter

1 cup heavy cream or half and half

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp lemon juice

Pasta of choice

While the chicken is grilling, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Set pasta aside and keep warm. (You can either grill your chicken or cook it on the stove. I cook mine on the stove in butter and olive oil and then set aside)

Meanwhile, prepare the pesto sauce, follow directions on the package or make your own. Next prepare the cream sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in milk and lemon juice. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, add pesto and cook about 3-5 minutes making sure not to burn the milk.

Toss cooked pasta in the pesto, top with chicken and garnish with tomatoes.