Banana Salad, Lach Bananas or Dressed Bananas

 Banana Salad or “Lach Bananas”

Recipe from: Grandma Julia Lach of Bracken County, Kentucky 

This is a vintage… and dare I say ‘antique’ recipe from our family… handed down through the years, shared and enjoyed for generations.  My great-grandmother, Julia Lach, lived from 1865-1966.

How wonderful for our family that these recipes live on…  We will certainly remember our loved ones and our heartfelt Thanksgiving memories of years gone by… This banana recipe has been there for all of our Thanksgiving days…  it is a tradition and it’s truly a treasured staple on our menu every year… it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without this unique dish. 

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar

Dash of salt

2 Tablespoons flour or cornstarch 

2 eggs lightly beaten

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

Bananas 

2 cups finely chopped roasted peanuts

Fancy leaf lettuce for serving-optional 

Directions:

In a saucepan off the heat, combine the sugar, salt and flour. Set aside. 

In a bowl, mix together the eggs, water and vinegar, stirring well.

Add the egg-water-vinegar mixture to the sugar-salt-flour mixture.  Stir well. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stir during the heating and until mixture thickens and boils for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and then cool. Transfer the cooled dressing into a covered container and refrigerate —the banana dressing will thicken as it cools.

Assemble just before serving.

To prepare the bananas:

Peel 4-8 bananas. Discard peels. Cut bananas in half and then quarter. Coat each banana slice in the dressing. 

Dredge each dressed banana slice in the chopped peanuts.

Place the prepared bananas on a platter or large plate lined with leaf lettuce. Can also be served on individual plates.

Serve.

Turkey Puff Pastry; A Baked Brie & Cranberry Appetizer

Puff Pastry Turkey-Baked Brie & Cranberry Appetizer | Karri Perry-Blue Ribbon Favorites

2 sheets puff pastry-follow box directions for thawing

Heart and leaf  2-inch cookie cutters

Brie wheel

Prepared Cranberry Sauce

(Or use a few Tbs of prepared jam, like apple chutney, fig, or your favorite)—you can leave plain too-skip the jam or cranberry sauce

Chopped nuts 1/4 cup (optional)

Egg wash-1 large egg beaten, 2 tsp water/brush

Aluminum Foil

Parchment paper

Paring knife

Roll out one sheet of puff pastry. Cut out one heart shape, and 5-7 leaf shapes. 

Leaves will be turkey 

feathers and feet, heart will be the turkey body.

Using the extra dough and a paring knife-cut a small 1 inch circle for a head, a triangle for a beak, and a small strip of dough for a waddle. Set aside. 

On a baking sheet with parchment paper, roll out the second puff pastry sheet. 

Place the unwrapped Brie wheel in the center. Top with 4-5 Tablespoons cranberry sauce or jam and sprinkle with nuts if using.

Wrap the Brie with the puff pastry, covering completely, press edges together to seal.

To create the turkey design: 

Add 5 feathers along the top of the covered Brie, creating an arched fan.

Place the heart in the center.  (The heart will appear upside down-point facing up)

Add a small circle (at the point of the heart) for the turkey head.

Place the beak and waddle 

Place two leaves at the base for feet.

Gently brush with egg wash.

Bake on middle rack of preheated 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes-or until turkey is puffed, golden and the cheese is fully melted.

Use a piece of foil to lay across the turkey if it starts to brown too quickly.

After the turkey is baked, remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes. 

Transfer to a platter, serve with apple slices and crackers.

Holiday Cranberry Sauce

Easy Holiday Cranberry Sauce| Karri Perry-Blue Ribbon Favorites

3 cups fresh cranberries rinsed and cleaned

1 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

3/4 water

1/8 tsp cinnamon 

1/8 tsp allspice 

1 Tablespoon orange zest

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the cranberries, sugar, water-juice mixture and spices to a boil.

Turn down heat slightly and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly as the mixture gently boils.

Sauce will thicken, and berries will pop and then slightly dissolve into the sauce.

Remove from heat, stir in zest.

Cool, store, covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

You might like this darling appetizer that uses cranberry sauce!! 🦃

Puff Pastry Turkey-Baked Brie & Cranberry Appetizer | Karri Perry-Blue Ribbon Favorites

2 sheets puff pastry-follow box directions for thawing

Heart and leaf  2-inch cookie cutters

Brie wheel

Prepared Cranberry Sauce

Chopped nuts 1/4 cup (optional)

Egg wash-1 large egg beaten, 2 tsp water/brush

Aluminum Foil

Parchment paper

Paring knife

Roll out one sheet of puff pastry. Cut out one heart shape, and 5-7 leaf shapes. Leaves will be turkey feathers and feet, heart will be the turkey body.

Using the extra dough and a paring knife-cut a small 1 inch circle for a head, a triangle for a beak, and a small strip of dough for a waddle. Set aside. 

On a baking sheet with parchment paper, roll out the second puff pastry sheet. 

Place the unwrapped Brie wheel in the center. Top with 4-5 Tablespoons cranberry sauce and sprinkle with nuts if using.

Wrap the Brie with the puff pastry, covering completely, press edges together to seal.

To create the turkey design: 

Add 5 feathers along the top of the covered Brie, creating an arched fan.

Place the heart in the center.  (The heart will appear upside down-point facing up)

Add a small circle (at the point of the heart) for the turkey head.

Place the beak and waddle 

Place two leaves at the base for feet.

Gently brush with egg wash.

Bake on middle rack of preheated 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes-or until turkey is puffed, golden and the cheese is fully melted.

Use a piece of foil to lay across the turkey if it starts to brown too quickly.

After the turkey is baked, remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter, serve with apple slices and crackers.