Broccoli-Bacon Salad

2 Heads broccoli, cut into small bite-sized pieces
1 small red onion, chopped
2 T. Bacon bits/real bacon cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup sliced/slivered almonds

Toss all ingredients together.

Dressing:

2/3 c Miracle Whip
1 1/2 T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c sugar

Mix together and pour over salad, and toss.

Chocolate Carrot Cake

Click here for recipe from Taste of Home.

This is one of my favorite chocolate cakes to make. I frost it all over and top with chocolate chips. I keep it in the fridge before serving because the chocolate cream cheese frosting tends to melt a little a room temp. Sometimes I like to buy the half size pirouette cookies and place them standing up around the outside of the cake and then tie a cute ribbon around it.

Ham with Pinapple Sauce

This one is so easy! I buy a small sliced portion of ham. Ham is precooked, so all I do is heat it up over low to medium heat briefly either in a skillet or in the microwave. Just don't overheat it or it will get leathery and tough. I make the pineapple sauce and serve it warm to put on the ham.

Pineapple Sauce for Ham
2 small cans crushed pineapple (since my kids aren't crazy about this I use 1 can)
1/2 c brown sugar
cornstarch and water

Mix a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch with a little water. It should look like whole milk (too much water makes it look more like skim milk). It doesn't take very much water. Place pineapple and brown sugar in pot and cook til hot. Add cornstarch and water mix and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

*I drain a little juice from the pineapple, but not all of it. The cornstarch acts as a thickener.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This recipe comes from the San Diego Cooks blog. I add extra white flour (around 1/4 cup) to make the batter a little thicker.

1 1/4 C. whole wheat flour
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1 heaping tsp. baking powder
Dash of salt
1 1/4 C. milk
1 egg

Whisk all ingredients together, then spoon onto a hot griddle. Flip once the bubbles pop. Butter, then serve with syrup or powdered sugar. Yum!

Banana Bread

This one is from my sister-in-law, Elizabeth Earl. It's a Mrs. Field's recipe.

3/4 cup butter/marg
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups mashed bananas (about 7 bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Continue beating while you sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture. Add nuts. Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes for a loaf, or about 20 min for muffins.

Roasted Chicken with Rosemary

This is another one of those extra recipes that I love, but don't make on a regular basis.

Taste of Home- Roast Chicken with Rosemary