Celebrating nine years of wonderful readers, stories and recipes

Can you believe we are in our ninth year together… you and me, thinking, sharing, telling stories about our families and friends and the foods that connect and make memories! We celebrate, too, Major Market as a wonderful company that believes as we do in putting the community first and has been our FANTASTIC partner all these years.

Today, then, we’ll take a short journey down memory lane with a few special favorites of the first few years. These aren’t fancy recipes. They ARE good family favorites that have stood the test of time.

Easy and Elegant Banana Bread

1/3 cup Wesson or Canola oil

1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)

½ tsp. vanilla

2 1/3 cups baking mix

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup chopped nuts

Optional topping:

½ cup raw sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. melted butter

½ cup quick cooking oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf baking pan. Blend all ingredients with a fork. Beat vigorously for 1 minute.

If using, combine the topping ingredients in a zippered-top plastic bag and manipulate with your fingers until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over top of the bread.

Bake 50-55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Take from oven. Cool 10 minutes. Turn from pan onto wire rack and cool completely. Wrap well in foil or plastic wrap. Store at room temperature. Makes one loaf. Recipe can easily be doubled to make 2 large loaves or 3 smaller loaves. To serve, slice

evenly with serrated knife.

Banana Bread knows no season or reason… except that you just might be like me and refuse to throw away bananas that get too ripe. As I wrote when this was first printed seven years ago, I toss them in the freezer and when I have three to six bananas I make banana bread.

One additional tip: take from the freezer a day before you want to make the bread and thaw in the refrigerator. Cut one end of the banana and it peels just like a zipper. Leave the bananas at room temperature for at least an hour, otherwise the cold bananas will increase the baking time.

By the way, the optional topping is a “new addition” to this favorite recipe. What I like most is that it gives a crunchy texture to the top… try it once and see if YOU like it.

Yummy Chocolate Pudding

1 (12 oz. can) evaporated milk (regular or low fat)

2/3 cup skim milk

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/3 cup cocoa

½ cup sugar (or Splenda)

½ tsp. ground cinnamon, optional

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine evaporated milk and skim milk in a heavy saucepan or double boiler. Combine cornstarch with sugar and cocoa (add cinnamon, if used) and blend well with whisk, breaking up lumps in the cornstarch. Slowly stir in milk.

Cook over low heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a full boil. Cook at least 2 minutes at boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Place waxed paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to keep film from forming. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Pudding will thicken as it cools. Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator.

Serves 4. (Recipe can be doubled easily.)

When a person wants chocolate, chocolate it is. Here is a simple cooked chocolate pudding recipe that is even LOW in fat calories. It was first printed for a Father’s Day feature in 2000.

Seafood Salad (or sandwich filling)

½ cup finely chopped celery

2 tbsp. finely chopped onion

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 (7.5 oz.) can pink or red salmon, drained

½ lb. cooked shrimp or imitation crab

1 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tbsp. low-fat sour cream

Combine all ingredients and lightly mix with a fork. Refrigerate for 2 hours to blend flavors. Serve as salad or between slices of bread or buns, as filling for sandwiches.

While there would never be any reason to turn down a tuna salad sandwich, my husband helped me create this Seafood Salad in 2001 with a simple question: “Could you make a tuna-style sandwich with something other

than tuna?”

Rising to the challenge, I worked out this one that uses canned salmon along with your choice between cooked shrimp and imitation crab. It, too, knows no season.