Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

 When you have a few bananas sitting on your counter getting over ripe, what is the first thing you think about making?????? Banana bread of course. We love banana bread around here. I have made a few different kinds of banana bread over the years. Our favorite is peanut butter banana bread and chocolate banana bread, then I ran across this recipe for cinnamon swirl banana bread. Oh my gosh, this bread is right up there with our favorites.

 

 There is a swirl of cinnamon running through this bread and a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping that is heaven. It smells wonderful as it is cooking and tastes even better still warm out of the oven with a slathering of butter.

  Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread, adapted from Sallys baking addiction

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup light brown sugar, not packed

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

2 large eggs

1 and 1/2 cups mashed very ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Swirl

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9�5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with a stand or handheld mixer on medium speed until well blended � about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a wooden spoon, stir in the mashed banana, yogurt, and vanilla. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Do NOT overmix. Batter will be thick.

Spoon half of the batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar swirl ingredients. Top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on the wire rack. Enjoy!

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Wow, just look at that GREAT BIG GIANT COOKIE!

This cookie was made by Taylor and his little helper, his niece Devin.

They sure had a great time measuring ..........

and tasting....

and licking......

They sure made a yummy chocolate chip cookie.

We served it while it was still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. 

You need to make this cookie (and some memories) with your loved ones this week-end!!!

Skillet Cookie, Adapted from Sweet & Crunchy

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (6 oz) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups chocolate chips
• 1.5 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and whisk or sift them together. Set this aside for a moment. Place the softened butter and the two sugars in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix them together on medium-high speed using the stand mixer or a hand mixer for about 2 minutes, until they�re light and fluffy. Scrape down the paddle and the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix again until the egg is fully incorporated into the butter. Add those dry ingredients you mixed earlier, and turn the mixer to low speed. Mix it just until the flour disappears into the batter. Stop the mixer as soon as you get to this point, because the more this dough is mixed, the tougher your cookies will be. Add the chocolate chips and the chopped walnuts or pecans, and stir them in by hand. If you�re using a well-seasoned cast iron pan, there�s no need to grease it before you put the cookie dough in. (Trust me, there�s enough butter in these babies to keep them from sticking.) But if your pan�s not very well seasoned, or you�re particularly concerned about getting your skillet cookie out in one piece, go ahead and rub a very thin layer of oil or butter into the pan, then scrape the cookie dough into the pan and smooth it into an even layer.Bake the skillet cookie at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until it is puffed, golden, and the edges have nicely browned. If you�re unsure, it�s better to err on the side of underbaking, because the cookie will continue to cook for a few minutes once it�s out of the oven.  Let the skillet cookie cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, until it�s warm but no longer hot. Use a knife to cut it into wedges (8 if you�re hungry, 12 if you�re feeling more restrained) and serve like a slice of pie.

The Best Chicken Burgers!

My family loves burgers. We are always cooking burgers around here. Because we love burgers so much, I am always looking for new and different ways to make them.

I ran across a great sale on ground chicken breast, so I packed my freezer full!  With our love of burgers and a freezer full of ground chicken, I was on a mission to find a great recipe for chicken burgers.

I found this recipe on the Food Network site, chicken burgers with garlic-rosemary mayo.
Garlic-rosemary mayo sounds delicious.  I have been wanting to make a chicken recipe using the rosemary I have been growing on my windowsill for the past year. Boy did this  chicken burger satisfy. The mayo and the rosemary made the burger extra moist and flavorful. I will be making these burgers again, and soon!

 The Best Chicken Burgers!

 

Ingredients
Mayonnaise:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 clove garlic, minced

Burgers:

1 pound ground chicken
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 sandwich rolls or burger buns
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup arugula, divided

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture. Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.

Brush the cut side of each roll with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.

To assemble the burgers: Spread a dollop of the remaining mayonnaise mixture on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns. Place the chicken burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top with your favorite burger toppings and enjoy!

Cheddar Cornbread

Who doesn't love cornbread? Especially cheddar cornbread. These little loaves of golden cheddar goodness were just the right thing to serve with steak and chicken fajitas and homemade Mexican rice for Fathers Day!

Cornbread is one of those foods that can get really dry if not made the proper way or over baked. But don't let that scare you into not giving this great recipe a try. This corn bread nice and moist with just a little cheddar cheese bite to it, but not over powering that you don't get all that great corn meal taste. I made mine cornbread into little loaves. Nice and easy to grab and eat !!! 

Adopted from Martha Stewart Cornbread

 

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1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)

1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper; make a well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk and eggs to well, and whisk to loosen eggs. Gently incorporate dry ingredients, then mix in cheese.

2. Step 2

   Place butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; bake until butter is melted. Remove from oven, and tilt to coat bottom and sides.

3. Step 3

   Pour batter into prepared skillet; bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cornbread cool in skillet at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. Wrap completely cooled bread in plastic, and store at room temperature up to 1 day.

 

Sour Cream Pancakes

We love pancakes at this house. It is Taylors favorite thing to eat on the weekends. Well, really any morning, but I only have time to make them for him on the weekends that I don't work. I had some sour cream that was sitting in the fridge and needed to be used up so I decided to make my little man pancakes.

 This recipe had a cup of sour cream and only a few teaspoons of flour.  I was hesitant to make them, but pushed on and got over my fear of pancakes with very little flour.

And since I'm a rebel, I switched out the granulated sugar and substituted brown sugar. Just because.

They cook up beautifully, and taste just as amazing. Light and fluffy and a little tangy from the sour cream. The perfect way to eat them is with a dab of butter and real, warm maple syrup. I love the weekends!

Sour Cream Pancakes?

INGREDIENTS

Makes 6 5-inch pancakes
- 7 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream (Greek Yogurt or light sour cream also work)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Butter
- Maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Let it slowly warm up until it�s really hot.
Stir the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt together in the bottom of a medium bowl. Add the sour cream and stir together very gently; it�s okay to leave the texture a bit uneven. The key to this recipe is to not over-mix! Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl, and then stir them into the sour cream mixture�once again, being careful not to over-mix.
Melt a little butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear all over the surface. Flip and cook for about a minute on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve with butter and a waterfall of maple syrup.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars

Here is my latest peanut butter and chocolate bar love. It is soooo good. I am totally in love with this bar. It is a little on the crunchy side, especially the topping, but I guess that is what I love about them. I made these for Mr. Pickypants lunch this week, they didn't last very long. Guess that means I will just have to make another batch........

Ingredients

• 1/2 package semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups oats, quick cooking

Preparation

1. Grease and flour a 9x13x2-inch baking pan; set aside. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or top of a double boiler over hot water.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with peanut butter; beat in sugar, egg, and vanilla.
3. Combine flour, soda, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Stir in oats. Press about 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Spread melted chocolate chips over the top. Crumble remaining peanut butter mixture over the melted chocolate. Bake in a preheated 350� oven for about 20 minutes.

Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

 

 With this warm weather we are having, I had a craving for burgers, I guess they make me feel like summer and cooking on the grill. I wanted to make cheeseburgers (Mr. Pickypants loves cheeseburgers) but I wanted to make special cheeseburgers. I decided on inside-out cheeseburgers.

 They are pretty easy to make. Pretty much your basic hamburger recipe made in to patties with some cheese cubes stuffed in the middle. I have made these burgers before. My favorite is Swiss cheese between the patties with saut�d onions and mushrooms on top. Today I decided on cheddar cheese (I was out of American cheese)

I stuffed cubes of Cheddar cheese in between two hamburger patties and after cooking them I topped them with a special surprise.  Remember the homemade BBQ sauce I made last week, well I topped my gorgeous burger with that. SOOOOOOOOO delicious. I think I could drink that sauce right out of the bottle.

Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

 

INGREDIENTS:?

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• 4 slices American cheese
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (15 to 20 percent fat)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (4-inch) hamburger buns, split and toasted
• Your favorite burger fixings (onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup, mustard)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut each slice of cheese in half, then in half again to form 4 squares. Stack the pieces on top of each other to form 4 stacks; set aside.
2. Place the meat in a large bowl and add the salt, garlic powder, Worcestershire, and pepper. Mix with your hands until just evenly combined.
3. Divide the meat into 8 equal portions and place on a work surface. Using your hands, press 2 portions of the meat into 2 rough 1/4-inch-thick patties that are each about 1 inch wider in diameter than the hamburger buns.
4. Place 1 stack of cheese in the center of 1 of the patties
5. Top with the second patty and pinch the edges to form a tight seal.
6. Cup each patty with your hands to round out the edges, and press on the top to flatten slightly into a single thick patty.
7. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining portions of meat and cheese to form 4 patties in total.
8. Preheat a cast-iron or other heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook burgers until well browned, about 4 minutes. It is common for burgers to puff up due to steam from the melting cheese. Turn burgers and prick the top of each to allow steam to escape; cook until browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside; about 4 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns topped with your favorite burger fixings.