MTNMAMA

MTNMAMA
The original MTNMAMA

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze

Pumpkin Patch Fun


Miss Ella and I had a great afternoon Sunday at the Pumpkin Patch.  The weather was perfect for fall with a high of 69 degrees.  The Sun was shining and lots of pumpkins surrounded us as we went through the petting zoo, pony and wagon ride, and of course the famous....Camel Ride.  Ella and I rode a camel together....you can see below for yourself.



This  has been an extremely fun week.  My friend Mary Ann from WV has been visiting and we have been having a ball.  She is a talented artist and has decorated my chalk boards for Halloween.  Will share pictures later in the week.  
Miss Ella continues to make my world a happier place to be.



How can you resist this happy face?

As promised the second installment of my Banana Bread Frenzy:



Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze


Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cups mashed ripe bananas, ( about 3 )
1/4 cup fat free buttermilk
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 large egg whites
9 ounces all purpose flour ( 2 cups)
1 tsp baking soda
cooking spray
2 1/2 TBSP Half and Half
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Combine sugar and butter in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.  Add banana, milk, and sour cream, and egg whites.
3.  Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flour, baking soda  and salt, stirring with a whisk.  Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended.  Do not overbeat.  Spoon batter into a 9 x 5 inch metal loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan.  Cool on rack.
4.  Place half and half and chocolate in a bowl and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute or until chocolate melts, stirring every 20 seconds.  Cool slightly, drizzle over the bread.

Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or coffee in the cool autumn evenings!!  It is a winner!


Happy Trails,

Mtn Mama

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Nana's Banana Bread Extravaganza!!

Whoop!!!  Whoop Friday!!


It's Friday and the auction quilt is almost Finished!!  All that is left is to hand stitch the binding down and I can donate it to the Tulsa Safe Kids Program.  I worked hard today to get this competed!!  It required staying focused...something I don't do so well these days.  I also had the program at one of my quilt groups tonight.  I showed them how to make transfer (quilt block design) boards.  I gave them the board covered in batting as a base for the project.  Then I showed them ideas on how to finish it and use it.  If you are interested you can find a complete video on how to do it here. 



This project will help my stash numbers this Sunday!!!  I needed that since I seem to have fallen behind in moving out more fabric than I bring in this year!!

Nana's Banana Bread Extravaganza

This week I have been testing different kinds of banana bread recipes.  I made three different kinds.  This is the first recipe of a three part series including:

Caramelized Banana Bread with Browned Butter Glaze
Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread
Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze



Caramelized Banana Bread with Browned Butter Glaze

Ingredients:
4 TBSP butter, divided and softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 medium bananas, sliced
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 TBSP canola oil
2 TBSP amber rum
2 large eggs
9 ounces all purpose flour (2 cups)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Baking spray
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp Half and Half


Directions:
1.  Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

2.  Melt 3 TBSP butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add Brown sugar, rum, and bananas; saute 4 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Cool 10 minutes.  




3.  Add banana mixture to large bowl of mixer and beat at medium speed until smooth.




4.  Combine buttermilk and next 3 ingredients ( through eggs).  






5.  Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. 





I weigh whenever I can because it is a much more precise form of measuring dry ingredients.






6.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat at low speed just until combined. 

7.  Scrape batter into a 9 x 5 inch metal loaf pan coated with baking spray. 
8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.  Remove bread from pan, and cool.




9.  Melt remaining 1 TBSP butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Cook 3 minutes or until butter is browned.  Remove from heat.

10. Add powdered sugar and half and half, stirring with a whisk until smooth.  Drizzle glaze over the top of the bread.  Let stand until glaze is set.



This bread has a warm, deep flavor from cooking the bananas and the rum.  The brown butter glaze sets it off. 

 Delicious!!



I had a little help in the kitchen today......


Gonna be a cook like her Nana and Mama!!  Thanks be to you Lord for Grandchildren and how they make our hearts sing and our faces smile!!



Caramelized Banana Bread with Browned Butter Glaze


Ingredients:
4 TBSP butter, divided and softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 medium bananas, sliced
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 TBSP canola oil
2 TBSP amber rum
2 large eggs
9 ounces all purpose flour (2 cups)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Baking spray
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp Half and Half

Directions:
1.  Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
2.  Melt 3 TBSP butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add Brown sugar, rum, and bananas; saute 4 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Cool 10 minutes. 
3.  Add banana mixture to large bowl of mixer and beat at medium speed until smooth.
4.  Combine buttermilk and next 3 ingredients ( through eggs).  
5.  Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. 
6.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat at low speed just until combined. 
7.  Scrape batter into a 9 x 5 inch metal loaf pan coated with baking spray. 
8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.  Remove bread from pan, and cool.
9.  Melt remaining 1 TBSP butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Cook 3 minutes or until butter is browned.  Remove from heat.
10. Add powdered sugar and half and half, stirring with a whisk until smooth.  Drizzle glaze over the top of the bread.  Let stand until glaze is set.

Happy Trails,

Mtn Mama