Cream Cheese Banana Bread

If you looked in my freezer, don't be surprised to find a large stash of frozen bananas!  Just like laundry or dishes may multiply, my bananas multiply!  I think I "waste" more bananas during the school year, than any other time of the year!  My boys will only eat a certain color of banana, yellow without much bruising/dark spots.  All the browned bananas get tossed into freezer bags for the freezer.  Does this happen to anyone else!?  While banana-flavored foods (like banana bread for example) are my least favorite, I gotta clear out my freezer and make room.  My kids, on the other hand, love, love, love banana bread!

The recipe is adapted from Sugar & Spice by Celeste.  While I added an extra 1/2 cup of bananas to get rid of a whole bag of frozen bananas, it tastes really good! .....The cream cheese must be the key ingredient???   I could not wait for it to cool to slice and neither could my boys!  Before I put it in the oven, the batter tasted, "Mmmmm."

This recipe appears to be a success, even my DH loves the taste; his favorite is the crust.  Meanwhile, Momma's doing the "Happy Dance" over here, even though half the recipe has already been eaten, there is still another half to go towards my 4 boys' lunches for tomorrow.  That's important!!!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter softened
8 oz cream cheese softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups mashed bananas
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 2 loaf pans with a nonstick cooking spray coated with flour.

Slightly melt the butter and cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds or have it already softened.  Cream the sugar with the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Beat one egg at a time until well blended.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring well.  Then, add the bananas, lemon juice, and extract.  Divide the batter between the two loaf pans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to an hour.  Enjoy!

Quick Cheese Pizza Bites

Trying to clear out the freezer, I thawed out some hamburger buns bought on clearance that I bought a while back.  These Pizza Bites make good snacks for appetizers or meals that is quick, easy, and frugal.  I am on my second batch of buns drying out.  The first set did not last long.

Ingredients:
1 package of dried out buns (hamburger or hot dog)
Marinara
Mozzarella Cheese


Preheat oven to 400.  On a cookie sheet place dried out bun halves, with the "insides" up.

Generously, spoon marinara on each one.  It did this twice, as the bread soaked up the first layer of sauce.  I also like my pizzas saucy.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Bake in oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

variation:  Add pepperoni, sausage, onions, green or red bell peppers, mushrooms, etc to your liking.

Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe In a Bread Machine

The taste of these flour tortillas is amazing!  My boys love the flavor of these versus others I have made in the past.  There is NO lard in this recipe.   I doubled the recipe for a recipe I needed.  Try to roll them as thin as possible, as the baking powder will make them expand.  I rolled the rest in wax paper & stored in the fridge.  The leftovers tasted just fine, when I reheated them inside the wax paper.  They tasted very good.  (Note, the pictures are of the recipe doubled.  While the recipe is NOT doubled.)

This recipe is from Easy Frugal Living.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm milk
2 tsp veg oil
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt


In the bread machine, use the dough cycle.  Apply all the wet ingredients first & then the dry.  

Let it keep mixing until a nice ball, add more flour or water if needed.

Allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes, keeping the lid closed; do not turn off the machine.  When done, take dough out of machine & place on floured counter top.  Divide ball in half & in half, & in half & in half, until you have 8 sections.

Flatten each ball. Roll out ball from the middle out in one direction, dusting with flour to keep from sticking.  Turn 1/4. Roll again from the middle out in one direction. Turn 1/4. Continue in this manner, until you've reached the desired thickness, about 8" in diameter.

Place tortilla on a warmed dry skillet.

Heat until dough starts puffing up, a little & flip.  (I use tongs to do this.)  Cooking time is for about 3 minutes total, for the two sides.  While one is cooking, I am rolling out another. (Just remember to flip the tortilla on the stove while rolling out a new one.) By the time one tortilla is rolled out, the tortilla on the stove is done.  Keep tortillas warm until ready to use.  Store tortillas in fridge rolled in wax paper to reheat in microwave or aluminum foil to reheat in oven.  Makes 8 tortillas.

I've heard that a tortilla press makes the rolling out process easier....opinions?

I think these are best in a casserole vs rolled up as a burrito or a wrap....

Cinnamon Sugar Bagels

Decided to try something new to make for my kids to eat at school for their snack.  I want something soft & chewy.

Cinnamon Sugar Bagels
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp veg oil
2 tsp vinegar
4 cups flour
2 tsp instant yeast

5 tsp baking soda
4 tsp sugar

cinnamon sugar mixture

Measure water, salt, oil, vinegar, flour & yeast into bread machine in order, on dough cycle for about 1 1/2 hours, until it has doubled in size.  Once done, punch it down, & lay out in a long roll, about 24 inches.  Cut into 1-1 1/2 sections.  Shape into patty.  With scissors, cut a hole in the middle & shape into a bagel.  I like the inside of my bagel about the size of a quarter.  Do not make bagels too big, or they may fall apart when you boil them.  Lay bagels down on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Cover w/ sprayed wax paper in a warmed oven 170 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until doubled in size.

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add 5 tsp of baking soda & 4 tsp of sugar to the water.  Boil a few bagels at a time for 3 minutes, turning once.  Place on rack to dry.  Brush an egg over the top and generously coat the top w/ cinnamon sugar.

Bake in oven 375 for 20 minutes.  Makes about 15.