Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

-1 1/4 cups sugar
-1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 medium bananas)
-1/2 cups of buttermilk
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-3/4 C chocolate chips (or to taste)

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9" x 5" x 3" pan. (Or 2 - 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch pans)
2. Mix together sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients except nuts and mix until just moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 8-inch loaves for about 1 hour or 9-inch loaf 1 hour 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days or refrigerate up to 10 days.

This was a thank-you gift for Alycia for rescuing me from the park after I locked my keys in my car... long, silly story, but let's just say I handed her my spare keys along with a loaf of this stuff so as to avoid future predicaments. Chocolate banana bread is one of my favorite treats, but hard to say no to when it's in front of you, so bake at your own risk- or make sure you have a willing recipient!

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie

-1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Chicken Soup
-1 can (about 8 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
-2 cups cubed cooked chicken OR turkey
-1 pkg. (8 1/2 ounces) corn muffin mix
-3/4 cup milk
-1 egg
-1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Heat the oven to 400̊F. Stir the soup, corn and chicken in a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Stir the muffin mix, milk and egg with a fork in a small bowl until the ingredients are mixed. Spoon over the chicken mixture.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cornbread is golden. Sprinkle with the cheese. Serves: 4

This is the first meal I hosted in my new little abode, a meal I shared with TJ and Alycia, eaten sitting on my couch with our plates balanced on our knees. Very cozy, and a yummy- and simple- Southern dish. Fresh corn would be a great addition- I also added some frozen veggies.

Baker's One Bowl Brownies

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (or 3 T cocoa + 1 T veggie oil)
3/4 C butter
2 C sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
1 C chocolate chips

Microwave unsweetened chocolate and butter in large bowl on high 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts; stir until well blended. Spread into greased 13x9 inch pan.

Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Cool in pan.