Best Banana Bread

So, some food just don't photograph nicely and I've decided banana bread is one of those.  It's just not very pretty, but it's SOOO yummy.  This is the banana bread recipe my mom has been making me forever that she put in the cookbook that my family made for me when I got married.  I love trying new recipes and there are so many out there especially for things like banana bread in all the cooking magazines and things, but I always end up coming back to this recipe- it's simply the best, hands down, no question.  And so very easy.  The only change I have made to the original recipe is that I sometimes add a tsp or two of cinnamon.  And for the bananas-when you have bananas that begin to brown just stick them in your freezer and you'll have a ready supply of over-ripe bananas . 


Banana Bread
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour (whole wheat works as well as white)
1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
5 TBSP sour cream (for you girls in the Middle East- labneh works great)
1 cup mashed  over-ripe bananas (2-3) 
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients together by hand and put in greased loaf pan.  Bake 1 hour at 350.

Crock- pot Tortilla Soup

This one is so good that I almost put in on here twice!  Click here for the original recipe, but this time I have a picture.  (although not a very good picture- I haven't figured out yet how to take good pictures of food...). Anyway, this is a favorite in our house and SOOO easy.  And for an alternate way to make it...  I realized yesterday morning that my crock pot was broken, so instead I boiled the chicken and then added everything else to the pot and let it simmer for about an hour- still fabulous!

Caramel Glazed Pear Cake

Even if you think you are not a huge fan of pears, I encourage you to give this one a try!  It is AH_MAH_ZING.  I've been making it for several years now and it always gets rave reviews.

Caramel Glazed Pear Cake
4 ripe pears (3 cups diced)
1 TBSP sugar
3 large eggs
2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. oil
3 c. all purpose flour (I often use wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c. pecans
2 tsp vanilla
Toss pears with TBSP sugar and set aside.  Beat eggs, sugar and oil.  Combine all dry ingredients and add to egg mixture.  Beat on low until well blended.  Fold in pears, pecans, vanilla.  Bake in bundt pan at 350 for 1 hour.
Caramel Glaze
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/4 c evaporated milk
Stir in small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to boil and cook stirring constantly 2 1/2 minutes or until sugar dissolves.  Pour over warm cake.  Reserve extra to serve along with cake and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Tornado Chicken and Mess-up rolls

I found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's blog and it was amazing!  Click here for the full recipe.  I renamed it tornado chicken because in the middle of making it, all the tornado sirens went off and we spent about an hour in the bathtub covered with pillows.  Honestly, I was a little skeptical about serving it to the girls who aren't huge fans of mushrooms or olives but my pregnancy taste buds won out and I went ahead with it. However, thanks to the tornado, our power went out so we had to eat it in the dark so even they enjoyed it since they couldn't really see the mushrooms and olives...

I love finding quick and easy dinner roll recipes and I found one in a Southern Living that I hadn't tried.  However, in the craziness of trying to fix dinner before the tornado sirens went off, I completely messed up the recipe.  The original recipe is:

Cream Cheese Rolls
 1/2 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup self rising flour
Cream butter and cream cheese, gradually add flour.  Put in mini muffin tins and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.

Well, in my hurry, I creamed the butter and cream cheese and then added 2 cups of flour.  oops.   I didn't have anymore cream cheese so I coudn't just double the recipe.  So I looked in my frig and spotted sour cream and remembered that it is often in these quick dinner bread recipes.  I added about a cup of sour cream (until it got back to the right looking consistency), filled 12 regular muffin tins and baked like the original recipe called for- turned out very yummy!  Would probably also be good with shredded cheese or spices like basil added.

I didn't take any pics of these recipes, again, thanks to the craziness of the tornados but if you follow Pioneer Woman's recipe, she photographed it beautifully.

Brithday punch

I've made this punch now for several of the girls birthdays and it's a hit with kids and adults and VERY easy.
First scoop the ice cream (1 quart vanilla, 2 pints of sherbet) into a punch bowl.

Pour 16 oz of Sprite and 1 quart of whole milk over the balls of ice cream.  Stir gently to combine and serve immediately.

This time I used just raspberry sherbet.  The original recipe calls for orange and I've also done it with rainbow.  I think the raspberry was my favorite but it's yummy any of the ways you make it.

Birthday Milk Punch

1 quart vanilla ice cream

2 pints sherbet

16 oz lemon lime soda

1 quart whole milk

Scoop ice cream into punch bowl and pour liquids over ice cream.  Serve immediately.