Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, by Cheryl

I got the idea to make banana bread from my neighbor, Ashley. When I went over to her apartment yesterday the bread she had made smelled so good I needed to make some of my own! I searched for some recipes and came across one on foodgawker that caught my attention. In order to make the bread really moist it substituted a banana or two for some applesauce and crushed pineapple. I was hesitant to use the crushed pineapple because I didn't want the taste of it overpowering the bread; instead, I didn't even notice it. The result was a melt in your mouth party! Amazingly delicious... this is something I will be making again and again. Yum!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
5 medium sized bananas
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325.

Mix the first 6 ingredients together using a mixer.

When blended together add the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and mix together. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Pour mixture into a bread pan and top with more chocolate chips, depending on how sweet you want it.

Bake for 55-60 minutes.

Whipped Pumpkin Dip, by Diane

This recipe came from my friend, Tara, who recommended it for a holiday dip to be used with gingerbread cookies. It is insanely good and addictive, we couldn't eat it all fast enough. We made a batch of really soft gingerbread cookies, put the dip in the middle, and created messy but fun sandwiches. It's easy and cheap to make, and with a few substitutions it can be nonfat too! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4oz cream cheese (regular whipped or pumpkin flavored that's been softened- recommend the pumpkin!)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup plain canned pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
8oz tub Cool Whip

Directions:

Mix all ingredients but cool whip together, then fold in cool whip. Let the dip chill for 30 minutes (if you can stand it!). :)

Pasta Fagioli, by Diane

My mom, sister, and I love to go to Olive Garden for their soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch. Our favorite soup is Pasta Fagioli, so I decided in the chill of last week to make it myself. It's easy to do and pretty healthy since I used ground turkey instead of sausage. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 onion, chopped

1-2 tsp. chili powder

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Lg. can chopped It. tomatoes w. juice

6 carrots, peeled & chopped Small can tomato paste

6 stalks celery, chopped Small can beef stock

1 lb ground Italian turkey

1 can cannellini beans

2 tsp. dry oregano

1 can red kidney beans

1 tbsp. dry basil

1 cup whole wheat elbow pasta

2 tsp. garlic salt

Opt. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Cook onion in oil 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, celery and carrots and cook for 3minutes. Add and brown turkey. Add spices. Toss to coat. Stir in tomatoes, paste, and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in beans and tiny pasta. Simmer for 6- 8 minutes or until pasta is tender. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Sweet Italian Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells with a White Wine Cream Sauce, by Diane

So first off let me say that this is not the world's best photo of a dish, but- I think it's a testament to how good these shells are because I was so busy eating them that I forgot to take a photo until I only had what was left in the dish in front of me. :) These stuffed shells were created by a friend and I one night when we didn't want to go out to eat but wanted a nice dinner. They are modeled off a white lasagna that is a specialty of her fathers- so much so that the family only eats it once a year on her birthday. The dish can get a little pricey to make with all of the cheeses, but it makes an enormous batch that will last a while. You can play around with the cheeses, depending on your preferences, but make sure you have a good balance of hard and soft cheeses so that they melt easily into a sauce. This recipe is such that you should feel free to play around with both cheeses and measurements, tasting as you go so that things like the sauce thickness (I prefer a thicker sauce), cheese balance (I like a sharper rather than creamier taste), and wine strength (I like a stronger taste) are to your own liking. I should also warn that these shells are time consuming to make as well, so be sure to grab a cooking buddy or start cooking early. As a final warning, this is also one of the most fattening dishes that I make, but it's a total splurge that's worth every bite. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 box jumbo pasta shells
1 small container ricotta cheese (you can use low fat)
2 containers freshly grated hard cheeses (I use parmesan and asiago)
2 blocks soft white cheeses (I use fontina and butterkase, or sometimes 2 blocks of fontina), shredded
1 bag fresh spinach (or 1 box of frozen spinach)
1 package sweet italian sausage
2 cloves minced garlic
1 bottle riesling
1 container heavy cream
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta shells as directed on box, drain and set aside.

2. Set half of the hard and soft cheese (not the ricotta) aside for the sauce. Mix remaining cheeses together along with ricotta in large bowl, varying amounts of hard and soft cheeses to your preference, set aside. (Tip: I have learned that the parmesan can overpower this dish, so I always go lighter on this than the other cheeses in both the filling and the sauce)

3. Cook spinach (steamed if fresh, thawed and drained if frozen), set aside in separate bowl.

4. Uncase the sausage and cook in saucepan over medium high heat (do not use oil or cooking spray), crumbling until brown. Add in garlic when sausage is almost brown and stir to combine. Remove from pan and put in bowl with spinach. Set pan aside but do not rinse.

5. Preheat oven to 350.

6. Combine the spinach, sausage, and the cheese mixture (with the ricotta) in bowl. Stuff this mixture into the shells, such that each shell is completely filled to the top. Line the shells in the bottom of a large aluminum pan, or in two rectangular baking pans. Set aside.

7. Reheat the pan used to cook the sausage over medium heat, once heated add in wine (I use about a cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping in all of the bits of sausage and garlic leftover. Add in cream and stir. Slowly add in the remaining cheeses (making sure to taste along the way), stirring until the sauce becomes smooth and all the cheese has melted. Add pepper, and adjust wine/cheeses/thickness to your liking. Pour sauce over stuffed shells, making sure to coat each one if possible.

8. Bake shells, covered with foil, for 15-20 minutes. The cheese in the shells should have melted, and the shells should be nice and hot. Serve with remaining riesling and enjoy! (Note: I usually drink the riesling as I cook, so a second bottle is highly recommended!)

*I also should add that if you have leftovers (which is most likely), always heat in a covered dish so that the shells do not dry out and harden.

Easy Seven Layer Dip, by Diane

So, it's been a while since I've posted- now with the craziness of the holidays out of the way, I am putting up a few dishes I made in the holiday season. This dip recipe came to a friend and I when we were in college, looking for a quick lunch that we could make between classes. The third layer is a recipe that her sister creates for every family get together, and we added the layers above and below it to create a dip so good that we ended up skipping the next class to finish it off. It quickly became famous around school, and before we knew it we were creating it for every get together we attended. And, sometimes my roommates and I would make a giant batch, grab a bag of chips, and just eat it for days. It is good both hot and cold, and somehow gets tastier the longer it lasts (which is not long, because it's highly addictive!). I recently made this for a friend who had heard the rumors and wanted to try the real thing for herself. It's super quick and easy to make, and can be altered so that it is healthier by selecting ingredients that are lower in fat or fat free. It also has a lot of protein so it keeps you full, but that won't stop you from grabbing fifths! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 blocks cream cheese (I use low fat or fat free)
1 cup taco sauce
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cans refried beans (I use fat free)
2 chicken breasts, shredded
1 small container sour cream (I use low fat or fat free)
1 jar salsa
1 container guacamole (I use low fat)
1 bag shredded mexican cheese (I use low fat)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Soften cream cheese in microwave to the point where it can be stirred smoothly with no lumps.

3. Add taco sauce and taco seasoning (amount depends on your taste) into cream cheese and stir until smooth. You can add more sauce/seasoning as you go until it gets to your liking.

4. In a square glass baking dish, spread beans in an even layer. Add in other layers in this order, evening out as you go: chicken, cream cheese mixture, sour cream, guacamole, salsa (enough to cover the guacamole in an even layer- don't use the whole jar!), cheese.

5. Place in oven and bake until cheese melts into a smooth layer and you can no longer see individual strands. This should take around 15 minutes or so.

6. Serve with tortilla chips (my friend and I found that tostitos scoops were best for this!) and devour!