Ulu Knife

The Ulu knife one of my favorite kitchen essentials I use quite often.  It works much better than a rolling pizza cutter!  It is much easier than using a regular knife when chopping.

I would suggest y'all check into getting an Ulu knife to try out! :)
I obtained mine from my in-laws when they went on a cruise to Alaska and they got me an Alaskan Ulu knife set. :)  I've been using it ever since.  Even more when my pizza cutters broke, and I realized the Ulu knife did a better job!
The one I have is very similar to this one on the left <---

QUICK & EASY Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

I just threw it all together as I went along.  I knew I wanted to bake a pasta casserole of some kind.  I noticed I had shell pasta & mozzarella cheese on hand...as well as spaghetti sauce and pepperoni.  So this recipe was just born tonight!  I'm sure other people have come up with recipes very similar to this but this is so easy and few ingredients!


Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

2-3 cups dry shell pasta (or any pasta)
1/2 can (large can like Hunt's) spaghetti sauce, any flavor  (you could add more sauce if you want)
1 cup mozzarella cheese (or more cheese if you want)
1/2 block of cream cheese, softened (from an 8oz block, so that'd make it 4 oz cheese)
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped pepperoni  (or you could substitute cooked italian sausage or whatever you like)


Boil pasta until al dente.  While the pasta is boiling, mix the other three ingredients in a 2 quart casserole dish, and preheat oven to 350F.  Drain pasta and mix with the other ingredients in the casserole dish.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

That's it!  So easy and so yummy.  Serve with a nice salad and garlic bread.  :)

"Healthy" Banana Brownies

I had a bunch of bananas that were getting really ripe.  My daughter kept wanting apples instead of bananas, so the apples got used up before the bananas.  I wasn't in the mood for ANOTHER banana bread.  I googled for recipes and this one looked good to me.  


It is good for a "healthy" dessert.  Well, to me, it is.  It's lowfat and has fiber in it, and low calorie.  I had everything on hand for it, as well.  The original recipe asked for 1 cup of flour, which made the batter really watery, so I added another 1/2 cup and it turned out ok.  


If you're looking for a brownie that's not too sweet and not too rich,  moist, springy, and cakey brownie...then this is the recipe for ya!

Banana Brownies

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup boiling water
• 4 egg whites
• 3 medium mashed bananas
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. in a bowl combine oats & water, let stand 5 minutes.
2. beat egg whites, bananas, sugar, oil & vanilla until blended, then add the moistened oats.
3. combine dry ingredients, slowly add to wet mixture.
4. spread into 13x9 inch pan (sprayed with cooking spray).
5. bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
6. cool, cut into bars.

My 21 month old daughter LOVES 'em!  She had one little piece and kept wanting more and more. :)  Much better than giving her Oreos and other junk food! :)