Category: Recipe

Chocolate Chip & Walnut Banana Bread

I don’t know about you, but once the warm weather comes my baking pans go into hibernation, at least from anything homemade! When the weather starts to cool down my motivation for baking returns and I dust off my mixer and baking pans.  I love everything about baking; prepping for it, preparing it (with hopes of not totally destroying my kitchen) the aroma that fills the house, to the excitement of seeing the final product that I made from numerous ingredients…and I can’t leave out eating it!

Well I started off by baking banana bread this year for my wonderful client meetings and made it again today for tomorrows meetings and thought I would share it with yal! IMG_4921

Ingredients: 

1 ½ cups sugar

¾ cup shortening (I normally use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter baking sticks)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 large ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. soda

½ tsp powder

¼ tsp salt

2 cups white flour

1 cup sour cream (I typically use low fat)

½ cup Old Fashioned Quaker Oats (not instant)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Bakeware/utensils:

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Mixing bowls, 2 loaf pans, sifter/tight-nit strainer, measuring cups, MUST HAVE, measuring spoons. I love how these get into my spice jars!

Directions:  preheat oven to 375 & grease two loaf pans

1. cream sugar and butter or crisco

2. add eggs & vanilla and blend

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3. add bananas

4. in a separate bowl sift flower, soda, powder, salt.  add alternatively sour cream

**I don’t have a sifter so I use my strainer and to have less dishes I sift it right into the wet ingredients 🙂

IMG_49135. stir in nuts and chocolate chips & oats

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6. Bake in 2 loaf pans at 375 degrees for 45 minutes- 1hour. Can do muffins etc but cooking times will vary.

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7. test with tooth pick, when it comes out clean they are done!

8.TASTE TEST!!

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Do you bake? I would love to hear your favorite recipe!? Reply below to share your recipe or would love to hear if you try this out. 🙂

Thank you for visiting and happy baking!

Cylinda B

Delicious Summer Salsa

recipe, salsa recipe, summer, corn & bean salsa

As you may already know from previous posts, I love food!  I came across this a few years ago from our local grocery store, Wegmans, also a main attraction in central, NY, no lie! Those who know about this grocery store and have moved away know what I am talking about. Anyhow, I alter it a bit and its always such a hit that I had to share it with you! The best part is that it’s pretty healthy! Yummy & healthy=my kind of food!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/8 cup white sugar

1 can sweet corn

1/4 cup olive oil- usually less than that!

1 red bell pepper- (I use what color I have on hand , but the red is prettiest!)

1/2-1 cup sweet/red onion-diced (I use half since I half the sugar and oil)

1/2-1 cup celery- (I only use it if I have it on hand-adds a nice crunch!)

2 jalapeños seeded & diced- (I typically use jar jalapeño since I always have it on hand)

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can black eyed peas, rinsed

Directions:

Mix sugar and vinegar and microwave until sugar is dissolved, then add corn and oil.  Add the rest of the ingredients! ALL DONE!

As you can see this recipe is pretty versatile! I half the oil/sugar etc because it still taste great and feels healthier if I eat a bunch of it! Recommend with wheat tortillas, spoon, on top of a burger etc!

I would love to know if you try it out and what you think! After a few requests I had to share 🙂 Enjoy!

Cylinda B.