The Best Banana Muffins

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I crave banana bread on occasion. This is really strange for me because until I became an adult, I never really liked bread that had even a hint of fruits or vegetables in it…banana bread, zucchini bread, carrot cake, you know what I’m talking about. But now, I crave it. My kids love it. They have no idea what is in it, but they love it. And I can totally justify them eating it because it is awesome when you can feed them something and you secretly know it has some nutritional value (minus the sugar) to it. But anyways, I made these the other day and I have to say it is some of the best banana bread (muffins) that I’ve ever had.

I’m going to let you in on a cool trick too. Maybe you already know it, but I didn’t. I had to google how to ripen bananas quick, because I was craving these so badly. Yes, I’ve heard the whole paper bag with an apple trick, but I was just not feeling that. So I threw them into the freezer overnight and took them out the following morning to thaw out. They were perfectly ripen and I didn’t have to wait around impatiently. I also like my banana bread to have a little banana chunks in it. I use a whisk to get it all smoothed out but I like to leave it just tad chunky. So much better this way in my opinion.

Add some nuts or chocolate chips to it if you like, but I personally like these as just plain ole’ banana muffins. I sprinkle a little turbinaro sugar over the top before I pop them into the oven to add a yummy sweet touch.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo
Steph

Banana Muffins
makes 12

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
3 or 4 ripened bananas (about 1 cup mashed bananas)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, mash the bananas and add the sugars, egg and melted butter. Whisk together until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Don’t over mix. Evenly distribute between 12 muffin cups that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Baked on March 4, 2010 | Recipe Card: Fruit, Muffins, bread, breakfast, snacks | 7 Bites 

Baked Apple and Cinnamon French Toast Cups


Oh my goodness.  I am still licking my fingers on this one.  Delicious.  Masterpiece.  That’s all I can say about this amazing treat.  Oh how I wish that I could take all the credit for this one.  It was inspired by Jenny at Picky Palate.  She made some bread pudding cups a while back.  I decided to call it French Toast Cups because it has all the ingredients I use in my french toast plus apples.  Yum.  My kids licked the plate clean.  And let me tell you, that does not happen very often unless it is made of all sugar.  Apples have been on my mind lately.  I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some creative recipes using them, and then I remembered Jenny’s Bread pudding recipe and I decided to do something similar but with my own spin.  The sauteed cinnamon apples were the perfect addition.  Of course topped with a sugar glaze, it is the perfect treat or breakfast or brunch or whatever you want to eat it for!  I hope you all have a lovely week and I will be back soon with some amazingly delicious recipes!

Baked Apple and Cinnamon French Toast Cups
recipe by Stephanie
inspired by Jenny
makes 6 french toast cups
4 slices whole wheat bread, cut into cubes
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of ground nutmeg
For the apples:
1 large apple of your choice, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1. In a medium skillet, saute apples with butter and cinnamon for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Add bread cubes and mix together until all the bread is saturated.  Add the apples and mix until well distributed.
3. Using a regular size muffin tin, scoop bread evenly into 6 of the muffin cups.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until set and lightly golden brown.  
4. Mix 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon milk until smooth.  Drizzle on top of french toast cups.  Enjoy!!
These would be perfect for a bridal or baby shower!  Your guests will be begging for more!!!

Baked on August 26, 2008 | Recipe Card: apples, breakfast, brunch | 23 Bites 

Whole Wheat Crepes with Strawberries, Nutella and Toasted Almonds


This is my version of fancy food.  I’ve always been a crepe lover, especially since my Mom and I picked them up on the streets of Paris 10 years ago.  They have street vendors that make the most delicious crepes ever.  They are simply covered in nutella and folded over in a little paper and you eat them in about 10 seconds because they are so good.  I’ve been trying to master them ever since.  They are really very simple.  I decided to make a healthier version using whole wheat flour and they were just as tasty.  And how can you go wrong with Nutella anyways? If you’ve never had it, it’s just a simple Chocolate Hazelnut spread that is absolutely divine.  (You can buy it at almost any grocery store.) It goes perfectly with crepes.  I like to add strawberries and toasted almonds for a finishing touch.  Make these for guests and they will be so impressed with you and keep asking for more!  

Whole Wheat Crepes
recipe by Stephanie
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 1/2 cup milk
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  Scrape down sides as necessary.  
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, (or overnight).  
3. Lightly oil a preheated crepe pan, or a small non stick skillet.  Pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet and quickly tilt the pan in a circular motion until batter is spread evenly around the bottom of the skillet. (If you like thinner crepes, use 2 tablespoons of batter. I like mine thicker.)
4. Cook the crepe until bubbly and browned on the bottom (about 30 seconds).  Carefully flip the crepe over using a long spatula.  Cook for another 20 seconds or until bottom is lightly browned.  
5. Fill with desired toppings and roll or fold.  Enjoy!
I promised to share some restaurant hits from our trip to D.C.  So here it is!  I had so many wonderful suggestions from some of you wonderful food bloggers!  Here are some some amazing places we ate and loved.
Cosi – This is a chain and we found one on almost every block.  They specialize in their flatbread.  Sandwiches, pizza’s, salads and breakfast.  Yum.  We had sandwiches, but the salads looked amazing as well.  
La Madeleine – This was a quaint little french bakery that we fell in love with.  We didn’t know if we were going to find this one, but while walking into Georgetown it popped right out at us. We had breakfast, which was so yummy.  Their eggs are exceptional, and they also have crepes and the best croissants I’ve ever had next to Paris of course.  
Potbellies – We almost missed out on this one.  I really wanted to try it before we left and we ran out of time.  Than we got to the airport and there it was.  So we went for it.  I had the best Steak sandwich I’ve ever had.  So good. 
Pizzeria Paradisio – This was in Georgetown as well.  We ate in Georgetown a lot, mostly because we fell in love with it right away.  So many cool shops and restaurants.  The pizza here was amazing.  We had the 4 cheese pizza.  Sooo good.
Johnny Rockets – Cute little burger joint.  This was right across from our hotel and it was a really good find.  Classic diner food.
The Corner Bakery – We ran into this on our way out walking.  The desserts and pastries looked amazing.  Unfortunetly they were slammed with people so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to decide what I wanted.  I settled for a sandwich and it was very good.  The cookies were a hit as well.
Unos – This is a little Italian pizza joint with a lot of pizzaz.  The food and atmosphere were really fun.  We had pasta and salad, very good.
Paper Moon – We ran into this while walking around Georgetown.  It was a very authentic little Italian restaurant.  The waiters barely spoke English.  It was an open air restaurant, very romantic.  The food was amazing, and tasted like it was right out of Italy.
So there you go.  If you are ever in D.C, make sure you try these out, because they are so amazing.  Stay away from the Hard Rock Cafe.  That was our one bad mistake.  I’ve been to many Hard Rock’s around the world.  I always try to stop by when I’m in a new place.  About 10 seconds after we ordered, our food arrived on our table.  Obviously not cooked fresh.  The chicken was so dry like it had been cooked 10 hours earlier and an hour too long.  Stay far away.  Sorry Hard Rock, but you know you can do better than that!  Anyways, we had so much fun.  We definitely enjoyed our time in D.C.  We went to a million museums and the rest of our time was spent in Georgetown.  We decided to walk along the back streets and the neighborhoods are so beautiful.  I love the houses and the history there.  Beautiful.  We ran into a little cupcake shop that we fell in love with.  The cupcakes were amazing and it was such a cute little shop.  We had a great time but are very glad to be back home in good old Utah.  Have a good rest of the week everyone!
 

Baked on August 13, 2008 | Recipe Card: Dessert, breakfast | 25 Bites 

Mini Cheddar and Bacon Frittatas


Dear lovely readers,

I am here in lovely Washington D.C. I’m probably having so much fun I don’t even know what to do with myself. Without my kids attached to my hip 24 hours a day, I’m most likely wandering the streets like a zombie, unsure of how to function not having to make macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets for lunch. A lovely restaurant in the middle of the day with hubby…alone? Wandering the beautiful buildings and museums without pushing a double stroller and feeding the little one goldfish and apple juice to keep him from screaming his head off? Wow, I might be able to get used to this…

Anyways, yesterday we toured the Pentagon. I’ll make sure and show pictures when I get back. Although I can’t bring in a camera, or a purse or money for that matter, so the souveneir shop is out. But while I’m away please take care and make sure you try these simply delicious frittatas. I made these last week and I have to say, they are the best eggs I’ve ever had. It must be the salty bacon and cheddar that make these so amazingly tasty. They would be perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a baby shower or any occasion for that matter.

Another letter in a couple of days…take care!

Love,
Steph

Mini Cheddar and Bacon Frittatas
recipe by Stephanie
makes 8 mini frittatas

4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmasan cheese
3 strips cooked bacon, chopped

1. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients.
2. Grease a mini muffin tin. Fill cups with egg mixture until almost to the rim. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until centers are set.

Baked on August 4, 2008 | Recipe Card: breakfast, eggs | 17 Bites 

Blueberry Buttermilk Streusel Coffee Cake


Long name, simple recipe! All I have to say about this recipe is, Yum.  I love coffee cake and I love blueberries.  I also love the combination of blueberries, lemon zest, and cinnamon.  And add a crunchy streusel to the top and hello, heaven!  To me, there is nothing quite like it. They blend together so perfectly.  I’ve been working on this recipe FOREVER.  I was originally trying to make it as bread in a loaf pan and also using plain yogurt.  I was having a lot of trouble with the bread rising and cooking in the middle.  I finally decided to turn it into a coffee cake and when I tasted this hot out of the oven, I was literally in heaven.  I could easily eat the entire pan in about 10 minutes, maybe even sooner. Breakfast, brunch or dessert, this recipe is amazing and you must try it, because if you don’t, you will be missing out on an incredibly tasty treat! 

On one last note..My husband and I are taking a kid-less vacation next week to Washington D.C and I was wondering if any of you knowledgeable foodies out there knew any fabulous restaurants that we should not miss out on.  I’ve never been there, so I’m clueless!  If you do, let me know please!!! Thanks!
Have a great week everyone!
Blueberry Buttermilk Streusel Coffee Cake
recipe by Stephanie
For the Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
For the Streusel:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch pan.  
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.
3. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time until well incorporated.  Add vanilla.  
4. Slowly add flour mixture, and than buttermilk until just combined.  Do not overmix.
5. Stir in blueberries and lemon zest.
6. Pour batter in the pan, it will be slightly thick. 
7. Make streusel.  Mix sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Add butter and mix with hands, or a pastry blender until mixture is the size pea sized crumbs.  Sprinkle evenly over cake batter.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a  toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Baked on July 28, 2008 | Recipe Card: Cakes, breakfast | 22 Bites 

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