Lemon Almond Bread

Original Recipe HERE

 

This stuff was so good.  The lemon zest and juice made all the difference, and the tartness complimented the mild almond flavor well.  It is definitely a dessert bread, though I disregarded that fact and had it with every meal (and in between meals).

 

My only complaint is that there wasn't a taste of glaze in every bite.  I'd like to make this in muffin form in the hopes of rectifying that minor flaw.

Ingredients

* For the bread:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

* For the lemon glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 tablespoons sliced almonds, for garnishing [I did not use]

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan

(2) In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

(3) In a small bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Rub together with fingers until fragrant.

(4) Whisk sugar into the flour mixture.

(5) In a medium bowl, combine almond milk, oil, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract.

(6) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until combined; pour batter into loaf pan.

(7) Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

(8) Place the loaf on a cooling rack; cool for 15 minutes.

(9) Loosen the sides of the bread with a knife; remove loaf from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack.

(10) Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and almond extract in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over bread. Sprinkle sliced almonds over the bread if desired.

 

Kid Participation:

* Measure dry ingredients

* Sift dry ingredients

* Lemon-ify sugar

* Measure wet ingredients

* Stir batter

* Whisk glaze

* Sprinkle almonds

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Original Recipe HERE

Not a healthy banana bread.  There is no justifying that this is "good" for you - at least, for your waistline.  So good for your spirit, though.  I'd mess around with substitutes for the copious amounts of butter and sugar, trying to make this less guilt-inducing...but I fear then it would lose its essence.  So I will relegate it to the "occasional treat" list and enjoy every morsel when I do have it.

I assume these could be made into muffins and will probably try that next time.  Helps with portion control.  As with almost every baked good, this tasted better the next day: the flavors were stronger and the bread had "settled" and was a bit denser.

 

Ingredients

3 medium or large bananas, very ripe
1/2 cup butter (one stick), melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon [optional]
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips [I used semi-sweet mini chips]

 

Directions
(1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x5" loaf pan.
(2) Mash bananas thoroughly in a large bowl.
(3) Whisk melted butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla into the bananas.
(4) In a separate bowl, sift together baking soda, salt, cinnamon, flour, and cocoa powder.
(5) Add dry ingredients to wet; stir until just combined.
(6) Stir in chocolate chips.
(7) Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 55-65 minutes (minute took almost 65) or until a knife inserted into the center comes out batter-free.
(8) Cool bread in pan for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.  Once fully cooled, store wrapped in foil.

Kid Participation:
* Mash bananas
* Crack egg
* Whisk wet ingredients
* Add dry ingredients to wet
* Pour batter into pan

Honey Beer Bread

Original Recipe HERE

 

I do not like beer.  Any kind.  Not even those that claim to be fruity, spicy, or pumpkin-y.  Nothing about it appeals to me.  I am a solid wine lady for life (though in my past life, I was a [multiple] vodka-and-cranberry lady...but those are stories for another time).  However, I know it has its place in cooking. I just never think to use it, despite there always being an ample supply on hand thanks to Husband.

 

But I was making broccoli cheese soup and wanted some sort of bread product to accompany it.  I was going to make my standard pizza dough recipe and let the kids make "snakes" out of it, brush them with melted butter/garlic powder/Parmesan, and hope it turned out well.  That recipe will (also) have to wait for another time.  Because I looked in my bookmarks and came across this one.  A five-minute prep time, then forget it for an hour?  Sign me up, especially since the kids were happy amusing themselves with making Halloween decorations and I didn't want to rock the boat.

This turned out awesomely.  There is a slight beer taste, but it wasn't offensive to me.  The darker the beer, the better...or so says all the recipes I read.  I used a random Red Hook ESB, which I knew nothing about.  I think there was a little too much butter (we all had greasy fingers at the end), so I decreased the amount a little below.  Hopefully the perfectly crusty crust (is it OK to use the same word to describe the same word?) would still result.  I served this with herbed garlic butter, and we all gobbled it up.

 

Next time I will add some shredded cheddar and dried dill, but since the soup was already cheesy enough, I skipped it this time.

 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup bread flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons honey (warmed if necessary)

1 (12 oz) beer (darker is better)

3 Tablespoons butter, melted & slightly cooled

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9x5" bread pan.

(2) In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

(3) Add honey; stir with rubber spatula until well combined.

(4) Add beer; stir until no dry flour is visible.

(5) Pour batter into loaf pan.  Spread so top is flat.

(6) Pour melted butter evenly over entire surface.

(7) Bake until bread is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 50 to 60 minutes.

(8) Turn bread out onto cooling rack.  Slice when room temperature.

 

Kid Participation:

* Stir dry ingredients

* Pour and stir beer

* Wonder why they are allowed to consume beer, regardless of the form it takes

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

Original Recipe HERE

 

I'm not normally a fan of tomato soup.  I didn't grow up on it, either fresh or Campbell's, so I never developed an appreciation for it.  Most of the ones I've tried are too tomato-y, tasting either like fresh tomatoes were used (and they really need to have been cooked instead) or overly salted/seasoned to make up for a too-weak tomato flavor.  So I gave this one a shot with low expectations, especially since I wasn't sure how disintegrating bread into it could really turn out well.

But it really was tasty.  Everyone except *J* had seconds of it, though *P* grew more and more unsure with each passing bite (and since the kid is a Human Garbage Disposal, I thought that if for once he was rejecting a food, I'd respect it).  I made roasted garlic butter and served it with sourdough on the side.  Next time I'll go with the classic grilled cheese to ensure all members of the family eat a heartier meal.  And though I didn't add any additional salt, this was almost too salty for my taste.  I'm assuming that, by process of elimination, that's due to the type of tomato used.  Everyone raves about San Marzano, but I'll try some lowly Hunt's to compare.

 

I plan to freeze a small portion of this to see how well it can be saved.

 

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil [I used grape seed]
1 medium onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, undrained [I used San Marzano]
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
3 large slices dense white bread [I used sourdough]
2 cups broth [I used vegetable]
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil

 

Directions

(1) In large pot, heat olive oil medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes.

(2) Add tomatoes and their juice. Using a potato masher, break them down into smaller pieces.

(3) Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to a boil.

(4) Reduce heat to medium.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

(5) Turn off heat.  Add butter.  Once melted, puree soup with immersion blender or traditional blender.  Soup can be strained through fine-mesh strainer if perfectly smooth consistency is desired(6) Stir broth into soup; return soup to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat. Stir in the basil before serving.

 

Kid Participation: None.

Coconut Zucchini Banana Bread

Original Recipe HERE

I had two bananas that Husband wanted to throw out because he can't stand the smell of bananas that are even slightly past ripe...it's some sort of sixth sense he has.  I also had grabbed several zucchinis last time I was at the grocery store, but I wasn't feeling inspired.  I decided to combine them into muffins that were healthier than what I'd normally gravitate toward.  The Weight Watchers Points Tracker says they are 5 points each, though.  Eh, still healthier.  Especially since I patted myself on the back for leaving out the chocolate.

I made 12 muffins and one small (aka, flat-ish) loaf of bread, so I estimate this would make 20 muffins.  The kids really liked them.  Next time I'll cut down on the coconut (I used one cup).  They were a little too sweet to be the breakfast-y muffins I was aiming for, but eliminating the coconut entirely might make them too bland.  Oh dear, Husband is going to have to suffer through another round of stinky browning bananas for the sake of tweaking this recipe...

Ingredients

3 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil [I used coconut oil]

2 medium bananas, well mashed

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 to 4 cups grated zucchini [I used 3 medium]

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 to 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/2 to 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin tin or bread pan.

(2) If using coconut oil, melt to liquid form using a double boiler.

(3) In large mixing bowl, whisk eggs. Add oil, banana, vanilla, zucchini, and sugars. Let set several minutes until sugar is partially dissolved.

(4) In separate mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut.

(5) Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Stir until just combined.

(6) Transfer batter to baking tins. Bake 20-25 minutes for 12 muffins and approximately an hour for a full loaf. Test for doneness by inserting a knife in center; bread is done when it comes out clean.

(7) Remove from oven. Run knife along edges to loosen. Leave in tins 10 minutes; remove to rack to cool completely.

Kid Participation:
* Mash bananas by hand
* Whisk wet ingredients
* Whisk dry ingredients
* Stir all ingredients together

 

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Original Recipe HERE

This was an easy, novel way to serve bread.  It could be part of a regular meal or be used as finger food at a party.  Though I don't know if I'd want to eat something that a bunch of people had been digging around in and ripping apart.  OK, scratch that...stick with keeping it as a dinner side dish and shared only with your nearest and dearest.

I kept the bread warm by leaving it wrapped and on the baking sheet.  I think this made the bottom crust too crispy and meant we were scraping at the last layer of bread.  Next time I'll put it, still wrapped, on a cooling rack.  Also, the pieces didn't pull apart as easily as I thought they might; we all used forks and knives to eventually remove larger portions and dissect them further on our plates.  A bit more work than anticipated, but worth it nonetheless.

Ingredients

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread [or other round bread loaf]

12-16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup finely diced green onion

2-3 teaspoons poppy seeds

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

(2) Cut bread lengthwise and widthwise, approximately 1" between slices, without cutting through the bottom crust.

(3) Place on foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese slices between cuts, separating bread and pushing cheese down into slice marks.

(4) Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread.

(5) Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes

(6) Unwrap bread; bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Do not allow to burn.

Pineapple Stuffing

Original Recipe: from a message board

I made this for Christmas dinner because I thought it would be a nice accompaniment to the main dish (spiral ham).  It was SO good - my favorite part of the whole meal.  Too bad everyone else liked it just as much because we had to ration our portions so that everyone got enough.  We each might have consumed the whole thing if left to our own devices.  I'm making it again for Easter and will double the recipe.

Update: I made this two more times.  Adjusted/doubled amounts appear below.  It fills a 9x13" baking dish, but leftovers are still sparse.

Ingredients

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple
1 cup white sugar
3/4 to 1 cup butter, softened
6 eggs
10 slices white bread, cubed into 1" pieces and dried overnight [I just used an entire loaf]

Directions
(1) Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13" baking dish.

(2) Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer.

(3) Add eggs, one at a time.  Mix after each addition.

(4) Drain pineapple.  Stir into egg mixture.

(5) Gently fold in bread.

(6) Scoop into dish.  Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.  Stir stuffing several times during cooking to prevent top from burning.

Kid Participation: Not much to do besides stirring.

Breadsticks

Original Recipe HERE

As long as you plan ahead and allow for enough time for rising, these are easy, filling, and worth the effort.  I don't have a cool stand mixer (yet), so I did everything by hand and it was manageable.  The final product made me think of Olive Garden - which is a positive, since I love that place.  I'm under no illusions that it's "fine, authentic Italian dining" (despite their attempts to convince us every single employee gets months of training in the mother country), but I don't care.  I like to fill up on the breadsticks and salad (free unlimited refills!) and then eat a portion of my entree...and bring the rest home for tomorrow's lunch.  I'm cheap frugal and practical like that.

Next time I'll add more seasoning to the dough itself (garlic salt, oregano, basil, etc.).  The portion sizes of the sticks is generous, and sometimes I didn't get enough of the garlic butter in each bite.  Also, these could be made smaller or in other shapes to maximize the flavor-to-bite ratio.  I like the suggestion of cinnamon and sugar and will attempt to remember to try them that way.

Update: I didn't have time to make the fancy twists next time, so I rolled out the dough in as even a rectangle as possible and then sliced it into 12 approximately symmetrical pieces (so I had flat-ish, skinny rectangles).  I baked them for 12 minutes, then brushed them with melted butter and sprinkled with Parmesan and put them back in for an additional 2 minutes.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm (105-115 degrees F) water

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 1/2 cups flour

melted butter

Parmesan cheese or garlic salt

Directions

(1) In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

(2) Add salt and stir. Add 1 & 1/2 cups flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

(3) Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

(4) Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

(5) Grease or spray a baking sheet.

(6) Roll each piece of dough into a "snake" and then drape over your forefinger at the halfway point.  Twist the dough several times; pinch the ends together.

(7) Place "dough rope" on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces.
(8) Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. With there's about 15 minutes left, preheat oven to 425.

(9) When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

(10) Rub or brush melted butter on top of the breadsticks.  Sprinkle with garlic, Parmesan, or seasoning of choice.

Kid Participation:

* Measure ingredients

* Knead dough (and then follow up by doing it yourself)

* Roll out dough

* Cut dough with pizza cutter

* Make "snakes"

* Twist dough (do not expect uniformity)

Basic Cornbread

Original Recipe HERE

It's always helpful to have an easy, tasty cornbread recipe in your repertoire for those nights when your main dish isn't quite enough but the refrigerator and pantry are pretty empty and you're scratching your head for a side dish.  I always have the ingredients for this on hand.

The original post didn't have a temperature listed, so I googled around to find that most cornbreads are baked between 400 and 450 degrees and for 15-20 minutes.  So monitor it closely the first time and make note of what worked for you.

If you have little ones eating this, be prepared to spend a good amount of your post-dinner clean-up wielding a dustpan while on your hands and knees under your table.  Like any cornbread, it's crumbly.  And my kids still haven't mastered the concept of "if you're eating that food item with your hands, keep it over your plate to avoid sacrificing half of it to your placement/lap/floor."

Ingredients

1 egg

1 cup milk [I used 2%]

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

Directions
(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9" round pan.

(2) Whisk together dry ingredients.

(3) In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.  Add to dry ingredients.

(4) Whisk gently until combined.  Pour batter into pan and ensure it is evenly distributed.

(5) Bake 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and edges are light golden brown.

(6) Cool on a drying rack.  Slice into wedges to serve.

Notes: This bread was good, but I'll research about additions like shredded cheese, chopped green chilis, garlic powder, taco seasoning, etc. to make the taste a bit more interesting.

Kid Participation:

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Whisk wet ingredients

* Combine all ingredients

* Pour batter into pan

Cinnamon Bubble Buns

Original Recipe HERE: I can't find a direct link to the article (which included helpful step-by-step photos), but it's from Flo Baker and was featured in the April 2011 "Family Fun" magazine.  I googled and found plenty of blog posts by people who were inspired by the same one, and some of them took photos as they made the recipe.

"Buttery cinnamon and sugar make these pull-apart treats irresistible."  With an introduction like that, how could one resist trying this recipe?  But the three magazine pages it took up made me put this off until I had a weekend afternoon to devote to the multi-step process. It's not difficult or really all that time-consuming, even though the total "hands on time" is (generously) given as 1 hour and the total time needed is 2 hours 20 minutes.  You can do other stuff during the two rising intervals and the baking period.  And anyway, they were worth the extra time and effort over the store-bougth "pop the container and disassemble the log of pre-cut cinnamon rolls" kind.  They were delicious, and I could see them becoming a traditional "______ [insert holiday or celebration or event of choice] breakfast."  Likely with making them the day before, because if I served them as breakfast, I'd have to start making them at 5am.  Not my idea of how to start off a holiday.  This makes 12 large buns.

Ingredients

Dough:

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup sour cream [I used light]

3 Tbsp sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for kneading

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

Cinnamon-sugar coating:

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

Vanilla glaze:

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp milk, preferably whole

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

(1) In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over water; let it stand until bubbly (5-10 minutes).

(2) Stir in butter, sour cream, sugar, egg, and vanilla.

(3) Beat in 2 cups of flour, salt, and baking soda until incorporated.  Add remaining flour; continue mixing until a smooth, soft dough forms.

(4) Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and reserve the mixing bowl.  Knead until smooth (about 3 minutes).  Add more flour if dough is sticky but do not exceed 2 tablespoons.

(5) Place dough back in mixing bowl; cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

(6) When dough is ready, lightly coat 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray or butter.  Flour the cups; tap out excess.

(7) In a small bowl, blend sugar and cinnamon for coating.

(8) Melt butter for coating in microwave in a small, shallow dish.

(9) Gently punch down dough to deflate it.  Form it into a long cylinder & divide into 12 equal portions.

(10) Using kitchen shears or a dough scraper, divide each portion into 6 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball.

(11) Coat 6 balls with melted butter.  Roll each in cinnamon-sugar mixture.

(12) Arrange 5 balls in the bottom of a muffin cup.  With fingertips, make a small "well" and press sixth ball into center.  Repeat with remaining dough until 12 buns are ready.

(13) Loosely cover buns with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until puffy and doubled in size (about 40 minutes).  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

(14) Bake buns on center rack until golden, 20-22 minutes [mine were done by 20].  Transfer pan to a wire rack; cool 5 to 8 minutes.

(15) Tilt pan and gently tap on countertop to release buns [use a knife to carefully remove them from pan if needed].  Place buns on wire rack.  Slide a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil underneath the rack.

(16) In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients; stir until it's smooth.  If needed, thin glaze by adding water, 1 teaspoon at a time.

(17) Brush or drizzle each bun with glaze.  Serve immediately or at room temperature [we ate some the next day and they were just as good].

Notes: I need to watch the baking time more closely because a few buns had slightly crispy edges - set the timer for 18 minutes and then be vigilant.  A note included with the recipe said "To make the dough in advance, follow directions through kneading.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Chilled dough should sit at room temperature for 1 hour before handling."  I don't know how long it can be in the refrigerator, but it may not save much time anyway because it still has to sit out for a long time before proceeding to the next step.

Kid Participation:

* Adding ingredients to mixing bowl

* Combining cinnamon and sugar

* Punching dough

* Rolling dough into balls (if possible)

* Rolling balls in butter and coating (if you don't mind a giant mess)

* Applying glaze (because it doesn't really matter what it looks like; it all "melts" together on the buns' surface anyway)

Simple Banana Bread

Original Recipe HERE

I must have at least fifteen banana bread and muffin recipes saved, all very similar to each other.  So I'll keep making my way through my inventory, keeping my standards high, until I have it narrowed down to just a few.  Many bread attempts are too dry on the outside yet still gooey on the inside.  That's why I often make them into full-size muffins instead (because while I like the quick-eating convenience and feeding-of-the-masses ability of mini-muffins, I find the texture of regular size muffins is usually better and the taste somehow seems more pronounced).

This recipe was super easy: the batter was made in less than ten minutes and didn't even require a whisk, much less an electric mixer.  Reading through the comments shows many variations, so I took a few tips and ended up with the following recipe that was delicious.  It had a strong banana flavor, was perfectly crusty on top while perfectly moist inside.

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup shredded dried coconut [optional]

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips [optional]

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease 4x8" loaf pan or 12-cup muffin tin.

(2) Mash bananas to uniform, smooth consistency.  In separate bowl, whisk egg.

(3) With wooden spoon, mix yogurt and mashed bananas in large mixing bowl.

(4) Mix sugar, egg, and vanilla into banana-yogurt mixture.

(5) Sprinkle baking soda & salt over mixture; stir.  Add flour; mix thoroughly.  Add coconut and chocolate chips (if using); stir until just mixed.

(6) Pour mixture into loaf pan or muffin tin.  Bake 1 hour for bread or 25 minutes for muffins (done when knife inserted in center comes out clean).

(7) If bread, cool on rack before removing from pan.  If muffins, remove immediately from tin and cool on rack.

Notes: For the sake of comparison, I would use apple sauce instead of yogurt (or using a vanilla or strawberry or banana yogurt).  I would also try honey in place of sugar, and a lime glaze would add a nice tartness.

Kid Participation

* Mash bananas

* Stir wet ingredients

* Crack egg

* Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients

* Sneak chocolate chips when they think Mama isn't looking

Mushroom Cheese Bread

Original Recipe Found in Taste of Home's 2006 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes

I rely on frozen, not-homemade garlic bread way too often, but we all love it...a hard, lazy habit to break.  So I was in the market for some new variations on a favorite side.  This was an easy way to dress up plain bread and more special than just tossing some shredded mozzarella on the frozen loaf.

I thought that there wasn't enough topping for an entire loaf of Italian bread, so I only used half of one.  This was a mistake, as the topping couldn't melt enough and the bread didn't get as crispy as I'd have liked.

Ingredients

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can (4 oz) mushroom pieces, drained or 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced thin

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons chopped green onion

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning [optional]

1 loaf (1 pound) unsliced French or Italian bread

Directions

(1) Slice loaf in half length-wise.  Toast or broil until just crisped (not browned).

(2) In bowl, combine mozzarella, mushrooms, mayonnaise, parmesan, and onion.  Spread mixture over bread.

(3) Broil 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Notes: I used Italian bread this time, so I'll try French the next.  I'll also add some garlic powder to the cheese mixture.

Kid Participation:

* Mix topping ingredients together

* Spread cheese mixture over bread (if cooled)

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Original Recipe HERE

I had this on my "to try" list for a long time, but it kept getting bumped because I thought it might be just another banana bread recipe and nothing to get excited about.  But I had another case of Browning Bananas, and since I always have all the ingredients for this on hand, I decided to go for it one night.  So glad I did.

I considered skipping the glaze, because I'm not always a fan of lime flavoring, but luckily I didn't.  It brings the bread "to another level" (for lack of a better way to say it).  I think this would be even better as muffins, since you'd get a hint of lime in almost every bite, as well as some of the toasted coconut (because the coconut flavor of the bread wasn't very pronounced - all I tasted was banana).  The bread was moist without being gummy or having that combination of slightly-undercooked texture in the middle and a little too browned on the edges.  Definitely a do-again.

Update: These turned out fabulously as muffins.  I baked them for 22 minutes and got 18 muffins.  I made extra glaze and used it all.  Also, since the coconut flavor in the bread wasn't easily detectable the first time, I added half a teaspoon of coconut extract to the batter when making muffins.  I don't know how much it changed the taste, but it certainly didn't harm it.

Ingredients

* For Bread:
2 cups white flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)

1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt [I used light sour cream]

3 Tablespoons apple juice or milk [I used 2% milk]

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup shredded coconut

2 Tablespoons shredded coconut (for topping)

* For Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice (fresh preferred)

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 9x5" loaf pan (or spray with non-stick spray).  Line bottom with parchment for added ease of bread removal.

2) Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

3) Mash banana.

4) In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended. Add eggs and beat to combine.

5) Add banana, sour cream or yogurt, apple juice or milk, and vanilla. Beat until blended.

6) Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.

7) Pour batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle additional 2 Tablespoons coconut on top.

8) Bake 60 minutes or until knife or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, but check bread after about 40 minutes. If top has browned and coconut pieces look toasted, cover top of bread lightly with piece of foil. Continue baking until done.

9) Remove loaf pan from oven and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully remove bread from pan and place back on cooling rack with piece of wax paper (or foil, parchment, or paper towel) underneath rack.

10) Thoroughly whisk powdered sugar and lime juice together.  Use a spoon to drizzle glaze over top, letting excess drip below. Cool for another 15 minutes before slicing.

Kid Participation:
* Whisk dry ingredients
* Mash banana
* Crack eggs
* Add coconut to batter and stir
* Sprinkle coconut as topping
* Whisk glaze
* Drizzle glaze (if you don't mind it being very unevenly distributed)

Cheddar Biscuit Cups

Original Recipe HERE

I'm always on the lookout for recipes for biscuits, breads, cornbreads, and the like...but only if they're easy and quick.  I don't always remember to plan ahead so dough can rise, and I often have something else in the oven that prevents a long baking process.  These "cheddar muffins" (so dubbed by *N*) fit the bill: a good combination of a crusty outside with a chewy inside.  The measurements listed here are doubled from the original since I wanted leftovers for the following night (and they reheated nicely in the toaster oven).

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

1-2 cups shredded cheese [I used a Mexican blend and some sharp cheddar]

1 cup milk [I used a combination of 2% and skim]

4 tablespoon mayonnaise

 

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 425 and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

2) Whisk flour, baking powder, & salt together.

3) Add cheese to the flour mixture.

4) Stir milk and mayonnaise into the mixture, just until moistened.

5) Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

6) Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until biscuit tops are golden brown.

Notes: A success; they turned out exactly as I expected.  Next time I'll use more sharp cheese to have a more pronounced flavor.  Probably throw in some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or dill as well.

Update: I made these again, adding a few generous shakes of both garlic powder and dill.  Even tastier than before.

Kid Participation:

* Measure and whisk dry ingredients.

* Add (child-size) handfuls of cheese (because kids like to use their hands more than measuring cups).

* Stir all ingredients together.