Easy Two-Ingredient Banana Muffins with Cake Mix

I mean, the name says it all. This was super easy and doesn't call for much. The key is that you have very ripe bananas, that will make it sweeter. You can always customize this and add some nuts or chocolate chips if you wanted to. 

• 15.25 oz yellow cake mix
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl and stir in cake mix until well-blended.

Grease a muffin tin or use muffin liners and scoop batter equally into 12 cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool and then remove from muffin tray.

Serves 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Recipe from www.meatloafandmelodrama.com

Cacio e Pepe Caesar Salad

I'm a fan of Caesar salads but I have rarely made one from scratch. I've gotten into a few recipes recently and most have been pretty good. Doug has really been on a black pepper kick with things so this was a great variation. The dressing was a nice, bright flavor and I didn't need to add a lot of pepper to get good flavor. 

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic (from 2 medium garlic cloves)
• 1 Tbsp chopped anchovy fillets (from 1 2-oz can)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp minced yellow onion
• 2 1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
• 2 oz pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus a handful of shavings to serve
• 3 romaine lettuce hearts (1 1/2 lbs total), trimmed and leaves separated
• 1 1/2 cup seasoned croutons
• lemon wedges for serving

Whisk together egg yolks, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped garlic, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, onion, black pepper, dry mustard, and 1/2 cup of the oil in a large bowl until creamy.

Whisk together water and remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl; whisk in butter until creamy and smooth. Whisk butter mixture and cheese into mayonnaise mixture until combined. Season dressing with additional pepper to taste. 

Place romaine leaves in a very large bowl. Add croutons and 1 cup dressing; toss until leaves are evenly coated. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and shaved cheese. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 6

Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe from People magazine

Grilled Steak Kebabs

When you have other kebab recipes to compare it to, this one just doesn't hold a candle to the Hawaiian BBQ Huli Huli Chicken or the Grilled Asian Garlic Steak kebabs we have made in the past. It was too tomato-y and just didn't do it for me. The recipe description did say it was based on Congolese food, so maybe my tastebuds just aren't used to it? 

• 2 lb boneless steak, cubed (such as beef tenderloin or flank steak)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce or Maggi Seasoning sauce
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Stir together steak, oil, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic, ginger, and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands, toss well to evenly coat steak; cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat grill to medium high (400-450 degrees) and soak wooden skewers in water. Thread steak and onion pieces alternately onto 8 10-inch skewers, packing them tightly. Brush with additional oil.

Place skewers on oiled grates; grill, uncovered, turning as needed, until well charred and browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes for medium or until desired degree on doneness. Transfer skewers to a platter; squeeze lemon over top before serving.

NOTE: Make sure, whenever you're making some sort of kebab with cubed meat, to put similar sized meat on one skewer. That way, if you had some random smaller pieces and then other larger pieces, you can easily cook them to the right degree of doneness. Smaller pieces mixed in with large tend to get overcooked.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe from People Magazine

Oreo Dirt Pie

I love Oreos and I love when things come together well with Oreos: ice cream, cookies, cakes, etc. The only thing that didn't work for me on this recipe was the poke cake portion of it. Typically all the stuff would flow into the holes and fill the cake, but mine was still too thick. Tasted fine, but not as it should have been. Maybe I didn't heat the fudge long enough? 

• 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix, including eggs, oil, and water requested on the box
• 14.3 oz Oreos
• 12.8 oz hot fudge
• 2 packages 3.4 oz dark chocolate instant pudding mix, divided
• 3 1/2  cup milk, divided
• 8 oz cool whip
• gummy worms for topping, optional

Combine cake mix and its required ingredients according to the instructions on the box. Follow the instructions on baking temperature and time as directed on the box for a 9 x 13 inch pan. Cook until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.

After cake has cooled a little but is still warm, use the end of a wooden spoon or dowel to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Heat the jar of hot fudge in the microwave until you can stir it and thin it out, reserving a little for topping later. Pour fudge over the top of the cake and allow it to absorb until the cake as cooked.

Once the cake has completely cooled, prepare one pack of pudding with 1 3/4 cup milk. Before the pudding sets, pour it over the top of the cake. Place the cake in the fridge to let it set, about 15 minutes.

Mix the second box of pudding with the remaining milk. Refrigerate until the pudding has set. While the pudding is setting, place 3/4 of the Oreos in a large zip top bag and crush them using a rolling pin. 

Once the pudding is set, stir in the cool whip until well blended. Mix in crushed Oreos and spread over the top of the cake. Top with remaining hot fudge, Oreos, and worms. Serve cold. Keep leftovers in fridge.

NOTES: Doug and I like dirt and worms shakes so we decided to make the cake a little more colorful with gummy worms on the top. Make it your own!

Serves 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Recipe from www.thefrugalnavywife.com

Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Muffins

There was a sale on cake mixes a while ago and I don't actually have a lot of cake-baking occasions. I am on the rotation to bring stuff to the coffeehouse at church and figured there had to be some breakfast-y cake mix recipes. And I was right! Super simple, gets rid of something in my pantry, and I always have the other ingredients on hand. 

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 15 oz box yellow cake mix
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• granulated sugar for topping, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the eggs, milk, and melted butter until combined. Add the cake mix and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in the chocolate chips and reserve some for topping.

Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cups. Distribute the muffin batter evenly into the cups and top with additional chocolate chips and optional granulated sugar. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serves 12

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe from buildyourbite.com

Marinated Olives

If you have met my husband, Doug, you know he can be an olive fiend when out at restaurants. If they have some kind of olive plate or charcuterie board, watch out! He will eat ALL the olives before you can even think about it so this recipe was for him. This is a very simple way to fancy up some less expensive ingredients for your next get together. 

• 2 cups large pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, drained
• 1 cup pitted medium ripe olives (black), drained
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 4 cloves garlic, slivered
• pepper to taste

Place olives in a bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl; pour over olives and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days before serving, stirring several times each day.

Olives may be refrigerated for 2 weeks. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Serves 8

Total Time: 5 minutes plus marinating

Recipe from Taste of Home

Mal's Shadow Spare Ribs

Ribs aren't really my thing. Not bad, but usually just too messy to eat. And I think a lot of it ends up coming down to the sauce that's on them, so are the ribs really necessary? 

These were ok. You can tell they got a bit burned on the outside. Again, nothing special in my opinion, but not bad. Not worth the marinating and long cook time to me. 

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 lb beef short ribs or pork spareribs

Combine all the ingredients except the ribs in a plastic bag or bowl. Add the ribs and let marinate in the fridge for around 12 hours, or overnight.

When ready to cook, heat the oven to 350 degrees and set the ribs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them slow for 1 1/2 hours, basing occasionally with the marinating juice. Serve hot.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus overnight marinating

Recipe from Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel