Soft and Chewy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

These FLUFFY banana chocolate chip cookies are the cookies of my childhood! You are going to love EVERYTHING about these banana bread cookies! It’s your favorite quick bread in cookie form!

The other day, a neighbor posted on Facebook that she had some ripe bananas that she was going to throw away unless someone wanted them. And then I sprinted to her door! Ok, just kidding, but never ever, under any circumstances, should ripe bananas be thrown away! I’ll take them all!

I’d use them to make these amazing banana cookies, and if there are any left over, I’d make a loaf of our perfect banana bread! Oh shoot, but what about our banana bundt cake?! We can’t forget about that one! Needless to say, don’t throw away the bananas!!

Ingredients for Banana Bread Cookies

• Shortening: Creates a tender, softer texture and helps the cookies hold their shape without spreading too much.
• Unsalted Butter: Adds rich flavor, moisture, and contributes to slight spreading and a crispy edge.
• Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness, moisture, and chewiness thanks to its molasses content.
• Sugar: Balances sweetness and contributes to crisp edges and spreading
• Eggs: Bind the dough, provide structure while also helping with leavening
• All Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the cookies.
• Baking Soda: Neutralizes acidity (from brown sugar and banana) and encourages browning/spread.
• Baking Powder: Provides lift and helps keep cookies light and soft and not dense.
• Salt: Enhances all the flavors and balances sweetness.
• Banana: Adds natural sweetness and banana flavor, moisture, and a soft, tender texture while also reducing need for extra fat.
• Vanilla Extract: Rounds out and enhances the flavor of the dough.
• Chocolate Chips: Add rich bursts of chocolate, balancing the sweetness of the banana cookie base.

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Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Croissant Sandwiches

These breakfast croissant sandwiches are everything a savory breakfast lover dreams of! A flaky croissant, crispy bacon, juicy sausage, fluffy eggs, melted cheese, and a killer maple mustard sauce that pulls it all together. It’s not exactly a health food, but they are everything you’ve ever wanted (and more)!

Watch How This Breakfast Sandwich is Made…

Not long ago, we were visiting our friends Dave and Sarah in Colorado, and they casually mentioned we had to try our go-to favorite breakfast sandwiches on croissants with mustard and maple sauce. That was all I needed to hear. No recipe, no explanation. I was sold! Oh, and let me tell you: it’s that sweet, tangy maple mustard sauce that takes this croissant sandwich from good to unforgettable. You may just want to drench everything in it.

Are you a sweet or savory breakfast person? Both are so dang good, and it really depends on the day for me. Some days you just want some fluffy melt-in-your-mouth pancakes with buttermilk syrup, and other days you want something that’s going to stick to your ribs and pump you full of protein. If I go savory, I want it big and hearty and full of meat, cheese, and eggs. This breakfast sandwich recipe is just that.

What You’ll Need To Recreate This Breakfast Croissant Sandwich:

After trying this sandwich, you’ll never want a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin ever again. Seriously, they’ll be ruined. Here’s what you’ll need for this life-changing sandwich:

• Bacon: Crispy, smoky strips that add crunch and a salty punch to every bite.
• Maple Breakfast Sausage: Sweet and savory sausage that brings warmth and heartiness to the sandwich.
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Easy Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

This Easy Ground Beef Vegetable Soup, or commonly called Hamburger Soup, is the perfect easy soup recipe for a busy day. Our 30 minute soup recipe is a flavorful ground beef based soup loaded with vegetables, lean ground beef, diced tomatoes and potatoes. It’s a one-pot dinner that makes it an easy cozy soup recipe!

Hamburger Soup is a quick and easy ground beef recipe, but don’t worry, as simple as it is to make, it’s still packed with flavor. And best of all, it hits 5 major wins:

1. It’s great made ahead of time
2. Totally budget friendly
3. A one pot meal
4. Reheats well, even better than day 1
5. AND freezes perfectly!

Mom’s Wisdom

One of the first things I learned when I got married was that my mom’s budget-food recipes she sent me off to college with were exactly what I needed as a busy newlywed as well. Easy beef vegetable soup is a filling and inexpensive recipe that makes life so much easier when you’re trying to get dinner on the table.

Mom taught me that homemade soups are super easy to throw together and they’re much tastier than store-bought canned soup, plus healthier too. I like to make a double batch so I can eat one and freeze one!

Ingredients for Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup

• Olive Oil: Used to sauté the onion, garlic, and veggies. It adds flavor and helps everything soften before the broth goes in.
• White Onion: Builds the savory flavor base for the soup. Onions add natural sweetness and depth.
• Ground Beef: The hearty protein that makes this soup filling and comforting. Browning it first adds rich flavor. We use 90/10.
• Garlic: Adds aromatic depth and classic savory notes that round out the broth.
• Carrots: Add sweetness, color, and texture while bringing natural balance to the savory beef.
• Celery: Contributes a mild, earthy flavor that pairs with onion and

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m in fall-inspired cleaning and donating mode and have been clearing out closets, posting things in our local buy-nothing group, and enjoying the roomy new spaces in our home very much. 

Question – where do you donate or give things away? While it takes a little more effort, I’ve been enjoying the buy-nothing process so much more than dumping things at donation centers. We still donate that way as well, but when the items are nicer and we just don’t need them any longer, I try to remember the local groups for giving things away.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Tender broccoli florets and chunks of spicy sausage are scattered through every bite of this hearty, satisfying pasta. When you’re craving pasta comfort food, but still want to enjoy a generous serving of vegetables (without messing around with a salad), this broccoli sausage pasta is the answer.

This garlicky, orange shrimp packs a whole lot of awesome flavor with little more than some orange juice, fresh garlic, and a dash of spices.

Fresh green beans are tossed with Sriracha, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil and then roasted to hot, crisp perfection to create these immensely snackable spicy green beans.

You’ve never had sweet potatoes like these glazed sweet potatoes. They roast up with the most irresistible caramelized brown sugar crust. Tender, sweet, and savory all at once, they’re the kind of side dish that makes any meal feel special.

Pumpkin + coffee cake = fall dessert magic. Layers of soft sour cream coffee cake, creamy pumpkin filling, and a crunchy cinnamon-sugar pecan topping make this pumpkin coffee cake downright irresistible. One slice and you’ll be hooked! 

Buckeyes, also known as Peanut Butter Balls, have a smooth peanut butter center and chocolate shell. I’ll warn you now that once you’ve tried them, you’ll be making this simple buckeye recipe for all of your Christmas treat trays and holiday food gifts.

Creamy homemade chocolate ice cream is loaded to the absolute limit with bite-sized chunks of Oreo cookies to create this chocolate lover’s cookies and cream ice cream.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Rebecca (yes, last week’s brownies were hers too. She’s really been making me hungry lately!) introduced me to the idea of swapping co

Creamy Parmesan Garlic Broccoli

Freshly sautéed broccoli and fragrant garlic are baked in a rich cream sauce topped with broiled mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Creamy Parmesan Garlic Broccoli is guaranteed to convert ANY non-broccoli lover into a full-blown fanatic!

Creamy garlic broccoli and cheese is a delicious way to change up your boring broccoli into the side dish of your dreams!

Ingredients for Creamy Garlic Broccoli

This side dish recipe is quite indulgent and probably not something you would want to make every night, but if it’s a special occasion or you want a decadent vegetable dish, then this is what you will need:

• Butter: salted or unsalted work fine, you’ll just reduce the salt if you use salted
• Onion: just regular yellow onion works great
• Broccoli Florets: fresh broccoli is best, but frozen could be used if needed
  • Note: Feel free to use the stems too if you want. Just be sure to cut off the tough exterior of the stem.
• Garlic Cloves: adds flavor
• Salt and Pepper: add flavor
• Cream Cheese: adds richness and creaminess
• Heavy Cream: acts as the base for the creamy garlic parmesan sauce
• Smoked Paprika: adds flavor and smokiness to the sauce
• Lemon Juice: adds acidity and a pop of freshness
• Mozzarella Cheese: adds gooiness
• Parmesan Cheese: adds nuttiness and saltiness
• Aleppo Pepper: adds some heat and flavor and great color
  • Note: This is my latest obsession! It adds such a delicious flavor. It looks similar to red pepper flakes but it is just moderately spicy.

How to Make Creamy Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

No flour or cornstarch needed. We are going full cream, a little cream cheese and cheese to make this indulgent sauce! Just simmer it until it reaches your desired thickness. Here are all the steps for this recipe followed by a recipe so you can see how it all happens…

1. Prep: Preheat broiler and place a cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat and start melting the butter.
2. Sauté: Add the onions to the melted butter and cook until transparent, stirring occasionally.
3. Cook: Toss in the broccoli and minced garlic and season them with salt and pepper and let them cook until bright green and fragrant.
4. Simmer: Add the cream cheese, cream and smoked paprika and reduce the heat to low letting it simmer and thicken.
5. Finishing Touches: Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir to combine and then top with the cheeses.
6. Broil: Place the skillet in the oven and broil until the cheese is bubblin