#2,812: Coffee Cake Banana Bread

Here's another banana bread recipe for you to try!  I LOVED the addition of the cinnamon sugar topping to make this like a coffee cake.  My kids loved this too and devoured a mini loaf after school.  Ok, I maybe helped them eat it, but personally I would have loved to cut off the topping and just eat that!  Maybe I should make these in muffin top pans?!!?  

3-4 medium or large bananas

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sour cream (or Greek yogurt)

Crumb Topping

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

6 Tbsp butter, cold

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease two 8x4 pans.

In a small bowl, mash bananas, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add in eggs and beat until mixed.

To the wet ingredients, sift in flour, baking soda, and salt.

Stir until just combined. Add in sour cream and stir.

Pour in mashed bananas, and mix until combined.

Crumb Topping

Combine cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter, and mix until the topping looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle coating evenly over the batter in both pans.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs stuck to it. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Move to a wire cooling rack.

#2,795: Orange Zucchini Bread

Allison told me she wanted to guess what was in this recipe...ok I'll play along.  She guessed zucchini right away (the fact that she could see it in the bread was a good start), and then guessed every fall fruit possible as the other ingredient.  When I told her it was orange juice, she KNEW it had to be something citrusy.  HA.  Nice try girly.  You were close.  

This bread is quite moist and who knew that orange and zucchini went so well together.  Since I have now cut myself TWICE (in the same spot I might add) on my food processor blade, I figure I better put a disclaimer/warning/don't learn from my mistakes note out there to y'all.  Please be careful with your food processor blades!  Even when you are mentally telling yourself to be careful so you don't cut yourself again it can (and might) happen!  

This is big batch recipe and makes 4 mini or 2 regular sizes loaves.  So make a batch and share some with your neighbhors.  Or stick them in the freezer for breakfast or snacks for the kids...or yourself. 

3 cups flour

2 cups cups sugar

3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 tbsp zest of one Naval orange

4 oz juice of one Naval orange

3 cups minced fresh zucchini, drained of juice use food processor and drain of moisture

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3 eggs

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Ensure rack is in middle position.

Rinse and cut zucchini (skin on) into quarters and put in a food processor. Turn on for 30 seconds or so until zucchini is minced or finely shredded. 

In a large bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, oil, orange zest, orange juice and eggs. Add flour mixture one cup at a time mixing on low. Stir in minced fresh zucchini. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and make sure flour is incorporated evenly into batter.

Grease two loaf pans (8"x 4"x 3") with cooking spray. Pour half of the batter into each loaf pan and bake at 350F for 50-60 min. Test by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it is done. Let rest for 30 min before cutting. Enjoy warm or cold. Store in the refrigerator for several days. Wrap in wax paper and put in freezer bag to freeze up to 6 months.

#2,655: German Salt Sticks

We were sitting and chatting with Brian's grandpa (he's 92 I think!) and he mentioned that he used to walk to a bakery to get "salt sticks," and he was telling us that he hasn't had them in a long time and how much he used to love them.  That's all I needed to hear and I started searching for what "salt sticks" are when I got home.  I had no idea if I was making the right things, so I texted my mother-in-law half way though to get some guidance.  She suggested I make them thinner and add more toppings, and this is what I came up with.  I can't wait to take these to him and hope that they are even something close to what he remembers!

As I've mentioned before, I am not a fan of recipes that use yeast because I have such bad luck with yeast. I'm still not sure these are totally how they are supposed to be because my dough didn't rise nearly as much as I thought or hoped it would.  To us, these taste like regular homemade bread sticks with caraway on top.  My husband and kids scraped off the caraway seeds (shocker!) and ate these with butter.  My first batch of salt sticks were so large that I ended up giving them to the family to dip into pizza sauce with dinner.  

800 g flour, all purpose or bread flour (I used bread flour)

25 g fresh yeast or equivalent dry yeast amount (2 packages)

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

60 g lard or butter, softened.  You also can use 50 g sunflower oil (I used 60 grams (half a stick) of butter)

420 ml water milk mix, lukewarm (I combined 230 ml of milk and 190 ml of water and warmed it in the microwave for 1 minute)

1 egg, mixed with water

sesame, caraway seeds, coarse salt

Place flour in a bowl.  Add yeast, milk-water mix, very soft butter, salt and sugar.  Mix well. 
Knead until the dough is smooth and shows some bubbles.
Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a plastic bag.  You can also use a moist kitchen cloth. Let raise until dough amount has doubled.

On a smooth surface sprinkled with some flour, knead dough again and fold it twice (see the original video how this is done if you are interested).

Let it rest for 10 min covered with moist cloth. Fold again. Let rest for 5 min more.

Cut the dough into equally sized pieces, and roll into either balls (to make rolls) or sticks.  

Let the formed rolls raise on a baking tray. (Mine did not rise any more!!)

Brush each with the egg-water mix, sprinkle with sesame, caraway or poppy seeds on top and sprinkle with sea salt.  You can also put in little cut crosswise through the tops of the dough.

Place a fire proof bowl with water in the oven. Bake the salt sticks in preheated oven on 425 F for 10 min, then reduce heat to 375 F and bake for another 10 min.

#2,647: Easy (GF) Homemade Bagels

My kids were super excited to try making these homemade bagels and everyone even waited to eat breakfast while these were cooking.  I was sure some of them would have given up and grabbed a bowl of cereal instead!  The girls in this family enjoyed these...the boys thought they were just ok. 

But we all agreed that these were best with 2 things:
1.  With some cream cheese or peanut butter on it.
2.  Let these cool completely, then you can cut it open and toast.  It's a little less chewy in the center this way. 

This also would have been way better with some seasoning/toppings on this.  I just put a little bit of sea salt.  My crew however would have preferred a generous dumping of cinnamon-sugar on top and I refused to add that.  I personally would have added some sesame seeds to mine...next time.  

1 cup (5 oz) unbleached all purpose flour, whole wheat or gluten-free mix (we used gluten free flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder 

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt 

1 egg white, beaten 

(optional toppings: everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic flakes, dried onion flakes)**

Preheat oven to 375F. Place parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper, spray with oil to avoid sticking (I did not do this, and mine did not stick!).

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.

Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 15 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).

Divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into 3/4-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels. (or you can make a ball and poke a hole in the center then stretch it slightly...this is what I did.  It was much easier!)

Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.

#2,638: Gluten Free Cinnamon Banana Bread

My mom had some very ripe bananas needing to be used up so I decided to try making some banana bread using gluten free flour for our family this weekend.  This was definitely an easy recipe to throw together, but it was a bit soft for my liking and deifnitly not very sweet (not that that's a bad thing though!).  To bump up the cinnamon taste to it, I added some cinnamon sugar to the top before I threw it in the oven, and it came out super crispy, but ended up turning into a more "wet"/moist texture as it sat overnight.  This got mixed reviews from my crew.  We didn't dislike it, but it isn't our favorite banana bread recipe we've ever made or tried.  It definitely is much healthier without the ton of sugar added like a traditional banana bread has.  I would make this again, but it won't be my "go-to" recipe. 

3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tbsp. honey

3 tbsp. maple syrup

2 eggs

1.25 cups mashed bananas (around 3 bananas)

1/4 cup nonfat milk (or nut milk)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1.75 cups white whole wheat flour (I used gluten free flour)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together the oil, applesauce, honey, maple syrup, eggs, bananas, and milk. Once well combined, add the cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Then using a spoon, stir in the flour until just combined. 

Pour into a bread pan (I used a 9 x 5) sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and bread is cooked through.

#2,719: Chocolate Mint Zucchini Bread

After making the Zucchini pico de gallo salsa, I had some zucchini leftover.  Plus I have a ton of chocolate mint growing in my garden, so I knew I had to find a recipe that combined the two ingredients.  Enter this Chocolate Mint Zucchini Bread.  Although this was a little bit dense, my kids still enjoyed it and the girls were made when they realized their little brother had eaten the last piece.  So I'd say that's a good sign for the recipe.  The original recipe called for 1 egg white whipped and this batter was SO dry, so I added another whole egg.  I am not a baker, so that could have been why our batter was dense, but I didn't know what else to add to make it moist.  Maybe I should have added some coconut or vegetable oil???  Any suggestions from you good bakers out there?!

1 1/2 c unbleached flour

1/3 c granulated sugar

1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp granulated sugar

4 tbsp fresh chocolate mint leaves, chopped

1 tsp water

1 c zucchini -- unpeeled and grated

1/4 c fat-free sour cream

1 egg white -- whipped 

Preheat oven at 350.  Prepare pan a 8 x 4 x 2" loaf pan with cooking spray and flour; set aside.

In a bowl, combine flour, 1/3 c granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa. 

Place the 2 tsp granulated sugar, the chocolate mint and water into a food processor.  Process until very finely minced, almost a paste.  Combine mint paste, zucchini, sour cream, and egg white in a large bowl.

Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients just until moistened.  Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 60 minutes.

#2,695: Carrot Cake Banana Bread

One of my favorite places to go in the grocery store (when I actually step foot into a grocery store thanks to Walmart's Pick Up service!), is the clearance section.  I never know what I'm going to find and what deals I'll be able to snag.  Recently I was able to get a box of carrot cake mix for 50 cents.  So I've been trying to think of a way to health-ify it so I can give it to my family (preferably as some sort of breakfast food).  When I saw the 2 very ripe bananas on my counter, I knew someone had to have combined the two, and a quick Google search led me to this recipe.  Thankfully I had an extra banana waiting to be used up in my freezer, so I was good to go on whipping this one up.

Matthew wouldn't even try this because "It has carrots in it.  I can see them!".  The girls and I however loved this.  It is super moist!  I love the addition of the coconut in it too....the girls didn't seem to notice that it was in there.  

1 package (15.25 ounces) carrot cake mix, dry

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used coconut oil) 

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) (I omitted)

1/4 cup shredded coconut, plus more for topping (optional)

Optional Cream Cheese Spread (I did NOT make this)

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients until combined and a batter forms. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Top with additional coconut if desired. 

Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and allow to completely cool.  Once cooled, slice and serve with sweet cream cheese spread if desired.

If desired: While the bread cools, whip together the ingredients for the spread until smooth. Cover and until ready to use and refrigerate any leftovers.

#2,690: Super Moist Banana Bread

Now this is definitely a moist banana bread.  I usually start to get nervous when it calls for 3 bananas because I'm afraid it's going to be too banana-y (is that a word?!), but figured I'd give this recipe a try with the kids.  They loved it!  The totally devoured it for breakfast for 2 days.  Although this does have quite a bit of sugar in it, so next time I'm going to cut back on that and see how it turns out. 

3 medium Bananas

3/4 cup Sugar (or 1/2 c honey)

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1 Egg

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 tablespoon Cinnamon 

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mash your bananas.  Add the egg, sugar (or honey) and cooking oil to your bananas.

Add the dry ingredients to your banana mixture and stir just until moistened.

Spray the bottom and sides of a loaf pan with cooking spray. Cook for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in middle comes out clean.  Allow pan to cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack.

Remove the bread from the pan, and allow your bread to fully cool on a wire cooling rack.

#2,687: No Yeast Soft Pretzels

I always love a good warm soft pretzel.  But I am not a patient, yeast-using type of cook, so I was looking for an easy recipe that I could use that omitted it.  We whipped this recipe together really quickly, and I gave each of the kids enough dough to make 2 pretzels.  You would think I was torturing them asking them to roll out logs of dough.  Once they were done and put into a semi-pretzel shape, we coated half of them with an egg wash and salt, and the other half was coated with cinnamon and sugar.  It was a 50/50 split vote whether we liked the salty or sweet pretzels.  Both were good though.  These are a bit dense (but I expected that!), but still pretty good.  I don't think these compare to a good soft pretzel, but for a quick, easy recipe, I thought they were ok! 

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cups milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

topping suggestions: coarse salt, cinnamon, sugar, toasted sesame seeds, etc. 

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Stir together the first six ingredients to make a soft dough.

Sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour on the counter. Divide dough into two balls. Knead it. Put bowl upside down over balls for 15 minutes.

Divide each ball into four balls, resulting in eight total balls. Roll each ball into a long rope, about a foot in length and form into pretzel shape.

Spray cookie sheet and place pretzels on pan.  Beat egg and brush over pretzels. Sprinkle on your desired topping.

Place in the oven for 9-11 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.

#2,067: Pumpkin Banana Bread (Eggless)

I had 2 very, very ripe bananas on my counter needing to be used up.  I'm on a healthier bread/muffin kick lately so I knew I wanted to sneak a veggie in as well, and I had a can of pumpkin puree in my pantry that would totally fit the bill for that!  I've seen this recipe many times so I actually had to go back and search my blog to see if I've made this before.  I was quite surprised that I had not!

I let the kids try this after they got home from school and they were all excited to try it.  I think the chocolate chips on top were their main motivator.  But they all ate it and said they enjoyed it.  And when I offered up a second small piece, they all ran over to get another one.  I'd say that's a very good sign.

As you can see from the photo this is a little over done.  I kind of forgot it was still in the oven.  Because I over cooked it, it's a bit dense but it is still good.  I would definitely make this again.  And I love loaf recipes because it's less mess to clean up!  I hate cleaning out muffin tins!

2 cups flour 

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger 

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 cup mashed, overripe banana 

1/2 cup pumpkin puree 

1/2 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave

2 tbsp sweetener of choice (I used 1 tbsp sugar)

1/3 cup oil OR milk of choice

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional (I used minis)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan, and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. 

Whisk all liquid ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour wet into dry and stir to form a batter.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Smooth into the prepared pan. If desired, press some extra chocolate chips into the top.

Bake on the center rack 30 minutes, then do not open the oven door but turn off the heat and leave in the closed oven for 10 additional minutes. Because ovens may vary, if it’s still under cooked after this time then just turn the heat back on and cook–checking every 5 minutes–until firm. (I definitely had to let mine cook longer, but I forgot about it so that's why it looks a little too brown!)

Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Taste and texture will be much better the second day (and even better the third day as it will get sweeter). Leftovers can be sliced and frozen if desired.

#2,065: Easy Soft Pretzel Bites

Need a last minute Super Bowl snack?  This one was so easy, I served it to my family as part of their lunch (we did a bunch of leftover things), and they asked for me to make it again tonight.  The only thing  I will do differently next time is to be more generous with the salt.  I thought I was salting it with plenty of salt, but it still could have used more.  I decided against making homemade cheese dip and used some leftover nacho cheese sauce we already had in the fridge.  This was a huge hit with my crew!  

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough

4 c. water

1/4 c. baking soda

1 large egg, beaten

Coarse salt

Cheese Dip (I omitted these ingredients and used a store bought cheese dip instead)
2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

1 c. milk

2 c. Cheddar cheese
Salt, pepper, and cayenne, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Quarter each biscuit then roll piece into a ball. Pinch to seal. (I didn't pinch mine.  They seemed good enough just rolling them)

In a medium saucepan, combine water and baking soda. Bring to boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the rolled balls and cook for 1 minute. (I did about 10 balls at a time).  Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to baking sheet, making sure the pretzels aren't touching. Brush beaten egg over each pretzel. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. (Mine only needed 10 minutes).  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

(I skipped this step and just heated up our store bought cheese sauce in the microwave!) Meanwhile, make cheese sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in milk and bring to a simmer. When the milk begins to thicken, stir cheese, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.

#2,044: 3 ingredient Drop Biscuits

Last year, my aunt came over to fry some calamari for Christmas and brought with her a whole lot of shortening.  However, the deep fryer we used, only uses canola oil so she left behind all that shortening.  It's not something I cook for often (ahem, ever), and last winter, I used some of it in Pre-k to teach my kiddos about blubber.  But I still have a whole bunch of it left.  So I wanted to try and find an easy recipe to use it in so I could use it up.  I found this recipe which was super easy, but seemed like it would be lacking a lot of flavor.  So I added in some garlic powder and shredded cheese too.  Although we liked this recipe (and my husband happily ate the leftovers for breakfast), I thought these were a bit dry, so you might want to slather it in butter or gravy.  These definitely aren't the healthiest thing we've eaten or made! 

2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 c shortening, cubed
2/3 or 3/4 c milk or buttermilk, or more as needed
I really felt these needed more flavor since we were eating these with dinner, so I added about a cup or so of shredded cheddar, and a few shakes of garlic powder.

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Coat a baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray.

Measure flour in a large bowl. Cut in shortening or butter using a pastry blender or 2 knives until crumbs are the size of peas.

Blend in just enough milk with a fork until the dough leaves sides of the bowl. If needed, add more milk to form a soft dough.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

#2,025: Chocolate Avocado Banana Bread

My brother's girlfriend, Jess, brought this recipe to Thanksgiving last weekend and I'll admit, the huge chunks of chocolate chips caught my eye right away.  As you know from my posts (especially my more recent ones), we make banana bread often in this house, and I am always looking for ways to sneak some healthy fruits and veggies into my kids' meals.  So when she said this recipe had avocado in it, I was super excited.  I had each of my kids try it, and no one knew it had avocado in it, and all 3 asked for more.  So I knew this had to go on my meal?breakfast list for this week.

1/2 of a medium, ripe avocado, cubed

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large ripe bananas, sliced

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (make sure to use regular and not dutch processed)

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the interior of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a blender or food processor, add avocado, egg, vanilla and bananas. Blend until smooth.

Add in flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. Blend or pulse until batter is smooth. This should only take a few seconds. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the sides or the bottom to make sure all the flour gets mixed with the batter.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle surface evenly with chocolate chips so that it covers most of the surface. Bake for about 50 minutes. The top of the loaf should bounce back if pressure is applied and a toothpick inserted should come out clean (except for any melted chocolate that might get on it). Allow bread to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

#2,024: Banana Bread

After a friend gifted us with some bananas (and I mean a lot of bananas), I knew I needed to make some banana bread for my kids for breakfast.  They love banana bread, and whenever we buy bananas, we always have some that turn brown before we eat them.  (That MIGHT be because in my house, no one will eat a banana if it isn't still slightly green, or if it has the tiniest brown spot on it!). 

My kids loved this easy banana bread recipe!  It is such an easy recipe to throw together too because I always have the ingredients on hand!

The original recipe suggested trying 4 bananas for "serious and extreme moist and deliciousness."  I did try this on a second loaf and was not a fan at all.  It was way too much banana for our liking.  Stick with 3!!  

1⁄2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3 bananas, finely crushed 

1 1⁄2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350º.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and crushed bananas.

Combine well.

Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla.  Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.

Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

#2,011: 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Biscuits and Gravy

One of my sweet students shared some recipes with me, and told me that this was the one that I had to make first.  So of course I made sure to get all of the ingredients so I could make it this weekend and have a recipe/chef sharing chat with him on Monday.  This was a ridiculously easy recipe to throw together and although I would probably cut down on the amount of soup used (I like my biscuits a little drier, but that's a personal preference), I'd definitely make this again.  I knew if I had any chance of my family eating this I had to swap out the cream of mushroom for cream of celery.  Brian "claims" to have a mushroom allergy....I think he just doesn't like them...but it's rubbed off on the kids too (they don't like them, they aren't allergic).  I love how easy this recipe is to throw together.  Although it says to cook on high for 2 hours, but I had to cook mine on high for 3 hours for it to be fully cooked in the middle.  

1 lb bulk breakfast sausage 

2 cans refrigerator biscuits (not grands size)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I used cream of celery)

Brown and drain the sausage.  Layer 1 can of biscuits in the bottom of a greased slow cooker.  Top with half the sausage and then 1 can of cream of mushroom soup.

Repeat the layers once more.  Cook on high for 2 hours (mine took 3) just before time to serve breakfast.  Or 4-5 hours on low. 

#2,002: One Bowl Banana Bread

I had 3 bananas sitting on my counter getting very ripe and I was going to throw them in the freezer for smoothies like I normally do, but I decided to make my kids some banana bread instead.  They LOVED this recipe and I've actually made it again tonight with more bananas from our freezer.  I love that everything is made in one bowl...less mess to clean up!!

I have a husband who loves green tipped bananas, but the second they get a brown speck on them he won't eat them.  So a lot of bananas go into the freezer (it's one fruit we don't ever seem to eat fast enough).  I personally don't love bananas on their own but throw them in some sort of baked good and I'll happily enjoy it.  This would be a great recipe to double to either have an extra loaf on hand (in the freezer of course) for breakfast, or to share with a friend, co-worker, or neighbor.  

3 very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.

Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren't crumbly.)

#2,001: Yellow Squash Chocolate Chunk Bread

I received 2 huge yellow squash from a student of mine, so I have been on the hunt for different squash recipes to make for my kids.  I found this recipe which called for zucchini and suggested making it in muffin form, but I'm too lazy for that and wanted to make it into a bread/loaf instead.  So I subbed the zucchini for yellow squash and I baked it in an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan.  This bread was super moist, and my kids loved it.  They ate it for 2 days in a row for breakfast, and as soon as it was gone I made another batch.  Next time I should just double the recipe and freeze one for later in the week.  This was seriously fantastic!  I used dark chocolate chunks, but I think mini chocolate chips would be good too because it would be incorporated more.  Either way, this is a keeper recipe!  

 1 cup all purpose flour

 1/2 cup oatmeal

 1/3 cup brown sugar

 1/3 cup granulated sugar

 2 tsp baking powder

 1/4 tsp baking soda

 1/2 tsp salt

 1 tsp cinnamon

 1/4 cup chocolate chunks

 2 cups shredded zucchini, (I used yellow squash)

 2 eggs, lightly beaten

 1/3 cup canola oil

  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, brown and granulated sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in chocolate chunks. In a separate mixer bowl, incorporate zucchini, eggs, and oil until well blended. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients.

(I skipped this step and put into a greased loaf pan instead.  I baked mine at 350 degrees for 42 minutes).  Distribute into paper lined cupcake tray, place in oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.