Recipe: Banana Bread

So what do you do with your rotting...I mean, very ripe bananas??

My kids' favorite...Banana Bread!



When I worked at the bank several years ago, my co-workers and I used to order from LTD all of the time (does this still exist??). One of my purchases was a Mrs. Field's Cookie Book, 100 Recipes from the Kitchen of Mrs. Fields. What a great purchase that was!! :) I love it and it has gotten MUCH use! Her banana bread recipe is our favorite from the book.

You will need:
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. butter, softened (I use margarine)
1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
3 c. ripe bananas, mashed (I do not mash...I just throw them in whole and they get mashed w/ my mixer...it is about 7 medium sized bananas)
1 t. vanilla
1 c. walnuts (optional) OR a fun addition is miniature chocolate chips!!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spray two loaf pans with cooking spray.

I sprinkle the bottoms of the pans with cinnamon & sugar...this is my own addition...and sometimes the top after the batter is poured in.

Combine flour, soda and salt. Mix together with whisk; set aside.
I always skip this step in baking anything...who wants to dirty another bowl...not me!!

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs, bananas (mashed or not) and vanilla; beat at medium speed until thick.

Add in flour mixture (or just add in flour, soda and salt if you did not combine earlier) and nuts; blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean.

Cool and remove from pan.

ENJOY!! :)

Find another fun recipe with bananas here.

Recipe: Baked Oatmeal

BAKED OATMEAL
You will need:
3 c. oats
1 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1 stick margarine, melted
2 t. vanilla
3/4 c. craisins (dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Beat in (I use a whisk) milk, eggs, margarine, and vanilla. Stir in craisins. Spread into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes.

ENJOY! :)

Recipe: Sausage Casserole

Last week we did a "breakfast for dinner" kind of night. My kids LOVE that they get to eat pancakes for dinner!

I also made a casserole and pulled this recipe from allrecipes.com...I was a bit hesitant at first because who puts cottage cheese in a breakfast casserole??...but I gave it a whirl and YUM!!! Probably the best one I have ever had!

Here is what I did...

You will need:
3/4 of a package of a sausage roll (I used "regular" and added salt & pepper and probably about 1/2 t. of rubbed sage), cooked and drained

3 small potatoes, shredded, drained (I soaked up the water with a paper towel)

1/4 c. butter, melted

3/4 of an 8 oz. bag of shredded cheddar cheese

chopped onion, based on your preference (I probably used about 1/4 c.)

1 c. cottage cheese

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8x8 dish with cooking spray.

Stir together potatoes and melted butter. Spread into bottom of baking dish. In a bowl, combine sausage, cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese and eggs. Pour over potatoes.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until done.

*This is half of the original recipe. If you need more, double it and put it in a 9x13. The amount of butter above was the amount for a 9x13...I accidentally forgot to halve it.