Greek-style Macaroni Bake

This recipe is a variation of the classic Greek Pastitsio, which is similar to lasagna. This recipe has some preparation involved before it goes into the oven to bake, so it does take a bit of time. But the ingredients are common enough that you might have them around the house ready to use.

Just like Pastitsio, this recipe used cinnamon and nutmeg to create a delicious and unique flavor. I actually used a bit more cinnamon than the recipe calls for because I like the flavor. When I made this recipe, I used a 9x9 pan, but you could easily scale this recipe up just a little bit for use in a 13x10 pan to feed a crowd.

Greek-style Macaroni Bake 

• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

Brown beef and onion. Drain fat. Stir in next 3 ingredients. Set aside. Combine mayonnaise and flour; stir into milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick (do not boil). Beat eggs, cheese and nutmeg. Gradually stir into sauce. Add macaroni. Spoon half macaroni mix into baking dish. Cover with meat mix. Top with remaining macaroni. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Cake

This recipe comes from my Grandma's recipe collection. When looking to use leftover bananas, I usually think of banana bread. This banana cake is a lighter, less dense variation on banana bread. Due to the difference in the portions of the ingredients, the banana flavors comes through stronger in this cake than in banana bread. I highly recommend giving this recipe a try.

Like many of Grandma's recipes, there are not very clear instructions. I decided to use a 9x9 cake pan, which worked out perfectly. Adjust the baking time to suit the pan used. Also, there is a step to mix the milk with the lemon juice and vanilla, which I believe is a substitute for buttermilk. I just topped this cake with some powdered sugar. MDS thinks a good cream cheese frosting would be nice on this cake. Maybe next time.

Banana Walnut Cake

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/3 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup mashed bananas

Mix together the shortening, sugar, eggs, and bananas. Blend in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Blend the milk mixture into the batter. Fold in the walnuts. Pour batter into a greased 9x9 cake pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cake is done. Cool. Enjoy!

Sunburst Pound Cake

I am not sure why this recipe is called Sunburst Pound Cake. This recipe is a somewhat classic pound cake using cream cheese, and it is delicious. Because this cake takes a long time in the oven, it is a great recipe to try on a cold day. The resulting pound cake has a classic taste.

The recipe calls for baking in a bread pan. I decided to make this recipe in a bundt pan because I like the look of the resulting cake. The recipe lists cake flour, but I used all-purpose flour. Cake flour results in a slightly finer texture cake, but all-purpose flour works fine here. Pound cake does not need frosting, so I just sprinkled this cake with powdered sugar. But a nice sugar glaze or any type of frosting would also be delicious.

Sunburst Pound Cake 

• 1/2 pound butter (room temperature)
• 8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1/2 tsp. double acting baking powder

Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time; beat one minute after each egg. Add flour and baking powder. Blend well. Pour into buttered bread pan. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour; then lower heat to 300 and continue baking for 1 1/2 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Enjoy!

Old-fashioned Blueberry Muffins

When the weather is cold, enjoying fresh baked goods still warm from the oven is such a treat. These muffins certainly hit the spot. I especially liked that this recipe includes orange and cinnamon as flavoring to give these muffins just a slightly different flavor from standard blueberry muffins.

When I made this recipe, I left out the nuts but I think chopped or sliced almonds would be terrific. I did not actually measure the blueberries, but I might have added too many because some muffins had a lot of blueberries sunk to the bottom. For the sugar in the topping, I used turbinado sugar which is a less refined sugar that has a bit more of a caramel flavor.

Old-fashioned Blueberry Muffins 

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp grated orange rind
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 2 tsp. sugar 
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Sift together flour, half cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in orange rind. Combine milk, oil, and egg. Add to flour mix, stirring only until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in blueberries and nuts. Spoon into 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Combine 2 teaspoons sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of batter. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Streusel Coffee Bread

If you like peanut butter, you will love this recipe. It is quick and easy to make with ingredients that you likely have around the kitchen. This bread pairs well with coffee, as its name implies. If you enjoy this treat while it is still fresh from the oven, the peanut butter will be warm and gooey. This coffee bread is a good dessert or a midday snack.

When I made this quick bread, the peanut butter did not quite form into the coarse crumbs that you might expect for a streusel topping, instead, there were pockets of peanut butter. The bread was still delicious. 

Peanut Butter Streusel Coffee Bread 

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten

Peanut butter streusel topping

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mix resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and eggs until just moistened. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan. Prepare the streusel topping by stirring together the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder; with a pastry blender, but in the butter and peanut butter until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle streusel topping onto cake. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Milk Chocolate Marble Squares

These Marble Squares have a similar taste to chocolate chip cookies, but are a bit quicker to make because they are baked as a bar in a single pan. I highly recommend eating them fresh out of the oven when they are still quite gooey. 

Mom's recipe calls for using a 13x9 pan, but I used a 9x9 pan. I had a hard enough time spreading the dough into the 9x9 pan because it was quite sticky and stiff. But because I used a smaller pan, I might have had too much chocolate, so it was hard to marbleize the chocolate. And it is hard to complain about too much chocolate. When I made this recipe, I did not include the nuts, but I think almonds would be delicious in these squares.

Milk Chocolate Marble Squares 

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 2 tsp. cooking oil
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 6 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. water
• 1 egg
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Combine chocolate chips and oil in small pan over low heat. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is blended; set aside. Combine in a bowl the butter, both sugars, vanilla, and water; beat until creamy. Blend in the egg. Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the nuts. Spread dough into a greased 9x9 pan. Spoon melted chocolate mixture over top; run a knife through the batter to marbleize. Bake at 375 for 14-16 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares. Enjoy!

Dessert Pancakes

I enjoy having a sweet treat to start off a new year. And starting 2021 with something sweet is a good way to say goodbye to the challenging year that was 2020. I made this recipe as breakfast for lunch on New Year's Day. The apple cinnamon pancakes with a tasty topping were a great way to start off a new year. 

This recipe makes a lot of pancakes. MDS and I ate many, but we still have leftovers for another meal. When I made this recipe, I made the mistake of not chopping the apples to be small enough and some pieces were too big. I recommend chopping the apples into very small pieces to avoid uneven pancakes. I recommend this recipe for a delicious breakfast any time of the day.

Dessert Pancakes 

• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup finely chopped apple

Filling:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Combine milk, eggs, and butter. Sift flour with sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; add to mixture. Stir to blend. Fold in the apples. Batter should be lumpy. Pour about 2-3 tablespoon batter per pancake on a lightly greased hot griddle. Bake until bubbles begin to break on the surface and the underside if brown; turn and brown the other side. For the filling, mix sour cream with sugar and cinnamon. Spoon filling between and on top of each serving. Enjoy!