Banana Nut Bread

1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups bananas (4 medium bananas)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix butter and sugar thoroughly with stand mixer
Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each
Drop bananas in one at a time, beating constantly
Mix dry ingredients until moistened
Add nuts and chocolate chips

Place in 2 greased 7 1/2 loaf pans (or a 9x5)

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then reduce to 325 and cook an additional 40 minutes.

Blue Cheese Appetizer Pizza

Ingredients

Pizza crust (see here)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small red onion, thinly sliced, pulled into rings
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
4oz shredded mozzarella cheese
3 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Combine the basil, oregano, garlic powder, and oil; brush over pizza crust. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes. Arrange onion and tomatoes over crust; sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Fajita Chicken Jalapeño Pizza

This is a crazy, spicy pizza my wife and I came up with one night while starving. It is not too hard, incredibly tasty, and quite spicy. It consists of a normal pizza crust topped with jalapeño slices, chicken, and pepperjack cheese with salsa verde instead of red sauce. In addition to the ingrediants listed for the chicken and crust, you will need jalapeños, pepperjack cheese, and salsa verde. We use the sliced jalapeños in a jar, since the pickling leaves them just the right heat to eat without killing yourself. If you want to use fresh peppers, knock yourself out, but I have found that fresh seeds are too hot for this dish, and without the seeds the peppers are too weak.

Note that it is easier to make this recipe with two people, so the different steps can be done in parallel.

Step One: Crust

Any pizza crust will do. If you have a recipe you really like, use it. Just make it thin, this pizza doesn't like doughy crusts. If you don't have a crust you like, I recommend this one, since it takes about 20 minutes from start to oven.

1/2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
(this is half the original recipe, since we want a thin crust)

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Dump onto a floured surface. Knead into a smooth dough (five minutes or so). Spread out into a mid-size pizza crust.

Step Two: Chicken

1/3 c. lime juice
1/4 c. vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tbsp. paprika

two chicken breasts (about one pound total)

Cut up the chicken into small, one inch cubes. Put the chicken and the rest of the ingredients in a bowel, mix well, then let sit for 5 minutes. (you can shred cheese and slice jalapeños while you wait).
Dump chicken and marinade into a large skillet. Cook on high heat, stiring occasionally until the liquid boils away. You will end up with cooked chicken coated in a spicy paste.

Step Three: Assemble

Spread a thin layer of salsa verde on the crust. This is the pizza sauce.

Top with the diced chicken, jalapeños slices, and 6-8 ounces of shredded pepperjack cheese.

Bake at 450 degrees F. for around 12-15 minutes until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned.