Recipe Thursday {Good Ol' Banana Bread & Our Latest Favorites}

I know, know...I posted a banana bread recipe last week. :-) I didn't have an actual recipe to share with you today, but when I picked up my little guy after work yesterday, my sister surprised me with a loaf of banana bread. I decided it was too pretty and yummy not to share.


She used the recipe that I started with for the Peanut Butter Banana Muffins. It is the best banana bread you will ever taste! Our dog was even hoping for a bite when I was taking the picture outside.

This is Beau (who needs a haircut!)

Here's the recipe:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) margarine or butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 3 large mashed (in a food processor) bananas

Blend margarine, eggs and sugar. Add bananas; mix. Sift together dry ingredients. Add together with vanilla and lemon juice. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Bread is finished when a toothpick or knife comes out clean (like with a cake).

I also thought I'd share some recipes we've tried lately and have become some of our favorites. I tend to look for meals that we can do in the slow cooker, or I can get mostly ready for my husband to just pop them in the oven since I work in the afternoon and don't get home until dinner time. These are some of our favorites:

Source: thekitchenismyplayground.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

This Pizza Spaghetti Bake from The Kitchen is My Playground is soooo good! My husband said this is how we should always eat spaghetti. I cut the recipe in half and it's the perfect size for our little family. you can get it all put together in the afternoon/late morning, put it in the fridge, and then take it out and bake it when it's time to get dinner ready. Super easy.

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Erin on Pinterest

We still like regular spaghetti though, and this slow cooker recipe from Six Sisters Stuff makes me think that I may never buy sauce for regular spaghetti again. It's so easy to make and so, so delicious.
A quick tip when making something with tomato sauce: Try putting a little baking soda (like 1/8 of a tsp) in the sauce when you're cooking it. It helps to neutralize the acid in the tomatoes. This works great for my husband who loves things with tomatoes, but the tomatoes sometimes make his tongue swell up a little. We add the baking soda, and he doesn't have a problem. :-) 

Source: crumbsandchaos.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

I made these French Toast Kabobs from Crumbs and Chaos for our monthly family birthday party the other day since we were doing it for breakfast. They must have been a hit as there weren't any left! I didn't think about the weapon possibility of the skewers, though, so be aware of that. :-)

Source: adventuresofourfamily.com via Erin on Pinterest

These Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Cups from Adventures of our Fami-ly were another thing I made for the family party. They were super yummy and would be great for an "on the go" breakfast.
If you'd like more recipe ideas, check out my For the Kitchen & Recipes board on Pinterest. I think that's the board that I pin to the most, so there are lots and lots of pins to check out. :-)
I'm having a blast at these lovely linking parties.

Recipe Thursday {Peanut Butter Banana Bread}

Bananas and peanut butter? A great combination! This recipe is a great snack or compliment to a breakfast. Here's the recipe:


Ingredients

• 1 stick margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 large bananas or 2 small bananas 
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend the margarine, eggs and sugar.

"Mash" the bananas and peanut butter together with a food processor until the mixture is smooth. Add the banana mixture to the margarine mixture.

Sift together dry ingredients (salt, flour, baking powder & baking soda). Add to the banana and margarine mixture along with vanilla and lemon juice.

If you're using cupcake liners, put them in your pan. Otherwise, spray or grease the muffin cups really well. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes (mine were done at 18 minutes). Makes 1 dozen muffins.

I'm having a blast at these lovely linking parties.