Banana Bread

This bread is so moist it literally melts in your mouth, I love it!

This batch made 7 mini loaves

Banana Bread

Dry Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1. Combine dry ingredients and set Aside.
2. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients.

Wet Ingredients:

3 eggs

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

4 large bananas, mashed

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Add dry and wet ingredients. Mix well.
2. Spray loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray
3. Fill pans about 3/4 way full.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

*Results are best if made in mini loaf pans. I used the aluminum ones that you can buy from the grocery store.

*Yields about 6-7 small loaves.

Lemon Tea Cake

I finally have updated my cooking blog since Tommy boy! To be honest I haven't cooked much since I had him, babies need a lot of attention :-) Enjoy!

Lemon Tea Cake (Recipe from: Susan Peterson)
5-6 Lemons (for juice & zest)

1/2 lb. butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup lemon zest

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

Craisins, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease (I use shortening) and flour 2 loaf pans, set aside.
2. Combine butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time and lemon zest.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside.
5. Combine buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla.
6. Add flour and buttermilk mixture, alternating into mixing bowl starting and ending with the flour. Add chopped craisins if desired and mix.
7. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Poke holes in cake with a tooth pick. Drizzle both loaves with half of the sugar syrup (recipe follows). Then invert loaf pans onto a cooling rack over wax paper. Poke holes on the bottom of the loaves and drizzle the remaining half of the sugar syrup.

Sugar Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. Combine sugar and lemon juice in pan over low heat until sugar is compeletey dissolved.
2. Poke holes in cakes with a toothpick on both sides.
3. Slowly pour over both sides of the hot cakes.

Lemon Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

3 1/2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

*I added some of my remaining lemon zest about 1-2 T.

1. Whisk together sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
2. Pour over cooled cakes.

Cranberry Orange Rolls

These are the yummiest rolls ever. My sister in law Elizabeth makes them each Christmas and they make my mouth water just thinking about them. You can make them cinnamon roll style or crescent style.

*Give yourself about 2.5 hours from start to finish*

Cranberry-Orange Rolls (Recipe from Elizabeth Weight)

Rolls
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup warm water
1 1/3 cup scalded milk
1/3-1/2 cup shortening
2 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
4-6 cups unsifted bread flour (I usually use about 5)

Filling
¼ cup softened butter
½ cup sugar
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
1/3 cup fresh cranberries

Icing2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
Dash of salt

1. To make rolls, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in ½ cup warm water.
2. Scald milk and add shortening to it while hot, then cool the mixture. Once the mixture has cooled, add it and add the remaining ingredients to the yeast mixture.
3.  Mix well until dough develops a slight sheen (dough should be pliable and fairly soft). The dough should form a ball so if you need to add more flour do so in small increments. I use a kitchenaid mixer on speed 4 and knead (using the kneading attachment) the ingredients for about 2 minutes. The dough ball should not be too sticky and should have a slight sheen to it. The dough will still stick to the bottom of the bowl and if you poke it with your finger it will pull apart from the dough but wont totally stick to your finger.  You may have some dough residue on your finger though.  Cover and let dough rise until it doubles.
4. While dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the cranberries are chopped but not pureed.
5. Divide dough in half. Take one half and roll the dough out on a floured surface into a circle and coat the surface with the cranberry filling. Then cut dough into 16 equal sections, like a pie. Roll up each triangular section, starting at the wide ends to make crescents.
6. Place rolls on two generously greased cookie sheets, and cover. Allow to rise until dough looks puffy and light (about 30 min).
7. Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. While they are baking, prepare the icing.
8. Mix together powdered sugar, juice, zest, and a dash of salt. Generously drizzle icing over rolls as soon as they are removed from the oven or just before serving.

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls (Recipe from my brother's old roommate Kurt)
Rhodes Frozen Cinnamon Rolls (I know I'm lazy)

Cinnamon roll caramel sauce (this is the important part)
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. water
5 T. butter

1. Thaw cinnamon rolls (or make your own) according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven according to cinnamon roll package directions.
3. Melt the sauce ingredients in microwave or on stovetop.
4. Mix it all together until butter is all melted and caramel sauce is smooth and thoroughly mixed.
5. Dump into greased 9x13 pan and spread evenly on the bottom.
6. Place cinnamon rolls on top of sauce and bake according to package directions.
7. Frost with desired frosting.