Bananas, Bananas, Bananas!

My mother had a little recipe book on her table one day while I was over there and she suggested that I take it home and look at it - particularly if I was going to make something out of it and invite her over! ;o)

The book is "All-Time Favorite Banana Recipes" by Dalmatian Press with photos and recipes provided by Dole Food Company.

My daughter went shopping with me and we bought bananas, mangoes, blueberries, yogurt, etc. (She wanted to try the smoothie recipes - and she hasn't quit!) I wanted to try out my new food processor (that I got for Christmas and hadn't opened yet).

Her favorite, so far, is the Tropical Blueberry Smoothie. I tried the Island Shake and the Banana Honey Shake. My sister would probably like the Paradise Freeze (because it has cranberry juice). We've been threatening to try the Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Shake...

We made Banana S'mores and they were pretty darn good!

I made the homemade Banana Pudding, but it turned out TOO icky sweet and the bananas turned brownish in the oven (but I think I used a baking dish that was too large and shallow).

Today we had a sweet surprise: hubby/daddy showed up for lunch. So, for a snack to take with him I made the Banana Caramel Quesadillas. He liked them, the animals liked them, but nobody else did! I used cheddar cheese instead of Monterey Jack, but I don't think that would have changed the flavor too substantially!

The list of recipes in this little 48 pg book are:

Ambrosia Banana Muffins
Baker Beach Salad
Banana Apple Betty
Banana Blueberry Coffee Ring
Banana Blueberry Muffins
Banana Brunch Coffee Cake
Banana Caramel Quesadillas
Banana Chocolate Mousse Parfait
Banana Energy Balls
Banana Holiday Cookies
Banana Honey Shake
Banana Jewel Cake
Banana Lemon Bread
Banana Muffins
Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Banana Pudding
Banana Raisin Pancakes
Banana Raspberry Smoothie
Banana S'mores
Banana Tot Pops
Calypso Black Bean and Fruit Salad
Caribbean Caesar Salad
Choco-Banana Bites
Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Shake
Chunky Banana Spread
Cocoa Raisin Muffins
Double Chocolate Banana Cookies
Fruit Dessert Pie
Fresh Fruit Taco
Gingerbread Banana Cookies
Honey Lime Fruit Toss
Island Shake
Paradise Freeze
Quick Breakfast Rolls
Springtime Waffles
Teriyaki and Fruit Salad
Tropical Blueberry Smoothie
Tropical Waldorf Salad

Most of these are on Dole's website, but a few which sound really good aren't in the book:

Fruity Breakfast Burrito (hmmm...)
Banagel
Grilled Chicken and Pineapple
Mahi Mahi with Pineapple-Apple Salsa
Mango Cranberry Relish
Mexican Pineapple Relish
Pineapple Chicken Packets (hey!)
Easy Aloha Chicken
Mango Salsa (how do you peel a mango anyway?!?)
Easy Banana Tiramisu (we don't like Tiramisu, so I don't know why I'm including this...)
Fuzzy Banana Navel (beverage)
Easy Aloha Smoothie
Fluffy Orange Punch
Fruity Poolside Cooler (beverage w/chocolate chip yogurt!)
Creamy, Dreamy, Sunshine Orange Smoothie
Jay & Dan's Spicy Salsa
Mandarin Chicken Rollups
Pineapple Chicken Tenders
California Chicken Ciabatta (sandwich)

Well, I'm gonna stop! I could go on forever. Who knew Dole.com had such a large selection of recipes?!? My husband said that one of his clients sets aside Thursday nights as the day she tries new recipes. He joked that maybe the family should limit me to one night a week. I rejoined that maybe I could quit cooking for them altogether! Oh, wait, maybe that wasn't a joke! ;o)