Banana Cake with fluffy frosting

I absolutely LOVE banana cake! It is super moist and so much better than banana bread! Visit my awesome friend's blog for, in my opinion the BEST banana cake ever! Plus browse around her blog, she will not disappoint you!

Now the best part of cake is the frosting! And I came up with this!! The original recipe called for whipped cream, but all I had was Cool Whip, and well I think it is JUST as good, if not better!

1 package of cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tub of Cool Whip

--Whip cream cheese and sugar and vanilla. Once mixed together add the cool whip. Whip it all together until you get a creamy consistancy!

Salisbury Steak

....a surprising tasteful dish!!

1 egg
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic
1 pound hamburger
2 tbsp oil
1 cup mushrooms - sliced
1 cup diced onion
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth (use more if the sauce gets thick)
1 tbsp ketchup

Mix egg, bread crumbs, seasonings and hamburger. Form into 4 patties
Cook patties in olive oil until done
Remove patties and reserve 2 tbsp of the drippings
Add onions and cook until tender
Add mushrooms and cook
Add flour and let cook for a few minutes.
Whisk in chicken broth and let cook and get thick. Add ketchup.
Place patties back in the gravy to heat up.

I served this over mashed potatoes and it was delicious!!!

Yummy Mini Cheesecakes

I adapted this from Cook's Country, a fantastic cooking magazine that has really big pictures!! I made a few simple cuts, but these are a huge crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

12 pecan sandie cookies

1 package of cream cheese

½ cup of sweetended condensed milk

2 eggs

Fruit topping.


~Line muffin tin with muffin liners, place one cookie in the bottom (it fits perfectly)

~whip cream cheese till smooth, add sweetened condensed milk, then add eggs, 1 at a time.

~Pour cream cheese mixture on top of the cookie

~bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes until firm.

~Place in the fridge to set.

~Garnish with fruit topping of choice.

Katie's Cheeseball

This made a lot of cheeseballs! I would definitely half the recipe unless you are planning on going to a party. I love this recipe, you can add anything you want!

Ingredients:

2 packages of cream cheese, softened

3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese

Handful of bacon-chopped

Handful of green onions-diced

½ handful of chopped almonds

1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing seasoning mix

Mix all ingredients together… I used a little bit of skim half and half to make the cream cheese a little bit more workable. Then I formed into balls, and rolled in sliced almonds and chilled. This made about 4 cheese-balls.

Yummy Ham and Potato Soup

I found this on All Recipes, Recipe Spinner... I added a few steps to make it a bit thicker.

Ingredients
8 ounces cubed cooked ham
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 black pepper

Directions
1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté ham and onions in the butter, until the onions are translucent. Stir in the mustard, add a few tbsp of flour to create a rue. Let cook for a few minutes, be careful not to let it burn. Then whisk in the chicken broth. Add potatoes, bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.

2. Combine the milk and cream of celery soup; stir in to the saucepan. Season with garlic powder and pepper. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve hot.

Sarah's Salad - Lion House Cookbook

I recently made this salad for a party and it was a hit! I made it a few hours ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge. Easy, quick and YUMMY!!

1 head iceberg lettuce - chopped
3 strips of bacon - fried and diced (I like to use bacon pieces you can buy at the store)
5 oz frozen peas - thawed
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 1/2 oz shredded Swiss cheese (I used Mozzarella)
2/3 cup Green Onions - chopped
1/4 cup Mayo
1/4 cup Miracle Whip

Layer chopped lettuce in the bottom of the bowl.
Layer bacon, peas, cheese, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions.
Spread Mayo over the top, then spread the Miracle Whip on top.
Garnish with some green onions and bacon if you wish!
Chill for a few hours. You can toss the salad before stirring, but I liked serving it as is.