Here's some crazy logic for you: I'm in a Bible study with my friend Cori at her church, and our table is assigned to bring treats today. I promised to bring juice in the interest of simplicity, but realized yesterday morning it had escaped my shopping list. So, instead of dragging my six-year-old to the store for a one-off (is there anything more annoying?) I decided to make a quick bread instead. I know. When I told my husband while we were eating breakfast yesterday, he looked at me like I had two heads. Moms, you understand when you must seemingly make things more difficult in the interest of avoiding another 'errand with a little helper.' Yesterday was one of those days. I assessed the contents of my cabinets, peeked at Pinterest and found a recipe I could achieve with minimal work for maximum outcome. Bonus, my six-year-old helped me make it, and did a really good job! Then he (pickiest eater ever) tried it...and (gasp) liked it! Thus ensuring that we spent the rest of the evening keeping him from poking the plastic wrap as he smiled, melodramatically licking his lips. Don't worry, I saved him a piece for breakfast. Yesterday my 'little helper' turned out to be much more effective in the kitchen.
Quick Cinnamon Bread (adapted from redflycreations.com)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 c. sugar, divided
1 large egg
1 c. milk or half & half (I used fat free half and half because that's what I had)
2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl whisk together the butter, 2/3 c. sugar and egg until combined. Add the milk or half & half, flour and baking soda and stir until just combined with a rubber spatula. In a small bowl mix together the remaining 1/3 c. sugar and the cinnamon. Prepare a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top then add the remaining batter, smooth and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Using a butter knife, swirl the batter to mix the cinnamon sugar throughout the bread. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice and serve. Clean up your 'little helper,' who is probably covered in 90% of the above ingredients.
16 servings (160 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com
There are many, many banana bread recipes in the world. Here at Shel's Kitchen alone I've highlighted ten variations. Folks are always putting a new twist on it: they add peanut butter, chocolate chips, other fruits such as blueberries or even roasted strawberries, but sometimes it's nice to break out an old standby. You know, the one that requires only the basics in your pantry and comes out flawlessly every single time you make it. This, my friends, is that recipe. Even better, it's inspired by the one my mom made when I was growing up. I remember her in the kitchen at night after dinner whipping up a batch of banana bread, baking it for what seemed like FOREVER, then finally pulling it out of the oven piping hot and risen to perfection. She would let it sit in the pan for a few minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack and slicing a piece, slathering it with butter and taking it to my dad to eat for dessert. My dad loved the stuff. My mom always put walnuts in her version so if you like them, knock yourself out. I am not a big fan of nuts in breads or cookies so I leave them out. The ingredient list is rather versatile too, so I will include suggestions for substitutions to the side of the recipe when possible. Enjoy going back to the basics and childhood today, because sometimes old dogs don't need new tricks; just banana bread.
Mom's Banana Bread (adapted from mom)
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled (could also you butter flavored shortening like my mom does. I don't keep it on hand)
1/2 c. sugar (my bananas were extremely overripe, so consider adding more sugar the less ripe they are, up to roughly 3/4 c.)
4 medium overripe bananas, mashed
2 c. white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
1 t. baking soda
1/2 c. light sour cream (buttermilk or skim milk, heck any milk works)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (if desired, I leave them out)
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9X5" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack. Eat a piece slathered with butter while it's warm. It will change your life. Allow the bread to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
10 servings (269 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com
I had a light bulb moment the other day. My mom invited me and the boys over for soup but said "I don't have any bread to go with it, though." It was too stinkin' cold to go to the grocery store for bread, so I started to think how I could remedy this situation (I mean, soup without bread? That's like Lucy without Ricky or Ozzie without Harriet!) It came to me in a flash: drop biscuits! I mixed up a batch in one bowl (amen!) and carted it over to my mom's to bake!
Since we're knee deep in soup weather and that's ALL I could seem to post about last week I thought you might need this sweet little drop biscuit recipe to go with all-the-soup. You probably already have all the necessary ingredients since the recipe easily accommodates what you have on hand, and they come together in a snap. I made these with a mixture of all-purpose and white whole wheat flour because I like the lightness the all-purpose flour brings to the party and the texture contributed by the white whole wheat flour. If you were to choose just one flour I'd go with all-purpose because the white whole wheat will make these too dense like a hockey puck. No one should have to eat a hockey puck. I used a combination of mostly sharp cheddar with a sprinkling of Swiss and mozzarella cheese but any shredded cheese you have on hand will work (I cleaned out my cheese drawer after the holiday cheese rush). Mix them together, bloop them out on a well-greased sheet pan (no rolling pin necessary!) and you have a tasty little biscuit to go with soup, salad or even biscuits and gravy. A versatile vehicle that delivers those delicious carbs - one of my favorite things! I can't believe I haven't shared them before now, and for that you have my deepest apologies. Now go forth and make biscuits.
Cheesy Drop Biscuits (adapted from epicurious.com)
1 c. all purpose flour
1 1/4 c. white whole wheat flour
2 t. sugar
3/4 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
6 T. cold unsalted butter, but into 1/2" chunks
6 oz. grated cheese (whatever you have on hand!)
1 T. dried chives (if you have fresh on hand great! You could also cut up a couple of green onions if you want.)
1 c. buttermilk (I didn't have buttermilk so I mixed 1 T. white vinegar with 1 c. 1% milk and subbed that in for the buttermilk)
Preheat the oven to 450. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and blend with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheddar, chives and buttermilk and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until combined. The mixture will be thick. Drop dough into 15 even mounds on a well greased baking sheet, flatten slightly with your hands and bake for 12 minutes. Serve warm!
15 biscuits (145 calories each) according to my calculator on loseit.com
