Impossible Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This original version of this recipe came from JIF, the king of peanut butter. Seeing as this is a brand sponsored recipe you would think that they would have tested this recipe a few times before publishing it. I have made this 5 times now and FINALLY seem to have it adjusted. However it still has a few minor issues. It makes a large amount of batter, but not quite enough to bake 2 loves. I solved this by using my over-sized glass Pyrex bread pan and cooking it low and slow to get the inside to bake before the outside burns.

You can also bake it in a bundt pan which works better as a bundt pan accommodates more batter. You could also pour into a typical sized bread pan make 1/2 a dozen muffins with the extra batter. The recipe that follows is for the xtra large bread pan. This really is a fantastic recipe... just a bit annoying. If you don't want to risk a raw middle and burned outside opt for the bundt pan and call it cake ;)

• 2 cups PILLSBURY BEST® All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 1 cup JIF® Crunchy or Creamy Peanut Butter
• 3/4-1 cup milk (if your eggs are small you might need closer to 1 cup so batter isn't too thick)
• 1/4 cup CRISCO® Canola Oil
• 2 large eggs

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add banana, peanut butter, milk, canola oil, and egg. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Mix just until blended.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. 
4. Reduce heat to 300 and cover with aluminum foil, bake about 10-20 minutes longer until toothpick inserted comes out clean
5. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove to cooling rack. 
6. If you chose a bundt pan bake it on 325 for about 50-60 minutes. No need to cover it

Spinach and Ham Quiche

Spring showers bring May flowers, and May brings mothers day, (and for my family, it also brings  my mom's birthday!) My mom is an incredible lady. Not only did she manage to homeschool us 5 crazy kids, she is a perfect cook, a great listener, and a wealth of wisdom.  This mother's day, I wanted to make a nice family brunch. Something healthy and delicious, and a bit outside the box. Quiche seemed to fit the bill, but after looking at kajillions of recipes, I couldn't quite find one that I liked. Fortunately, I was able to use them as a guide to create my own. Ecce ("behold!") healtified ham and spinach quiche!

4 oz chopped ham (I just ordered a hunk of it from the deli counter, then chopped it)

1 cup shredded cheese (I used reduced fat cheddar)

16 oz cottage cheese (I used 2% fat)

4 eggs, beaten

pepper to taste 

1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach,  thawed

Roughly 1/3 cup chopped onion (I used 1/4 of a large vidalia)

Brown onion in skillet coated lightly in cooking spray/oil.  In another skillet, cook spinach until soft, drain off water. (I just drained it, didn't squeeze it dry) In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add in spinach and onion. Pour into pie plate coated with cooking spray.  Bake on 350 for about 50-60 minutes or until golden brown

My family loved this! The flavor was great, and it reheated just as well the next day. (And the day after that..)

Banana Scramble

Best quick, easy, and delicious breakfast ever! When I first saw recipes for something called "banana scramble", I was quite skeptical. Who puts bananas in their scrambled eggs?? Fortunately, I continued on to read the recipe more thoroughly, and I discovered that the bananas are combined not with eggs, but with a fantastic combination of oats and peanut butter. The result? A warm, gooey cookie-like creation that is also super nutrition-packed. I found the idea on Food Doodles and Edible Perspective, which, by the way, are cool blogs to check out.
 

• 1/2 banana, mashed
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1/2-1 tsp spices(cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, etc)
• 1 tbsp ground flax (or other dry ingredients such as oat bran, ground nuts, wheat germ, etc)
• 3 tbsp rolled oats
• optional--1 tbsp nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mush them all together.  It will form a slightly sloppy mess-- wet, but not runny.  Form into a patty shape, and place in a skillet (I coated with mine cooking spray, just in case), over medium heat.  Cook for a few minutes on each side. I considered mine "done" when it was browned slightly on the outside, but still gooey on the inside. It was delicious with fresh fruit, but you can also top it with yogurt, jelly, peanut butter, syrup, etc!! 

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

I love maple syrup. Reminds me of good old Parker's Maple Barn in Mason NH. A place I sadly never got to introduce my hubby to. Now that I can't easily get fresh New Hampshire maple syrup I have to make pancakes that taste amazing even without that liquid gold in top. Luke thought these were great. In fact he took his leftover pieces and tried to feed them to Nicholas in a gesture of brotherly kindness.


1 1/2 cups pancake mix (I used Hungry Jack Buttermilk)
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 TBSP vegetable oil
3 heaping TBSP peanut butter
1 finely chopped banana
2 TBSP sugar 

Mix with a wisk and pour by 1/4 cupful onto preheated 350 degree griddle. Flip when bottoms are browned the the bubbles begin to pop.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

This is a very dense, almost like a pound cake, and absolutely delicious recipe! I use frozen blueberries which means you should bake it longer at a lower temperature. That way the inside has plenty of time to bake without the outside getting too dark. If you are baking it in a bundt pan you should get some of that amazing cooking spray with the flour in it so your cake falls out of the pan without breaking. You can also make this recipe in loaf pans.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream or cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C). spray bundt or loaf pan with cooking spray plus flour.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Fold in blueberries.
3. Bake for about 70-80 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack. Invert onto a serving plate, and tap firmly to remove from the pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving. 
4. It will be done faster if you are using fresh blueberries, so adjust time accordingly!