Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (test banana sweetness)

Directions:

1. Cut the bananas into 1-inch pieces and freeze.
2. Put the frozen bananas in a food processor and puree, scraping down sides periodically, until smooth.
3. Add the peanut butter and honey and puree.
4. Serve immediately or refreeze until ready to enjoy.

Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson, Food Network

Homemade Buffalo Chicken Dip

Serves: 8-10
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Giant Eagle rotisserie chicken, chilled
• 8 oz. package Giant Eagle brick cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. Giant Eagle blue cheese dressing
• 1/2 c. hot sauce
• 4 oz. container crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Remove the skin of chicken and de-bone.
3. Shred the cleaned chicken pieces and set aside.
4. Place cream cheese into a 2 quart casserole dish.
5. Stir until smooth.
6. Mix in salad dressing, hot sauce and blue cheese.
7. Stir in chicken.
8. Bake 20 minutes, or until heated through.
9. Stir before serving.
10. Serve with your favorite dipping snack, such as tortilla chips, crackers, or celery sticks.

Microwave Instructions:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, prepare the recipe above.
2. Microwave uncovered on HIGH for 7 minutes, until hot.
3. Stir halfway through cooking.

Italian Parmesan Wings

Serves: 6-8
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Marinating Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 lb. bag Giant Eagle frozen chicken wings, thawed
• 1 c. Giant Eagle zesty Italian dressing
• 2 c. Giant Eagle grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Place thawed chicken wings in a large bowl. Pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
2. Add zesty Italian dressing to wings and toss to coat.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425 F.
   
5. Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet or roasting pan.
6. Place 1 and 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish; roll marinated wings in Parmesan cheese to coat.
7. Place Parmesan coated wings on wire rack and bake for about 30 minutes.
   
8. Remove wings from the oven and turn them over.
9. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese atop wings and return to oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 F.
10. Remove wings from oven and serve hot.

To reheat Italian Parmesan wings at your tailgate event: wrap them in foil and heat atop an outdoor grill for about 20 minutes to an internal temperature of 165 F.

Layered Fiesta Dip

Serves: 6-8
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Giant Eagle ground chuck beef
• 16 oz. container Giant Eagle Mexican-style medium salsa, divided
• 10 oz. container Giant Eagle queso dip with jalapenos
• 16 oz. container Giant Eagle sour cream
• 1 c. Giant Eagle shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, brown ground chuck over medium high heat for about 8 minutes.
2. Drain and return to skillet.
3. Add 1/2 cup of the salsa to browned beef and cook for another minute until juices are absorbed.
4. Transfer beef into an 8x8-inch glass dish and spread evenly across bottom.
5. Top beef with a layer of queso dip.
6. Strain remaining salsa over top of queso dip.
7. Spread sour cream atop salsa layer and top with shredded cheese.
8. Chill covered in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
9. Serve chilled with tortilla chips.

Peach Bellini

When peaches are in season, there is nothing like a celebration featuring these champagne cocktails. Peel and slice several juicy ripe peaches and puree the flesh. Pour a little peach puree into champagne glasses and fill with champagne. Garnish with fresh slices of peach. For a little extra kick, add a dash of peach schnapps to each glass.

Kir Royale

This simple but elegant champagne cocktail is perfect for intimate celebrations. Any kind of sparkling dry wine will go beautifully with the classic black current liqueur.

Glass of champagne
Splash of cassis
Twist of lemon

Pour a splash of cassis into the bottom of a champagne glass. Gently fill to the top with champagne. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Bloody Mary

1 1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 cup Tomato Juice
2 dashes hot sauce
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 oz lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Grind of pepper

Stir everything but the pepper and pour into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Grind fresh black pepper over the top, and garnish with a stalk of celery, a slice of lemon, and a cherry tomato.

Hot Apple Toddy

2 oz apple brandy
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
boiling apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
a slice of lemon

Pour the whiskey and lemon juice into your favorite mug. Fill with boiling cider and stir in the honey with a cinnamon stick. Garnish with a slice of lemon. Relax and enjoy!

Old Fashioned

2 oz blended whiskey
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Twist of orange
Slice of lemon

Combine with the whiskey, sugar, and bitters in an old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes. Stir and garnish with the orange twist and lemon slice. Add a cherry just for fun.

Watermelon Cooler

Nothing says SUMMER like a watermelon cooler on the patio with good friends after a day on the beach.

2 oz white rum
1 oz lime juice
1 tablespoon grenadine
1/2 cup diced watermelon

Blend all ingredients in a blender with crushed ice. Pour into a cocktail glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with a slice of lime and sliver of watermelon.

Pina Colada

Can't get to the tropics for a vacation in Paradise? Bring Paradise home by putting on some island music and making pina coladas at home!

2 oz light rum
2 oz coconut cream
1 oz heavy cream
4 oz pineapple juice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of crushed ice, and blend for another 15 seconds. Pour into a fancy glass, and garnish with a wedge of pineapple and a maraschino cherry, or an orchid if you happen to have one on hand. For a yummy vacation, add chunks of frozen banana instead of crushed ice!

Strawberry Royale

2 cups hulled strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar
chilled champagne
cassis (black currant liqueur)

Combine the strawberries with the sugar and let macerate for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Spoon into champagne glasses, fill with champagne, and add a splash of cassis to each glass. Garnish with fresh whole strawberries.

Margaritas

Fresh squeezed lime juice gives this margarita an extra kick. Do not substitute the bottled variety. It's worth the extra effort.

1 part white tequila
1 part fresh lime juice with simple syrup
1 part triple sec
lime slices
coarse salt

First squeeze and strain the lime juice. Mix with just enough simple syrup to take the edge off. Mix in a pitcher with tequila and triple sec with plenty of ice cubes. Rim your margarita glasses with coarse salt, fill with margarita, and garnish each with a slice of lime. Serve with your favorite salsa or guacamole.

Herbal Remedy

2 oz gin
1.5 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz herb syrup

To make the herb syrup, bring a cup each of water and sugar to a boil, remove from heat, and pour into a jar with a few sprigs of rosemary, tarragon, mint, or other herbs from your garden. Cool and refrigerate. This is great for making herbal sodas or adding to hot tea as well.

For the cocktail, combine ingredients in a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime and a sprig of the herb used in the syrup. You'll feel better immediately.

Classic Martini

2 oz gin
1 bottle dry vermouth
2 green olives

Freeze the bottle of gin and chill your martini glass. Pour the gin into the glass. Pass the bottle of vermouth over the glass, making sure the light shines through the bottle into the gin. Garnish with two green olives.

Cosmopolitan

1 1/4 oz citron vodka
1/4 oz lime juice
1/4 oz triple sec
1/4 cup cranberry juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Banana Bread

Two recipes to choose from.

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

• No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 
• With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. 
• Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. 
• Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
• Add the flour last, mix. 
• Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. 
• Bake for 1 hour. 
• Cool on a rack. 
• Remove from pan and slice to serve.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
• Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.
• Spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream.

Palachinka (Palacinke) Croatian Crepes

3 eggs
1 qt. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
3 3/4 c. flour
6 tbsp. melted butter

Thoroughly mix all dry ingredients with milk and eggs. Add melted butter and blend well. Spread 1/4 cup batter in hot greased pan. Tip pan to get very thin pancake. Brown lightly. Remove from pan and spread with cheese filling while still hot and roll jelly roll style.

CHEESE FILLING FOR PALACHINKA
2 lb. cottage cheese
1/2 c. sugar
Dash salt
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Flat Iron Steak Casserole

Garlic meroje (spices)
Sage
Rosemary
Oil, salt
Make paste
Flavor meat and potatoes
Cut in slices
Mix with Meroje
Potatoes Slices
Line pan like Mousaka potatoes
Layer with savoy cabbage meat and potatoes cabbage – 2 times
Mix water with meroje and pour over dish
Cover with aluminum foil and bake 350 degrees for 2.5 hours
Uncover put cheese
Melt
Fontina Cheese