Banana Muffins

Alright folks. I know some stores have been running low on bananas lately. But you may have been one of the lucky ones to find some. We ALWAYS have bananas on hand and there are weeks when we will go through a couple of bunches and others we only eat a couple of bananas. On those weeks where we don't eat as many I like to use the ones getting ripe for this amazing recipe. I love banana muffins. I always have. Thankfully, my entire family loves them as well! This recipe is absolutely amazing. I have tried so many different recipes out there, and found some good ones, but this one is the bee's knees!
This recipe yields around 18 muffins that are super moist and jam packed with banana yumminess. It also has a delicious streusel on top which I feel takes it over the edge, unless of course you don't like streusel, then you can just leave it off.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

Hello all! Life is just crazy. I think that is enough said. Between the holidays, trips, and the dreaded toilet paper shortage of 2020, posting recipes has been the last thing on my mind. But, here I am, getting my mind off of the worries of the world and spending more time at home with my family. Recipes may get a little...interesting...over the next few weeks but that's alright.
I know a few days after St. Patrick's day isn't the typical day to post a recipe about Corned Beef, but, that's what's happening. This is the Corned Beef we made this year and it was absolutely phenomenal! Every year I say the same thing, "Why don't we eat Corned Beef more often?!" Seriously though...why don't we. Corned Beef is absolutely delicious. Cooked in the slow cooker keeps it nice and juicy and tender while packed with the amazing peppercorn and saltiness we all love! I wanted to jazz up the flavor packet just a little by adding a couple of other pantry staples to it.
I opted to leave the traditional carrots, potatoes, and cabbage out of the slow cooker this time, but, you can totally add them in to make this an all in one pot dish.

Beef and Broccoli

MMM. Guys. This recipe is amazing. This version of the classic beef and broccoli does NOT have some of the typical ingredients that cause inflammation in the body such as cornstarch, sugar, and vegetable oil. This is a great recipe to use if you are in the beginning phases of "trialing" foods, because other then the beefy ingredients the other ingredients are anti-inflammatory!
Something I love about beef and broccoli is that it doesn't take long to make and can be served together, separate, with rice, without rice, etc. My kids typically like their food all separated out, so meals like this where I can easily do that not only makes them happy, but me as well because I don't have to listen to the groaning at dinner if it's combined.

Buttermilk Biscuits

One of my all time favorite meals is biscuits and gravy. Having a good biscuit makes a big difference. I have tried quite a few different biscuit recipes and this one is the winner in our family.
This biscuit recipe is nice and flaky and isn't dry or chewy.
This recipe is for a basic buttermilk biscuit but you could add your own herbs to it to jazz it up and mix up the flavors each time. Not only do I like to use these biscuits for breakfast with gravy but I also love them with a nice warm bowl of soup or even as a hearty side to some Alfredo or, to be honest, I like them warm with some butter and jam on them. FANTASTIC. Ugh my mouth is salivating, now I need to go make some more!

Snowball Cookies

This type of cookie has so many different names. Whether you know them as Snowball cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding cookies, Crack cookies, etc. it doesn't matter! It's just a darn good cookie.
We haven't had a lot of snow this winter, so we have had to make alternatives to snow to remind us that it's winter. Whether it's having a white pom pom snowball fight in the house or making these cookies, we like to keep the idea of snow alive right now.
This cookie recipe became one of our favorite Christmas/Winter traditions a few years ago. I had never had one of these types of cookies before until I went to my sisters house one year for Christmas and they had these marvelous little bits of heaven waiting for us on the counter. I immediately asked for the recipe and have had it every winter since then in my own home. (Thanx sister!)
last year for Christmas. Pretty sure I ended up eating more then half of the batch that they had made.
The cookies are filled with pecans, rolled to perfection, and dusted heavily with powdered sugar!

Avocado Salsa

One thing I miss about living a little further south is El Pollo Loco. Everything I got at that restaurant was delicious (although slightly over priced in my humble opinion). My favorite thing to order was their Chicken Taco Al' Carbon and I would drench it in this amazing avocado salsa.
So being that we no longer live by an El Pollo Loco I had to go in search of a copycat recipe. 
This recipe is PRETTY DARN CLOSE to El Pollo Loco's Original avocado salsa. I say original because they changed the recipe for theirs a few years ago (per the update below). I don't know if they changed it back but this is our favorite homemade version.
We like ours a bit more thick then how they have theirs but aside from thickness, everything else is pretty spot on.
This recipe is a great alternative to salsa's that use a tomato base for those who can't have tomatoes or who are just looking for something different. We like to make a double batch and keep it in the fridge for a few days to eat with chips and quesadillas.

**UPDATE** I have recently been noticing that the kind at El Pollo Loco is spicier then it used to be and read a sign somewhere that they don't use the jalapeno anymore to make this but they use a habanero pepper instead. So I guess if you like the extra heat you can change the type of pepper in this recipe but I prefer the taste of the original salsa better.

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

I love gyros. Love love love them. We used to have a great little Greek/Mediterranean food place that we would go to all the time when we lived down in Phoenix and they had the BEST food ever. Just thinking about it makes me salivate.
Needless to say I have been craving some gyros lately but I'm way to cheap to buy lamb (which is what we always ordered at that restaurant) so when making it myself  I always opt to use this chicken gyros recipe. It is so good. I have also included a fantastic Tzatziki sauce recipe that goes wonderfully with it.
 I like to add some fresh red onion, tomatoes and sumac and served them on homemade Pita bread.
I also like to pair this up with my favorite Lemon Butter Rice as a side.