Banana Bread

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T. bourbon (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices.  Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.  Mix in the flour.  Pour mixture into a buttered 4 x 8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes.

Hash Browns - Oven Baked

1 - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line the bottom of a cookie sheet with foil, shiny side up.
2 - Spray the foil lightly with butter flavored cooking spray.
3 - Spread out fresh or frozen hash browns in a 1/2 in ch thick layer on the foil.  Use one cup of hash browns for each serving.
4 - Spray the top of the hash brown layer lightly with the cooking spray.
5 - Bake for 30 minutes, turning the hash browns over halfway through, and re-spray the top of the potatoes before returning to the oven.  When fully cooked, the hash browns will be golden-brown and crispy on the top.   Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour

Topping:
1 1/2 cups chopped apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix ingredients in order (except the topping ingredients).  Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan.  Combine last 3 ingredients to make a topping and sprinkle it evenly over the batter.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.
Serve with a spoonful of cool-whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Mom's Cherry Pie Bars

1 cup margarine or butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can cherry pie filling

Cream together margarine and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Blend in remaining ingredients.  Put 2/3  of batter in 12"x18" pan.  Spread with pie filling, drop rest of batter on filling by spoonfuls.  Swirl with knife.  Bake at 350 for 25 - 35 minutes.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 T. butter
2 T. milk

Mix together and drizzle over cool bars.

Mom's Pie Crust (Double-Crust 9-inch Pie)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup Crisco all-vegetable shortening
4 - 8 T. ice cold water

Blend flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut cubed shortening into flour mixture using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining.  Sprinkle half the maximum amount of ice water over flour mixture; mix gently with fork or pastry blender.  Add more water by the tablespoon, mixing until dough holds together.  Divide dough into two, with one ball slightly larger than the other.  Place larger disk of dough on lightly floured surfaces.  With floured rolling pin, roll dough outward from center into circle 2 inches wider than pie plate.  Ease bottom crust into pie plate.  Fill unbaked pie crust according to recipe directions.  Roll top pie crust; lift onto filled pie.  Trim dough.  Press edges together and flute. Cut slits in top crust.  Bake pie according to recipe directions.

Chocolate Chip Dip

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. brown sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla.  Add powdered sugar and brown sugar.  Then add mini chocolate chips.  Mix well.  Place in a covered bowl and refrigerate.  Serve with graham crackers.

Breakfast Crock-pot Casserole

1 bag frozen hash browns
12 eggs
1 cup milk
1 T. ground mustard
salt and pepper
1 (16 oz.) sausage roll (Kaden & Kendall think it could use more :) )
1 (16 oz.) bag shredded cheddar cheese

Grease crock pot and spread hash browns evenly at the bottom.  Crack eggs in a large bowl and beat well with a whisk.  Add the milk and ground mustard, salt and pepper; mix well and set aside.  Cook the sausage on high heat, drain and put on top of hash browns.  Then add the cheese and mix well.  Pour the egg mixture over everything and mix again.  Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or high 3 - 4 hours.