Mom's Banana Nut Bread

Mom's Banana Bread Recipe

We put the Christmas tree up and decorated the mantle yesterday, and started on the ornaments in the evening. Our tree is 11' tall and 6' wide, it's ginormous, it takes us 2 days to put it up and decorate it. We LOVE it!!! I would have totally put it up in October if my garage wouldn't have been so messy that I couldn't get to it! Garage has been cleaned, the tree has come out.

We are hosting Thanksgiving next weekend and wanted to get the house decorated before, so it will feel more festive. Plus, we had zero plans this weekend (outside of watching the OK State vs. Baylor game), and knew we would have the time to get it done. 

This was the longest day ever (don't you love those days?)! We decorated, we made wheat bread in the bread maker, grilled burgers, and finished the evening with warm banana bread, straight out of the oven. My house smelled phenomenal all day! This a was the perfect kick off to the holiday season.

 

 

I had 7 browned bananas that were begging to be used in a batch of homemade banana bread. I dug through my Mom's recipe box and found this recipe. It was simple and fantastic, so I'm documenting it and sharing it! (I added vanilla and switched out pecans for walnuts.)

 

 

Mom's Banana Bread Recipe

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

6 bananas

4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla (optional)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar using a stand or hand mixer. Mix in eggs, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl mash bananas, then add to mixing bowl. Add vanilla. Slowly add in flour, mixing as you go. Stir in pecans.

Grease 2 loaf pans with baking spray.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
 

 

Cheers!

5 Minute Mason Jar Iced Tea

5 Minutes to the Perfect Microwaved Iced Tea

This was how my Mom made iced tea, and it always tasted perfect. In between Pepsi's she would always have a glass of unsweetened iced tea. She had HUGE sweet tooth, I'm surprised she wasn't a sweet tea drinker! For some reason, when I was young, her glass always tasted better than my glass. I have lots of food and drink associations with memories of my Mom. I did a Beth Moore Bible study last year and she talked about how important sitting down and eating together is, and how often it is seen in the Bible. I mean, the Last Supper was pretty important, and it obliviously involved food and drinks!

I am pregnant with my 4th baby and had no problem steering clear of caffeine with the first 3 pregnancies, but I just can't do it this round. I have to have 1 cup of coffee or a couple cups of iced tea to have the energy to do anything! So, I've been making tea A LOT. I've tried boiling the water and adding the tea bags, and the Iced Tea Maker gadget, but this is the fastest, easiest, and most fool proof method!

 I recently read an article about the safety of using the microwave to cook, and how some foods are actually healthier when microwaved versus traditional cooking methods, because they retain more nutrients, so that was my cue to use my microwave more, because health is my number one priority, well... maybe its convenience.

 Fill quart Mason jar half way up with filtered water.

 Add 2 tea bags.

 Microwave for 2.5 minutes, and let it sit in the microwave for an additional 2-3 minutes to steep.

  Drain tea bags and remove them. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.

 Fill the jar with additional filtered water, stir, and pour over ice.

5 Minute Mason Jar Iced Tea 

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 tea bags (I prefer Lipton)

ice

sugar

Supplies:
Microwave

1 quart mason jar

teaspoon

Instructions:

Fill mason jar 1/2 full of water. Add 2 tea bags, leaving strings hanging over the mouth of the cup. Microwave for 2  minutes and 30 seconds. Let sit in microwave for 2-3 minutes. Using a spoon, press tea bags against the side of the jar to drain them, and remove the bags. Add sugar to the hot tea and stir until it dissolves (optional). Fill the jar up with cold water. Pour over a full glass of ice. Enjoy!

Cheers!

In the Kitchen- Mom's Divinity Christmas Candy

Mom's Divinity

Traditional Christmas Candy

If you can imagine that there is a food that tastes like Heaven, this is it.  It even looks like Heaven.  My Mom made lots of candy at Christmas, peanut butter cups, peanut patties, coconut truffles, but this was all I cared about.  Her divinity just melted in my mouth like cotton candy.

 

I love the way it looks, the soft chewy, chalky texture, and the clean, simple, sweet flavor that dissolves when you chew it.  If you are a fan of pecans, add them in, the nutty flavor is a nice contrast to the sweet.

 

So many of my favorite memories of my Mom are centered around food and restaurants.  Up until the last year, the girls thought my Mom lived at Buffalo Wild Wings, every time we would drive by they would say "Granny Crecia lives there!", it was cute.

I want to give you a quick lesson in how to attach a candy thermometer to your pan, in case you've never done it before.  I am trying to spare you the cooking disaster I had when I first used one (I am still not over the loss of the entire pan of toffee).

 

How to Use a Candy Thermometer

A quick step by step guide to attaching a candy thermometer to your pan:

 There is a metal clip attached to the top of the thermometer, do NOT push the clip over your pan like you would a pen going into a pocket, do not pull it straight out either.  The pressure may break the glass.  You shouldn't have to apply any pressure, tilt the thermometer horizontally and slide it over the lip of the pan.

 Once the end of the clip is touching the outside of your pan, simply tilt the thermometer tip  towards the inside of the pan till it's at approximately 45 degrees (see image below).

 The thermometer should slide right into place, you should not have to push it.

You should attach your thermometer to your pan once all your ingredients have already been placed in the pan.  The tip of the thermometer should be nestled in the middle of your ingredients, but NOT touching the bottom of the pan.

How to make divinity:

 The ingredients and tools (medium sauté pan not pictured).

 Butter a sheet pan and set it aside.

 Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan.  Cook on medium, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved.

Beat egg whites until they are stiff, they should stand straight up when you take the beaters out.

 

 Once your sugar has dissolved, attach the candy thermometer to the pan.  Simmer the syrup until it reaches 260 degrees.  Initially the bubbles will look foamy but will turn into a clear simmer (see below).

Add the vanilla to the egg whites, then slowly add the boiling syrup to the egg whites. 

Beat on a medium/high speed until the mixture becomes firm enough to hold shape.  This will take longer than your think, but don't over beat it or the texture of your candy won't be smooth.  Start checking it when you see it pulling away from the sides.  
(See the three progression pictures above.)  I over-beat mine a smidgen and the texture was not as smooth as I would have liked.  

QUICKLY drop spoonfuls onto the prepared sheet pan.  The candy starts to dry really fast, as soon as it's ready, get it on your pan as fast as you can.

A better idea of what the texture is like, once it dries.  They melt in your mouth!

Lecrecia's Divinity Recipe

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups sugar

2 egg whites

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Grease a sheet pan with butter and set it aside.  Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.  Continue cooking syrup until it reaches 260 degrees Fahrenheit.  Gradually pour syrup mixture into egg whites.  Add vanilla.  Beat till the candy holds shape (this takes a while).  Quickly drop from a teaspoon onto a prepared sheet pan.  Let it harden for 30 minutes, then store in an airtight container.

*Note: I used Karo brand corn syrup and it has natural vanilla flavoring in it, and I used the full amount of vanilla that the recipe calls for, and it was a little vanilla-y.  Select a non-vanilla flavored corn syrup or decrease your vanilla add in.

In Memory of my beautiful Mother.

In the Kitchen- Pink Stuff or Pink Fluff

Mom's Holiday Food Recipes: Pink Stuff

I want to share some of my Mom's favorite Holiday recipes over the next few weeks.  I am starting with a dessert staple, we always called it 'the pink stuff' or pink fluff.  If you like whipped cream, cherries, and pineapples, you will love this!  It's sweet, creamy, and a little tart.  It was always, always, always on the menu at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and usually sprinkled in an additional few times a year.  My Mom loved it, I love it, and two of my three girls love it!  Phoebe doesn't like whipped cream...so weird.

The ingredients, so simple.  You can also add shredded coconut, chopped pecans, and mini marshmallows, but I think they just get in the way and like to stick to just cherries and pineapples.

This may be the easiest dessert recipe of all time.  You dump all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and fold them together, and you're done!  It will store it in the fridge for up to seven days, that means it's something you can make ahead of time (always a plus).

Pink Fluff Stuff Recipe

Ingredients:

16 oz Light Whipped Topping (it's the larger tub)

1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 can cherry pie filling

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

Optional:

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and fold together.  (Folding instead of stirring will keep it fluffier.)  Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

Nellie & Phoeb's In the Kitchen: Artichoke & Asiago Cheese Dip

My Mom's Favorite Appetizer

 My Mother got this recipe from a friend that lived in Canada, years ago. She always made it around the holidays. It's REALLY rich & loaded with calories, so I don't make it often.  Troy loves it, so I try to make it for him once a year.

Tips:

You MUST bake it in a bread bowl, the bread absorbs the oils while it cooks.

I've tried using reduced fat mayonnaise & it doesn't taste as good. The recipe specifically calls for a small jar of Hellman's (full fat) mayonnaise, so stick with it. Cook it till the flavors meld, the longer the better (without burning it, of course).

Artichoke & Asiago Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

2- large loaves, or 4 small loaves of French bread

1- can drained artichoke hearts, rinsed

1- 8 ounces shredded Asiago cheese

1- small jar of Hellman's Mayonaise

1- tablespoon minced garlic

2- teaspoons garlic salt

Instructions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, chop artichoke hearts, to desired consistency (I like mine chopped fine). In a large bowl, mix artichoke hearts with Asiago cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, & garlic salt. Cut the center out of the loaf of bread, making a boat, set aside the extra bread you removed. Pour the mixture into the bread boat(s). Place bread boat(s) on a baking sheet & bake for 60 minutes. Slice the additional loaf of bread & the bread you removed from the boat. Serve dip while hot, with the sliced French bread. Enjoy!