Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Bananas are a favorite fruit in our house, and we are not alone! Over 96% of American households purchase bananas at least once each month. I actually prefer to eat a green banana because I like the firm texture and tart taste. Unfortunately because we live in a region with very high humidity, our bananas ripen very quickly. As a banana ripens the starch in the fruit turns to sugar. Therefore, the riper the banana the sweeter it will taste. My favorite solution to utilizing these sweet, mushy bananas is to make bread. However, tonight I thought I would try something new--to make cookies. I hope that you enjoy them as much as we did!

YIELDS 2.5 dozen

Ingredients:

• .5 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• .5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• .5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• .5 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  

Cookware/Utensils:

• small bowl
• medium bowl
• measuring cups
• electric mixer
• medium spoon
• 2 baking sheets
• spatula
• wax paper

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl mash the banana with a spoon. Add the baking soda to the bowl and stir to combine the two ingredients. Set aside. In a medium size bowl mix the butter, sugar and egg on a low speed until creamed. Add the banana mixture into the butter mixture and stir rapidly for one minute. Add flour, cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl and mix on a medium speed until the dry ingredients and wet ingredients create a batter. Fold in chocolate chips. Using the spoon, drop small mounds of batter onto onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Place baking sheet into the oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges turn a golden brown. Let cookies cool on wax paper.

Perfect Tuna Salad

Tuna salad is a snack that my mom used to frequently make for me while I was growing up. Her version included eggs, pickles and mayonnaise. Mine is a little more complex in ingredients but just as quick and easy to make. The great thing about tuna salad is that it is the perfect meal or snack for two!

SERVES 2

Ingredients:

• 1 6oz. can tuna, drained
• 3 eggs, boiled and peeled
• 1 cup mayonnaise or miracle whip
• .5 celery stalk, chopped very fine
• 3 dried apricots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey mustard
• .5 tablespoon salt
• .5 tablespoon dill
• .5 tablespoon garlic powder
• dash ground black pepper
• dash celery seed
• dash paprika

Cookware/Utensils:

• large spoon
• large bowl
• measuring cups
• cutting board
• santoku or chef's knife
• plastic wrap

Add tuna, mayonnaise, eggs and mustard to bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Then add chopped celery, apricots and cranberries. Again, stir until mixed. Add dry ingredients and stir one final time. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Remove from refrigerator and serve on a pita, wrapped in a tortilla or placed on crackers. I like mine served on a piece of toasted bread. The juxtaposed temperatures and textures of the warm, crisp bread and the cold, creamy salad are perfect!