Banana Bread

Okay, I am really trying to leave my banana phase.  Especially because we are in spring and there are so many fruits and berries to choose from. So many fruit stands ... strawberries, oranges, blueberries, raspberries, etc.

So of course my mother would drop off brown bananas to me.  Of course I cannot waste food.  Of course I made a banana bread.  Blame my mother. 

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, soften
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 overripe bananas
2 eggs
4 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toffee pieces

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a mini loaf pan (4 mini loaves)
2.  Beat butter and sugar until creamy
3.  Beat in eggs one at a time.
4.  Add the rest of the ingredients until just combined.
5.  Mix in toffee pieces
6.  Pour mixture into prepared mini loaf pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This bread came out nice and tender.  I personally feel like it was full of banana flavor.  However, it was sweet.  Definitely could pass as dessert.

Hopefully the Tzu Chi math tutoring students and volunteers enjoyed the bread.

Sometimes laziness just takes over and there is nothing we can do.    Of course when you are a pup it seems to happen quite often.  The pup must be tired from guarding the house all day.  Well done!

Keep baking friends!

XOXO

Better-than-sex Cake

Last weekend was a crazy weekend.  There was the Tzu Chi new year blessing event, meeting the brother in law's girlfriend for the first time, and last but not least Super Bowl Sunday.  Like I said, jammed packed!

The new year blessing was a success.  Around 200 people attended the event not including the volunteers that ran the event.  Thankfully I did not forget any of my sign language that I had to perform.  Man did I practice for that thing and am so glad it is over.  I am not artistic at all when it comes to artsy stuff like drawling and sign language.  But I survived!  Survived without embarrassing myself or my loved ones!

My mom was in charge of providing breakfast for the set up crew in the morning.  So what does she do?  She has me bake.  I am such a good daughter!  Actually not so good daughter cause the cake I decided to make was better-than-sex cake.  I found this recipe online and marked it as a must try.  I mean come on.  With a name like better-than-sex cake who wouldn't want to try it.  Of course I had to call it something else at Tzu Chi.  I guess better-than-kissing cake.

I ended up making this cake for Super Bowl Sunday too to bring to my cousin's party.  I think after hearing the name of the cake it makes people want to try it more.

Better-than-sex Cake

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding (4oz)
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan
2.  Mix cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water.  Mix well.
3.  Stir in chocolate chips.
4.  Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5.  Allow to cool in pan for about 15 minutes.  Turn cake out and let cool before eating.

This cake was amazing.  Super moist.  But I guess that is expected from a cake that has pudding mix and sour cream.  Oh and so easy to make!  I love semi-homemade recipes.  They are easy yet still have that homemade touch.

So is this cake better than sex?  Well know one said it wasn't.  Try it for yourself and let me know!

Keep on baking!
XOXO

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

I was sick (and still am) on my favorite holiday of the year.  THANKSGIVING.  No one knows how sad I am about this than my husband.  I have no self control when it comes to eating and my husband knows this from first hand experience.  I barely survived the holiday but needless to say I did not gorge myself in food.  I barely had a appetite.  Even the thought of food made me feel yucky.  To top it off I was super sad that food made me yucky.  Food should never make you yucky.  I finally went to the doctor yesterday who prescribed me 2 inhalers for my coughing.  However it has been a struggling trying to use them.  How is it that a 10 year old can use one but I can't?  Sad.

I  haven't done much baking since I have been sick.  This coffee cake was one I made for volunteers before a Tzu Chi event.  This is for all the anti nut people. 

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Adapted from Broma Bakery

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a large bundt pan and set aside.
2.  Cream butter, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
3.  Add eggs one at a time and make sure each is incorporated.
4.  Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
5.  Add dry mixture to creamed mixture until just incorporated.  Do not over mix!
6.  Add chocolate chips.
7.  In a separate bowl mix brown sugar and cinnamon together.  This will be the topping.
8.  Pour half of the batter into the bundt pan.  Sprinkle half of the brown sugar topping over the batter.  Pour in the second half of the batter and top with remaining sugar topping.
9.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.

Coffee cakes are easy to make and great accompanied with coffee.  I especially like coffee cakes cause I take my coffee with just milk/creamer so a little coffee cake brings the sweetness to breakfast.

Hope everyone enjoys this recipe!

XOXO

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

What is something quick to eat for breakfast when you have to be up early in the morning?  Coffee cake of course!  Coffee cake is best because I categorized it as "on the go" food.  You can drink your coffee, drive, and eat all at the same time.  Okay ... maybe ... just a little crumbs.

I needed to be up early for a Tzu Chi event.  I decided to make some coffee cake for the volunteers that were going early to set up in the morning.  I would say 8am on a Saturday morning qualifies are early.  Knowing I would be sleepy and hungry in the morning I made this coffee cake the night before. 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Adapted from Kirbie's Cravings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 8 x 8 inch pan.
2.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs to the mixture one at a time.
3.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
5.  Add the sour cream and vanilla.  Mix until combined.
6.  Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle with half of the topping.  Add the remainder of the batter on top and sprinkle with the remaining topping.
7.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

This coffee cake is yummy.  The pecans add a great touch of crunch.  For coffee cake it's also not too sweet.  Just right with coffee.  

I caught the d-o-g on her bed.  This is pretty amazing considering that she went pee on it when I first brought it home a year ago.  I got this great idea a year ago to buy the pup a new bigger bed since she was growing.  When I brought the bed home she looked at it and pretty much walked away.  Then later that week she walked on it, scratched around, and left.  Then finally I went to the bed and noticed she went pee on it.  Thank goodness the cover comes off to clean and it is water proof.  After cleaning the bed I have never seen her on it.  I have even tried laying and sitting on the bed myself.  The pup looks at me like I am stupid and walks away.  So catching her on this bed is amazing.  I will have to admit it did not last long after the picture.  But I hope it means she is warming up to it.

Keep baking and stock up on pumpkin pie puree for the holidays!

XOXO

Oatmeal Streusel Banana Bread

What do I do when my husband tells me I don't need to make dinner and that we are going out to eat?  I bake!

I have been wanting to try more banana recipes and since my cousins gave me a bag of frozen ripe bananas I took the opportunity by storm.  I love any bread or muffin with a streusel topping.  Streusel topping makes everything better!  There is something about the sweet crumbly addition that makes you keep wanting to eat more. 

Oatmeal Streusel Banana Bread
Adapted from Baking Junkie

Ingredients:
Bread:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (1 stick)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 over ripe bananas, mashed

Streusel:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoon cold butter

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a loaf pan with butter.
2.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined.  Add sour cream and banana.
3.  Mix cinnamon, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add dry mixture to wet mixture.  Do not over mix!
4.  To make the streusel, combine all of the dry ingredients.  Cut the butter into small pieces and add to mixture.  Cut in using a fork or pastry cutter until mixture forms crumbles. 
5.  Pour the banana bread batter into greased loaf pan.  Top with streusel.  Bake for about 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
6.  Cool in pan.

This bread came out looking a little dark.  However the taste was still very yummy.  I think the only thing I would change about this recipe is to make it a muffin instead of a bread.  I had a little trouble making sure the middle of the bread was cooked and keeping the bread from burning.  I ended up covering the top with some parchment paper half way into baking.  I think by making it a muffin it would not only be easier to eat but the cook time will be shorter hence a more appetizing color (not so dark).

The husband and I took the pup to a dog park that we have not been before.  The dog park we normally take the pup to is currently under constructions.  They are reseeding the grass and fixing some pipes that were leaking causing huge mud puddles.  So on Sunday we took the pup to a dog park that a few of our friends have raved about.  This park was much bigger than our normal dog park.  Oh and so many more dogs were there for our pup to socialize with.  But of course the pup had to greet all the humans at the dog park first before attempting to make new friends.  The proud dog mom that I am loves it when other dog owners tell me how soft my dog is.  Ah so happy.  The husband and I both agree that when the day comes for us to have a k-i-d we will be one of those parents who always rave about our k-i-d.  For now I will enjoy my time with my 4 legged child and my baking.

Enjoy!

XOXO