This banana bread recipe is divine.  The pecan-coconut topping really make it yummy!
Southern Living January 2005 Page 120


Banana-Nut Bread

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 1-1/4 pounds unpeeled, about 4 med)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecanas and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8x4 inch loafpans.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 mins to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 mins. remove from pans, and cool 30 mins on wire racks before slicing.
Toasted Coconut Topped Cream Cheese Banana nut Bread

Prepare and bake bread or muffins in desired pans. While bread is baking, stir together 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar and 1/4 cup milk in a small saucepan over med-heat; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut; 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans; and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Remove baked bread or muffins from oven and immediately spread tops with coconut mixture. Broil5-1/2 inches from heat 2-3 mins or just until topping starts to lightly brown. Cool in pans on wire rack 20 mins. Remove from pans, and cool 30 mins on wire racks before slicing.

Cafe Rio

Cafe Rio

Laurel Jones

given me by Sarah Jones

Chicken

8 pieces of chicken breast

1 bottle Zesty Italian Dressing

1 T. chili powder

1 teasp. cumin

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. You can also do this on the stove top by bringing all ingredients to a boil and them simmer about 2 hours. You want the meat to shred.

Dressing

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayo

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 cup chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic

3 tomatilos

1/2 teasp. cayene pepper - can use less if you want it to be not so hot

Blend everything in a blender. (I sometimes add about 1/4 of a jalapeno pepper)

Rice

I use brown rice as it is more nutritional for you and is really good. To cook brown rice for this recipe:

4 cups water

4 teasp. chicken boullion

2 cups brown rice.

Bring the water and boullion to a boil. Add rice and stir. Bring to a boil and then turn down so it simmers. Cook 45-55 minutes.

Add:

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 teasp. cumin

1 can green chilies

1/2 bunch green onions, minced

1/2 teasp. salt

Molasses Pork Tenderloin

Everyone always tells me how lucky I am because for one of my wedding gifts you all gave me your favorite recipes and I am the only one that has all of them. Lucky me!! So I have decided to share.  Now that might mean I will be sharing your recipes and trying to take the credit for myself, but if you really want the credit then you better beat me to the punch.

So to start off...... one of my favorite recipes from Shawna, Molasses Pork Tenderloin  

1/2 cup Molasses (Grannies)

1/4 - 1/2 cup Chicken Broth

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

2 Tbl Lemon Juice 

2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper 

3 LBS Pork Tenderloin

Mix everything together in a bowl. Put in crock pot for 5 - 6  hours.

I love this soo much and everyone I have made this for, loves it too!   Thank you Shawna for this.  I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I have.

Love ya,

Tana

Broccoli Soup

1 Head of Broccoli

1/2 Onion

Cover with chicken broth.  Let cool down.  When cooled blend together in blender. If you want more of a creamy soup blend all the way, if not, blend to your liking.

Add salt and pepper

Make white sauce

1 cup of flower

1 cub butter

4 cups of Half and Half or milk

Put together

Add a block of sharp cheddar cheese - shredded.  Or as much as you would like.  More the better:)

If you want more flavor add garlic salt, onion powder or onion salt or what ever you would like:)

This is a very easy meal to make and it is to die for.  You can also you Cauliflower instead of broccoli.  If making the cauliflower soup put some garlic in with the onions and broth (1/2-1 clove?) I haven't tried putting garlic in the the broccoli but I'm sure it would be yummy.

Tana

let's try this one more time:)

Welcome family.  So I have decided to start a new recipe blog that will allow us to log in with our own email and password since the last blog got a little too complicated (I kept forgetting the name and password:)) Now you can post as many recipes as you would like.  This is mostly because of our AMAZING brother Brandon who has decided to become a cook now that he has a crock pot.  Good job Brandon!! OK maybe that's not entirely true, I am kind of sick of my recipes and would love to get more.  But the only way we will be able to make this work is if EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE contributes.  I know this will take a lot of work for some of you but if we can truly do this I think it will be a very good, helpful and yummy blog. With that being said I expect at less one new recipe from each of you each month.  If you have no idea on how to post a recipe, just call one of  us and we will help you:)

Good luck Family!!

Love Your little sister Tana