Amish Slaw

I love coleslaw...but only when it's vinegar based.  I'm not a mayo girl (in fact, if something I love has mayo in it, I make sure no one lets me in on the secret!), so this was a perfect coleslaw for me.  It's also great to make when it's going to be sitting out for a while--there's no dairy in it whatsoever!

Note:  There will be a LOT of the dressing left over.  The Amish made this slaw (according to the woman who shared the recipe with me) to help preserve veggies.  It's not a flaw in the dressing.  Use a slotted spoon, like this adorable one from ModCloth:

Anywho, moving on...Amish Slaw!

Ingredients

1 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded (I didn't use a purple one, but you could)

1 medium onion, finely chopped (I'm not a huge raw onion fan, so I used about 1/3 of the whole onion)

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly

2 shredded carrots

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard (I used Nance's Sharp and Creamy, not yellow mustard)
3/4 cup vegetable oil


Directions
1.  In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, onion, bell pepper, and carrot with the 1 cup of sugar.

2.  In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, salt, celery seed, 1 tsp white sugar, mustard, and oil.  Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.  Cool completely, then pour over cabbage mixture.  Toss to coat.  Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

This coleslaw is amazing the day it's made, but even better a couple days later when the flavors get to marry a bit.  It's definitely a crowd pleaser!
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp

Banana Bread!

So, I had 3 bananas turning brown in my house--my roommate from college Julie once did a Dietetics Experiment involving banana bread with different stages of banana in them, so I knew it was the perfect time for it!

Photos to come soon!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 medium bananas, mashed
1 cup chocolate chips, optional (I actually used a combo of white and semi-sweet chips!  Delish!)


Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 2 9x5 inch loaf pans.

2.  In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir into the butter mixture until smooth.  Finally, fold in the sour cream, mashed bananas, and chocolate chips.

3.  Spread evenly into the prepared pans.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.


I think the best part of this banana bread is how moist it is, and how amazing it is while still hot--the chips are so melty!  Enjoy!