Sour Cream Banana Bread

I just keep trying banana bread recipes because it seems we always have overripe bananas floating around at our house.  I like this one...it's a little less sweet than others we've tried, but very moist.

Original recipe makes 4 - 7x3 inch loaves

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts(optio

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Baked Potato Soup

This soup is so amazing!  It is worth the extra step for sure.

Baked Potato Soup

2 1/2 c. potatoes; cube and boiled                1/2 c. potato flakes

1/4 c. butter                                              1/8 tsp. season salt

1 Tbsp. minced onion                                  1/2 tsp. basil

3 Tbsp. flour                                              1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce

2 1/2 c. warm water                                   1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp. chicken base(4 bouillon cubes)         1/2 c. 2% milk

Cube and boil potatoes, set aside.  Saute onion in butter, add flour and cook 4 to 5 minutes.  In a large saucepan combine water, chicken base, potato flakes, and seasonings.  Stir over medium heat until mixed and no lumps.  Add onion slowly.  Add milk and cream; stir until smooth.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add potatoes. 

When ready to serve, top with (we like sharp) cheddar cheese, bacon and chives.

I always triple or quadruple it.  It only serves probably 4-5

Zucchini Bread with walnuts and craisins

I have a wonderful friend who is always kind enough to share her zucchini with me.  I tried this recipe at Christmas and made it into mini loaves for the kids' teachers.  I loved it!  The walnuts and craisins were a delicious  alternative to chocolate chips.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups grated fresh zucchini
• 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter two 5 by 9 inch loaf pans.

2 In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter.

3 Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir it in. Add the flour, a third at a time, stirring after each incorporation. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg over the batter and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

4 Divide the batter equally between the loaf pans. Bake for 55 minutes (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Easy banana bread

• I tried this recipe and it was so quick and easy. 

• 
  

• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour
• Yield: Makes one loaf.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last.  Mix. Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Pumpkin Stew

As soon as we started seeing fresh pumpkins this year, the kids were begging me to make this stew.  It has a long cook time, but it's easier than you think to prep and definitely worth the little bit of extra effort.  I also love using this recipe when we need to take dinner to other people.  It's hearty and beautiful to serve.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided

• 1 cup water

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 4 medium carrots, sliced

• 1 large green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

• 1 pumpkin (10 to 12 pounds)

• Directions In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 2 tablespoons oil. Add water, potatoes, carrots, green pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in bouillon and tomatoes. Wash pumpkin; cut to 6 to 8 in. circle around top stem. Remove top and set aside; discard seeds and loosen fibers from inside. Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan. Spoon stew into pumpkin and replace top. Brush outside of pumpkin with remaining oil. Bake at 325° for 2 hours or just until the pumpkin is tender (do not overbake). Serve stew from pumpkin, scooping out a little pumpkin with each serving. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Pizza Bread Rolls

Marissa came home from YW's raving about this recipe and wanting to have it again immediately.  Since she hadn't found anything besides this in about a week that she could comfortably eat with her orthodontic expander, I was just thrilled she ate something.  So I haven't tried this yet...but I look forward to doing so soon.  I'm adding the story printed on the top of the recipe.

Every recipe has a story: (recipe given to Linda Hill by Loree and Eric Thorerson while Kent was in grad school at University of Illinois in Champaign...Eric brought this recipe home from his mission in Italy and it was "top secret" for a long time until Loree assured Eric that she wasn't going to open a restaurant...Loree was making quite a bit of money selling these to all of Eric's classmates at the university).  This is a HUGE crowd pleaser...I usually double it.

2 cups hot tap water
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 heaping tablespoons instant yeast (my favorite is "Saf Yeast")
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups flour at first (plus 3-4 cups that you'll add later)

Mix all of the above ingredients, then gradually add 3-4 more.  Knead for 5 minutes by hand or in a mixer.  Let the mixture sit in the bowl.  Cover with a clean towel and let rise about double in size (about 30 minutes).  Divide dough into about 10-12 balls.  Roll out and place about 5-6 pieces of pepperoni and about 1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese.  Flip left and right sides of the circle in and then start at one end.  Roll the dough and toppings into a tube shape and secure edges by pinching the dough.  Place seam side down onto pans sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Cover and let them rise another 20 minutes or so.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Fool Proof Whole Wheat Bread

Use the above recipe, but substitute whole what for the white flour and olive oil for the vegetable oil.  I also add another tablespoon of yeast and at the following:

4T lecithin
1/4 cup gluten (or substitute one of the cups of what flour with white flour)

Make the dough as usual and then cover and let sit in the bowl to rise for about 20-30 minutes.  Divide in half or thirds (depending on the size of the bread pan).  Form into loaves and place in well-greased bread pan.  Brush with a little olive oil, cover and let rise at least 30 minutes and then bake in 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until a darker, golden brown.

Slice and smother with honey butter and watch it disappear.

Note:  Basically, the above two recipes can be altered with wheat, half wheat half white, add a little bean flour, make with oat flour, etc.  Experiment to your heart's content.  It is really quite fail-proof.

Harry Potter Butterbeer Float

Butterbeer Float (for one person)
Ingredients

• Cream Soda (preferably A&W, but you can use any brand), chilled
• Butterscotch ice cream topping (or homemade butterscotch sauce)
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Butter & Nut flavor (this is truly one of my favorite flavors I use for baking! SO good!) OR 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 a teaspoon imitation butter flavor
• Vanilla Ice Cream (if you want, add some butterscotch ice cream too!)

Directions

1. Put a scoop of ice cream into your mug, and add butterscotch sauce.
2. In another cup, mix cream soda with Vanilla Butter & Nut flavor (or vanilla flavor + butter flavor).
3. Slowly pour cream soda mixture to the mug containing the ice cream.
4. If desired, put more butterscotch sauce on top of your drink.
5. Enjoy!