This bread is everything banana bread should be: golden and crunchy on the outside; moist, dense and flavorful on the inside. Jim doesn't like bananas or anything that tastes remotely close to bananas, so this treat is mine and mine alone. (Okay, I share with anyone else in the house who wants a piece, but luckily that's only Brianna most of the time.)

3 1/2 cups flour

1 2/3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

5-6 very ripe bananas, peeled (of course)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

In large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and baking powder. In a second bowl, stir together remaining ingredients until well mixed. Add banana mixture to flour mixture; stir just until ingredients are well moistened. Pour batter into two greased 9X5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until center is done and toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove to cooling racks.

Makes 2 loaves.

A perfect blend of chicken, sauce and cilantro. (I love cilantro!) I use the deliciously tangy Pomegrante Barbecue Sauce but any barbecue sauce will do.

Pizza dough

2 cups Pomegranate Barbecue Sauce or any other BBQ sauce

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup diced red onion

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

3 cups shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press pizza dough onto a greased 16-inch pizza pan. Spread with barbecue sauce, cilantro, red onion, chicken and cheese. Sprinkle a bit of cilantro on top of cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until crust is golden, center is hot and cheese is melted.

Makes 1 yummy pizza.

In our house, this cake is known as "Christmas Cake" because I always make it for our Christmas breakfast (to go with our Breakfast Pizza). Throughout the years I've varied the berries, depending on what's available, what sounds good at the time. You can also add banana slices to the layers (just be sure to dunk them in lemon juice first so they don't turn brown).

1 pound cake (homemade or purchased) sliced in three horizontal layers

1/2 of an 8-ounce container frozen whipped topping

1/2 of an 8-ounce container fruit-flavored cream cheese (strawberry, pineapple or berry)

fresh and/or frozen berries of your choosing

Beat whipped topping and cream cheese together until smooth, using a little more topping if mixture seems too thick to spread easily on cake. On serving plate, place bottom layer of cake. Frost with a third of the whipped mixture; cover layer with some fruit. Add second layer of cake; top with another third of whipped mixture and more fruit over entire layer. Add top layer of cake; frost with remaining whipped mixture and arrange fruit on top.

Serve within 30 minutes (or fruit juices muck up the cake), carefully slicing vertically.

Makes six servings.

Warm fruit dishes topped with vanilla ice cream are among my most favorite of things in the universe. This cobbler, a tweaked version of "Patsy's Blackberry Cobbler" from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, is one of my very favorite of all. If blueberries aren't your thing -- or if there's a great deal on another fresh or frozen fruit -- take heart in knowing that two cups of any fruit can be substituted for the blueberries.

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup of the sugar with the flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Whisk in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top and return to oven; bake 10 more minutes.

Serve warm, topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes 8 servings.

This Breakfast Pizza has been a part of our Christmas breakfasts for years and years. It's easy to throw together and the red and green peppers add a festive color. It's also great any other day of the year.

2 8-ounce cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

12 eggs, beaten

1 pound breakfast sausage, browned, drained and crumbled

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

12 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 11X17 cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Unroll sheets of dough onto sheet (one can per half of sheet); pinch together all perforations and push up edges to create a seamless crust.

Sprinkle a small amount of cheese onto crust. Pour beaten eggs onto crust, spreading evenly to edges. Top evenly with crumbled sausage, green and red pepper and cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until egg in center is set. Cut into squares.

Makes 12 servings.

This addicting dip also works well as a sandwich filling. Just make the chicken chunks larger and use about half the mayo; make as directed and pile onto French rolls for a hearty dinner sandwich.

2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken

1/4 cup (or more, to taste) of mild/hot wing sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions (optional, but I use them)

1 teaspooon lemon juice

1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese

These bars are incredibly delicious, so much so that I made and sent them in care packages to the girls during their college years. The first time, I frosted them before mailing, which meant the girls pretty much just licked the frosting off the plastic wrap that covered the bars when they opened their package o' love. After that, I sent the bars unfrosted and included a container of store-bought cream cheese frosting for them to frost the bars themselves. Frosted or not, these bars taste like "home."

BARS:

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups cooking oil

12 ounces baby food carrots (jars, plastic containers, whatever -- as long as it's 12 ounces total)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

FROSTING:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

3/4 stick margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 11X17 cookie sheet. Beat eggs and sugar; stir in oil. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients, then stir into egg mixture. Fold in carrots. (You can add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts at this point, if you want.) Pour into prepared cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until center is done. Cool before frosting.

To make frosting, beat cream cheese, margarine and vanilla. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, adding milk until  frosting reaches desired consistency.

Keep bars refrigerated.

I've been making this dish for Thanksgiving for about 25 years now. According to my family, it's just not Thanksgiving dinner without Mom's corn casserole on the table. I make it only at Thanksgiving, but considering how quickly it gets gobbled up, I should make it for every other holiday, too ... and Sunday dinners ... and weeknight suppers. My family adores it. I bet yours will, too.

1 10-ounce package frozen corn, thawed and drained

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

6 slices white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1-2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (yes, 300). Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half the corn in the bottom, then sprinkle with half the cheddar cheese, then half the Monterey jack cheese. Cover with half the bread cubes. Repeat all layers. Beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour over all layers, pressing down the bread to be sure it's all moistened. Dot with butter. Bake uncovered for 90 minutes, or until puffed and dark golden on top.

Makes 8 servings.

(For big gatherings, you can double this recipe, using a 9X13 pan/dish. Picture above is a doubled recipe.)

This is my second most popular cookie recipe, after chocolate chip cookies. It's a Hershey's recipe that I've tweaked a bit. I like using white chocolate chips, but it's also great with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. You may even want to try it with the cherry chips you can find in the baking aisle for a chocolate-covered-cherry version.

1 1/4 cups Butter Flavor Crisco

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups (12-ounce package) baking chips -- white, chocolate, peanut butter or combo

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt (can be mixed in smaller bowl first, if you'd like; I just never do that step) and mix well. Stir in baking chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

This is the original Nestle Tollhouse Cookie recipe -- with one exception: I use butter-flavor Crisco (must be Crisco, not generic) instead of butter or margarine; it results in a fluffier, puffier cookie.

1 cup butter-flavor Crisco

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

12-oz package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine first four ingredients; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Add flour, baking soda and salt (sprinkling the soda and salt over the mixture so there are no "hot spots" of either). Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-9 minutes. Transfer to wire rack for cooling.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

This recipe smacks of sweet serendipity. Many years ago I found a version of this recipe in, I think, a Kraft holiday cookbook. It was supposed to make a dessert-style cheese ball and I planned to make a few as gifts for friends and family. But when I used margarine instead of butter, it came out soft and gooey and dip-like, not ball-like. It was so yummy -- and the girls loved eating the "mistake" -- that I never tried making it the correct way, with butter. It's always been a hit any time I've served it, for adults or kids! This is great with graham crackers, graham stix or apple slices.

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup margarine

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, margarine and vanilla until creamed. Gradually add powdered and brown sugars, combining well. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftover dip (not likely you'll have any, though!).

Makes about 2 cups.

This isn't a recipe I've been making for years, but it's one I definitely plan on making for years to come. I found the recipe at My Baking Addiction (she adapted it from allrecipes.com) and immediately had to try it myself. The bread filled the house with a mouthwatering aroma as it baked and ended up tasting even better than it smelled. This recipe makes three loaves -- enough for sharing with friends, family, coworkers. I plan to bake up a few batches for the annual holiday cookie swap with my extended family!

3 cups white sugar

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, vanilla and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake for 1 hour, or until middle no longer feels soft. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

Make 3 loaves.

Jim refuses to eat zucchini, but he's hard-pressed to find anything wrong with this bread, even exclaiming "I really like this" the first time he gave in to my pleading for him to try it. You'll really like it, too, as long as you like moist and chocolatey goodness in a quick -- and easy -- bread.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 medium zucchini, grated (about 2 cups)

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8X4-inch loaf pans.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. (Mixture will be fairly thick and slightly dry at this point.) Stir in zucchini, then stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pans. Bake 65 minutes or until center no longer seems mushy. Cool in pan on metal racks for 20 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.

Makes 2 loaves.

Jim loves anything with chocolate in it. And he loves this chocolate cake so much that it's the only cake he's requested -- and received -- as his birthday cake for the past 18 years or so. The recipe comes from Hershey's; the topping comes from Jim's addiction to Cool Whip. (*I have to adjust for high altitude, so I've included both, just in case.)

Cake:

1 3/4 cups unsifted flour

2 cups sugar (*minus 2 tablespoons for high altitude)

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (*1 1/4 teaspoons)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (*1 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup boiling water (*plus 4 tablespoons)

Topping:

1 tub Cool Whip

Chocolate sprinkles or mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude). Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Stir in boiling water; batter will be VERY thin, about the consistency of hot cocoa. Pour into greased and floured 13X9 cake pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top springs back. Cool completely.

Cover with whipped cream and top with chocolate sprinkles or mini chocolate chips. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

For years and years and years I made the same macaroni salad. Parties, picnics, summer dinners, it was always "Mom's Macaroni Salad." This is not that macaroni salad. This Fajita Pasta Salad is a recent addition to my repertoire, a more grown-up macaroni salad recipe, one I altered from its original hot-dish form. It's spicy and filled with chunks o' yum. For a complete meal, add cooled grilled chicken tenders and serve with rolls. Enjoy!

12 ounces dried campanelle pasta, cooked al dente and drained

8 ounces sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup chipotle-lime marinade (sold in the condiment aisle)

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 medium red sweet pepper, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

4-6 green onions, sliced in 1/4-inch slices

1/3 cup snipped fresh cilantro (more or less, according to taste)

8 ounces cheddar cheese, diced

While pasta is cooking, combine sour cream, mayo, marinade, lime juice, chili powder and cumin. Rinse pasta with cold water until cooled. Add all but sour cream mixture; combine well. Add sour cream mixture and stir well, making sure everything is coated. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

8-10 servings.

I consider this dish breakfast because it's what we've eaten on the morning of the Fourth of July for umpteen years, but I'd say the patriotic fruit plate could be served any day, for any meal. I found the recipe in a Kraft cookbook, those paperback ones you see while waiting in line at the grocery store, fifteen or twenty years ago. It's light, refreshing and -- best of all -- red, white and blue! Oh, and it's super easy, too!

watermelon

blueberries

cottage cheese

Cut the watermelon in half lengthwise, then quarter it lengthwise. From a quarter, cut 1/2-inch slices. Then take each slice and cut in half and cut off the rind to create triangles. Arrange five triangles per serving into a star shape. Fill center with cottage cheese and top with blueberries.

Number of servings are up to you ... and the size of your watermelon!

I first made this coffee cake nearly 25 years ago, after wrangling the recipe out of one of my coworkers. It was back in the day when I worked in the mortgage industry ... before the real estate crash ... the crash of the '80s. (Now I feel old!) It's been a staple of workplace potlucks and family gatherings ever since.

2 cups flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 cup sour milk*

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Heath or Skor candy bars, crushed (but not turned into powder)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9X13 cake pan. Combine first four ingredients with pastry blender; save 1/2 cup (not packed!) for later.

Combine all remaining ingredients except candy and mix well by hand; pour into pan. Sprinkle evenly with reserved topping then crushed candy bars. Bake for 30 minutes. Cut into serving pieces with serrated knife immediately after removing from oven (cake must be cut before the candy topping hardens). Cool completely before serving.

*To make sour milk, pour 1 tablespoon cider vinegar into a measuring cup; add milk to equal 1 cup; let stand for 3-5 minutes.

I love anything with lemon, and this is one of my favorites! From BettyCrocker.com.

Crust:

1 pouch (17.5 oz) sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter, softened

Filling:

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon or 2 medium)*

Topping:

Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat crust ingredients until crumbly. Pour into greased 13X9 pan; press mixture evenly in bottom. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.

While crust cools, in same bowl, stir together all filling ingrients except lemon juice. Stir in lemon juice. Pour mixture over crust.

Bake 25-30 minutes longer or until top is light golden brown. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

*To get the most juice out of your lemons, microwave about 30 seconds then lightly squish and roll on counter to soften before juicing.

There's really nothing special about this macaroni salad but for some reason, my family, friends, relatives, anyone who tries it really likes it. (Jim says it's because it's made with love. Awww...) I consider this the basic recipe but I change it up depending on what I have to work with, what I feel like eating. At different times I've added diced raw zucchini, diced tomatoes, switched out the pickles for cucumbers, used mozzarella instead of cheddar, tried bleu cheese dressing instead of ranch, added various herbs and spices. Oh, and I've used penne pasta just about as often as I've used elbow macaroni. Try the basic or tweak it to your taste -- and be sure to let me know how it worked for you.

16 ounces elbow macaroni or similar pasta, cooked and rinsed with cold water

1 cup frozen peas, thawed but not cooked

1/2 cup diced dill pickles

3 green onions, sliced medium

6 hardboiled eggs, quartered then sliced

12 ounces cheddar cheese, diced

1-2 tablespoons parsley flakes

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup ranch dressing

1/3 cup mustard

1/4 cup juice from pickles

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, mixing well but gently enough that eggs aren't mushed. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to mingle. If you prefer a more moist macaroni salad -- or if it dries out a bit upon refrigeration -- add a little more mayo or dressing or a splash or two of milk.

Makes a big ol' bowl of macaroni salad. (Maybe 12-15 servings. The bowl above is a half-recipe.)

This recipe -- which requires a bread machine -- is my go-to dough for all kinds of homemade pizzas. Alter the flavor by adding spices of your choosing to the dry ingredients.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups bread machine flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan in order listed, making a small well in the flour to hold the yeast. Select 'white dough' cycle on bread machine.

Once dough cycle is done, move oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 16-inch pizza pan (the big ones) with olive oil. Pat dough into a circle on pan with oiled/greased fingers, pushing dough up sides a bit, depending on crust thickness desired. Spread with toppings.

Bake 20 minutes or until crust is light brown.

Yields one big pizza!