PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 13x9-inch baking pan; set aside. Beat cake mix, eggs, bananas, sour cream and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, stopping frequently to scrape bottom and side of bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Pour into prepared pan.
BAKE 35 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
BEAT cream cheese and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. After adding vanilla, gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.
REMOVE cake from pan; cut crosswise in half. Place one cake half, top-side down, on large serving plate; spread top with frosting. Top with remaining cake half, top side up. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Carefully press walnuts into frosting on sides of cake. Store in refrigerator.
How to Neatly Frost the Cake:
Freeze cake layers about 20 min. before frosting. This helps to set the crumbs on the cut edges of the cake layers so they don't pull up into the frosting. And don't worry if the frosting does not look perfect on the sides of the cake - the nuts will cover any imperfections.
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APPLESAUCE BREAD
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup applesauce
2 large eggs
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
PREHEAT the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 by 4 by 3-inch loaf pan.
CREAM the butter and brown sugar. Add the remaining ingredients except the raisins and nuts. Mix well until blended. Stir in the raisins and nuts. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes.
AFTER cooling, slice and serve with Creamy Apple Butter (see below).
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CREAMY APPLE BUTTER
INGREDIENTS
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup apple butter
WHIP the cream cheese and apple butter together. Serve with Applesauce Bread.
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CHRIS' DOO DADS
ITEMS NEEDED
1 X-large roasting pan (turkey-roasting sized)
1 roll of paper towels
PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees F. Place large roasting pan inside during preheating process.
COMBINE margarine, spices, sauces, and pepper in a microwavable bowl. Heat in microwave (3 minutes, approx.) until margarine is fully melted. Stir margarine mixture until completely blended.
PLACE peanuts in roasting pan then cover with the Chex cereals. In small increments, carefully pour the margarine mixture over the cereal, stirring as you pour, until cereal and peanuts are evenly coated.
REPLACE roasting pan in oven for 1 hour, stirring mixture every 15 minutes. ADD CHEESE BITS AFTER 30 MINUTES! When mixture appears loose and dry, spread mixture onto a flat surface, covered with paper towels to cool.
STORE in plastic zip bags or containers to retain freshness.
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CHRIS' BEST ICED TEA
INGREDIENTS
2 Qts. water
1 Qt. ice
8 favorite flavored tea bags
1.5 to 2 cups sugar (or favorite sweetener)
1/2 cup lemon (or lime) juice
BRING TO BOIL 2 quarts of water.
DROP in 8 tea bags; boil for 15 minutes, then set aside.
USE A 3 QUART PITCHER to place 1 quart of ice, sugar, and juice.
REMOVE Tea bags carefully from hot water; squeeze (or press) bags to remove excess tea.
POUR hot tea into 3 quart pitcher and stir until sugar is dissolved. Chill and serve over ice.
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CREAM OF HAM & CHEESE CHOWDER
INGREDIENTS
2 heads of Cauliflower
2 Cans Chicken Broth
2 Lbs. of Ham, cubed in to bite-size pieces
2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 Quart Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Strips of Bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
MUTILATE your heads of cauliflower in to itty-bitty pieces and boil them in the chicken broth till the cauliflower is downright mushy; remove from heat.
PUREE the cauliflower. This is much easier if you have one of those "Blender On A Stick" things that you can get at a thrift store for $1.99, but you can also do it by transporting the cauliflower and broth in to a blender and doing it there. You want this to be the consistency of baby food. Keep off of the heat to cool nicely.
STIR in your quart of heavy cream. If the cauliflower is too hot when you do this, it'll curdle! You want there to be just enough heat left for the next step, which is to stir in the grated cheese little by little, making sure each little bit melts thoroughly before adding more.
TOSS in your bacon, followed by your ham chunks. Put back on the stove on "Low" to get all the ham cooked nicely. Stir often.
It's delicious, creamy and tastes nothing like cauliflower :)
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TRASHY COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
1 box cake mix (any flavor/variety)
1 box instant pudding (any flavor/variety)
1 cup of ONE of the following: chocolate morsels, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, raisins, etc.
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond, lemon, coconut, or banana)
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
DUMP all ingredients in a large bowl and mix it up. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little water.
DROP dough spoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until set.
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CHEESEBURGER SALAD
INGREDIENTS
2 onions, chopped
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/2 c chopped dill pickles
1/2 c chopped tomatoes
5 frozen hamburger patties
8-10 slices of American cheese
Garlic powder, to taste
Pepper, to taste
DIVIDE tomatoes, pickles, and lettuce evenly between two bowls.
SAUTEE chopped onions until translucent.
COOK the hamburger patties in a large frying pan or wok. While cooking, chop burgers into small pieces. Once burgers are nearly fully cooked, add chopped onions and mix thoroughly. Add seasonings to taste. Once burger mix is fully cooked, lay the cheese slices on top to melt.
AFTER cheese melts, scoop the mix into the prepared bowls; add ketchup if desired. Mix and enjoy!
