Loaded Banana Bread

My dear, sweet Benny (2 years old) is really into bananas.  

His love of bananas runs deep.Yet, the depth of said love lasts only 

about 3 bites per banana and then he refuses to touch the half eaten 

banana again. And we must start over with another whole banana. 

Lordy. 

I, being the practical 'thou shall not waste a perfectly

 good half of banana' mama that I am, 

started storing the remaining bananas in a container in the 

refrigerator and decided it was high time I create a go to banana recipe. 

So Benny, keep up the good work, I could eat this goodness all year long!

This recipe will yield 2 large loaf pans of outrageous 

quick bread or ~32 large scoop muffins. 

What you need:

1 cup of butter (soft)

4 eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

With an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) blend the above ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 tsp baking soda 

Place dry ingredients in a sifter

5 ripe bananas (peel and mush finely with a fork) yields ~2 cups

1 cup finely chopped raw pecans

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (+ additional 1 cup for topping)

 Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three heats.  

That way the wet dry integrates very well.  I always hand

mix at this point, as to not over mix.

Fold in the banana

 Fold in the pecans, coconut and chocolate chips

Use a large scoop if you are going the muffin route, otherwise 

coconut oil two large loaf pans.

For muffins I am borderline obsessed with parchment muffin

liners.  They do not stick to the muffins, like the fluted cups

sometimes do and they look so dang cute, which is obvy 

important!  I buy them in big bunches on the internet.

here's a little picture from an old post.  After coating

the pan with coconut oil, cut a piece of parchment paper

for each pan, allowing a bit higher up the sides, so after

baking you can run a knife along the two shorts sides

of the pan, then use the parchment like handles to lift the 

bread out, and transfer it to a cooling rack.  

Top with a good sprinkle of coconut 

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes if baking muffins and I would

guess at least one hour to one hour and 15 minutes for 

the loaf pans.  Make sure you do the toothpick check!!

Although them to cool a bit and then get your gobble on!!

 Benny Approved!!

Enjoy!

xo

Crunchy Cornflake Cookies

I ate a  cornflake cookie at a cafe when we lived in Oklahoma and it was 

love at first bite!  I threw this recipe together almost 5 years ago, 

and the taste is deliciously spot on! These cookies are loaded with some 

of the best pantry goodies imaginable, so of course they are certain to be a hit!

 What you need:

 1 cup Butter, soft

1/2 cup + 2T Oil

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 cups Cornflakes

1 cup Quick Oats

1 cup Raw Pecans

1/2 cup Shredded Coconut (unsweetened)

3 1/2 cups AP Flour

1 T Baking Soda

3/4 tsp Salt

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Place the oats, coconut and pecans in a food processor fitted with the

sharp blade. Pulse until consistency of large crumbs.

I feel certain we over pulsed the three ingredients as I had eager helpers

in the kitchen, after their soccer game. Wouldn't have it any other way!

Next, pulse in the cornflakes until bits of cornflakes appear throughout.

Then set the food processor aside

In the green bowl are the wet ingredients whipped together: butter, oil,

eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and pure vanilla extract. I use an 

electric hand mixer to blend the wet ingredients.

In the sifter, awaiting a sift, are the dry ingredients: AP flour, 

salt, baking soda and cinnamon.

Slowly sift and hand mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 

Then fold in cornflake crumble goodness.

 Use a small scoop (this is ~2 T scoop, but you could do as small as 1 T)

Line 12 on a parchment lined baking sheet and press the dough 

balls flat with clean finger.  

Bake for ~13 minutes in a 325 degree oven.

Remove the cookies from the oven, then edges should be a tad 

darker in color than the centers.  Allow the cookies to cool for 

a minute on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack 

for complete cool.

Enjoy. 

xo

Balsamic Candied Bacon Brussel Sprouts

While it is the heat of summer, and no one (including me) feels like cooking in the house, I was missing my brother (who I just left after a big family vacay in Kentucky) and must have been thinking of him as I ran to the grocery (without a list, of course) to restock the refrigerator after a week away. I picked up bacon and brussel sprouts, the stuff dreams are made of in side dish heaven (and my brother's favorite). 

What you need:

2 pounds brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved

8 ounces center cut pork bacon

small white onion, chopped

2 tablespoons light brown sugar (optional)

cracked black pepper

balsamic vinegar reduction

1/4 cup raw pecans

Line a baking sheet (with a generous lip) with aluminum foil

and parchment paper.  Top with brussel sprouts, onion and bacon

(I use my kitchen utility scissors to cut the bacon into bite size bits) 

cut and roll in the bacon bites in brown sugar.  

Top the pan of goodness with cracked  black pepper and a pinch of salt.

Back at 375 for approximately 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven 

after 30 minutes to stir, coating the vegetables with the bacon fat 

(this is where center cut pork bacon is a must, renders less fat and will not require any drain off)

After the hour cook time, throw in the raw pecans, chopped roughly,

and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

Drizzle with a bit of balsamic reduction and toss around with 

a fork. I really love the reduction from Trader Joe's, but you 

can find different brands of reduction at any old market. I used to 

make my own, so if you want to give that a whirl, here is how I did it

So easy and delish!!!

xo.

Italian Cream Cupcakes, on the QUICK!

I was in a pinch for a dessert and thought I would give a go at making Italian Cream Cupcakes, 

starting with a box of cake mix.  The results were fantastic (and oh so quick), so give this a whirl!

What you need:

box of white cake mix (that will yield a 9x13 pan)

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

2 T water

2/3 cup shredded coconut

1 cup raw pecans 

Click here for my delish frosting recipe, that must top

these cupcakes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the chopped

pecans to fold into the frosting.

Use a sharp knife to roughly chop the pecans.  If you don't feel like

getting your chop on, pulse the pecans in a food processor.

By hand or mixer, blend the cake mix, buttermilk, butter, water and eggs.

Then fold in the coconut and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.

 

I use a large scoop to plop the batter into muffin papers (I looove

the organic look of these parchment papers I picked up at King Soopers) 

Bake in a 350 degree, preheated oven.  17-21 minutes bake time.

While they bake, make the frosting!!!  Here is the link again. 

Stir in the 1/2 cup of chopped pecans you reserved.

After the cupcakes cool (I always set on a cooling rack for at least

half hour), top with as much frosting as you wish.

Then, ENJOY!!!  

xo.

Layered Spring Salad

Sorry for this ridiculously generic post, but I put a photo of this salad on Instagram and my friend, who talked me into blogging in the first place asked me to please blog the salad, step by step.  So, I must oblige.

What you need:
zucchini
bag of salad greens
tomato
fresh mozzarella
maple spiced pecans (recipe link below)
baguette
olive oil
balsamic reduction
sea salt
garlic (optional)

Steps:

Cut zucchini on the diagonal and brush with olive oil and cook on the grill (or pan saute, if you do not have a grill or grill pan). Once the zucchini is a bit tender remove from heat and sprinkle with sea salt. Set aside to cool.

Slice tomatoes

Slice fresh mozzarella

Toast baguette (cut chunks of baguette roughly the circumference of the tomato and mozzarella you sliced). To toast the baguette, generously brush the bread with olive oil (or, place a bit of olive oil on a plate and dip one side of the bread) and sprinkle with sea salt and crushed garlic (optional), bake at 350 for 10 minutes (the bread with be crunchy, like a crouton) **you can do this step a several days in advance, just place in an air tight storage container until needed.

Now you are ready to build on the platter.

Start by piling a  heap of your favorite greens (I love the spring mix blend) on the platter

Top the greens with Maple Spiced Pecans (recipe) **this can also be made days in advance.  I always have a jar of them in my pantry.

Around the edges of the platter create stacks, topping the toasted baguette with the mozzarella then the tomato.  Sprinking sea salt and a light drizzle of olive oil atop the tomato stack. 

Tuck a slice of grilled zucchini between each baguette stack, around the edges of the platter.  

Generously drizzle with a balsamic reduction.  I used to make my own, but my daughter told me it makes her eyes burn, so I started buying it at Trader Joe's.  You can find it at any market, in the balsamic section!!!

Again, many apologies for this crapTastic blog post.  But for my sweet Tanya, I hope this helps. 

Maple Spiced Pecans

 The maple spiced pecans are the perfect addition to a roasted

butternut squash and quinoa hot dish.

Oh my goodness, these are the absolute best thing to ever happen to salads, snack mix and the palm of your hand (as you shovel in a hand full)...and making them is super easy too!

 Place 1 cup roughly chopped raw pecans in a saute pan, over 

medium heat.  Watch closely.  You want to heat them until the pan

starts to smell a bit nutty.  Watch closely though, as it can go from 

tasty to burnt very quickly.

 With the pan still on the heat, add 3 T. pure maple syrup, a pinch

of cayenne pepper and a generous crack of sea salt to the warm 

nuts.  Stir until all of the nuts are coated.  Remove from heat.

Pour the warm pecans onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet

and pop in a 300 degree oven for 7 minutes.  

Remove from oven, allow to cool, and then store them in an air tight

container.  They are seriously delicious.

 

HOWDY POLLY Pan-o-Bars!!!!

I should love "Hello Dolly" pan-o-bars, but I don't.  Do you know why?  I cannot stand graham cracker crust.  So, a few years ago I decided to kick these classics up a notch, with pretzel crust.  Oh my. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup chopped raw pecans
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (I use Trader Joe's)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 

Crush the pretzels.  Either the old fashioned way: in an unsealed plastic bag, 

crush with a rolling pin OR use a food processor.

Yields 1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels. The crush will be much finer when

using a food processor, but either way is just fine.

Mix the crushed pretzels with 1 stick of melted butter and 

1/2 tsp sea salt.

Press the pretzel/butter mixture into a lightly greased (I use coconut oil), 

parchment lined 9x13 pan.

 Chop the raw pecans.

 Over the pressed pretzel crust, evenly sprinkle the chopped pecans,

coconut and chocolate chips.  Press firmly, again.

Evenly cover all the goodies with sweetened condensed milk.

Bake at 350 degrees for 23-27 minutes.

Remove from heat and slide a knife along the edges of the pan that were not 

parchment covered.  Then place bars (still in pan) on a cooling rack for an

 hour (or pop in the refrigerator, to speed the cooling process up). Then gently wiggle 

the bars out of the pan, using the parchment paper as handles, and place on a 

cutting board.  Use a pizza wheel to make desired sized cuts.

Store in an air tight container, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

You are about the be the hero of your next potluck!!

Layered Salad: Squash, Quinoa, Candied Nuts, Feta & Balsamic Reduction. Oh My!

I picked up a butternut squash at the market, because I planned on spending sometime in the 

kitchen today, making baby food.  Well, that plan fell by the wayside, as it was ridiculously

 lovely outside, and I opted instead to spend that time playing outside with my little Logan.

The butternut squash was just screaming to be gobbled up today, 

so I  raided the  pantry and found some other goodies that I thought would be

 ridiculous, with the squash, on a bed of greens.

Clean out the butternut squash, remove the skin, and cut up in 1/2

 inch chunks.  Toss the chunks with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sea 

salt and pepper on a baking sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes in a 

400 degree oven. 

In a pan heat 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to boil and reduce to simmer,

until the vinegar thickens into a syrup that coats a spoon.  It will

continue to thicken up a bit, after simmering. 

 In a dry saute pan, over medium heat, combined 1/2 cup chopped raw 

pecans, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, pinch of cayenne pepper.  

Watch like a hawk, the nuts and sugar can burn in an instant.  

Use a spoon to coat the nuts in the lightly spiced sugar.

Pile spinach and other baby greens on a platter.

Top the greens with quinoa. I had prepared quinoa in the refrigerator, 

from the night before. I cooked it according to directions and tossed 

with a bit of sea salt and olive oil.

Top with chunks of feta or goat cheese.

 Top with the sweet and spicy pecans.

Top with the roasted butternut squash.  Pour any olive oil from the 

pan on the salad as well.  I like to think of it as a deconstructed vinaigrette,

as the oil and vinegar marry together on the greens and goodies!

Yummers!

 Drizzle with the syrupy balsamic vinegar.

 Enjoy!

Here's me thinking this will be delicious, leftover...as the greens wilt a bit.