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Banana Bread

I've always loved banana bread.  It reminds me of my childhood.  My mom always made her mom's recipe.  I always make that same recipe.  Well, not always.  I try other recipes, but come back to Mary Deane's banana bread.  That was until I tasted this one.  I've been converted.   Emily made this at the Relief Society cooking class, and I think you (all 3 of you) ought to give it a whirl.  Or a whisk.  Or whatever.

10 oz unsalted butter

1 lb, 2 oz granulated sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lb, 5 oz pureed bananas, somewhat overripe

1 lb, 2 oz bread flour

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

9 oz coarsely chopped walnuts

coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 3 large loaf pans with a generous amount of butter and coat with sugar.

Melt butter and add the sugar.  Beat together for a few minutes.  Stir in the eggs, vanilla, and pureed bananas.  Mix together the flour, salt baking soda, and walnuts.  Stir into the butter mixture.  Spoon the batter into the prepared forms.  If you are using small forms, fill them only three-quarters full.  Sprinkle with coconut, if using (which I highly recommend you do!) Bake 45 minutes or until baked through.  You may need to use a second pan underneath to ensure that the cakes do not get too dark on the bottom while baking.  Unmold the cake as soon as possible and let cool on a cake rack.

Contact Emily for measurements instead of weights for ingredients if you don't have a scale.

Easiest Fondue

Directions:

Steam your favorite veggies

(Put them in the pot according to the time they take to cook: i.e. put in potatoes first, asparagus last)

Cut an artisan loaf of bread in cubes

Melt Fondue straight from package

You know what comes next

You can get this really great fondue by the pepperoni, laughing cow cheese (usually on the end of the aisle at Publix)

Easy as 1, 2, 3...

Here are the easiest cookies you will ever make and they're great for the holidays. All you need are these three ingredients:


1. Can of pumpkin
2. Spice Cake Mix
3. Chocolate Chips

Mix these all together and bake at 375 for 15 minutes and here's what you get:



(You should also try this, a new holiday cookie favorite of mine)

Pumpkin Bread

This AMAZING pumpkin bread recipe was given to me by Nicole Edwards. (She ok'd me to put it on the blog for her.) It is very likely the best pumpkin bread I've ever tasted. If you like pumpkin, you must try!!!



INGREDIENTS

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves (I always substitute nutmeg--I think cloves
are too strong)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease
two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing, combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat until
smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin,
ginger, allspice and cinnamon.
3. In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder.
Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all
ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Mango Chicken

When Mason and I were living in Utah, his cousins had us over for dinner. They made this dish and we were hooked. We make it all of the time. It is healthy and DELICIOUS!! Enjoy!



Marinade:

3-4 chicken breasts
1/3 c. teriyaki sauce
1/3 c. pineapple juice
1/3 c. honey
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
black pepper to taste

(Keep 1/3 c. for basting)

Salsa:

1 avocado, diced
1 mango, diced
1 tomato, diced (squish out seeds)
5 green onions, chopped
½ c. cilantro leaves, cut with kitchen shears
1-2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced (put sandwich bag over hand to take seeds out)
juice of 1 lime

Marinate meat for approximately 6 hours. Grill meat, while basting with extra sauce. Make salsa right before serving. Serve meat with salsa on top.

Note: Leftovers are excellent on salad with Brianna’s Poppyseed salad dressing.

Coconut Avocado Ice Cream

• 3 ripe medium avocados
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 3/4 cups coconut milk (or the whole can)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• pinch of cloves for garnish

Your avocados need to be ripe, soft like when you'd be making guacamole with them. Pit them, add to blender with lemon juice, coconut milk, and sugar, blending until smooth. Stir in cream and refrigerate for a few hours until mixture is cool all the way through. If you want to add cloves to taste, you can do that, but I didn't want to mess with the beautiful green color of the ice cream, so I added it at the end for garnish along with some almond butter cookies. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. If you want it harder than soft serve (and to make ahead of time), put a 9 X 13 pan in the freezer lined with wax paper and bring it out when the ice cream has solidified, making individual scoops in the pan, and return to the freezer until ready to serve.