Giada's Banana Muffins with Marscapone Cream Cheese Frosting

Muffins:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

Frosting:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Struesel topping:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, cut into small pieces
1.5 cups brown sugar
1.5 cups flour

Mix butter, sugar and flour in a sandwich bag and mix until it crumbles. Put on top of the muffins before baking.

Directions

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly. The muffins may be eaten warm or cooled completely and frosted.

To frost the cupcakes: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the mascarpone cheese and then beat in the honey. Spread the frosting over the muffins. Sprinkle with the walnuts.

Chef Deborah's Brownies

2 packages Duncan Hines Brownie Mix
1 package chocolate chips

Mix brownie according to directions. When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot brownies, spread and let cool.

Seasonings for Salmon

Butter
Salt & pepper
Paprika
Dill

Rub butter on salmon. Sprinkle seasonings and broil.

Mozzarella Sausage Balls

2 links Italian sausages
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, diced in small pieces
2 eggs,  beaten
1 cup biscuit mix

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup pecorino Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown the sausage. Wait until cool and crumble it in a bowl. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well until blended. Form into 1" balls and place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-18 minutes until deep golden brown and cooked through.

Makes about 40.

Marina’s Neopolitan Cookies

16 oz. almond paste at room temperature 

2 cups butter 

2 cups sugar 

8 egg yolks 

8 egg whites 

4 cups flour 

Zest of one orange

1 tsp almond extract 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp fiori de sicilia

red food color 

green food color 

raspberry jam or Nutella Chocolate 

Chocolate Glaze: make this the next day. 

In a crockpot on low, mix a whole package of chocolate almond bark until melted, add 1 cup heavy cream and mix well.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

Grease bottom of three jelly roll pans (approx 11 x15). Make a parchment paper sling. This makes it easier to remove from pan. 

 Line with wax paper, then spray with Pam. 

Beat egg whites until stiff and set aside. 

Mix almond paste, butter, sugar, extracts and zest together.  

Add egg yolks and mix until mixture is light and fluffy. 

Add flour until barely mixed. Add egg whites to the batter by hand until thoroughly mixed. 

Divid batter in thirds. 

Mix red food color in one, green in the second, and leave the third plain.

Spread into prepared pans using a small offset spatula. 

Bake 10- 14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. 

If you are cooking two trays at a time, switch the pans in the oven after 5 minutes. Make sure the center is loose before inverting. I use a cookies sheet without sides to loosen the layers off the waxed paper.   

Cool five minutes. 

Remove wax paper and let cool. 

If you have a large cutting board, it helps to put the first layer on this for support.  Spread jam or Nutella over green layer, top with plain layer. 

Spread more jam or Nutella and top with pink layer. 

Place a piece of waxed paper over the to, wrap in Saran Wrap, put a sheet pan on top and weigh it down with heavy cans overnight. 

Cut 2" strips and spread top and sides with chocolate glaze. Slice each strip into thin slices.

Breakfast Casserole

1 pkg breakfast sausage links
6 english muffins, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup bacon bits

Cook sausage, cool slightly. Cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place english muffin cubes in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish; drizzle with butter. Layer with sausage, cheese, onion, and red pepper. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese. Sprinkle with bacon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

Cinnamon Clay

1 cup cinnamon
1 tbsp cloves
1 tbsp nutmeg
3/4 cup applesauce (well drained)
2 tbsp white glue

Mix cnnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add applesauce and glue. Work mixture with hands until smooth and well mixed. Divide into four portions. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness between two pieces of waxed paper. Cut with cookie cutters. Use a straw to make holes if you want to hang your ornaments. Put on a wire rack to dry at room temperature for several days. Turn twice daily so they don't curl. Hang with ribbon or colored yarn.

You can also dry the ornaments in a slow oven at 250 degrees until hard and dry.