Baked Bananas

• 2 bananas, sliced lengthwise
• mini marshmallows
• handfull of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• drizzle of chocolate sauce
• scoop of vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. On a cookie sheet arrange bananas, topped with chocolate chips, then marshmallows. Just put as many as you want. Bake until chocolate looks gooey and marshmallows get golden-brown. You have to watch it becuse they can burn quickly.

Remove and plate, add scoop of ice cream on the side, and drizzle all with a little chocolate sauce.

I made this one up last night when I had a craving for something sweet using what was on hand. It turned out delish!

Acapulco Chicken

• 2 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
• 1/2 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into wedges
• 1 can Campbell's Creamy Chicken Verde soup
• 1 tesp garlic salt

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium in non-stick skillet. Saute chicken with garlic salt until a little more than half way done, add onion and peppers. Continue to saute until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft (but do not overcook veggies).

Turn heat to low, add soup and combine well. It should thicken almost immediately. You want it to be fairly thick, but if you like, you can add a few Tbsp of water to thin it out a little.

Serve with warmed tortillas, Mexican rice, and black beans (if you want to).

This is a tribute to one of my favorite Mexican places in Indianapolis, El Rodeo. I would often have lunch there with my friends from work. Tuesday is Acapulco day, which we ordered without fail.

Caramel Cream Brownie Trifle

• 1 box brownies, made according to package directions
• 1 box (4-serving size) chocolate fudge instant pudding, made according to package directions
• 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
• 1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip
• 1 C chopped walnuts
• 1 C toffee pieces

Make brownies ahead, cool completely and cut into 1 inch pieces. Make pudding mix as directed on box; refrigerate. Thoroughly stir caramel topping into Cool Whip.

In 3-quart glass bowl, layer half each of the brownies, pudding, walnuts, toffee pieces, and Cool Whip mixture; repeat. Sprinkle a few toffee and nuts on top.

Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving but no longer than 24 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.

We had this for my brother's birthday a few weeks ago and about DIED! It's over the top delicious!

Banana Dream Cake

• 1 yellow cake, made according to package directions in 2 round cake pans. **
• 1 container of Cool Whip, thawed enough to spread easily
• 2-3 bananas, sliced into rounds

**Hint: grease and flour pans well, and use wax paper on the bottoms to help cake release easier.

After cakes have cooled and been removed from round cake pans, carefully slice them in half horizontally, making 4 layers.

Build the cake on the plate you want to serve it on. Start with a layer of cake, spread Cool Whip, then layer slices of banana, then more cake, Cool Whip, bananas... repeat. Once all the layers are assembled, spread Cool Whip on the top and sides, top with banana. Keep refrigerated until serving.

This was my Mom's favorite cake growing up, and on September 23, 1978 my Grandma made it for her . But before she could enjoy a piece, she went into labor with me. She had me early the next morning. It's really easy, and really good!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

4 thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C. mayo
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese
1/4 C. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tesp. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 425. Trim fat off chicken. Combine cheese, bread crumbs, and garlic salt. Spread mayo over chicken, then coat in dry ingredient mixture.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until juices run clear.

I haven't tried this one yet, but it sounded good and the picture in the Kraft Foods magazine looked yummy.

French Toast - Alton Brown style

Prep time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 (2 slices per person)

• 8 slices of bread (the thick kind is best)
• 3 eggs
• 1 C milk
• 2 Tbsp honey, warmed in microwave for 15 seconds
• 1/4 tesp. salt
• 1/2 tesp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter
• Powdered sugar or syrup for drizzling

Preheat oven to 350. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, honey, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Pour into a pie plate.

Over medium heat, melt enough butter in a non-stick griddle to coat the bottom. Soak 2 slices of bread for 10 seconds per side, then place on griddle, let them brown on both sides, then remove and place on baking sheet in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat process for other pieces of bread.

Of course, if you have a large griddle, you can do more than 2 at a time. But don't soak them ahead of time if you can't fit them in right away. They'll just get soggy if you do that.

After baking for 5 minutes, dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with syrup, serve immediately.

I made my first attempt at French Toast this weekend and loved the way this recipe tasted. I got it from Alton Brown's "Good Eats" website. I think what makes them better is baking them, they turn out crunchy and not at all soggy.