Recipe Redux: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Happy Monday friends! I promised in January that I was going to share this recipe soon, and then... I went on break. However, I'm back, it's spring, and it's time to talk about chocolate and banana. Only one of the best foodie combinations ever, if you ask me. Next to chocolate and peanut butter, and maybe peanut butter and banana, of course 😂  I enjoy a good banana bread on its own but when you add chocolate, it just takes it to another level! 🍌🍫

Top 16 Recipes of 2016

Ah, long time, no see everyone!

Yes, it's the 2nd to last day of our Oregon trip and I've finally found a few moments to write. It has been Busy with a capitol B! We've been going non-stop, but man, it has been fun. I'll save pictures for when I do my Oregon or December wrap-up but we've basically been on what I like to call a "Food and Drink Tour" of Oregon. Seriously! We've travelled to Southern Oregon to dine at a couple of places in Ashland. We've stopped at a restaurant in Eugene. We've traveled to Portland to visit family and wine-taste with friends. There was a boozy breakfast in Albany. We saw "Holiday Office Party" in Corvallis. Drove the backroads through Independence. Had a wine-and-hor-dourves night with some of my biggest blog fans (Hello Glaeser family!) I can safely say I've seen the entire I-5 corridor of Oregon on this visit 😁

Recipe Redux: Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Ugh, I have been the worst blogger this month. I'm at 6 (now 7) posts for the month. I feel like I'm still on vacation. I usually post 3 times a week, but I've been averaging about 2 this month. I'm trying not to get too worked up over this, it is what it is. I've been spending a lot of time outside since I returned from my break, getting the garden ready and planting flowers. We added another raised bed to our garden this year. Year by year, the garden gets a little bigger than the year before. Obviously, the bigger the garden gets, the more time it needs. I'm feeling that this year. 

3 Solid Recipes from 2015 That Never Made The Blog

Ok friends. Over my break, I cleaned up the innards of the blog. Mainly, I went through the posts I hadn't published yet to see what I had. There were a few recipes I knew I had (the 3 below) and a couple I'd forgotten about (the last 5). All the photos for these recipes were taken with my old lens. I've finally come to conclusion that I'm done with all those old photos. Some of the recipes were over a year old! I decided that if I hadn't posted them in the first 365 days that I'd finished the pictures, that I never was. A few of the recipes were solid, delicious and share-worthy. A few were what I finally deduced as "worthless". Recipe that would need to be completely reworked, therefore needing completely new pictures. So, to get rid of anything having to do with the old camera lens, I'm going to share the 3 recipes that were really quite tasty and deserving of a repeat. 

Here we go!

Blackberry-Swirled Peach Pops

Mini Butterscotch Banana Puddings

Ok. You all know how I can get into ruts? Here's a big one:

I haven't published a banana recipe since April 18, 2014. That was my Chocolate Oat Smoothies. Well, I guess technically it was my Banana Split Truffles on October 8, 2014, but I don't really count those. There's no actual banana in them! So, it's been a loooooooong time since we've talked banana.

How does that happen? I'm not sure. It's kind of like how I fell off the Asian wagon in 2015 and only posted 2 recipes. This banana-drought might be worse though, since I didn't post a single banana recipe last year. We are going to remedy that today with this quick, easy, kid-friendly, and delicious dessert!

25 Fruity Recipes

Hello from snowy Kentucky!

Actually, not so snowy now. Yesterday it got up to 50º and much of the snow has melted, much to my relief and those Chihuahuas. I opened the living room windows this morning and was shocked to see that at least 3 inches of snow melted overnight. This has to make my birds happy. The homestead has been overrun the last couple of days, complete with birds that never come to the feeders or yard. I had a large flock of starlings pass through yesterday, and a few days ago a foursome of Eastern Meadowlarks foraged the yard. Us birders get the biggest kick out of seeing new birds in our yards. 

25 Muffin and Quick Bread Recipes

Happy Friday everyone!

It's been a long time since I posted a round-up, so I thought, why the heck not? Time to get back to my round-up's. First up, muffins and quick breads. I heart muffins and quick breads. I feel like muffins are the perfect jumping off point for someone just learning to bake. The recipes are simple and most of the time, forgiving. If there was one tip I could offer for the muffin newbie, it's this- mixing is not your friend. Cakes and cupcakes differ from muffins in the fact that mixing is paramount to the quality of your final product. Air is usually incorporated into those baked goods by creaming the butter and sugar. Most muffin recipes use baking powder or baking soda to cause the muffin to rise. Therefore, mixing until your arm falls off is not required. In fact, most of the time you'll find that the more you mix a muffin, the denser and tougher the muffin will be. Therefore, you'll want to mix the muffin ingredients just until the elements are moistened, but no more. Some of the recipes can even be made in one bowl. 

Banana Split Truffles

It happened one day at the store.

I wasn't in a hurry, and that's always a bad idea for me. When you are obsessed with food, the grocery store can be a dangerous thing. All the sights and sounds make my creativity swirl, and I get too many ideas. I spend way too long perusing the fruit and veggies, occasionally putting something that looks really fresh in my cart. The baking aisle is another aisle I get into trouble in. There's always newer, cuter cupcake liners to snatch up. A great sale on sugar or flour will move me.  I've also been know to acquire cake mixes on occasion. While I bake mostly from scratch, you can really doctor cake mix into something amazing. Or donate it to charity. The cookie aisle (i.e. the Oreo aisle) is another problem area for me. My family (ok, the hubby's family) is obsessed with Oreo truffles. They love these things. I've made countless batches since I debuted this recipe in December. I'll be making some today, in fact. So when I saw a package of Banana Split Oreo's, I could not resist. I would not resist. 

And I went for it.

And wow! These taste exactly like a banana split! While I thought they would be good, and might taste something like banana, I had no idea just how good they would be. Or how much they would taste like a banana split. Have no fear, these are perfectly banana-y. If you have a banana split lover in the house, they will luuuuurve these. Luckily, I was able to take most of the batch out to my sister-in-law's for her birthday, so I was saved from what would doubtlessly have been a binge-fest on Oreo truffles. 

I've mentioned before, these are completely easy-peasy to make. There's no baking! I think that's the best part. All you need is a food processor, a microwave, and a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Actually, I used a little bit of gel food color, but that's totally optional. And technically,  technically, you could make these without the food processor. It would just take a bit longer and some elbow grease to mix them by hand. But on the bright side, hey, you could totally crush the Oreo's by putting them in a ziploc bag and beating the crap out of them. A good exercise in releasing some negative juju, if you will. 

Someday, I will have made truffles from all the Oreo flavors. Mwhahahha! I already have Pumpkin Spice Truffles on tap, followed by Berry Truffles. All in good time my friends, all in good time. 

Total change of subject time. Here in NE Kentucky, we were treated to some spectacularly bad weather yesterday. First of all, I woke up to my back porch in complete and total disarray. All of the chairs had been blown over. Gusts of wind had knocked half my plants over. Rain had gotten in the kitty box. I cleaned everything up, righted my plants, and shook out the kitty blankets. I've turned the kitty box, so I'm pretty sure rain won't be getting in there again. The hubby is also going to build an extremely small lean-to to protect Sam's food from rain. Right now, we have a tote on its side that Sam can crawl into to eat his food. Something permanent is in order, though. After cleaning everything up, wouldn't you know, more severe weather rolled in that afternoon. The news hadn't exactly prepared us for this weather pattern, we usually have several days warning. Luckily, the hubby and I were both home when the sky turned black and a tornado watch was issued. We spent a little time in the basement during one squall, but as usual, we ended up being safe. For the severity of the storms, there wasn't a lot of damage in our area. We never even lost power. It still ended up being a pretty crazy afternoon.

And now today? It's supposed to be clear and sunny. Crazy weather. Crazy good running weather :)

So, in conclusion, if you see Banana Split Oreos at the store, I highly recommend picking up a package and giving these a whirl. You will not regret it.

Have a great Hump Day friends!

Ingredients (makes ~20 truffles):

1 (18 oz) package Banana Split Oreos

4 ounces cream cheese

1 (16 oz) package of Vanilla Melting Candy

yellow gel food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Remove 2 cookies from package. Place in a ziploc bag and crush. Set aside.

2. Place remaining cookies in food processor. Pulse until cookies are crumbs. Add cream cheese to the food processor, and pulse until you have one solid chunk of "dough".

3. Scoop out balls of dough using a 1-tbsp cookie scoop. Place balls on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

4. Melt candy according to package directions. Add desired amount of food coloring, if using. Dip balls into melted candy, then place back on the cookie sheet. Dust truffles with crushed cookie crumbs before the melted candy sets. Let truffles sit for 30-60 minutes before digging in. Store in an airtight container. 

Printable Recipe

Love Oreo truffles? Try these recipes!

Oreo-Reese's Peanut Butter Truffles

Mint Chocolate Truffles

Oreo Birthday Cake Bites

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friend's Friday Linky Party, Treasure Box Tuesday

Chocolate Oat Smoothies

Once again, I've saved the best for last!

These smoothies truly feel decadent. Indulgent. Kind of like a Wendy's Frosty. Kind of. But I will tell you, these are much healthier for you than a Wendy's Frosty. Because, you know, there's oatmeal in these.

There's also Nutella... Moving on :)

I loved these smoothies. Loved, loved, loved them. They would make a great dessert if you are watching your calories. Even the hubby enjoyed them. I'm not sure why, but I never think chocolate when I think smoothies. I think fruit. I think yogurt. But chocolate? Not so much. Well. Quite frankly, forget that! I'll be putting chocolate in more smoothies from now on. Many, many more.

So, Smoothie Week is now over. I'm pretty pleased with how delicious they all turned out, not to mention how well the photographs turned out. I'll be back next week with a few non-liquid recipes. Since it's been birthday season around here, I'll have a couple of cake recipes for you. I made a Pecan Pie Cake for my mother-in-law's birthday, I'm beyond excited to share it. It was a decidedly elaborate cake. A perfect share for blogging.

Some exciting news! I was a featured recipe over on The Country Cook's Weekend Potluck. This is my second time, and it still feels just as good as the first time. I must say, starting a blog is hard work, and a reward such as this every once in awhile really makes it all worth it. Sometimes, on those weeks where you get no hits and no one comments on anything, I get that nagging thought that I suck at this and I need to give it up. I follow a number of different blogs, I know this is a typical feeling among bloggers and one that no one is immune to. Sometimes you just need a pat on the back to keep going. And that's exactly what I got. Well played Country Cook, well played.

Between this and our driveway being completed, I'm heading into the weekend on Cloud 9. It's supposed to be a true Spring weekend here, with sunshine and nice weather without the nasty humidity of summer. I'm planning to get a couple of runs in, especially since I've been eating so much cake as of late.

No rest for the wicked :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients (makes 2 smoothies):

1/3 cup Nutella
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 frozen bananas, sliced
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2- 1 cup almond milk

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add more almond milk to achieve a thinner consistency. Distribute between 2 glasses. Serve immediately.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday

Tropical Fruit Smoothies

Well, this post feels a little inappropriate.

After a gorgeous sunny Sunday, and a stormy but warm Monday, I woke up to SNOW today. Argh. I'm so irritated. The trees are starting to bloom, the grass is getting greener everyday, I'm starting to get tan lines, and now this? It's so much easier to envision yourself on a Hawaiian beach with this smoothie next to your beach chair when it feels summery out. I guess we'll all have to pretend today, hmmm?

These are one of my healthier smoothies. Mostly fruit, a little juice and yogurt, and a hefty tablespoon of coconut oil. You'll be surprised how much coconut flavor you get out of a little bit of oil. Mixing the coconut oil with pineapple and orange lends the perfect tropical flavor combination. I spent the whole week experimenting with using frozen fruit and frozen bananas in lieu of ice. Nothing against ice, but you can get a much better texture out of a smoothy if you skip it. I pretend the frozen fruit is my ice. It makes for a velvety smooth consistency with no crunchy ice chips. I hate crunchy ice chips in a smoothie.

I already know what some of you are going to say about ice chips. That's about the blender. Indeed. My blender model is circa 2001. I bought it the summer before I started college. It's a bright red Kitchen Aid I acquired for $20. And it still works! It's no Ninja or VitaMix, but it cost $20. I'll also tell you that "Smoothie Week" is the first time I've used that blender in my entire relationship with the hubby. That's almost 8 years. I use my food processor for most everything I need. It just so happens you can't make smoothies in the food processor (according to the hubby). With the amount that I use a blender, it'll be a while before I get a high-quality one. The point of this paragraph? You don't need a fancy blender to make smoothies. All of my smoothies are made out of my cheap-y blender, and they still turned smooth and delicious. 

Besides "Smoothie Week", we've got another project underway on the homestead. We are getting a driveway this week! The hubby and I have really approached life differently since we moved to Kentucky. The experiences that drove us here are also driving us to stay out of debt as much as possible. We put a 20% down payment on our home, and any projects done around the house we are paying for in cash. Which means we have to save to have that cash on hand, and the big projects will get done in time. We've got 2 projects on hand for this summer:

1. Concrete- we are getting the driveway poured. We are also getting a walkway to the front door as well as steps onto the front porch. With the work being done, we are also getting a concrete pad poured in the backyard that will function as a patio until the day we decide to build our deck. I'm super excited, especially about the walkway and steps. Currently, we open the garage door and let guests in through the garage when they come over so they don't have to walk through the muddy yard. Needless to say, my entryway is under utilized. Well, not for too much longer!

2. Fencing- We'll be fencing in the backyard. Part of the backyard, actually. We've got what we call "The Front Lot" which is separated from most of our property by a large ditch. We plan on fencing in the front lot later in the future, and putting goats and chickens out there. The small section we are fencing in this summer is mainly for the dogs and our garden. But soon we'll be able to open the back door, and let the dogs out with no worries.

The forms have been set, and the lines marked for concrete. Due to the weather today (grrrr), there will be no concrete. The driveway should be done tomorrow or Thursday, however. I can't wait! Pictures will be soon to follow :)

Happy Tuesday!

Ingredients (makes 2 smoothies):

1 cup pineapple, cubed

1 orange, peeled and sectioned

2 frozen bananas, sliced

1 cup orange juice

1 (8 oz) pineapple Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

1 large tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Distribute between 2 glasses, serve immediately.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday

Strawberry Orange Smoothies

Well friends, you've made it to "Smoothie Week"! Settle in for lots of fruit, yogurt, frozen goodness, and maybe... some chocolate! That's right, I don't play by the rules. Sometimes I feel obliged to throw caution to the wind and put a non-traditional ingredient in my smoothie. Hey, you'll never know how delicious it is if you never try it!

I figure Spring is the perfect time of year to roll out "Smoothie Week". We had our first summery day of the year last year, indeed it got up to 85º. The house was 79º at 9 pm last night, so it was also the first day of the year we had to turn on the AC. Boo. I hate the AC. But, if that's the tradeoff for sitting in a lawn chair in my backyard with a smoothie in my hand, I'll take it. There's just something so magical about sitting outside with a frosty concoction while the sun beams down on you.

I can also successfully report that all the fruit, yogurt, and frozen bananas have been liberated from my kitchen. A week of smoothies took care of all those supplies!

Although I really enjoyed all the smoothies I experimented with, this was one of my favorites. I'm such a sucker for anything with berries. I've been on a major strawberry kick as of late. Since they're in season right now, they've been on sale. Maybe it's the low price or that I have some sort of strawberry deficiency, but I've been wolfing them down by the pound. Yes, by the pound. I felt guilty the first time I realized I'd inhaled a pound of strawberries in a sitting. Then I googled strawberries.

There's 150 calories in a pound of strawberries.

That's correct.

You read that right.

You can eat a pound of strawberries for 150 calories. Is this a revelation to anyone else? I mean, what else can you eat a pound of for that little calories? There's not a lot. Strawberries also boost short-term memory, ease inflammation, promote bone and eye health, lower cardiovascular disease, and are high in fiber. They have many other benefits, but you have Google to look those up right? :) My point is, there are a lot worse things you could be eating.

So I suggest following along with my "Smoothie Week". I actually ate smoothies for lunch all last week after my workouts. I loved it! They were very filling, plus they were quick and portable. Portable makes me happy. It means I can do many, many other things whilst sipping away. Like making another smoothie...

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! Happy Monday friends!

Ingredients (makes 2 smoothies):

1 cup strawberries, halved

1 orange, peeled and sectioned

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1 cup orange juice

2 frozen bananas, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Distribute between 2 glasses, and serve immediately. With a straw :)

Frozen Banana Ice Cream

First of all, yes, it was supposed to be "Week of Salads" on the blog. I've decided to postpone that until next week. This week is looking pretty hectic, and as many of you know, I blog around my photography. You know, only the hours between 11 am and 1 pm. If I can't be home during my window, I've learned to not even bother taking pictures. You'll never be able to edit them to make them look like they were taken in natural light. Yes, it took me a year to figure that out. I like to make the same mistake a bunch of times, just to make sure :)

The whole idea of a "Week of Salads" was that it would be the perfect detox after the indulgence of Valentine's Day. And indulge I did! I ate enough chocolate to kill a Mastiff. This week however, I'm concentrating on eating healthy and working hard in the gym. Eating healthy is absolutely no fun without some sort of treat however, and boy do I have one for you today! And by the way, I'm almost ashamed to call this a recipe. Almost.

Did you know if you puree a frozen banana, the banana takes on the texture of a custardy, soft-serve ice cream? I sure as heck didn't. I do now though! I can't believe you only need bananas to make it, it really does taste like ice cream. Deserts don't get easier, or healthier, than this. And once you've pureed your bananas, you can add all sorts of flavorings to the banana. I swirled Nutella through mine. You could mix in peanut butter, chocolate chips, almond butter, jam, berries, candy... Ok, you could veer into some unhealthy territory there, but hey, it's better than adding candy to real ice cream. One more tip before I go- I used to use overripe bananas exclusively for banana bread. I've since found a new use. Freeze the bananas individually, then toss them in a freezer bag when frozen. Use a frozen banana for a smoothie, or wait until you get a bunch, and then make ice cream!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I've got a case of the Monday's that better be gone tomorrow :)

Ingredients:

Frozen bananas! (I found 10 made a nice loaf-pan amount of ice cream)

Add-in's (optional): Nutella, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chips, just about any topping and/or addition you can think of.

Directions:

1. Slice frozen bananas into large chunks, transfer to a food processor. Pulse until bananas make a smooth, creamy, pureed mixture.

2. If using a nut butter, or jam, add topping to the food processor and pulse a couple of times to disperse it. If using chocolate chips or candy, fold into ice cream with spatula.

3. Spread mixture evenly into a loaf pan, and freeze until solid (mine took about 3 hours). Scoop and serve.

Devoured!

Nutella-Swirled Banana Bread

We're finally getting a break from the polar vortex!

Oh my goodness, it was 46º yesterday. It felt like a veritable heat wave. The boys (who have a touch of cabin fever) got to be outside for about an hour yesterday. This may not seem like a long time, but I say their total daily outdoor time has been 10 minutes or less for the past week. For Chihuahuas, an hour is a long time. I love it too though. How wonderful to not have to strap on 5 layers to walk out the door! The high for today is supposed to be 55º, which naturally has me chomping at the bit to run outdoors. I haven't ran outdoors since my last 5k, which was December 19th. I think it's time. I'm really going to start February on the right note :)

And then... I can come home and gobble up this quick bread, which (let's be honest here) is basically glorified cake. I guess if you did qualify banana bread as cake, it would be one of my favorites. I'm one of those people who's pretty much anti-frosting. It's all about the cake for me. If it's moist and flavorful, I scrap the frosting right  off the cake. Which makes banana bread perfect for me. While frosting may be the enemy,  I am not, however, opposed to Nutella swirled throughout the cake. I love finding the little pockets of Nutella nestled inside the bread. I strongly suspect kids would especially love the Nutella addition.

Short entry today- I've got a full to-do list today. Doggie time, running, doing a photo shoot for my Loaded Baked Potato Soup, making Homemade Egg McMuffins for the hubby, making Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce for the Superbowl tomorrow (Yippee for the Superbowl!!!), shower, studying "The Science of Good Cooking", and making dinner. Whew.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup Nutella

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a loaf-pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer until there are no more lumps. Mix in eggs. Mix in vanilla. Mix in bananas. Using a spatula, add dry ingredients. Fold together until batter is just barely moistened. You don't want to over mix and end up with a tough bread.
4. Spread half the batter into the loaf pan. Drop 1/4 cup Nutella in spoonfuls on top of batter. Using a knife, swirl the batter. Spread the remaining batter on top of the swirled batter. Drop the remaining Nutella in spoonfuls on top. Using the knife, swirl the top of the batter.
5. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Check bread to make sure top is not browning too much. Cover the bread with aluminum foil if it looks too brown on top at any point. Bake bread a total of 45-65 minutes. Bread is done when a clean knife inserted comes out clean, or the internal temperature is 190º.
6. Remove from oven. Cool in loaf pan 30 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Allow bread to cool another 60 minutes before slicing to ensure bread cohesion. Cool completely before storage.

You also might like my Simple Banana Bread!