Boosted Banana Muffins

 *** I've had a senior moment- I can't find my pics, so imagine yummy muffins,
I'll get back to you on the pictures.

My family used to look like this

Parents included...

and now it looks like this...

Granted there are no parents in this pic...

One kiddo is serving an 18 month church mission

The morning of departure

and two just left for school in Utah

Kiddo #1 and #3 off to USU

So needless to say,
my grocery shopping looks a little different lately-
and I have a lot of bananas that end up looking like this

rather than this :)

I've been making a lot of things out of BANANA,
bread, muffins, cake, smoothies...

You get the idea right??

I decided to go a little crazy one day when I saw this cereal-

Sorry for the fuzziness; it says Cinnamon Hazlenut

I have used it's sister cereal to make cranberry muffins
for like a ZILLION years!

Cranberry Almond Crunch

So I figured I could come up with a yummy recipe using
a cereal with a name like that!

To borrow a phrase from Mary Poppins-
these were Practically Perfect in Every Way...

The second time I made them,
I made them in Jumbo Muffin Tins and
topped them with a chunky cinnamon streusel.
We took them to a school breakfast-
EVERYONE who ate them wanted to know where
I had gotten them and they were the first muffins gone
(this up against the HUGE Costco/Sam's Club Muffins
that are more of a dessert than a breakfast food)

Try 'Em-
You won't be disappointed


Banana Muffins

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 box of Post Cinnamon Hazelnut Cereal
     (Or Post Crunchy Pecans Cereal)
2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. butter
2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 TBSP. maple syrup
1/2 tsp each, cinnamon & nutmeg

Beat eggs and buttermilk together & syrup.
Stir in melted butter.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, soda, cereal and spices.
Add milk mixture and stir with as few strokes as possible.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, adjusting cook time to size of muffin.

*** My littles request these to be made with chocolate chips-
which just makes them YUMMY TOO!!

My Mom's Kitchen

I actually can't remember a whole lot of food from my moms kitchen. 

It's actually kind of sad because I know she was a good cook, 

but its been a really, REALLY long time since she passed away 

and I just can't remember. 

I do remember that her mom made 

Split Pea Soup with a Ham Bone- 

which looked really gross to me but was supposedly really yummy!

I also have memories of sitting on the rolls 

several Thanksgivings in a row :(

I do know that my mom made a really yummy punch 

which I LOVED

and she had a beautiful punch bowl that she used to serve it

When I was sick, 

she made me homemade Tapioca pudding. 

I haven't eaten that since she died- 

it was just never the same when you have to make it yourself :(

So why can't I remember what we ATE??????

Well, one day I had a memory of her BLT Sandwiches. 

She would toast the bread,

and layer the Bacon, Lettuce & Tomatoes on top!  

I probably have eaten one or two in the 31 years since she passed. 

Well I have been craving them something fierce- 

so I caved in and allowed myself some bread- 

WHITE CIABATTA BREAD!

Ciabatta, Bacon, Tomato, Lettuce & Avocado

I pause for the gasps and lectures to cease!! 

I added my own little modern day twist- 

and used Pesto instead of Mayonnaise...

Keep in mind my mom was gone long before 

gluten free, sugar free, and no preservative diets were the norm

I have to say, that for a guilty pleasure, it was WORTH IT! 

Holy Cow that's a case of a HUGE piece of Lettuce!

Like really worth it. 

Like so worth it, I had it a second day in a row 

AND I felt no regret. 

At least no regret until I woke up with swollen fingers-

Back to being Good-

Oh, but it was soooo YUMMY!

A Rare Splurge at Lunch. Aaaahhhh

Good Morning Banana Muffins

It has been SOOO Hot
here in Sunny & Humid Dallas, TX!

I was doing fine this first ever
summer spent in the Dallas area,
but I'd be lying if I didn't confess that
I am absolutely, positively, 100%
READY for fall weather.

Well, I think all this heat and humidity
is making for a hotter house!
And a hotter house is making for fruits
that are getting ripe faster than usual!!

So when I woke up to BANANAS that
were more soft than any of us will eat-
I knew what was for breakfast-
NOT my favorite BANANA CAKE silly,
though you know me too well,

No! It was our favorite Banana Muffins.

Banana Muffins w/ Cinnamon & Sugar Topping

1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
1 egg, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 400. Line Baking cups with liners or
generously coat with your favorite spray.
Combine all dry ingredients.
Stir in remaining ingredients just until dry
ingredients are moistened.
Fill baking cups.
Bake at 400 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Immediately remove from pan.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup Coarse Turbinado Sugar
(or regular sugar if you desire) and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
Brush muffin tops with melted butter and dip in
cinnamon sugar mixture.

YUMMY to our morning TUMMIES!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I found this pancake recipe many years ago
in a fitness magazine. It is originally
from a spa in Utah that focuses on
health and wellness.

I forget about this recipe ALL the
time and I don't know why.

My family LOVES these pancakes,and they are a wonderful way to
start the day.

The fresh fruit cooks right into
the batter, which gives them a
fun little extra oomph.

Because the fruit adds so much
extra flavor,

we use very little syrup on them-

less sugar to start the day-
Can't help lovin' that!

And of course,
for the picky face eaters in the house,
I make some without the berries-

I just can't believe they are soo picky!!
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes w/ Fruit

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3 TBSP. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 TBSP. maple syrup
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. milk
1 c. berries ***
2 1/2 TBSP. canola oil

***I stewed a mixture of blackberries,
raspberries and blueberries. I added
the zest & juice of 1/2 orange.
 
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining
ingredients except for oil and berries; mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until smooth.

Lightly coat griddle with canola oil (don't skip this
& don't use spray)

Ladle approximately 3 T. batter on griddle
& sprinkle with 1 T. berries. Cover berries
with additional 1 T. batter and cook until
bubbles form. Flip and cook until other
side is golden brown.

Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

I have used the same recipe for
Crescent Rolls for over 15 years!!

I have seen others,
I have considered others,
BUT I never, ever actually
MAKE any other recipe!

My Motto-
"Don't fix what ain't broken"

But white flour is really NOT my friend
right now, so these rolls have been
out of my life for quite some time.

I volunteered to bring rolls to
Easter Dinner at a friends house,
so I decided to make some
the same way as always.
But I decided to make a batch
using fresh ground whole wheat.

I was way skeptical-
one of the things that makes these
rolls so amazing is that they are so
light and airy,
and I had my doubts that I could
get that same consistency with
whole wheat.

The dough rose to perfection

Once rolled & shaped, they again rose perfectly

I was WRONG!!!
These worked wonderfully,
Tasted amazing
and I could enjoy every bite!

 Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

3 cups whole wheat flour ***
1 c. scaled milk
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. warm water
1 TBSP. yeast
1 egg

*** You can use a combination of wheat & white
flour if you would like.

Soften yeast in warm water. Mix milk, margarine,
sugar and salt. Let the milk cool enough so it
doesn't kill the yeast. Add yeast and egg. Beat.
Add flour to form a soft dough. Let rise
45 minutes. Punch down and roll dough 1/4"
thick. Roll into circles and cut into pie slices.
Roll from big side to small side into crescent
rolls. Let rise another 20-30 minutes. Bake at
375 degrees for 12 minutes.

* A big tip for this recipe is to keep the dough
as moist as you can to work with it. This keeps
the rolls really light and fluffy, not too heavy.

Scotch Pull Aparts

My family has been making this recipe
for over 30 years. I have no idea
where it originated, who's it is
or how it came to be part of my life-
but my kids get excited every night
that they see me put these together.

I used to make these with
Rhodes frozen rolls,
but now I just make them
when I make this homemade bread
The family agrees,
they like it better with homemade

Scotch Pull Aparts

18 frozen rolls
1 c. mini marshmallows
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar

The night before: In a buttered bundt pan, arrange frozen rolls. 
Sprinkle with marshmallows.

In a small saucepan, melt butter with cinnamon
and brown sugar.

Bring to a boil, making sure 
the sugar dissolves well.

Pour over rolls.

Cover with waxed paper coated with Pam
to keep from sticking. Let rise overnight.

In the morning: Preheat oven to 350.
Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes before inverting
on to a serving plate. 

Enjoy!! 

Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

No rocket science here-
just a little flour, cinnamon
and effort
& Breakfast is served.

I love to use My Favorite White Bread Recipe
for the Cinnamon Swirl Bread

to make the yummiest EVAH
French Toast-

it is thick,
it is flavorful,
and it brings morning delight-

I am pretty sure all good grades in our home
are a direct result of this breakfast staple!!

Favorite White Bread

I LOVE this Bread Recipe,
it was given to me by a friend
a ga-zillion years ago-
and I haven't made or even looked
for a different white bread recipe since.

You can do everything with this recipe.
Cinnamon rolls- YUP!

Right before rolling up, I like my cinnamon rolls big & fat!

French Bread- YUP!

we made mini french breads for homemade sub sandwiches. more lunchroom envy

Pizza Dough- YUP again.
sorry no picture, we don't make pizza anymore :(

Our favorites,
besides just straight up are,
Cinnamon Swirl,

which we love to use for cinnamon swirl
french toast,

OHHHhhhhhhh,
did I say Heavenly Breakfast?
and mini loaves for school lunches-

Mama loaves and Baby loaves all together, yummy no matter how big they are

My kids come home EVERY time
they take these little cuties to school

and tell me how ALL their friends told them
they are so lucky to have these little
breads for lunch.

And with just a few quick
steps and a little kneading-
You too,
can be the Queen Mama Bee
at lunch time.

WHITE BREAD
courtesy of Kitty Marshal

6 c. warm water                                      1 c. sugar

3 TBS. Yeast

Let sit for 5 minutes.  Add:

1 1/ 2 TBS. Salt                                       1 c. oil

13-15 c. flour

Mix 5-10 minutes.  Let sit 5-10 minutes.  Put in nonstick or greased pans. Let rise to double it’s size then bake at 350 for 20- 35 min.  Makes 6 1# loaves or 4 1 1/ 2 # loaves. 

Bread recipe options:

1.  Wheat Bread:

Substitute 1- 10 cups of flour with whole wheat flour.

2. Honey Wheat Bread:

Replace all or some of sugar with honey.  Remember honey is twice as sweet as sugar

3. Multi- Grain Bread:

Add 1-3 cups dry rolled oats or multi grain cereal to replace part of flour.  You can also add nuts or sunflower seeds.

4. Dinner Rolls:

Replace 1/ 2- 1 cup of oil with an equal amount of shortening, margarine or butter.  Form into balls.  Brush with egg.  Raise to double in size. Bake 20- 30 minutes.

5. Wheat Rolls:

Same as dinner rolls, except replace 1- 7 cups white flour with whole wheat flour.

6. French Bread:

omit oil and sugar (1-2 T. Of each could be added if desired).  To prepare pan, grease and dust with corn meal.  Brush with egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds (if desired), and slice top with sharp knife.  Bake as above.

7. Cinnamon Rolls:

use 1/4 or 1/ 2 of recipe for white bread.  Roll out 1/4 “ thick into a rectangle.  Spread butter over dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (or sugar and orange zest).  Roll up and cut in rounds.  Bake as above.  Frost with favorite frosting.  For orange rolls, use orange juice instead of milk or water for frosting and add orange zest.  

8.  Pull apart bread:

take small pieces of dough and dip in melted butter or margarine.  Dip into one of these: instant butterscotch pudding, cinnamon sugar, orange sugar.  Drop in pan, sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Let rise and bake as above. 

9.  Recipe can also be used for pizza crust.                                    

Blueberry Breakfast Casserole

It has blueberries,

Does that make it healthy?
Full of anti-oxidants?
Luscious & Delicious?

1 & 1/2 ain't bad right??

It also has butter (dairy)
oats (grains)
and sugar-
most of that is good for you too, right??

This is my children's favorite
Saturday Morning Breakfast

This goes together same day,
so I don't like to make it if I am short on time.

First, gather yourself some yummy blueberries,

in my dream world,
I would pick them from my beautiful backyard
garden area,
in my real world,
I get them from the local market.
Sweeten them with some sugar.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl,

Grab a can of biscuits from the fridge,
separate the dough and cut each biscuit into quarters

Dip each quarter in melted butter

and coat with brown sugar/cinnamon mixture

Arrange in a single layer in a 9 inch square baking dish
that has been generously greased.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the oats.

Spoon sugared blueberries over the oats and biscuits
and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of oats.

 Drizzle remaining butter over the top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes,
until cake is golden brown and center is done.

Cool 10 minutes. Serve Warm and enjoy a
Wonderful Saturday


Blueberry Breakfast Casserole

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
12 oz. can buttermilk biscuits
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. quick rolled oats, separated
1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
1/2 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Generously grease 9 inch square baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon
and mix well with a fork.
Separate the biscuit dough. Cut each biscuit in quarters.
Dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mix.
Arrange in a single layer in baking dish.
Sprinkle with 1/2 c. oats.
Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat,
spoon over the oats and biscuits and sprinkle with
remaining oats. Drizzle remaining melted butter on top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until cake is golden brown
and center is done.
Let cool.
Serve warm.