Banana Bread Food Gifts

I love this time of year. The snow falling softly from the sky, the festive lights and the Christmas music. These things combined can put me in a gift-giving mood. My problem is that I HATE shopping. So how can I fill my gift-giving list without having to worry and wonder what someone needs or likes? That's when I turn to homemade food gifts.

Today I'm focusing on banana bread. Banana bread baked in mini loaf pans make great holiday gifts. Lets get started!

First - gather all your ingredients. 

You will need butter, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar and bananas, about 5 of them. Now be sure to use overripe bananas. Don't buy ripe and overripe bananas and forget to tell your husband which ones were ok to eat and which ones to save for your bread. If you forget to tell him then all bets are on him eating the bananas meant for bread. Yup! Happened here.

Preheat your oven

Grease your pans. This recipe calls for a 9" x 5" loaf pan but since I was making mini loaves I greased 3 of them 

and threw in a wide mouth pint jar for giggles. I saw it on Pinterest and was curious on how it would turn out. I'm pretty excited to see the results.

Now...let's get cooking. Recipe will be at the end of this post.

Add brown sugar and butter to a large bowl

Cream together with a mixer until well combined

Add eggs

And mashed bananas

Stir until well blended.

In a separate bowl (not pictured) I combined the flour, salt and baking soda. 

Add flour mixture to wet mixture a little at a time. 

Stir until just moistened after each addition of the flour mixture. Make sure no white flour is showing. Never mind me - I forgot to get a picture of that.

Pour into prepared pans. Toss in the oven. The recipe directions say to bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, but I like it when there is a little crumb left on the pick. The bread will continue to bake a little when removed from the hot oven so a little crumb is ok and will ensure the bread is not overcooked. 

And here you have Banana Bread. Looks good.

Sorry, but I didn't keep track of how long it took to bake the mini loaves but I know for certain it didn't take the full amount of time the original recipe called for. Just use the toothpick method and you'll be golden!

Let bread cool for 10 minutes before releasing from pans to cool on a wire rack. Once again - silly me - I didn't take a picture of that step.

And here's the finished mason jar method. Yay!

It looks like the mason jar method is a keeper. I boiled a canning lid and ring for two minutes before placing on the jar. The heat from the bread sealed the jar.

After the jar sealed I removed the canning ring (keep the canning lid on) and added a white plastic lid over the canning lid. I've read it keeps good for one week with this method.

There are many ways to wrap your mini banana bread loaves for gift giving. I started by shopping in my home for wrapping accessories. You would be quite surprised what you have gathered and stashed away over the years. 

Here is what I found by searching my closets and basement.

• A brown paper lunch sack
• Raffia I had used on my Christmas tree years ago
• Jingle bells I had used for a bridal shower
• Colored card stock 
• Cute tissue paper
• And a little computer creativity for the tag
• Decorative edge scissors to cut the lunch sack
• Plastic wrap to keep the bread fresh

Anything goes - just have fun with it.

After wrapping the bread I placed them back in the pans I baked them in. I got these cute little pans at Michaels Craft Store.

You can then wrap the pan and bread together with a clear cellophane bag tied with ribbon or tuck neatly in a box surrounded by colorful coordinating tissue paper like I did. Like I said - anything goes.

I hope you decided to give your friends and family food gifts for the holiday. The best way to someone's heart is through their stomach! They're sure to love whatever your little hands decide to make for them.

Now on to the recipe

Banana Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Recipe is from Allrecipes

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Made with Homemade Gnocchi

It's a rare occasion that I get to enjoy a lunch with my sister. One afternoon we were out shopping and decided to stop at Olive Garden to have their unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks special.

I love Olive Garden's salad and was looking forward to trying their soup. I had tried their Zuppa Toscana soup before and loved it but this time I decided to try their Chicken & Gnocchi soup. This was new to me and I didn't know what to expect. But from the moment it touched my lips I was in heaven. It was love at first bite! I thought I only wanted one bowl of soup. My stomach said I only wanted one bowl of soup but you know how that goes when you really really enjoy something? You tend to overeat! And that I did. Ugh! Can someone call the ambulance? I must try to make this at home. Or should I? It could be dangerous.

Now that cooler weather is settling in I'm trying to find a few tasty comforting soups that I can enjoy for lunch. So I went on a mission to find a recipe for Chicken & Gnocchi soup. But anyone who knows me wouldn't be surprised to hear that I wanted to make my own homemade gnocchi also. Store bought just won't do for this gal. 

I found both recipes I wanted to try on Allrecipes.com. I started with the Gnocchi I - aka a roman numeral 1 and not an I just so you know :) . I made the gnocchi on a Sunday evening in the middle of a storm, a very windy storm. Needless to say, the storm knocked out our power while I was in the middle of the recipe. So my husband gathered many candles and a propane lantern so I could finish my chore by candlelight. I felt like Ma Ingalls from Little House On The Prairie.

I finished the recipe and tossed them into the freezer hoping that they would be ok until the power came back on. They survived the storm and froze beautifully. Before cooking I removed them from the freezer and allowed them to thaw. Here's my finished and cooked gnocchi. I was very excited with the results for my first attempt.

Gnocchi I

Now off to try the Chicken and Gnocchi soup recipe. As I mentioned, I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com and I didn't change a thing. I had some chicken stock in the freezer that I had made from the bones of another roasted chicken so I used that. But I did cheat and use the meat from a store bought rotisserie chicken. It worked out great.

Here's my finished product.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This soup is delicious!! If you love Olive Garden's Chicken & Gnocchi soup and you love to cook you will not be disappointed in this recipe. It's yummy goodness! 

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

I hope you decide to give this soup a try. While you're at it won't you try the homemade gnocchi also? You won't regret it. I promise. Just have a napkin ready to wipe the drool.

Now on to the recipes:

Chicken & Gnocchi Soup 
Makes 6 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded
3 – 4 cups cooked chicken (I used rotisserie)
4 cups chicken broth
1 (16 oz.) package mini potato gnocchi (or use recipe below)
1 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
2 tablespoons cold water (optional)
2 cups half-and-half cream
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in cubed chicken and chicken broth; bring to a simmer.

Stir gnocchi into the simmering soup and cook until they begin to float, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook until wilted, about 3 additional minutes.

Whisk cornstarch into cold water until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture and half-and-half into simmering soup. Cook until soup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

******************
Gnocchi
Makes 4 servings
2 potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and add to pot. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash with a fork or potato masher.

Combine 1 cup mashed potato, flour and egg in a large bowl. Knead until dough forms a ball. Shape small portions of the dough into long "snakes". On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.

Pumpkin Pie and Homemade Rolls - Now That's What I Call Thanksgiving Dinner

The men in my life are hunters and this time of year I become like many other women, a deer widow. Unfortunately those four-legged creatures have beckoned my husband to the woods on Thanksgiving long before we were married. I'm used to it. I'm ok with it. We compromised a few years back. As long as we share Christmas together I'm ok without my husband by my side on Thanksgiving. It doesn't mean I like it but I accept it. And my son has followed in his footsteps. So my daughter-in-law, my grandson and myself pack ourselves up and trot on over to my sister's house to share Thanksgiving with my family. Where we pig out until we feel like we could roll ourselves out the door, or until someone calls an ambulance, whichever comes first.

When my son was young and still lived at home I would make Thanksgiving dinner a week or so before the big day. I didn't do it because I loved turkey - my favorites are all the sides and dessert. Heck, I don't even need the turkey. I did it because I wanted Thanksgiving at home - with the men I loved. Since my son is now grown and gone, that tradition has gone by the wayside and it saddens me. I'm not quite sure why we stopped but it happened. 

Yearning for more family traditions of our own coupled with the desire to relight what was important to me, at the last minute I threw the idea out to my son to have our turkey dinner this past weekend. But poor communication on my part, combined with busy lives, and last minute Lucy (me!) it didn't happen as planned. 

The turkey was bought and thawed so I trudged forward. I planned on a few traditional things you see at a Thanksgiving dinner only on a smaller scale. Green beans, which we had grown and canned earlier this year, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade rolls and pumpkin pie.

I've made homemade rolls before but yeast and I are not the best of friends. However, Rhodes Rolls and I get along just fine. But I was determined to give it another try.  I found a highly rated recipe on Allrecipes.com and went for it.  They were soft, tender, delicious. They were heavenly. I think they should be renamed "Heavenly Dinner Rolls". Here are my results:

Click here for the recipe --- Sweet Dinner Rolls

Now the name implies sweet but trust me - they're perfect and have only a hint of sweetness. Pure deliciousness and easy to make. What could get better than that? 

Pumpkin pie is my Thanksgiving dessert of choice. I love it. I found a new recipe for pumpkin pie on Allrecipes.com that I thought I would try.  When I make pie I always make my own crust but not without struggling. I remembered watching the new Food Network show Heartland Table and watching Amy Thielen make her Butter Crust and she made it look so easy. I was especially intrigued because I had always used shortening and no longer use it. So I searched for her recipe and gave it a try. Bingo! Another keeper!! This bakes up so tender and flaky. Just melt in your mouth goodness! This will be my go-to pie crust recipe from now on. The crust recipe is in with her Blueberry Pie recipe but here it is - Butter Crust. 

Here is how my Pumpkin Pie turned out:

Click here for the recipe --- Pumpkin Pie II

I didn't have evaporated milk on hand so I just put all the milk into a pan and simmered down until I had what the recipe called for. Worked great. And this was delicious served with sweetened fresh whipped cream.

So next year I will plan better and we will have our tradition back. And by then, we can share with the new grand baby who will be coming soon.

So live a little. Who needs turkey when you have delicious sides and desserts? My favorite. Especially the rolls and pie!

What Are We Gonna Have For Dinner? I Dunno - What Do You Want?

We ask this question too many times to count in our house. You would think with just the two of us that it would be an easy chore to figure out what's for dinner. But sometimes, when you're a workin' woman who has so many agendas, you just get tired of figuring it out.

Days like these are when I like to have some ingredients on hand for a speedy dinner. That's when a bag of tater tots in the freezer and some hot dogs in the fridge can come in real handy. Even though it may not be the healthiest way to eat, it sure can take the pressure of a girl. If I'm going to buy frozen tater tots (or in this case Crispy Crowns), I going to grab the Ore-Ida brand. If this girl is gonna splurge on frozen taters it's gotta be Ore-Ida. Ore-Ida?

 Now I don't get all fancy with my Ore-Ida's. I don't add them to a recipe or top them with gravy. I just like them tossed in the oven (yeah, I'm sure they're way better in the deep fryer, but hey, I gotta try to be good) and then tossed on my plate next to a side of ketchup. And a hot dog. Um...A Koegel's hot dog. No exceptions! And in this case, a side of roasted cauliflower. 

What a dinner, huh? But it was fast! I like fast. And very little cleanup! 

So grab a bag of your favorite Ore-Ida potatoes and make your next meal in a snap.

 I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.   Product received from an Advertiser is only used for experience based reviews on this site. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Livin' Life - One Spoonful At A Time.  

Hold The Sausage....Or Not

It wasn't too awfully long ago - like only 6 months - that Italian sausage was far from desirable to me. The only experience I ever really had with Italian sausage was on pizza. Now my husband, being the meat eater that he is, doesn't mind sausage on his pizza. Or bacon. Or ham. Or pepperoni. Or venison. Well OK - we've never had venison on pizza but hey, now that's an idea he would love! 

So, me being the good wife that I am, would let him get a meat lovers pizza that included the sausage and I would just pick it off and give it to him. If it were up to me, we would have a veggie pizza. That would go over like a lead balloon. Just like my idea for Meatless Monday meals. Did you hear me? I did say he was a meat lover.

This month I had the pleasure, once again, of working with Johnsonville and Allrecipes. I was given the opportunity to try Johnsonville's sausage using recipes found on Allrecipe's website. I decided to try their Italian sausage again just to remind myself that I am no longer a hater.

I truly have to say that their sausage has great flavor and now I'm hooked. I especially love that they are now offering some of their products in an all natural variety like the one shown below. With ingredients like pork, water, salt, natural sugar, spices, natural flavors and paprika and with no yucky fillers or additives they're a winner in my book. Go Johnsonville!

Here are the tasty recipes I've tried this year using Johnsonville's products. The links to the recipes are shown below the pictures. Be sure to give them a try. They make quick, easy, delicious meals your whole family will enjoy.

One of my favorites was this Sausage, Peppers and Spaghetti Squash recipe. I got to eat this one all by myself. Veggies of the onions and peppers variety, like you would find on a veggie pizza, makes this one mine - all MINE!

Sausage, Peppers and Spaghetti Squash

You may be able to tell that I made this next one, Pizza Pasta, when the darling hubby wasn't around. It's packed with flavor not only from the sausage but also from green peppers. Again, stuff you'd would find on veggie pizza.

Pizza Pasta by Johnsonville®

And last but not least, here is a recipe that any man or child would love to sink their teeth into. Why not break away from the regular mundane burgers you're used to eating and try an Italian Sausage Slider? They're sure to please.

Johnsonville's Italian Sausage Sliders

Hold the sausage? I think not. So if you've tried something before that you don't like why not give it another try? Your tastes may have changed with time. Or is it with age?

Man I'm getting hungry!

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.   Product received from an Advertiser is only used for experience based reviews on this site. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Livin' Life - One Spoonful At A Time.  

Bison - The New Healthy Red Meat

When I was contacted a few months ago by Allrecipes and was asked if I was interested in working with bison I jumped at the chance. My husband is an avid white tail deer hunter and loves all things "meat" so I knew he wouldn't have been very happy with me if I passed up this opportunity. Plus I was kinda excited to try something new that he would be willing to eat.  Allrecipes had teamed up with The Bison Council and were looking for home cooks to try some bison and spread the word about how healthy bison is. Here is one fascinating tidbit about bison - it has 45% fewer calories, 88% less fat and 88% less saturated fat than beef. Now that's huge.  Check out more of their nutrition information here on their Health & Nutrition page.

Sixty home cooks like me elected to try bison and Allrecipes sent us a list of twenty-five recipes to choose from one afternoon. The list of recipes had a variety of bison cuts to choose from. Anywhere from bison dogs to tenderloin. Oh how I would love to get my hands on a bison tenderloin. Now, since I work outside the home and I don't have access 24/7 to the internet or have a smartphone, some of my fellow cooks were able to see this list of recipes and make their choice before I even knew the list was posted. Call me envious - that's ok :) By the time I got to the list my choices were limited. I remember there were bison dogs, bacon and brisket left and maybe a couple more that seemed to have left my memory. I chose the brisket recipe knowing my meat loving husband would love the fact that we would be getting a five pound brisket delivered to us from The Bison Council. Imagine our excitement when we found out we would be getting twice the amount of brisket we thought we would. Ten pounds of brisket to try is a lot of brisket! Talk about being overwhelmed by the generosity!  So we waited patiently for September to roll around and for the delivery man to show up at our doorstep with our bison. And this is what we got!

The bison brisket came to us frozen tucked away neatly in a Styrofoam cooler along with freezer packs. It arrived on a very warm Friday morning and I can't believe it was still frozen solid when I opened it. Now that's some good packing!

I chose to make Beer-Braised Bison Brisket with Root Vegetables using the slow cooker. Now I don't normally have good luck using a slow cooker. Things usually turn out overcooked and smelling weird so I was a little leery of trying this method. I considered baking it in my enameled cast iron french oven but decided in all fairness that I must make the recipe per the instructions in order to give honest feedback. Here is my finished product:

Beer-Braised Bison with Root Vegetables

This turned out delicious. Not only did I get to try one new ingredient but this recipe calls for dried apricots, turnips and parsnips that I had never had before. I couldn't find the parsnips so I left those out but I found out I enjoy turnips and love the dried apricots (they may just become a new snack for me).

Please take a moment and check out more information about bison on The Bison Council's webpage and see just how healthy bison is. You'll be amazed at what you find out.  And be sure to browse Allrecipes for all sorts of recipes.

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.   Product received from an Advertiser is only used for experience based reviews on this site. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Livin' Life - One Spoonful At A Time.  

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