Tasty Tuesday Blueberry Banana Bread

It always seems like I have a few bananas sitting on the counter that the kids don't want to eat anymore because they have turned too brown. So I often use them to make banana bread. And since we always have a ton of blueberries on hand, I usually end up making blueberry banana bread.


Here's what you will need:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Mashing the bananas:

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Beat in the bananas. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined. Fold in blueberries.

The mandatory licking of the beater:

Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 1 1/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (If using frozen blueberries, you might have to go a little longer.)

Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan onto a wire rack. Serve warm with a little butter and try not to eat the whole loaf in one afternoon!

Where Water Comes From

Today I learned from J where water comes from. First he asked me why I drink so much water and I told him that it was my favorite thing to drink. He told me that milk was his favorite. Then he asked me if Holstein cows were my favorite. A little confused, I told him no, Jerseys were my favorite and then asked him why. And he answered the perfect answer for the son of a Jersey farmer: "Because Holsteins make water. Milk comes from Jerseys."

(Because Jersey milk has a higher protein content than Holstein milk does, it is thicker and creamier, even if they contain the same amount of butterfat. As a joke M likes to say that Holstein milk is water because it is thinner so that is where J picked it up from.)

Tasty Tuesday: Waffles

Waffles are one of our favorite breakfast foods. We all really like them and I usually have a few different toppings to put on them so that everyone can have them the way they want. Here is my favorite recipe for them.


Ingredients:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp brown sugar
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 3/4 cup Twin Brook Creamery milk


Combine all ingredients. I usually mix mine up in my glass quart Pyrex measuring thing so that it is easy to pour. Heat your waffle iron and spray it with Pam and pour in the batter. Cook according to your waffle iron directions.



And then the best part top with your favorite topping!



My and S's favorite is sweetened peaches:



J's favorite is sweetened strawberries:


And you can always go with the old standby: syrup (like M always does)

And if you are really craving something sweet try topping it off with whipped cream (made from fresh cream from Twin Brook Creamery, of course!)

Hope you enjoy these as much as we do! Let me know how you liked them and what your favorite toppings are!

Tasty Tuesday - Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake

After losing my camera last week and the kids being sick with colds, I haven't had much for interesting topics to write about lately, so I thought I would share another recipe with you. I have been trying to use up the last of my frozen raspberries from last year before they start again next month, so last night I made Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake to have for breakfast this morning. It is delicious and so nice to have it made the night before and ready to reheat and eat in the morning!

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups unsweetened raspberries
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
BATTER:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cold butter, cubed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans
GLAZE:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons Twin Brook Creamery milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions: In a large saucepan, cook raspberries and water over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice. combine sugar and cornstarch; stir into fruit mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in eggs, sour cream and vanilla (batter will be stiff). Spread half into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Spread raspberry filling over batter; spoon remaining batter over filling. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm cake. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of it for you since I lost my camera, but if you would like to see it you can check out here on the Taste of Home website where I got the recipe from. Give it a try and let me know what you think! And if you have any great raspberry recipes, please share them so I can use the rest of the raspberries up soon. Since I love to bake and share my recipes, maybe I will try to share one of my favorites each week. If I can remember to do it. We'll see.

Tasty Tuesday! Sloppy Joes

I may have mentioned before that I like to cook, well mostly baking is what I really like, but cooking can be pretty fun to. (If I didn't mention it before, now you know!) So I thought I would share one of my favorite easy dinner recipes that I made last night. It is Sloppy Joes, and this recipe is M's favorite. J and S really like it too, and whenever I make it, I know that they will eat a good dinner that night!

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of ground beef
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can tomato soup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp mustard
1 cup ketchup

Directions:
Brown the ground beef and drain the fat, stir in remaining ingredients, and simmer for about 1/2 hr, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns!

Easy! Give it a try some night if you are looking for a new recipe! Enjoy!