Banana Split Pie

I have not made this but my mom sent this recipe to all of us last year because my sister-in-law had been asking for it.  Apparently this is something my mom used to make for parties or what have you and I understand it's really good.  While the original recipe seems to have disappeared this is one that my mom found that is very similar to her original. 

I know I have mentioned though that my mom is in the process of organizing the hundreds of scraps of paper with recipes she's accumulated over her lifetime from past generations of women in this family.  Perhaps when she gets it fully organized she'll find the original? 

Until then....

Banana Split Pie

Prep Time: 20 min

Total Time: 35 min

Serves: 10

Yield: 1 dish

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 eggs

3 -4 bananas

1 can crushed pineapple

1 (8 ounce) containers Cool Whip

3/4 cup pecans, chopped

1 jar maraschino cherries (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine graham crackers and butter.

2. Line 9 x 13 baking dish with this.

3. Beat cream cheese, eggs, and powdered sugar on med for 10 min.

4. Pour over crust and bake@ 325 degrees for 15 min.

5. Cool completely.

6. Layer sliced bananas.

7. Then cover with drained pineapple.

8. Cover with cool whip Sprinkle with pecans and halved cherries.

9. Best refrigerated overnight

Bean Chowder

This is an old family stand-by that we all have memorized but over time has changed slightly because we just get the recipe wrong in our heads. 

Referencing the original recipe, there are a few key things to note:

1. Use Owen's Hot Sausage (it's not really hot just has more flavor) or purchase the store brand sausage from HEB/Central Market.  Don't use Jimmy Dean's because it is far too oily and will throw off the consistency of the chowder even if you drain off the fat after you've browned the sausage.

2. My mother uses seasoned salt while I use salt.  The main thing to remember with either ingredient is to not use too much or it will be too salty to eat.

3. The original recipe calls for tomatoes that you break up after you add the ingredients but that's too much work and a can of diced tomatoes is perfect so I've altered the list of ingredients below.

4. The recipe calls for 1/2 of a green bell pepper but I use a whole green bell pepper because I like green bell peppers and I think it's the perfect amount.  I feel like 1/2 would be too little.  Also the receipe calls for 1 cup diced potatoe but I use 1 whole diced (skinned of course) russet potatoe of average size.

5. The final alteration is I simmer the chowder after adding the potatoes and green bell pepper for 30 minutes but the original recipe says 15-20 minutes.  After 30 minutes the potatoes are perfectly cooked and at 15 they're not.  I've adjusted the directions below to accommodate this change.

I've noted all of the above in case someone wants to try the original recipe which I believe comes from my mother's Better Homes and Garden cookbook from 1961 which she received as a wedding present. The final paragraph is a note that my mother added to the receipe when she emailed it to me because while discussing it we both realized we had different ideas about how to make it.  She pulled the original recipe (it had been years since either of us had referenced it) and noted all the things we were doing "wrong." 

Whichever version someone makes, we all LOVE this dish and have continued to share it down the generations!

Bean Chowder

Ingredients:

1 lb bulk pork sausage

2 cans (16 oz each) kidney beans

1 can (1 lb, 13 oz) diced tomatoes

1 qt water (4 cups)

1 large onion

1 bay leaf

1 /1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 diced russet potato

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Directions:

In a skillet, cook pork sausage until brown.  Pour off fat then add kidney beans, tomatoes, water, onion, bay leaf, seasoned salt, garlic salt, thyme and pepper.  Simmer, covered, 1 hour.  Add potatoes and green peppe then cook, covered 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.  Remove bay leaf.  

Yield: 8 generous portions.

Every once in a while I go back to reflect on this original recipe, and I have been surprised a time or two that I had been making it wrong.  I always confuse the amt of tomatoes and beans because it calls for 1 can tomatoes and 2 cans of beans.  Had to pay attention to size of cans.

Ceviche

I scoured the web looking for a good ceviche recipe and this was the one I honed in on.  I've prepared and served this dish only for parties and it's always been a huge success.  It's also quite good the next day which to me is always a testiment to a good recipe. 

Ceviche de Camaron: Shrimp Ceviche "Cocktail"

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 generous pound unpeeled smallish shrimp (I prefer the ones that are 41/50 count to a pound)

1/2 medium white onion, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish

1/2 cup ketchup

1 to 2 tablespoons vinegary Mexican bottled hot sauce (such as Tamazula, Valentina or Búfalo, the latter being on the sweet side)

About 2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra-virgin (optional, but recommended to smooth out sharpness)

1 cup diced peeled cucumber or jícama (or 1/2 cup of each)

1 small ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed

Salt

Several lime slices for garnish

Tostadas or tortilla chips, store-bought or homemade or saltine crackers for serving

Preparation:

1. Cooking and Marinating the Shrimp.
Bring 1 quart salted water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Scoop in the shrimp, cover and let the water return to the boil. Immediately remove from the heat, set the lid askew and pour off all the liquid. Replace the cover and let the shrimp steam off the heat for 10 minutes. Spread out the shrimp in a large glass or stainless steel bowl to cool completely. Peel and devein the shrimp if you wish: One by one lay the shrimp on your work surface, make a shallow incision down the back and scrape out the (usually) dark intestinal tract. Toss the shrimp with the remaining 1/2 lime juice, cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

2. The flavorings.
In a small strainer, rinse the onion under cold water, then shake off the excess liquid. Add to the shrimp bowl along with the cilantro, ketchup, hot sauce, optional olive oil, cucumber and/or jícama and avocado. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.

3. Serving the ceviche.
Spoon the ceviche into sundae glasses, martini glasses, or small bowls: garnish with sprigs of cilantro and slices of lime. Serve with tostadas, tortilla chips or saltines to enjoy alongside.

Working Ahead:

The ceviche is best made the day it is served. The flavorings can be added to the shrimp a few hours in advance.

Pasta with Sausage, Shrimp and Peperoncini

This is a recipe from my sister's collection.  Her family raved about this dish, and with 2 picky eaters for children that's saying quite a lot!  Big hit!

Pasta with Sausage, Shrimp and Peperoncini

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage, casings removed

½ cup sliced pepperoncini plus 1 cup liquid from jar

½ cup chopped shallots

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. cayenne

1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce

¾ cup heavy cream

1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 oz. penne pasta

3 Tbs. grated Asiago cheese

Sliced fresh basil

Preparation:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat.  Add sausage; cook until browned, breaking into pieces, about 4 minutes.  Add perperoncini, shallots and next 6 ingredients; cook until shallots are tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Add perperoncini liquid; stir until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.  Add marinara, cream and shrimp.  Cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in another large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain

Transfer pasta and Asiago cheese to pot with sauce; stir to incorporate.  Transfer to plates and garnish with basil.