Party Sliders

Adapted from: kevinandamanda.com

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. ground mustard

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 large onion, diced

1 (10 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes, drained

4 tsp. minced garlic

12 slices of your favorite cheese (we used Gouda)

12 dinner rolls (we used King's Hawaiian dinner rolls)

For the glaze:

1 stick butter

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place large skillet on stove top over high heat. Once skillet is hot, add beef and sear on each side for a couple of minutes. Reduce heat and add salt, pepper, cumin, ground mustard, paprika, and onions, and continue to brown beef, breaking into pieces with spatula. Cook beef mixture until beef is cooked through and onions are tender. While beef continues to cook, add all ingredients to small saucepan and cook on medium heat until everything is melted and sauce is smooth. Add Rotel to beef and stir until well combined. Place bottom half of rolls in prepared pan. Top with beef, then place sliced cheese on top. Cover with tops of rolls. Pour sauce over sliders, then place in oven and bake for 25 minutes.

These are amazing! I wanted to make something quick and easy, but full of flavor, and these fit the bill. We didn't have sesame seeds, and I couldn't rationalize spending almost $4 when we never use them, so I omitted them from our recipe. However, I am sure they add a nice dimension to the recipe if you have them! These are the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and they are wonderful reheated the next day! I just popped them in the oven at 350° for 10 minutes, and they were perfect. We are going to try these again with turkey meat to see how they taste. Honestly, they are so flavorful, I think they will be amazing! 

Banana Ice Cream

Adapted from: tasteofhome.com

4 cups half and half

2 1/2 cups sugar

Dash of salt

4 eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

4 large very ripe bananas, mashed (you will not need these until right before putting custard in ice cream maker)

In a large saucepan, heat half and half to 175°. Stir in sugar and salt until dissolved. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until it reaches 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat; cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in whipping cream, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto surface and custard and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Before putting into cylinder of ice cream maker, add bananas. Churn according to ice cream maker directions. 

My Grandma always made the best banana ice cream. Honestly, every ice cream that she made was wonderful, but banana was always a nice treat, and it was so incredibly refreshing during the summer! Hers was always creamy and packed with a great banana flavor. This recipe is close to hers, and I can truly say that it is the best ice cream I have ever had! It is super creamy and rich, and 4 bananas gives it just the right flavor. This custard would make a great base for other ice cream flavors, and although it is a bit time consuming, it is well worth the effort. I will say that I walked away from the stove while I was waiting for the egg mixture to heat back up, and I ended up with a few bits of scrambled egg. If this happens to you, don't stress! I just poured the entire mixture through a strainer and it was good as new. If you have kiddos that love bananas (like our son), they will adore this ice cream!