Category: Recipes

Posted on

Banana Bread

This is the perfect time of year to be in the kitchen baking something wonderful, not to mention a great time to sit back in a fluffy chair sipping cider and nibbling on this incredible bread.


This is the banana bread we used for April’s wedding and then again for Lyndi’s baby shower. It really is that good. People ask if I give this recipe out…apparently, I do.

I’m not a big walnut fan so you’ll notice they’re missing.

It’s positively perfect and no dopey nuts.

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1-3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup very ripe banana- mashed

cinnamon sugar

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana. Grease a 9″x5″x3″ pan. Pour about 2 tsp of cinnamon sugar into the bottom of pan and tip pan back and forth and sideways to coat the bottom and side of pan with the cinnamon mixture.

Pour bread batter into prepared pan. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until you can just tell it is done. You can poke a toothpick in the center to make sure. If it comes out clean the bread is done. Try not to over cook it. Remove from pan as soon as you can and let it cool on rack. Brush top with butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Banana Bread
 
Print
Ingredients
  • ½ cup shortening
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-3/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup very ripe banana- mashed
  • cinnamon sugar
Instructions
  1. Cream together shortening and sugar.
  2. Add eggs and beat well.
  3. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana.
  4. Grease a 9"x5"x3" pan.
  5. Pour about 2 tsp of cinnamon sugar into the bottom of pan and tip pan back and forth and sideways to coat the bottom and side of pan with the cinnamon mixture.
  6. Pour bread batter into prepared pan.
  7. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until you can just tell it is done.
  8. You can poke a toothpick in the center to make sure.
  9. If it comes out clean the bread is done.
  10. Try not to over cook it.
  11. Remove from pan as soon as you can and let it cool on rack.
  12. Brush top with butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.

 

 

 

Posted on

King’s Cake

Kings Cake:

This can really be anything from a fancy bread, coffee cake, jelly roll or a filled cake. Traditionally, a dried bean or tiny toy baby was hidden in the batter or dough and whoever got the piece with the bean or trinket became “king” for the day. The King could expect to be waited on (within reason) and could make silly requests of his friends and family–such as–singing a song, doing a trick, dancing or making animal sounds.

I’m never that excited to have someone chip a tooth on a surprise in the dessert–so we put little charms on the glaze of the cake, that say things like “live, believe, laugh, hope, wish, love”—and I can’t stand for anyone to be left out–so everybody gets one.

Some people add color to the cake or frosting to make it more festive. One year, we made a steamed chocolate cake in a plum pudding pan. This year it will likely be spice cake in a Bundt pan decorated with gum drops. We’ll see…

Posted on

Candy Bar Hot Chocolate

If it’s snowing where you’re at, like it’s snowing where I’m at, you’ll appreciate this…

I’m pretty sure that all this time you thought you knew what a mug of hot chocolate was supposed to taste like. But I’ll tell you something–if you’ve been pouring a small packet of dry powder into a cup and adding really hot water, perhaps…you don’t. In fact, from this day forth, you are liable to look on such a practice as complete hot chocolate blasphemy.

In the book The Polar Express, they described what the children drank on the train, as, “…hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars.”

Now we’re talking…

Candy Bar Hot Chocolate

Instructions

6 ounces Symphony chocolate, chopped
2 cups milk

Place the milk and chopped chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently to keep chocolate from staying at the bottom of the pan and getting too hot. If you like foam, stir with a whisk just until mixture gets steamy hot. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat. Add a dollop of whip cream to the bottom of a mug. Pour in hot chocolate.

Now, go sit down and put your feet up. You’re really going to love this.


Candy Bar Hot Chocolate
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 6 ounces Symphony chocolate, chopped
  • 2 cups milk
Instructions
  1. Place the milk and chopped chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir gently to keep chocolate from staying at the bottom of the pan and getting too hot.
  3. If you like foam, stir with a whisk just until mixture gets steamy hot.
  4. Do not let it boil.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Add a dollop of whip cream to the bottom of a mug.
  7. Pour in hot chocolate.

 

Posted on

Caramel Corn Pops

If you’re looking for a quick and easy New Year’s snack–then give this one a try. Word of warning…you may just be making this well into March.

Just saying…

Caramel Corn Pops

1 box Corn Pops Cereal

2 cup pecan halves

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine cereal and nuts in a greased, shallow baking pan. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring butter, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and soda. Pour caramel mixture over cereal and nuts.  Stir well until all are coated. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour onto waxed paper and break apart. Store in airtight container.