sapphires, I don't even like bananas, I don't even eat banana bread, but I eat this cake. Ashley says it's her favorite, the best she's ever had and it is darned good. It was posted on the Cooking Forum by a former poster, J. Garner, who worked as a pastry chef. Banana Cake (Rose Levy BerenbaumÂs Cordon Rose Cake) Jgarner-Cooking Forum (good as layer cake, elegant, delicate texture) mix together: sifted cake flour 2 cups sugar 3/4 c + 2 Tbs baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp puree together: 2 large ripe bananas 1 c sour cream 2 Tbs or up to 1/2 c 2 large eggs 2 grated lemon zest 2 tsp (I left this out since I don't like the flavor of lemon with banana) vanilla 1-1/2 tsp soften: Butter 10 Tbs (5 oz) Add butter and half of pureed mixture to dry ingredients in stand mixer and mix at medium with paddle for 1-1/2 minutes. Scrape bowl and add rest of banana mixture in two batches, mixing 20 seconds after each addition. Pour into 9"x2" round pan (I just lined the bottom with parchment, no spray or butter) and bake at 350 F for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in pan and then turn out onto rack to cool completely. Hint: Use smallest amount of sour cream and 3 bananas for more pronounced banana flavor Cream Cheese Icing Cream cheese, softened 8 oz. Butter, softened 5 TBS (2.5 oz) Sour cream 1 Tbs Vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. Rum 1 Tbs Powdered sugar 1 1/4 C (5 oz) Process (yeah, the food processor) or beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar and pulse until smooth. Makes enough to frost the top of a 9x13 sheet cake. I used regular flour, because I never have cake flour, and it always comes out great. Annie

I know you're asking for crab cakes, but here's a wonderful crab stuffed mushroom recipe that I made for an appetizer on New Years Eve. Becky * Exported from MasterCook * Crab Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe By : Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 18 medium mushrooms (about 1 pound) 7 ounces crab meat 5 green onions with tops -- finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon dried savory ground black pepper 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup mayonnaise grated Parmesan cheese paprika 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2 In a medium bowl, combine crabmeat, green onions, herbs, and pepper. Mix in mayonnaise and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese until well combined. Refrigerate filling until ready for use. 3 Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp towel. Remove stems. Spoon out the gills and the base of the stem, making deep cups. Discard gills and stems. Fill the mushroom caps with rounded teaspoonfuls of filling, and place them in an ungreased shallow baking dish. Sprinkle tops with Parmesan and paprika. 4 Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve immediately Makes 6 servings Recipe by Wilma Scott, AllRecipes.com Wilma says: This tasty appetizer seasoned with thyme, oregano, and savory. Choose good sized mushrooms, about 2 inches across. When cleaning mushrooms, don't run them under water. They are like little sponges, and will absorb it; just wipe them clean with a damp towel. The filling can be made with fresh, canned, or imitation crabmeat. If using canned, be sure to rinse it first. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Made 12-31-07 Halved recipe and filled three portabello mushrooms caps (stems and gills removed). Brushed the caps with oil and parbaked at 350F for 15 minutes, then filled and baked for antoher 15 minutes. Used canned lump crabmeat, rinsed and drained.

This dessert is wonderful and I always make a double recipe. It is from Mark Bittman (NYT) with a few tweaks to make it more carb friendly for diabetics. He used a graham cracker crust which I've substituted with a pecan one. Almost No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars (Mark Bittman tweaked) Crust: 2 cups ground pecans (8oz of pecan halves yields ~2 cups ground) 4 tablespoons melted butter 1 1/2 packets Splenda (equivalent to 1 Tbs sugar) Combine the ground nuts, butter and Splenda. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish (glass is better than metal). Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes. Cool before filling. Filling: 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons honey or 3 packets Splenda Rind of a lemon, freshly grated Squeeze of lemon juice Pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups blueberries Using a standing or hand mixer, or a whisk, combine cream cheese, ricotta, honey, Splenda, lemon rind, lemon juice and salt, and blend until smooth. Spread cheese mixture carefully and evenly over crust, using a spatula or butter knife to smooth top. Cover with fresh blueberries and lightly press into filling. Chill for at least an hour, or until set. Cut into squares or bars and serve. Double the recipe if using a 9x13 dish. Using the zest of one lemon and one lime gives this a subtle key lime flavor. The longer the cheesecake is refrigerated, the better it tastes. Leftovers are great. Here is a link that might be useful: nyt article no-bake blueberry cheesecake

I have a lactose intolerant friend and found it hard to host parties and have enough of a variety of things for him to eat. I found out that he loves deviled eggs so I make them especially for him along with a few other things. Here's the recipe I use: Deviled Eggs 12 hard-cooked eggs 1/4 cup light or regular mayo depending on taste 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons butter or margarine(for my friend I use lactose free margarine spread), softened 1/2 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry Chopped chives Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork. Stir in the mayonnaise, vinegar, butter, sugar, pepper and salt. Add spinach and mix well. Spoon into egg whites. Top with chives. I sometimes add prepared mustard to the mixture to make them more traditional tasting. Enjoy!