Hot Toddy are a great cocktail for parties (usually winter or a brisk fall or if your out camping) or just curling up with a good movie or book. Its a simple cocktail that doesn't require expensive liqueur. Its made from things you usually have in your fridge and pantry. So I encourage you if you are of age ;) to try it. It was the best!

It was dinner time again and the family asked for a unique cake recipe. Well I was tired from cooking all day long and I basically was completely burned out! So I decided to just make a simple pound cake. But as I was making it I saw the Smirnoff I had been drinking on the counter LOL
😁. And well...The Rest is History!

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until it appears to be light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, then add the bananas. Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Blend the flour mixture into the banana mixture. Stir just enough to evenly combine. Fold in the walnuts.

Banana Blueberry Cake 

4. Crack your eggs in a bowl and place them to the side.
5. Rinse your Blueberries. (If you want sweeter blueberries rinse the night before and add sugar with a pinch of salt). Leave them whole and place them to the side.

So here it goes!

Garlic French bread Recipe:

1 Loaf of French bread or Italian Bread

1/2 cup of Butter or Margarine

Generous Sprinkling of Garlic Powder (There is no set amount to use as much or as little as you want.)

2 tbsps. Of Fresh or Dried Parsley

Instructions
With a serrated knife cut the French bread or Italian bread in half once lengthwise and cut in half again. This will leave you with 4 pieces.

Mix your butter. If you use real butter please make sure its softened. Let it sit on the counter for 10 min. If you use margarine you can start adding the other ingredients right away.

In a bowl add your butter, garlic and parsley. You can use a hand mixer, mix by hand or you can use a food processor. Mix well until your compound butter is completely incorporated.

On a cookie sheet place all four pieces of bread evenly on the sheet. Cook in the oven on 400. Allow it to bake for 10 min. Take it out of the oven spread each piece with the compound butter and place back in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes and then remove. Bake for longer if you want a crispier bread. I had to make mine softer for my father.




Baked Ziti Recipe:


3 10oz Bags of Penne Pasta
4 Jars of Classic Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 Onions
1 1/2 Bell Peppers
3 tbsp. Italian Seasonings
2 tbsps Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tbsps Hot Sauce
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
1 Bay Leaf
2 tbsp Basil
2 tbsp Parsley
1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
3 Hot Italian Sausage Links
1 4lb Pk of 73/27 Ground Beef
4 cups Mozzarella/Provolone Blend Cheese
All seasonings can and should be adjusted to your tastes!

Instructions
Cook your penne pasta for 10 minutes. It will not be done but it will finish cooking in the oven so under cooking is fine. Add plenty of salt and oil to your water. This will keep the pasta from sticking and give it plenty of flavor. Cook off and then drain.

Cooking the Meat
Take your Italian sausage and remove it from the casing. Drop into a big bowl. Add your ground beef and thoroughly mix together.

Add to a cast iron pan and cook. There will be an abundance of oil coming from the meat. Drain it out. You don't want your meat swimming in oil. Season your meat liberally with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add your onions and bell pepper right into the meat.

 

Stir and cook. You'll see the onions and bell pepper soften. When the meat is browned turn off the heat.


Cooking the Sauce
Unless you want to make your own sauce buy classic tomato sauce. Its pretty bland so you can doctor it up to your tastes.

Add salt, sugar, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, Italian seasoning, the bay leaf, parsley, hot sauce, and crushed red pepper to the sauce. Let it simmer and boil for 5 minutes. Taste your sauce. If your sauce is bland, acidic and has a strong tomato flavor add more salt and sugar.




Add a little at a time. If you add too much you'll end up with a sweet sauce for your ziti and that’s not good. You can also add more of your other seasonings. Make it so that it fits your tastes. Play around with it experiment!

Mixing
Now you can start to create your Baked Ziti. This can be done in 2 Methods:

1st Method is Layering:
Mix your penne, meat, and sauce in the pot. Let it rest for a couple minutes. You want the pasta to soak up the sauce. Get your casserole dish or roasting pan and create the first layer of ziti. Add your cheese to the top. Then add another layer of ziti, top the layer off with cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minute. Once the ziti is bubbling and the cheese is completely melted remove from the oven. Let it rest for 5 minutes then serve.

2nd Method is Fill the Pan and Top with Cheese:
Mix your penne and sauce up in a large roasting pan or casserole dish. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes. This will let the flavors marry and the pasta cook. Add the cheese to the top of the ziti. Sprinkle it liberally place back in the oven until cheese is melted. Remove let it rest for 5 minutes and then serve. (I opted for the 2nd Method)




Serve with a light salad: Romaine lettuce & cherry tomatoes, lemon vinaigrette or Caesar dressing, and homemade garlic bread. And a big pitcher of Sweet Tea!

Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup flour
2 eggs, large
2 tbsps lemon zest
2 tbsps lemon juice
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the tart lemon glaze:
4 tbsp lemon juice
8 tsp lemon zest
1 rounded cup powdered sugar

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter and set aside. 3. Zest and juice two lemons and set aside. 4. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined. 5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. 6. Pour it into the flour mixture and beat for 2 mins at medium speed until smooth and creamy. 7. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins, should turn golden around the edges. 8. Allow to cool completely before glazing. Do not overbake, or the bars will dry. 9. Filter the powdered sugar and whisk with lemon zest and juice. 10. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula and let glaze set. 11. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the bars, and let it set (not harden like most). 12. Cut into bars and serve.

Here's how they turned out:

Chop and or dice your veggies. In a saute pan cook them down until they are soft. Once cooked season them with salt and pepper and place in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.

In another pot cook your peeled tomatoes. Add the seasonings and hot sauce. Let it simmer for 15 minutes, slowly crushing and squishing the tomatoes until all the tomatoes are somewhat crushed and juicy. Remove your pureed veggies and place in a bowl or in the saute pan for a moment. Place your tomatoes in the blender and blend until velvety smooth. Add the veggie puree and stir together. Bring to a slow simmer on medium heat for 25 minutes.

Make your grilled cheese. I like mine traditional: American Cheese, White or Wheat bread and a little butter. Here's how you get fool proof grill cheese every time without adding extra butter to the pan. 

Unwrap your cheese and place in between two slices of bread. Take your butter on margarine and butter both sides of the sandwich. Place in a hot pan and let it cook for 5 to 6 minutes on both sides until golden brown. Don't press the sandwich down you'll force out the cheese. Once the cheese is fully melted and the sandwich is brown on both sides remove and wait to serve.

Now once your soup is ready all you have to do is add a dollop of sour cream a sprinkle of parsley and some bacon and you've got a delicious filling, warm soup that is just so comforting!!!!

Source: News.com.au

This banana bread is the perfect idea for a party. It can be paired with a really good homemade butter (orange vanilla bean butter or cinnamon butter) some delicious fried chicken and some really good herbed home fries w/ a pink grapefruit bellini. Maybe I'll post some more ideas or show you how its done in the near future. For now happy eating!